OVERVIEW:
Psychological and medical studies are commonly discussed in the media. Often, the general public hears about these studies through popular press articles. It is our responsibility to critically evaluate whether the conclusions being drawn by these popular press articles are consistent with the data from the original research. The goal of this paper is to practice critical thinking and summarizing research articles.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Read the peer-reviewed article (first!), paying close attention to the research design and findings.
2) Read the popular press article (second), paying close attention to how the findings of the peer-reviewed article are interpreted and described.
3) Review learned information from the text, lecture, and associated course materials regarding research methods and causality
4) Compose a well-written, scientific report. General formatting and guidelines are as follows:
GENERAL FORMATTING GUIDELINES:
APA-style title page
1.5-3 pages of actual content (range is firm, please do not ask if you can write more; this range does not include the title and reference page)
Double-spaced
Size 12 Times New Roman font
1” margins
References page (NOT “works cited”)
Summarize the peer-reviewed article (~0.5 page).
Identify the research hypothesis, the subject variables including all independent and dependent variables, the design of the study (correlational or experimental), and the outcome.
Explain whether and how the outcome of the study supports the research hypothesis.
Summarize the popular press article (~0.5 page).
Describe the content of the article, including any info about the research hypothesis, the subject variables (including all independent and dependent variables), the design of the study (correlational or experimental), and the outcome.
Describe other supporting information, such as quotes from the authors or others.
Note any statements, phrases, or conclusions that imply causality. Pay special attention to the title and some of the quotes in the paper for causal language. (HINT: the word is causal, not casual.)
Evaluate whether the press article provided an accurate report of the original research (1 – 1.5 pages).
Did the author use any language that implied a causal relationship between the variables that were studied? Explain.
Describe why causal conclusions cannot be made from correlational studies. Use material from the textbook and lectures (Chapter 2) for this.
Suggest and explain a possible third variable (see Chapter 2 content) that might account for the finding that videogame playing is associated with creativity. Hint: this should *not* be anything about video game playing itself.
***Use the rubric below to evaluate your answers before submitting***
