For Homework 2, you have your picked topic and read some background literature for your final project. Now it is time to design your study, which will be an empirical study that you conduct on your own (you must collect, or at least analyze, data. If you are not collecting your own data, please talk with me first). For Homework 3, due Thursday Oct. 28, you will write an APA style title page, introduction, methods section, and reference list for your final project. Any questionnaires you plan to use, plus your consent and debrief form, if your study requires them, should also be included as an appendix in your paper.

Keep your design simple. Unless you absolutely have your heart set on a more complex design, stick to one independent variable, and one dependent variable.

Because you have not actually conducted the study yet, some aspects of the paper should be written in the future tense (what you plan to do). However, after you receive feedback on this paper and make the appropriate revisions, you should be able to easily adapt this paper to serve as the introduction and methods for your final project (which will be written in the past tense; what you have done).

Although there are many APA style tips in this handout, keep in mind that the APA Publication Manual should be your ultimate guide for the format of this paper. The sample paper in the guide will be especially handy.

Here are the parts you must include in your paper:

1) Title page

Short title (or AManuscript Page Header@ as your text calls it, p. 417)--At the very top of your title page, on the right hand side, you should provide a short title as a header for the Amanuscript@ version of your paper (i.e., the form you are working on now). This short title is the first few words of your full title. After the short title, either on the same line, or the line just below, number each page, starting with 1 for the title page. The short title and page number appear on every page of the manuscript except those with figures and graphs, and you can leave page numbers off your appendices too.

Running head--The running head comes below the short title, on the first non-header line of your title page, and starts at the left margin. This is the header that will go at the top of each page in the journal when your paper is published! It may or may not be the same as your short title (again, see p. 417 in your text to read about the difference). It doesn=t have to contain the first words of your title.

Title--Center the title, your name, and your institution (University of Oregon) below the running head. Double space between each of these entries. If your title takes up more than one line, each line is centered, and you double space between lines.

[You are not required to an abstract for this paper; you will have to do one for your final project]

2) Introduction

Do NOT write AIntroduction@ at the top of your introduction. However, do begin your introduction by centering your title at the top of the page. Each page of your introduction should have your short title and a page number in the top right hand corner. Most importantly, you should clearly state your hypothesis in the introduction. Summarize previous literature that is relevant to your study, provide a background and logical basis for your hypothesis, explain why the study is important (why are you conducting this study?), and provide an overview of your study. For the latter, you do not want to go into detail (that goes in the methods section), but the reader should at least know what your theoretical variables are.

3) Methods

You do center the word AMethods@ at the start of your methods section. You do NOT start a new page for the methods. The methods section is divided into sections.

First you describe your participants (your participants are the subjects in your study; however, Aparticipants@ is viewed as more sensitive term than Asubjects.@) Starting at the left margin, type the word Aparticipants,@ capitalized and underlined. Return and indent before then describing how many participants you used and any relevant demographic information about them, where you obtained the participants, if they participated voluntarily, and what, if anything, was used to encourage them to participate.

If you have a separate design section, it comes after the participants section, also with its own subheading.

Next, you describe any materials you are using. At the left hand margin, type Amaterials@ as you did Aparticipants.@ Your materials might include stimuli (e.g., pictures of target people) or established measures (e.g., a personality test). If your study involved special equipment, that gets described here as well.

Next comes the procedure section, also with a section title, like you used for the participants and materials sections. Here you describe what you did, step by step. If you didn=t describe them in the materials section, you will probably describe your questionnaires or dependent variable here. If you haven=t already covered your independent variable, and what the different levels of it were (either in the participants or design section), describe that here. Make sure you include any measures taken to protect your participants.

4) Reference section

Include a reference section for your paper. Use Homework 2 as a guide, but make sure that you only include references that you cited in your introduction, and that every source in your introduction is cited in your reference list.

5) Appendix

Include a copy of any questionnaires you are using, unless they are established (published, or used in a previously published study, in which case you should cite them in your reference section). Include your consent and debriefing form as well, if you use one. When you refer readers to these forms, tell them they are in the appendices (you will have a separate appendix for each form. If you have more than one appendix, give them letter names--e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. The letters correspond to the order in which they are first mentioned in your paper.) When you include things in an appendix, make sure they are labeled as appendices, either on a separate page, or typed at the top of the measure itself.

6) Consent and Debrief forms

If you use human subjects in an experiment, you must obtain informed consent. Follow the guidelines we discussed in class and the sample consent form on p. 47 of your text. Please note that IF you use AData Collection Night,@ to collect your data, you will not actually distribute this consent form; however, everyone (regardless of where you are getting your participants) should write a consent form to be included in this homework UNLESS you are doing archival or observational research that would not require consent. You must also provide your participants with an explanation (debrief) of the study. Follow the guidelines we discussed in class--educating the subjects about your hypothesis and revealing any deception.

Have someone proofread your paper, leaving enough time prior to turning the paper in so that you can fully incorporate any suggestions made by your proofreader. After they have proofread the paper, fill out the form you received in class. Obviously, the more knowledgable your proofreader is, the more valuable his/her comments will be. One possible ideal choice would be a senior psychology major.

Although this paper serves as an assignment for a grade, it also serves as a proposal for your final project. You are not authorized to collect any data until the proposal has been approved, unless you discuss it with me first.