Evaluate your fellow students’ examples of interactions in nature. Are the categories accurately identified? Are the examples valid?

/in /by

Species Interactions and You

Humans interact with various species every day without actually realizing it. In the field of ecology, these interactions can either be interspecific (between species) or intraspecific (within species). Interactions between humans are known as intraspecific (within species) interactions. For example, interactions between a human and a pet would be interspecific, whereas interactions between a human and another human would be intraspecific.

Research interspecific and intraspecific interactions using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet.

This assignment has two parts. Complete both parts.

Part A

Complete the following:

  • Track your interactions with other organisms—between and within species—for one day.
  • Summarize your interactions throughout the day, using the terms from this module’s readings. If required, review the module’s readings again.
  • At a minimum, identify ten interactions that you witnessed or participated in today. Among those interactions, you should be able to identify a predatory-prey relationship, a competitive relationship, and a mutualism. You could also identify parasitic relationships or commensalisms, if you choose. Although you can repeat interaction types—for instance, you can have multiple mutualisms—the examples must differ. These are some examples:
    • Did you have a predatory-prey relationship with a chicken today? That is, did you eat chicken for lunch?
    • Did you have a competitive relationship with a coworker today? That is, were you competing for a raise?

Click here to download this template to track interactions with organisms.

Part B

Respond to the following:

  • For every interaction you identified above, describe an interaction in nature that is similar to what you experienced or witnessed. For example, if you had a predatory-prey interaction with your meal, identify and describe an example of a predatory-prey interaction in nature. Or, if you had a competitive interaction with your coworker, identify and describe a competitive interaction in nature.
  • Using the information you reviewed, explain why it is important to recognize these interactions.

Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references.

Using the information that you compiled above, summarize your interactions for the day. Be sure to classify your interactions (parasitic, mutualism, etc.) and that you also determine if the interactions are considered intraspecific or interspecific.

Write your initial response in a minimum of 300–350 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Wednesday, July 17, 2013, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Sunday, July 21, 2013, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. In your response posting, address the following by employing the concepts covered in module readings and your research:

  • Evaluate your fellow students’ examples of interactions in nature. Are the categories accurately identified? Are the examples valid?
  • What did you learn from the other students’ entries and comparisons?
  • Did you agree or disagree with students’ explanation of the importance of recognizing these interactions?

Be sure to give reasons for your responses.

Describe the statistical techniques (if quantitative) or the analysis procedure (if qualitative) to be used to analyze the data. Cite at least one peer-reviewed source on the chosen analysis technique

/in /by

The written research proposal will be created based on a narrowly defined aspect of the topic selected in Week One. A research proposal is a detailed plan for a specific study to be conducted at a future time. It is the document which potential researchers typically submit to an institutional review board (IRB) for ethical review and approval, and/or to funding agencies to secure financial support for a research effort. Because it is a plan for research which has not yet been conducted, the Methods section should be written in the future tense and should not contain any hypothetical results. The paper must address all of the components required in the Methods section of a research proposal. The following actions must be completed.

  • State the research question and/or hypothesis.
  • Briefly compare the characteristics of the major research paradigms used in previous studies on the chosen topic. Introduce the specific approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), research design, sampling strategy, data collection procedures, and data analysis techniques to be used in this study. Provide a short explanation as to why the selected procedures are more feasible than other alternatives for the research topic.
  • Describe any relevant variables, measures, and statistical tests.
  • Apply ethical principles and professional standards to the proposed psychological research. Provide an analysis of any ethical issues that may arise and explain how these issues will be resolved.

The following headings for the required sections and subsections must appear in the paper. In accordance with APA style, all references listed must be cited in the text of the paper.

  • Introduction
    • Introduce the research topic, explain why it is important, and present an appropriately and narrowly defined research question and/or hypothesis.
  • Literature Review
    • Evaluate the published research on the chosen topic including a minimum of three peer-reviewed articles. Summarize the current state of knowledge on the topic, making reference to the findings of previous research studies. Briefly mention the research methods that have previously been used to study the topic. State whether the proposed study is a replication of a previous study or a new approach employing methods that have not been used before. Be sure to properly cite all sources in APA style.
  • Methods
    • Design – Create a feasible research design that incorporates appropriate methods to address the topic. Indicate whether the approach of the proposed study is qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods. Identify the specific research design, and indicate whether it is experimental or non-experimental. Evaluate the chosen design and explain why this design is feasible and appropriate for the topic and how it will provide the information needed to answer the research question. Cite sources on research methodology to support these choices. Include a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources.
    • Participants – Identify and describe the sampling strategy to be used to recruit participants for the study. Estimate the number of participants needed, and explain why this sampling method is appropriate for the research design and approach.
    • Procedure/Measures – Apply the scientific method by describing the steps to be taken in carrying out the study. Identify any test, questionnaire, or measurement instrument to be utilized. If an existing published instrument will be employed, briefly describe it and cite the source. If an original questionnaire, survey, or test will be created for the project, describe the types of information that will be collected with it and explain how the validity and reliability of the instrument will be established. If such an instrument will not be used, describe how the data will be collected for the study.
    • Data Analysis – Describe the statistical techniques (if quantitative) or the analysis procedure (if qualitative) to be used to analyze the data. Cite at least one peer-reviewed source on the chosen analysis technique.
    • Ethical Issues – Analyze the impact of ethical concerns on the proposed study, such as confidentiality, deception, informed consent, potential harm to participants, conflict of interest, IRB approval, etc. After analyzing the ethical issues that apply to the project, indicate what will be done to handle these concerns.
  • Conclusion
    • Briefly summarize the major points of the paper and reiterate why the proposed study is needed.

