Psy pr1: psychological research methods coursework 2: predicting cognitive failures using hierarchical multiple regression

How to choose your variables?

All variables should be measureable on a scale (i.e. not categorical). Your predictor variables should have existing psychological literature showing that they are predictive of (have a relationship with) your criterion variable, everyday cognitive failures (at the very least there should be clear logical reason for why you think there should be a relationship).

• 
  Why is this important?
  
• 
  Think about how you are going to write your introduction to this PR1 CW2 report – you need to be able to review existing literature and justify the reason for doing this study (your rationale).
  

Which of your predictor variables should you choose as your control variable?

Your control variable will usually be either:

1. 
   A ‘standard’ variable you expect everybody to vary on (for example anxiety, depression, stress, an aspect of personality, etc.) AND that makes logical sense to ‘control for’ (or account for) before looking at whether your other predictor variable can predict your criterion variable
   
   • 
     E.g. can job engagement predict job productivity after levels of anxiety are accounted for?
     
     • 
       Everybody varies on how much anxiety they feel AND the level of anxiety someone experiences is likely to influence their job productivity
       
2. 
   Or an existing well-established predictor/s of the criterion variable
   
   • 
     In this case you are asking whether your ‘new’ or less well-established ‘main’ predictor is able to predict your criterion variable after accounting/controlling for the well-established ‘control’ predictor variable.
     

Either way you need to make it clear in your introduction why you have chosen both your variables and why one is being used as a control variable.

It is always important to think about how you are going to analyse and write up your report whilst you are designing the study. Note that this is vitally important for your empirical projects too.

You will be putting your questionnaires (along with your ethics documents – brief, consent, debrief) online using Qualtrics software. This software is relatively intuitive and easy to use, but you’ll be supported to help you set this up in week 8 onwards (only one setup per group).

You should not design your study ‘in a vacuum’, there will be time in seminars for your seminar leader to help.

REMEMBER, whilst this is a piece of coursework that may require group work in the design and recruitment for your study, your submitted report should be entirely your own work.

Ethics

Familiarise yourself with the departmental ethics guidelines and the electronic ethics application form, which can be accessed via the PR1 Moodle site under Key Module Information – Information about Ethics.

You are reminded to keep to the BPS guidelines on ethics and code of conduct (http://www.bps.org.uk/the-society/code-of-conduct/code-of-conduct_home.cfm).

In particular, keep strictly to the ethical briefing and debriefing requirements (see ethics lecture slides).

• 
  Do not give participants feedback on their individual results.
  
• 
  Behave courteously and professionally at all times, whether or not you know the participant.
  
• 
  Do not do anything that endangers you or your participants.
  
• 
  Do not do anything that is likely to bring the Department and the University into disrepute.
  
• 
  Do not embark on data collection until you have had your ethics form signed off by your supervisor.
  

Marking criteria

The categorical marking scheme contains the specific criteria on which your coursework will be assessed (see MSc Psychology Moodle Site assessments page).