What was experimentally wrong with the Ghostbusters ESP study (video
link) at the end of your chapter one slideshow, and how could it be
improved to meet scientific standards? Second,
if you were doing this study, what would be your hypothesis, and what
would your independent and dependent variables be (make sure to list and
label them as IVs and DVs)? Be specific here! (“My independent variable
would be …; My dependent variable would be …). Third,
how would you make it an experimental (rather than correlational) study
(it might help to be specific here as well and define the two types of
studies in your response. That is, what is a correlational study and
what is an experimental study? I suggest discussing the nature of random
assignment here as well as experimental versus control groups)? Finally, what are some of the ethical problems with this study and how would you resolve them?
Note that this question asks for FOUR things from you. Missing an
item will lower your score on your initial comment, so make sure to
respond thoroughly to all four parts of the question. That response is
the bulk of your points and is independent of your other group members –
that is, I want to make sure that YOU can answer ALL parts of the
question for the eight points associated with that initial comment.
Then, after answering the question in your initial comment, I want you
to discuss this research with your group (or at least one other group
member) as you engage in a group discussion (your follow-up comment).
You can agree or disagree with other group members, noting why agree or
disagree in your follow-up response. Or you could suggest other ways of
conducting research by using other’s comments as a jumping-off point.
Finally, note that the time-table for posting your second comment is
“somewhat” flexible. You have to post your follow-up comments by
midnight on Sunday at the very latest, but you can actually post both
the initial and follow-up comment before Sunday if you like (this just
requires that another group member has posted their first comment early
in the week as well so you can respond on your second comment).
Finally, I have a few helpful guidelines about your posts. First,
look at the Discussion Grading Rubric link if you need some additional
guidance. I have an example post from a prior student that shows the
quality and depth of detail that I am looking for in your posts. Second,
spelling and grammar count, so make sure to proofread before formally
submitting both your initial and follow-up comment. Third, a good
guideline for all discussion questions is roughly a sentence per
assignment point. That is, I expect around 15 sentences from you,
one for each discussion point(could be more, could be less, but that is
a good rule of thumb!). Finally, note that on occasion, I may give some
extra points to students (16 for the whole discussion rather than 15),
but this will be very rare and only for exceptional answers that draw on
additional material not covered in the course materials (the daily news
and the internet might be good sources of outside materials). You can
only get the bonus point once or twice a semester, but they are hard to
get unless you have a truly excellent post!
If the video link in the PowerPoint presentation doesn’t work for you
(though I prefer you use those links), you can find the same clip by
going to
Ghostbusters opening scene (Links to an external site.)
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|