List and briefly describe a couple of key research findings that help us frame the current work.

Article Critique Assignment
For this assignment, you will be assigned an article. You will write a critical evaluation (a paper) of the article that includes the information listed below. You will be graded both on the accuracy and completeness of your evaluation, as well as the quality of your writing. While this is a paper assignment, you should think of it as a test that is assessing your ability to critically consider an empirical article. Must be in APA format.
I. Background/Introduction
A. What is the central problem or topic, in plain English?
B. What are the major theories involved in attempting to understand this problem? If there are no theories presented, why is that? Can they be inferred?
C. List and briefly describe a couple of key research findings that help us frame the current work.
D. What are the primary hypotheses or research questions? How do they connect to the theories and previous findings?
II. Variables/Measures
A. What is the sample population? Evaluate its appropriateness for the research question.
B. Variables
List the primary variables of interest. For each variable:
1) address whether it is a manipulated, subject, or measured variable. If it is a measured variable, which scale of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio) is being used.
2) provide the operational definition of the variable in the current study
3) describe why this variable is appropriate for the current study given the stated goals/hypothesis(es) of the researcher(s)
C. Design/Procedure
A. What kind of design is this? Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, Observational, Correlational, Case, or Archival?
B. Does this design allow you to make a cause and effect conclusion (i.e. causal interpretation) regarding the results? Explain why or why not. As a reminder, causal interpretation means that you can assume that changes in the measured variable are due to differences in the manipulated variable.
C. Identify potential threats to internal validity (e.g., confounding variables – or other variables that are present in the study that could potentially effect the results). These may include but certainly are not limited to things like social desirability, practice effects, the composition of the experimental groups, changes over time, extraneous events, attrition, regression to the mean, etc. Remember, in order for this to be a confound, it must provide an alternative explanation of the results of the study.
D. Discuss the ecological validity of the study context—how closely does the study protocol approximate the phenomenon of interest as it occurs in the real world? You should address the generalizability of the data here as well.
III. Analysis/Results
A. How were the primary research questions addressed, statistically (e.g., correlation, t-test, ANOVA, regression, etc.)
B. Identify a primary table or figure and describe it. How does it address the study’s primary hypotheses?
IV. Conclusions/Discussion
A. Discuss the appropriateness of the authors’ conclusions. Did they provide alternative explanations of their findings?
B. Evaluate the impact of the findings. Are they theoretically important? Why or why not? Are they practically important? Why or why not?
Article Critique Assignment
For this assignment, you will be assigned an article. You will write a critical evaluation (a paper) of the article that includes the information listed below. You will be graded both on the accuracy and completeness of your evaluation, as well as the quality of your writing. While this is a paper assignment, you should think of it as a test that is assessing your ability to critically consider an empirical article. Must be in APA format.
I. Background/Introduction
A. What is the central problem or topic, in plain English?
B. What are the major theories involved in attempting to understand this problem? If there are no theories presented, why is that? Can they be inferred?
C. List and briefly describe a couple of key research findings that help us frame the current work.
D. What are the primary hypotheses or research questions? How do they connect to the theories and previous findings?
II. Variables/Measures
A. What is the sample population? Evaluate its appropriateness for the research question.
B. Variables
List the primary variables of interest. For each variable:
1) address whether it is a manipulated, subject, or measured variable. If it is a measured variable, which scale of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio) is being used.
2) provide the operational definition of the variable in the current study
3) describe why this variable is appropriate for the current study given the stated goals/hypothesis(es) of the researcher(s)
C. Design/Procedure
A. What kind of design is this? Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, Observational, Correlational, Case, or Archival?
B. Does this design allow you to make a cause and effect conclusion (i.e. causal interpretation) regarding the results? Explain why or why not. As a reminder, causal interpretation means that you can assume that changes in the measured variable are due to differences in the manipulated variable.
C. Identify potential threats to internal validity (e.g., confounding variables – or other variables that are present in the study that could potentially effect the results). These may include but certainly are not limited to things like social desirability, practice effects, the composition of the experimental groups, changes over time, extraneous events, attrition, regression to the mean, etc. Remember, in order for this to be a confound, it must provide an alternative explanation of the results of the study.
D. Discuss the ecological validity of the study context—how closely does the study protocol approximate the phenomenon of interest as it occurs in the real world? You should address the generalizability of the data here as well.
III. Analysis/Results
A. How were the primary research questions addressed, statistically (e.g., correlation, t-test, ANOVA, regression, etc.)
B. Identify a primary table or figure and describe it. How does it address the study’s primary hypotheses?
IV. Conclusions/Discussion
A. Discuss the appropriateness of the authors’ conclusions. Did they provide alternative explanations of their findings?
B. Evaluate the impact of the findings. Are they theoretically important? Why or why not? Are they practically important? Why or why not?

Explain the significance of the self-assessment results in relationship to your behavior within groups and within organizations.

In general, do you believe the results represent who you are as a leader? How will the results inspire you to be a more effective leader? Explain.
Compare your self-assessment results to the primary characteristics of two leadership styles you have studied. Reference at least three academic sources.
Explain the significance of the self-assessment results in relationship to your behavior within groups and within organizations. How could this knowledge influence your values, attitude towards others, and the practice of leadership in the workplace?

What is an ethical dilemma that you have faced in your work or what is an ethical dilemma that you have seen in the media?

What is an ethical dilemma that you have faced in your work or what is an ethical dilemma that you have seen in the media?
How was the ethical dilemma addressed?
What ethical principles (APA and AASP) apply to the situation?
What do you see as the biggest challenge for you in working with athletes/performers and practicing sport psychology?

What percentage of children (younger than 18 years of age) lived in poverty in the most recent year presented?

Using the Infographic on “How the Census Measures Poverty,” find out how the Census Bureau measures poverty. What is the current poverty threshold (poverty income level cutoff) for a family of four? For an individual?
Use the reports, press releases, and data tables to answer the following questions:
What percentage of children (younger than 18 years of age) lived in poverty in the most recent year presented? What has been the trend in this rate over the past decade? Over the past 20 years?
What is the poverty rate of older adults? What explains the difference in rates between older adults and younger adults?
Which state has the highest rate of poverty in the most recent year published? The lowest rate? Where does your state fall? How do each of these rates compare to the national poverty rate? Why do you think there are such differences in the poverty rate from state to state?
What are the differences in the poverty rate by race? What explains the higher poverty rates among minority persons?