Visual Search Experiment

This is a research proposal for a visual search experiment we did in class.
1. ABSTRACT
Goes on separate page. Length
120-150 words. Short paragraph (120 to 150 or fewer words) describing the four
major sections of your article (Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion).

2. INTRODUCTION
General: The introduction
is the first page of full text following the abstract. The function of the
introduction is obvious, so it is not labeled “Introduction”. Instead, the full
title of your paper is the title of this section.

First Paragraphs: The introduction
is to inform the reader of the specific research question. In writing the
introduction, consider: What is the question being studied? What psychological theory supports the study?
The beginning of the introduction should let the reader know your general
topic, and why it is important. You may want to start with a real-life example
that illustrates the issue. It should be easy to understand. This will get the
reader involved and interested. Keep in mind that scientific writing avoids
speaking directly to the reader (e.g., “Have you ever been in a situation…..”).
This is too informal. At the end of the opening paragraphs, make sure to
include a clear goal statement (e.g., “The purpose of this study is to
investigate the relation ….”).

Previous Literature: After the
initial paragraphs, discuss previous literature. You do not need to include an
exhaustive historical review. Only cite studies that are in some way pertinent
to your research question. If you cite a study, you have to list it in the
References section! In summarizing earlier studies, avoid nonessential details.
Emphasize major conclusions and findings. Try to give the reader a general
understanding of the study, but your main goal is to convey the significance of
the study. Keep in mind what we went over in class. [Use Scholar Google and/or
Psychinfo with keywords such as ’visual search’ to find articles]

Proposed Study &
Hypothesis:
Next, you will move from talking about what others have done to what we have
done in our experiment. The general introduction and review of previous work
should motivate your proposal. The reader should be at a place where they can
understand the proposal. Describe what you expect to find. This is where you
state your hypothesis. After you stated your hypothesis, include a clear
prediction about how your results should pan out. You already know the results,
so it should be easy to formulate a prediction.

Additional Suggestions: Note that in
order to state your hypothesis, you must have determined the variables (IV and
DV) that you were using. If necessary, include operational definitions of your
variables. So, it is a good idea to answer the following questions before you
begin writing the introduction: What variable was manipulated by the
experimenter? What results do I expect to find? Why do I expect them? Is there
anything in the previous literature that helps me answer these questions? How
can I use the previous literature to help motivate my question? Is my project
an experiment or a quasi-experiment?

• find at least 7
references (no books or book chapters allowed, all references have to be peer-reviewed
articles from google scholar)

4. METHOD
•The method section is where you tell the reader what you did to test your hypothesis.
Your description should have enough detail
so that other researchers could replicate
your study.

•Participants: You need to describe who your participants were and why
they participated. For experiments completed in this class, it will suffice to
say that “12 psychology students
participated as part of a class demonstration.”

•Materials: Here you describe unique materials or equipment

•Design: Here you explain what variables were included in the experiment and how they were used (Typically you don’t just name them).
Remember – the Independent Variable
is manipulated by the
experimenter and we hope that it has an effect
on the Dependent Variable that we measured. Mention if your IV was
within-subjects or between-subjects.

•Procedure: Here you tell the reader what (exactly) you did.
You need to describe the task of the
participant, and how different
conditions differed from one another. However, DO NOT include information
that is irrelevant to the study. (For example, you do not need to mention
turning on the computer or entering passwords, etc.)

5.
REFERENCES (start on separate page)

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