How to read for this class

You may find journal articles harder to read than other sources. Keep in mind that the authors are trying to tell you not only what they found and why it is important, but HOW they found it. The methods and results sections are often the parts of journal articles that are the most challenging, but it is essential that you read and understand these sections. Recalling what you learned in Psychology 302 and 303 (Statistics and Research Methods) both about data analysis and how to write a research report may help you to decode these sections. This course is an upper level class in which advanced psychology students should be thinking not just about theories and findings of psychology, but also how psychology is done.

As you read a journal article, make sure you can answer these questions:

I will expect you to know the answers to these questions when we are discussing the articles.

It may be helpful to skip around while reading a journal article, BUT MAKE SURE YOU READ THE WHOLE THING. Try reading the abstract first, to give you some idea of what the article is about and where the authors are going. However, be prepared for there to be unfamiliar terms and/or concepts in the abstract. Don't get discouraged--these should be explained in the body of the paper.

It may be helpful to read the intro and then peek at the discussion before tackling the methods and results. You may also find that you have to read some sections twice--knowledge you have gleaned from another part of the article may help you to make sense of something that was unclear at first. For all of the readings (not just journal articles), think about reading as if you have to explain what you have read to someone else.