Developing a Research Study

Developing a Research Study

This week, we are learning about developing a research study. It is important to operationally define your variables so that you can accurately observe and measure them. Describe a specific research idea and how you would go about studying that idea. Remember to include the variables involved, a potential hypothesis, possible methods, and the statistical tests needed to analyze your data. Find a published article in a research journal to support your idea.

Do you need to find a articles discussed in recent issues of professional peer-reviewed journals?

Developing a Research Study

To identify the journal or journals you browse, you can use “library services” or journal websites to see what recent topics have been discussed in journals.

Some journals you may look at include:  American Journal of Psychology, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, British Journal of Psychology, Evolution and Human Behavior, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Behavior Research and Therapy, Psychopharmacology, Behavioral Pharmacology, European Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Journal of Experimental Psychology, Learning and Memory, Neuropharmacology

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Developing a Research Study

1. What is the specific research idea?,

2. What are the independent and dependent variables?,

3. What is the hypothesis of the study?,

4. What methods can be used to study the idea?,

5. Which statistical tests would analyze the data and what published research supports the study?

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Comprehensive General Answer

1. Research Idea
   A possible research idea is to study the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance in college students. Many students struggle with balancing coursework and sleep, and understanding this relationship could provide insights into mental health and productivity.

2. Variables

• Independent Variable (IV): Sleep quality, measured using a standardized scale (e.g., the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).

• Dependent Variable (DV): Academic performance, measured by GPA or standardized test scores.

• Control Variables: Age, gender, study habits, caffeine intake, and class load, to ensure these factors do not confound results.

3. Hypothesis
   “If college students experience higher quality sleep, then their academic performance will be significantly better compared to students with poor sleep quality.”

4. Methods
   Participants would complete a survey on sleep quality and provide consent to access GPA records. Data collection could occur through university emails or psychology courses. The design would be correlational since sleep cannot be fully manipulated ethically. However, an experimental version could involve assigning groups to different sleep schedules under lab conditions.

5. Statistical Tests and Support
   The data would be analyzed using:

• Pearson’s correlation to examine the relationship between sleep quality and GPA.

• Multiple regression analysis to control for additional variables (e.g., caffeine, study hours).
  If an experimental version is used, an independent-samples t-test could compare academic outcomes between a well-rested group and a sleep-deprived group.

Supporting Research:
A study by Gilbert & Weaver (2010), published in the Journal of American College Health, found a strong association between sleep quality and academic performance in college students, supporting the idea that sleep plays a critical role in cognitive functioning and learning outcomes.

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