Prepare an APA-formatted Results and Discussion section that are based on an imagined study of whether
a
classical conditioning procedure can affect how much people like and believe new information. Although the
class did not collect data for this project, the paper should be written as if the research had actually been
performed. Students are welcome to ask Dr. Derenne or the TA questions about the assignment. Students,
however, are not allowed to collaborate with classmates on this assignment.
Data Analysis Procedure
Step 1.
Listen to the recording called “Paper 2 – Method” to become familiar with the goals of the imagined
and how the data would have been collected.
Step 2.
Analyze the impact that pleasant and unpleasant music had on the believability of new information. I
demonstrate how to perform this analysis in the recording called “Paper 2 – Analysis 1”. Repeat this
process.
1) Record the mean and standard error for each condition (see below for an example).
2) Record the degrees of freedom, F ratio, and p-value for the ANOVA (see below for an example).
Step 3.
Analyze differences in the believability of the information independently of the music that accompanied
them. I
demonstrate how to perform this analysis in the recording called “Paper 2 – Analysis 2”. Repeat this
process.
1) Record the mean and standard error for each condition (see below for an example).
2) Record the degrees of freedom, F ratio, and p-value for the ANOVA (see below for an example).
3) Record the results of Tukey’s HSD test (see below for an example).
Step 4.
Analyze the impact that pleasant and unpleasant music had on how much participants liked the new
information. I demonstrate how to perform this analysis in the recording called “Paper 2 – Analysis 3”.
Repeat
this process.
1) Record the mean and standard error for each condition (see below for an example).
2) Record the degrees of freedom, F ratio, and p-value for the ANOVA (see below for an example).
Data Interpretation Examples
These are the data from the second analysis. The means show how believable participants found each set
of
information to be, independent of music effects. The first mean is for wish fulfillment theory, the second is
for
problem-solving theory, the third is for cognitive theory, and the fourth is interpreted brain activity theory.
Means should be rounded to two decimal places. Researchers commonly report the standard error with the
mean. The standard error indicates how precisely the mean is being calculated.
For the wish-fulfillment theory, the mean and standard error would be reported as follows: M = 2.98±.17. That is
the mean (rounded to two places) plus/minus the accompanying standard error (rounded to two places). As
explained in the recordings, if a theory has a mean rating of 3, then participants found it to be equally
believable
and unbelievable. In the results section, one should not just list the statistics, but also explain what the
statistics
mean. Thus, one could write, “Participants found wish-fulfillment theory to be almost equally believable and
unbelievable (M= 2.98±.17). Note that the statistic is used to provide evidence for the statement, in much
the
the same way that citations are used to support claims elsewhere in a paper.
The table above shows the outcome of the ANOVA for the second analysis. Red boxes have made around
information that needs to be included in the result section. This includes the degrees of freedom, the F ratio,
and the p value. Per APA formatting requirements, this information would be written as F (3, 141) = 33.32, p
<
0.0001. As mentioned above, researchers don’t just list statistics, they explain what the statistics mean. In
this
case, the analysis shows that participants did not find the four theories they learned about to be equally
believable. Therefore, one could write something like, “Participants did not find the four theories to be
equally
believable, F (3, 141) = 33.32, p < 0.0001.” Once again, the statistic is built into the sentence as a way of
demonstrating that the statement is true.
Above is the result of Tukey’s HSD test, which was another part of the second analysis. These findings
should
also be incorporated into the results section. Note that there are no special APA formatting rules to follow
for
this post hoc test. Instead, students should say that Tukey’s HSD test was performed and then also explain
which
comparisons were significant. As explained in the recording, one of the comparisons is for the believability
ratings for wish fulfillment theory vs. problem-solving theory. Tukey’s HSD test reveals that the difference in
the
mean ratings for these two conditions was statistically significant. Thus one could say something like,
“participants found the problem-solving theory to be significantly more believable than wish-fulfillment theory”.
(As
shown above, the mean rating for problem-solving theory was 4.52, compared to only 2.98 for wish
fulfillment
theory). It is not necessary to list p values when describing these comparisons.
Writing the Results Section
The results section of a paper describes how the data were analyzed and what the data analyses reveal.
Prepare a results section that:
1) Explains how the data were analyzed, including what comparisons were made and what statistical tests
were used.
2) Includes the means and standard errors. These results are not just listed. Instead, the reader is also told
the meaning of the results (for example, see above).
3) Includes the results of the statistical tests. Again, the statistical outcomes are not just listed. Instead, the
the reader is also told the meaning of the statistical test outcomes (for example, see above).
Finally, the results section should be written in a clear and straightforward manner.
Writing the Discussion Section
The discussion section of a paper describes the conclusions of a study, acknowledges limitations that affect
the
confidence in those conclusions or the generality of those conclusions, and finally considers next steps for
research to take.
Prepare a discussion section that:
1) Describes what conclusion you would make about the results of this study. The conclusion should relate
the findings to the question about how classical conditioning may affect the way new information is
perceived.
2) Describe what you think are limitations in the study that call into question the conclusions.
3) Describe what you think are the next steps for research to take in this area.
Finally, the results section should be written in a clear and straightforward manner.
Sample Solution