Unit Reference Number

R/650/1282

Unit Title

Research Methods and Investigating Psychology

Unit Level

4

Number of Credits

20

Total Qualification Time (TQT)

200 hours

Guided Learning Hours (GLH)

100 hours

Mandatory / Optional

Mandatory

Unit Grading Type

Pass / Refer

Learning Outcome – The learner will:

Assessment Criterion – The learner can:

1. Understand the experimental methods applied in psychology.

1.1 Explain the principles of research design.

1.2 Analyse how scientific method, experimental and descriptive research are interlinked.

2. Understand research methods.

2.1 Describe research methods used in psychology.

2.2 Explain how to conduct simple statistical tests commonly used in psychology.

3. Understand types of data analysis and evaluation.

3.1 Describe types of data analysis used in research.

3.2 Analyse the interrelationship between statistics and research hypotheses in psychology.

4. Be able to carry out research design and review.

4.1 Research psychological papers to inform research design.

4.2 Apply and justify choice of method to a research scenario.

4.3 Review and reflect on own learning.

Unit Title Research Methods and Investigating Psychology

Task 1 of 1

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO 1 Understand the experimental methods applied in psychology.

LO 2 Understand research methods.

LO 3 Understand types of data analysis and evaluation.

LO 4 Be able to carry out research design and review.

Task Assessment Criteria to be covered

1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,

Assignment Brief and Guidance

This task requires you to present a report, in which you review the structure of psychological studies in current journals to better understand the conventions used for researching and reporting psychological investigations.

Using one of the reports reviewed, focus on the design decisions made for a psychological research study and describe how you would put them into practice.

You do not need to carry out the investigation. You are creating a psychological study to demonstrate your understanding of research design and reporting.

In your report, you should:

• Decide on the research aims and or/hypothesis (decide whether to use a directional or non-directional hypothesis
• Determine the target population and the research method. Make sure your choice is related to the aims of the research. Discuss the disadvantages and advantages of your chosen method. IV or DV or covariables may need to be considered or further design decisions may need to be discussed.
• Consider the design and materials – you will need to consider validity and reliability and describe the materials you are using
• Determine participants and identify a sampling technique
• Describe ethical issues. The BPS Code establishes four ethical principles: respect, competence, responsibility, and integrity.
• Explain the statistics to use for results
• Discuss the procedures that would be carried out.
• Reflect on your learning from this task

You should be able to use psychological terminology and know how to use skills to describe, explain, analyse and evaluate information.

You need to use the knowledge and understanding from the course, as well as the additional information your teacher or lecturer provides you with that is specific to this assignment.

The research report you need to produce for your assignment must conform to standards for report writing in psychology. You must also comply with ethical standards for psychological research. It is essential that you are familiar with the most recent version of the Code of Ethics and Conduct which applies to all psychological research:

Please refer to the American Psychological Association (APA) or British Psychological Society (BPS) for guidance.

Delivery and Submission

The report should conform to the style and format of a psychology research report.

The recommended word limit is 3000 words excluding diagrams, references, and appendices.

Referencing

You are expected to use relevant academic and reliable sources, and clearly reference these in your work.

You must use the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style which includes:

• a reference list at the end of the document for all in-text citations
• in-text citations to briefly identify the sources you have quoted or paraphrased

You should complete a bibliography to support all evidence.