Project #3 ~ Conduct an Empirical Study in an Area of Cognitive Development

Objectives:

1. To conduct library research in one area of cognitive development.

2. To apply theories, concepts, and previous research to the design of a cognitive developmental study.

3. To conduct an empirical study on children’s cognitive development.

4. To analyze and interpret the data collected.

5. To write an APA-style paper based on your original work.

6. To present your findings in a professional manner.

7. To collaborate with peers throughout the research process.

Task:

With a partner or group, research, design, conduct, write-up, and present an empirical study based on your interest in cognitive development.

Project Method

1. Think about a topic in cognition that you are interested in.

2. Find fellow students who are interested in the same topic area, or similar areas, and form a group (between 2-5 students).

3. Conduct library research to gather background information on your area of interest within cognition. (You will need to actually read the articles or book chapters!) Collect at least 8 references that will be used in your final paper.

4. Based on class discussion, readings, and your research, design a study to measure the area of cognition that you are interested in studying. You should be designing a study aimed at children aged 3-12 years.

Suggestion: Keep it simple; do not try to solve the world’s problems with this one research project. In other words, you are not expected, nor encouraged, to design a large-scale study! You only have a few weeks to conduct this study, so be sure your question and design are manageable.

5. You must turn-in a Project 3 draft on, or before, Tuesday, May 7^th! (5 points)

This must include: Names of students working together, and drafts of the Introduction, Method, and Results sections (note: the results section can be a description of your expected results if you have not completed data collection).

6. Conduct your study (i.e., administer your task), with at least 10 participants.

7. Analyze your results (we will discuss data on April 30^th).

8. Present your project to the class (instructions will be distributed on May 7^th; do not worry about this before then!)

9. Write a paper about your project (see below). Project 3 final papers are due no later than Tuesday, May 21^st at 4:00 p.m.

Grading for this Project will be based on the following breakdown:

Project Draft 5 points

Project Presentation 15 points

Final Paper 55 points

________________________________________

75 points total

Written Report (55 points)

This paper will be an APA-style research paper summarizing your library research and the study you conducted. I believe that you will learn more through the process of discussion with your peers, and therefore, I encourage you to develop a plan for writing the paper with your group. If you feel strongly about writing individually, you may write an individual paper, but you must design and implement your study as a group. Your paper should include the following sections:

1. Title Page

For group papers: authors’ names should be ordered alphabetically.

For individual papers (by instructor permission only): the author’s name should be listed first and then partners’ names should be listed below.

2. Abstract

This should be a brief summary of the study you conducted. Be sure to include information about the purpose, the design, and the results.

3. Introduction

Provide an integrated interpretation of at least 8 research articles/book chapters used to inform your study. Introduce your study based on this research information; state the purpose of your study.

4. Method

Participants: Who participated in your study? Where did you find these children? Design: What is the design of your study? Materials: What materials (i.e., questionnaires, books, tasks) did you use? Procedure: What did you actually do?

5. Results

What did you find? I expect you to present your results in a systematic way. For example, depending on the type of data that you collect, you may need to code your data first; You may also present overall totals, means, and or percentages. Remember, this section does not include any interpretation.

6. Discussion

Interpret your results. What do your results mean? Do your results support your hypothesis? Why or why not? How does your study contribute to what we already know about this area (i.e., how does it compare with or extend the research you discussed in your introduction)? Were there any problems with this study? Is there anything you would do differently next time? Do you have any ideas for future, related studies?

7. References

8. Appendixes

Include a copy of each instrument (e.g., questionnaires, coding or observation sheets, photos of props used).

Remember: I am always willing to read drafts of papers or discuss your ideas with you…you can bring your papers to class, and/or come by my office during office hours, and/or call/email to set up an appointment.

Note: If you would like your final papers and exams mailed to you, please provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with your final paper (be sure to weigh your paper so that you know how much postage to include).

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