Attention Students: The Masters of Arts in Psychology program is utilizing the Pathbrite portfolio tool as a repository for student scholarly work in the form of signature assignments completed within the program. After receiving feedback for this Research Proposal, please implement any changes recommended by the instructor, go to Pathbrite, and upload the revised Research Proposal to the portfolio. Use the Pathbrite Quick-Start Guide to create an account if you do not already have one. The upload of signature assignments will take place after completing each course. Be certain to upload revised signature assignments throughout the program as the portfolio and its contents will be used in other courses and may be used by individual students as a professional resource tool. See the Pathbrite website for information and further instructions on using this portfolio tool.

The Research Proposal

  • Must be five double-spaced pages (excluding title page and references page) in length and formatted according to APA style
  • Must include a title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
  • Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought and provide a thorough explanation of all required issues.
  • Must utilize a minimum of six peer-reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library.
  • Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as

Discuss if the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness. Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).

/in /by

 

Evaluation of Technical Quality

In Unit 2, you selected one standardized test that has relevancy to your academic and professional goals to be the focus of your course project. Your Unit 2 assignment focused on the first four elements of the Code for selecting a test. For this assignment, you will complete a deeper analysis of the technical quality of your selected test by focusing on the fifth element of the Code, which states that the test user will “evaluate evidence of the technical quality of the test provided by the test developer and any independent reviews.” To complete this assignment, you will draw upon the knowledge you gained in Units 3 and 4 about psychometrics in general and reliability and validity in particular.

For this assignment, use the test you selected for your assignment in Unit 2. Locate and summarize a minimum of four articles related to the technical qualities of the selected test. You are encouraged to use the PSY7610 Library Research Guide, linked in the resources, to assist your search.

For each article:

  • List the APA reference for each journal article (a minimum of four).
  • Identify if the article addresses reliability or validity.
  • Discuss if the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness.
  • Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).
  • Identify the overall results of the research, including any psychometric or statistical outcome.

Guidelines for Selecting the Literature

Use the most current sources you can find. Do not use sources older than 8 years. (You may cite older sources if they are classics, if you want to show the chronology of something, or if you have another good reason. If you choose to use older sources, you will need to explain why.) Use current, peer-reviewed journal articles. Do not use sources without an author or a publication date. Do not use quotes; use only your own words. Please see the Academic Integrity and Plagiarism link in the resources for concerns with high content matching in papers. Evaluate whether the results support the use of your test as appropriate for your field and populations to be served.

Note: The articles you need to complete this assignment should be available inside the library collection. In future courses, you may use the Capella library’s Interlibrary Loan service to obtain articles outside of the collection, but you should not have to use the service for this course. In the event that you cannot find articles covering a newer test edition, please refer to the List of Tests by Type document, linked in the resources. Note which tests have been designated as acceptable for searching prior test editions.

Instructions for the content of the paper are in the template located in the Resources. Write your assignment using the u05a1 Assignment Template [DOCX].

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

  • References: A minimum of four journal articles (textbooks, web pages, literature reviews, and the MMY book reviews do not count for these references).
  • Length of paper: Evaluation must be at least five pages in length for content (not including title page, abstract, or references).
Reference

Joint Committee on Testing Practices. (2004). Code of fair testing practices in education. http://www.apa.org/science/programs/testing/fair-testing.pdf

Write either a recommendation report (one recommendation) or a feasibility report (multiple recommendations). Unlike with your grant proposal, the audience is whoever would benefit from your research. (This will be an internal report.)

/in /by

TCOM 3302c/d (TTh) “Big Report” Assignment

Write either a recommendation report (one recommendation) or a feasibility report (multiple recommendations). Unlike with your grant proposal, the audience is whoever would benefit from your research. (This will be an internal report.)

Use the form in the book: • for body, follow structure on pp. 476-78 [10th 521-23]; • for front and back matter, follow structure on pp. 479-87

[10th 523-31];

• for references, see Appendix B.

• a list of sections appears on Table 18.1 (p. 476 [10th 19.1,

p. 520])

–Front Matter [transmittal letter, cover, title page, abstract, table of contents, list of illustrations, executive summary]

–Body [introduction, methods, results, conclusions, recommendation(s)] N.B.: Recommendations section should be about half of the body.

–Back Matter [glossary, list of symbols, references, appendices]

• report should include illustrations, graphics, and appendices as appropriate to your topic

• use MLA style (pp. 641, ff. [10th 695, ff.]) for references • SOURCES: You may use Internet, interviews, surveys,

field research, and so on, but you also need: * at least 5 “print” sources

* at least 2 scholarly sources.

(These are MINIMUM requirements. Generally “A” papers contain significantly more research than this

minimum.)

• double space (even the transmittal letter)

• number front matter w/ Roman numerals (we will discuss

this in class! Front matter ONLY is numbered with small Roman numerals. Body of report and back matter are numbered with Arabic numerals. N.B. that numbers will continue from end of body through back matter–back matter does not have a separate numbering system.)

For grading criteria, refer to the writer’s checklist on pp. 512-13 [10th 559-60]. You will also be responsible for correct structure (order), in addition to the document’s neat and professional appearance.

“Handy Checklist”:

FRONT MATTER

• outside cover (For our online course, we will discuss this category in class. . . .)

• transmittal letter (N.B. that these two are out of order to facilitate my handling a giant

pile of reports. In the business world, the transmittal letter would be a separate sheet on the outside of your report. For me, insert it inside

the cover before your title page.)

• title page

• abstract

• table of contents

• list of illustrations • executive summary

• introduction

• methods

• results

• conclusions

• recommendation(s) (N.B.: check to make sure that this is the longest section.)

• glossary

• (list of symbols)–the ONLY “optional” section! • references

• appendices