Psych 200
RESEARCH PAPER / PROJECT
In this assignment you will develop a central question which you are interested in exploring through a
theoretical or applied research project.
Theoretical: A theoretical paper focuses on answering a research question through studying and
comparing different theoretical and methodological approaches.
Example: Feminist approaches to studying parenting. You would first describe particular feminist
theorists and their work and then consider how these approaches would be applied to understanding
how 'parenting' is currently portrayed and how particular feminist approaches would challenge and
change these current portrayals.
Applied: An applied paper focuses on studying how developmental issues are occurring in society. You
can study the issues from the viewpoint of certain populations, those that work with these populations,
or both together.
Example: Social media and dating in young adults. After doing a thorough literature review you would
focus on a particular area of this topic and then develop a survey to conduct with 30-50 individuals.
Another option would be to interview young adults in a more open ended format about their
experiences and perceptions.
Objective:
1. To understand and demonstrate the basic components of writing a psychological research paper.
2. To be able to critically analyze an area of Lifespan Development and express in writing a well
founded critique and analysis.
3. To be able to present your research in the class in a clear and concise fashion and facilitate a class
discussion.
Outline:
I. Develop a central research question and three subquestions.
II. Do a thorough literature review (2-3 central resources and 5-10 background resources).
III. Develop a methodology to study your topic.
a. Theoretical. Describe or compare a number of theoretical approaches to some developmental
topic and critique them in terms of how you see their strengths, weaknesses and relevance.
b. Applied. Develop a survey or interview questionnaire and gather 'data' to answer your central
research question. This can also be done by interviews with experts in a field, conducting a survey or
questionnaire with certain populations to gather a broader scope of information, or a combination of the
two.
IV. Gather the results and analyze your findings.
V. Develop a discussion section of the paper which reflects on the results you obtained and what
significance this has in relation to your central question and future research suggestions.
FINAL PAPER
Length: 1,500 - 2,000 words (roughly 6-8 pages).
Your final paper will include the following sections:
I.
II.
III.
VI.
V.
VI.
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Discussion
References (APA style).
TIME SCHEDULE
May 5th
Rough draft of research proposals
May 12th
Final research proposals
May 26th
Progress reports
June 4th, 9th, 11th
Final presentations in-class (2-3 power point slides)
June 16th
Final paper
RESEARCH PROPOSALS
May 5th
Rough draft due
May 12th
Final draft due
250 words (one page, double spaced, 12 font, Times Roman).
I.
TOPIC
A brief sentence which describes as concisely as possible your the topic you are researching.
Example: Feminist approaches to parenting.
II.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH JUSTIFICATION
This should be at least a half page describing the relevance of your research question. You will justify
your research by supporting literature which has demonstrated this relevance. You should have at least
4-6 sources that lead us to your research topic and questions.
III.
METHODOLOGY
a. What methodology will you use? (Qualitative, theoretical or applied, surveys or interviews)
b. Why you chose this methodology to research this topic and these questions?
IV. ANALYSIS
a. How you will analyze the results (comparative, likert scale, discourse analysis).
V. . TIMELINE
a. Where, how and when will you conduct the research?
Psych 200 RESEARCH PROPOSAL (250 words)
MAY 5TH
MAY 12TH
Rough draft due
Final draft due
TOPIC:______________________________________________________________________
Group members (if relevant):
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RELEVANCE and Literature Review:
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CENTRAL QUESTION:
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 SUBQUESTIONS:
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2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________
METHODOLOGY/ APPROACH:
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ANALYSIS:
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CHALLENGES/OBSTACLES
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