PSY 326 All Weeks Discussions

PSY 326 All Weeks Discussions

Week 1 DQ1

Research Ethics

This discussion has two options.  Please choose either Option A or Option B to respond to.  Be sure you indicate within your post which option you chose.

For both options, review the American Psychological Association Ethical Principals of Psychologists and Code of Conduct before responding:

Option A:
The ethics of animal research continues to be one of the most debated topics in psychological research. Watch theAnimal Testing by Big Tobacco – The Mouse House video and review theCommittee for Animal Research and Ethics (C.A.R.E.) guidelines developed by the APA.  Then answer the following questions:

If these guidelines are adhered to should animal research be allowed? Be sure to use the guidelines to defend your position on the topic. If allowed, should animal research be limited to research that investigates cures for terminal illnesses, or should they continue to be used in any Institutional Review Board (I.R.B.) approved research? How is using animals for research any different than using animals for food?

Option B: 
Human research is common in the field of psychology, which raises many ethical questions. For this discussion, review theStanford Prison Experiment slideshow. Respond to the following:

If a question must be answered that has significant negative psychological impact on the subject, such as in the Stanford prison study, is it more ethical to use human or animal subjects? Are there some research questions that should simply not be evaluated because of the potential for negative psychological impact the research would have on the human subjects?

 

Week 1 DQ2

Much of scientific inquiry is focused on developing and evaluating theories. There are four major criteria that are used to evaluate theories that are presented in your text:

Explains the past; predicts the future Testable and falsifiable Parsimonious Promotes research

When evaluating a theory, which of these criteria do you think is the most important, the least important, and why? Do all of these criteria need to be satisfied for the theory to be considered a valid or good theory?

 

 

Week 2 DQ1

Research Design

You have been approached by a pharmaceutical company that has developed a new drug, which is supposed to be effective in the treatment of schizophrenia. Before mass producing the drug, the company wants to be sure that the new drug is more effective than the one they are currently producing. The company has hired you to design a research study to determine the effectiveness of the new drug in comparison to the old one.

Discuss what research design you would use for this study and why. Be sure to include a brief overview of the study and how you would determine the effectiveness of one drug over the other.

Week 2 DQ2

Hypothesis Testing

Use the study you designed in the previous Discussion (Research Design) to complete this discussion question. Based on the study you designed, define the 5 steps of hypothesis testing as follows:

Step 1: State the hypothesis.

Step 2: Collect the data – For the purpose of this discussion, you will state how you would collect the data.

Step 3: Calculate statistics – For the purpose of this discussion, you will indicate the statistics you would use.

Step 4: Compare to a critical value – For the purpose of this discussion, you will indicate where you would set the alpha value and why. Note: Step 4 is hypothetical as you are not actually conducting a statistical analysis.  Consequently, you will choose if the results of your hypothetical analysis are above or below the critical value.

Step 5: Make a decision – For the purpose of this discussion, you will make a conclusion based on the hypothetical results from Step 4. Be sure to include a recommendation on the effectiveness of the new drug based on the results.

 

 

Week 3 DQ1

Descriptive Research

Briefly discuss the three descriptive designs (i.e., case studies, archival research, and observational research) presented in the reading this week.  Be sure to discuss the strengths and weaknesses associated with each approach.  Which of these three approaches do you think is the best descriptive design and why?  Finally, indicate the types of research testing where each of these designs would be effective. 

 

Week 3 DQ2

Data Description

This discussion question has two parts. Be sure to address both parts in your post.

Chapter 3 introduces different methods that can be used to describe data. Discuss why describing data is such an important part of the research process. Why are there different methods that can be used to describe data? Do the methods used depend on the type of research design that is utilized, or it is a function of the data that is collected?  Explain your reasoning. Visit the Ashford University Library and select a quantitative research study. Identify and describe the method(s) used to describe the data in this study. Was/were the appropriate method(s) identified, in your opinion? Could other methods have been used to describe the data in this study?  Be sure to properly cite the study you chose within your post.

 

 

Week 4 DQ1

Survey Research

Choose a research area that you would like to learn more about. Briefly design a study, using one of the survey approaches introduced in the reading this week. The research design should include the type of sampling you will use and why you have chosen this approach to study the topic.  Regardless of the method you choose, include two sample questions that will be part of your study. Indicate why each of these would be good questions, based on the principles presented this week.  What are the ethical concerns associated with your question or approach? Finally, suggest ways to improve the response rate or participation levels in your study.

 

Week 4 DQ2

Data Analysis

Assume that you have conducted the research study which you proposed for the first discussion question this week, and that you now have the data. Which of the methods used for analyzing survey data would you use to analyze this data and why? Be sure to explain why the approach that you are proposing for the data analysis is consistent with the survey research method that you employed and the data you obtained.

 

 

Week 5 DQ1

Experimental versus Quasi-Experimental

Discuss the major differences between experimental and quasi-experimental designs. Be sure to address the relationship of variable manipulation to each of these designs and the different types of manipulations that may be used. What dictates the design (i.e., experimental versus quasi-experimental) and the type of manipulation used in a research study?

 

Week 5 DQ2

Internal and External Validity

When conducting experimental research, interpretation of an experiment’s results can be greatly influenced by its internal and external validity.  Discuss the importance of external and internal validity and some of the threats to each of these. What is the impact of having one type of validity but not the other? If you could only have one type of validity in your experiment, which would it be and why?