Assignment #3 Empirical Article, Poster and Presentation

Sections C & D Psychology 238 Assignment #3 – Empirical Article, Poster and Presentation Due: Wednesday April 25, 2007 (50 pts.)

Brief Description: Each group will select a topic and answer questions based on an empirical research article. Students will look for one empirical article in peer reviewed journals that focus on their topic. Students will answer questions about the article of their topic. Students will then create a mini-poster based on their empirical article and make a class presentation on it.

Objective: 1. To learn more about an area of interest. 2. To learn how to navigate through library system (including using PSYCINFO). 3. To read original research in the field of abnormal psychology. 4. To practice presenting a research study.

Assignment Requirements: 1. Approval of topic and article. 2. Approximately 2-3 page paper. 3. A poster of your article. 4. A 5 minute class presentation.

Criteria of Article: 1. Must be an empirical article (not a review of the literature) 2. Must be published in a peer reviewed journal

Dates: M 4/9 Distribute assignment W 4/11 How to use PSYCINFO M 4/16 Submit topic and article abstract W 4/25 Written portion of assignment due M 4/30 Poster presentations W 5/2 Poster presentations

Potential Journals (not exhaustive): American Journal of Community Psychology Developmental Psychopathology Behavior Research and Therapy Journal of Abnormal Psychology Behavior Therapy Journal of Child Abnormal Psychology Clinical Psychology Review Journal of Community Psychology Cognitive Therapy and Research Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Journal of Counseling Psycholgy Psychology Schizophrenia Bulletin Below are some recommendations on ways to narrow down your topic. You are not limited to these topics. These are listed to give you some ideas of directions you can go in.

DISORDER POPULATION TOPIC Mood Disorders: Gender Etiology: Major Depressive Disorder Biological Factors: Bipolar Disorder Age/Developmental Period: Genes Suicide Children Hormones Anxiety Disorders: Adolescents Neurological (brain structures) Generalized Anxiety Disorder Adults Neurochemical (neurotransmitters) Panic Disorder Psychological Factors: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Ethnic Minority: Temperament Specific Phobia African American Cognition Social Phobia Asian American Social Factors: Dissociative Disorders Latino SES Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Physical/Sexual Abuse History Schizophrenia Other Special Populations: Gender Schizoaffective Disorder Prisoners Culture Personality Disorders: War Veterans Antisocial Personality Disorder Patients Treatment: Borderline Personality Disorder Students Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Schizotypical Personality Disorder Family Therapy Eating Disorders: Psychodynamic Therapy Anorexia Nervosa Medication Bulimia Support Groups Substance Use Disorders: Alcohol Abuse Assessment Sexual Dysfunction Disorders: Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Autism Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder Psychology 238 Assignment # 3 (50 points) due December 7, 2006 Anatomy of an Empirical Article

Answer the following questions based on the article you chose. Use the additional handouts All responses should be typed, double spaced, 12 point font. Make sure you include your name, netID, and section #.

A. Introduction of Topic (5 points): -Write a paragraph describing the topic area you decided to choose. Use information from lecture and/or the textbook with page numbers if needed.

B. Summary of Article (10 points): -In your own words summarize the article you chose for the assignment. Do not summarize or copy the abstract. Answer can range from a couple of paragraphs to one page.

C. Questions related to empirical article. 1 What did the authors say the purpose of the study was? (4 points) 2 What were the hypotheses of the study? (4 points) 3 Describe the sample that was used in the study. (4 points) 4 What were the findings of the study? Did they support the hypothesis? Why or why not? (4 points) 5 What were some of the limitations of the study that were discussed? (4 points)

D. In your own words, what did you learn from the article? What are some questions you still have related to your topic? (5 points)

E. Include an APA citation of your article. (5 points)

F. Make sure to have your topic and article approved by the instructor by November 14, 2006. Make sure to turn in a copy of the article or the abstract of the article to the instructor as part of the assignment. (5 points) Additional Information for Assignment # 3

Psychological empirical articles all follow the format below. All main headings will be included (e.g., Introduction, Methods, etc.). However depending on the study, not all subheadings will be included.

1. Abstract a. 1 paragraph summary of the article. 2. Introduction a. Review of prior literature i. Previous empirical research ii. Theoretical underpinnings b. Justification of why research is important c. Hypotheses/Research questions 3. Methods a. Participants i. Who was in the study? ii. Number iii. Demographics iv. Recruitment strategy b. Measures i. What did they do? ii. Interviews, Questionnaires, Secondary data, Observations, Psychophysiological techniques, etc. c. Procedures i. How was the study implemented? 4. Results a. Analysis of data b. It is likely that at this stage, you will not understand most of the statistics performed. That is okay. Read the results section to get a general idea of what they found. It should be explained more in the discussion section. 5. Discussion a. Findings i. Support/lack of support for hypothesis b. Interpretations of findings c. Implications for practice and research d. Future directions of research Grading Criteria:

Possible Points Points Earned Choice of article Articles are related to topic, empirical, and/or 5 approved by the instructor

Introduction of Topic Clear statement of topic 5

Summary of Article More than restating the abstract 10 Emphasis of how the article is related to topic in your own words.

Questions on Article Critical examination of article (Answers to 20 questions)

Conclusion What was learned? 5

APA Style Citation of Article Clear attempt at citing the article using APA style 5

Total 50 APA Style

APA style is the most commonly used writing style in the field of psychology. It is frequently used in other fields as well. For this assignment, you are expected to include a citation of your article using APA style. Below are some general guidelines to follow.

Basics:

 Double-space (for this handout, I single-spaced to save space, but you should always double-space)  For this assignment, please use one inch margins, Times New Roman size 12 font.

Citations In-Text:

Parenting is often characterized as a risk factor to mental health problems among youth in research studies. In a review of more than 50 studies, Repetti, Taylor, and Seeman (2002) characterized “risky families” as having high levels of conflict and aggression and who were cold, unsupportive, and neglectful toward youth. The authors concluded that risky families have “damaging outcomes for mental and physical health” (p. 330) of youth beginning in childhood and continuing into adulthood. Another review of the literature also conceptualized parenting as a risk factor to mental health outcomes. A meta-analysis was conducted on a subset of 46 studies examining the relation between “negative parenting” and mental health problems (Grant, Compas, Sthuhlmacher, Thurm, McMahon, & Halpert, 2003). Negative parenting had a significant positive relation to internalizing and externalizing problems in youth. Hence, both the Repetti et al. (2002) and the Grant et al. (2003) reviews refer to parenting as risk factors as opposed to benefiting youth mental health.

References:

References Grant, K. E., Compas, B. E., Stuhlmacher, A. F., Thurm, A. E., McMahon, S. D., &

Halpert, J. A. (2003). Stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology: Moving

from markers to mechanisms of risk. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 447-466.

Repetti, R. L., Taylor, S. E., & Seeman, T. E. (2002). Risky families: Family social environments and the mental and physical health of offspring. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 330-366.