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 seven 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 seven).

· 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.

Submit your analysis as a paper using the outline provided in the section “Organize Your Paper” below.

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.

Organize Your Paper

For your paper, use the following headings:

1. Title page (required).

2. Abstract (optional).

3. Introduction.

o Identify the standardized test you selected in Unit 2.

o Describe briefly the publisher’s stated purpose for its use.

o Identify briefly a population or psychological condition that is within the standardization of the test.

4. Technical review article summaries. Each article is to be directly related to your chosen test and one aspect of its technical quality. Note: Use an annotated bibliography for evaluative information format. (See the resources for additional information available at Capella about annotated bibliographies.)

o List the APA reference for each journal article (a minimum of seven).

o Identify if the article addresses reliability or validity.

o Explain how the article addresses sources of error variance, reliability estimates, evidence of validity, or bias and fairness.

o Identify the specific type of reliability or validity (for example, test-retest reliability, predictive validity, et cetera).

o Identify the overall results of the research, including any psychometric or statistical outcome.

5. Conclusion.

o Synthesize the information from all the articles you reviewed about reliability.

o Synthesize the information from all the articles you reviewed about validity.

o Evaluate if your test continues to be deemed as appropriate for your planned use in the field and with the population to be served.

6. References (required, use current APA format and style).

Additional Requirements

Your paper should meet the following requirements:

· References: A minimum of seven 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 practice

Running head: SONA ALTERNATIVE SUMMARY PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 1

ARTICLE SUMMARY INSTRUCTIONS 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SONA ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENT

Article Summary Paper Instructions (10 points possible)

Ryan J. Winter

Florida International University

 

This assignment is an alternative to the SONA Participation Assignments (1 and 2). You must complete this assignment if you are unbale or choose not to participate in research. There are two required SONA participation assignments to complete this semester, so you must complete two of these alternative assignments total, one due when SONA Participation Assignment 1 is due, and the second due when SONA participation assignment 2 is due (see canvas for specific due dates).

Each paper must focus on a different article to summarize (see canvas for a list of articles to choose from), and you must choose from the articles that we have listed in Canvas.

Article Summary Paper 10 possible)

 

Please follow the instructions and guidelines below. If you are unclear about any of this information, please ask.

 

What is a summary paper?

This paper will require you to read and summarize the major elements of an empirical research paper. I suggest also looking at the example papers, which will give you a nice visual image of APA style that you can mimic in your own paper.

 

This summary paper will include the following things:

 

1. Title page: 1 page (.5 points)

· Use APA style to present the appropriate information:

· A Running head must be included and formatted APA style

· The phrase “Running head” is at the top of the title page followed by a short title of your creation (no more than 50 characters) that is in ALL CAPS. This running head is left-justified (flush left on the page). Note that the “h” in head is all lower case! Look at the first page of these instructions, and you will see how to set up your Running head.

· There must be a page number on the title page that is right justified. It is included in the header

· Your paper title appears on the title page. This is usually 12 words or less, and the first letter of each word is capitalized. It should be descriptive of the paper (For this paper, you should use the title of the article you are critiquing. The paper title can be the same title as in the Running head or it can differ – your choice)

· Your name will appear on the title page

· Your institution will appear on the title page as well

· For all papers, make sure to double-space EVERYTHING and use Times New Roman font. This includes everything from the title page through the references.

· This is standard APA format. ALL of your future papers will include a similar title page

 

2. Summary of the Article: 1 ½ page minimum, 3 pages maximum – 8)

An article summary should briefly summarize, in your own words, the article research question and how it was addressed in the article. Below are some things to include in your summary.

· The summary itself will include the following: (Note – if the article involved more than one experiment, you can either choose to focus on one of the studies specifically or summarize the general design for all of the studies)

1. Description of the overall purpose of the study (this can be as little as one sentence, and no more than 2 sentences)

2. Type of study (Was it experimental or correlational? How do you know?)

3. Variables:

1. What were the independent and dependent variables? Be specific with these. Define the terms independent and dependent variable and make sure to identify how they are operationally defined in the article)

4. Participants:

1. How many were there? How were they recruited?

5. Method:

1. Was there random assignment to groups?

2. What did the participants do in the study?).

3. How was data collected (online, in person, archival data, etc.)

6. Note the findings (What were their results/findings?). Don’t include the statistical analyses that they did, instead, focus on the overall interpretation for these findings.

 

3. References – 1 page (.5 points)

· Provide the reference for this article in proper APA format (see the book Chapter 14 for appropriate referencing guidelines or the Chapter 14 powerpoint).

· If you cited other sources during either your summary, reference them as well (though you do not need to cite other sources in this assignment – this is merely optional IF you happen to bring in other sources). Formatting counts here, so make sure to italicize where appropriate and watch which words you are capitalizing!

 

4. Grammar and Writing Quality (1 point)

· Few psychology courses are as writing intensive as Research Methods (especially Research Methods Two next semester!). As such, I want to make sure that you develop writing skills early. This is something that needs special attention, so make sure to proofread your papers carefully.

· Avoid run-on sentences, sentence fragments, spelling errors, and grammar errors. Writing quality will become more important in future papers, but this is where you should start to hone your writing skills.

· We will give you feedback on your papers, but I recommend seeking some help from the FIU writing center to make sure your paper is clear, precise, and covers all needed material. I also recommend asking a few of your group members to read over your paper and make suggestions. You can do the same for them!

 

The key point is that your experimental paper should describe a “position” that you have taken with respect to the content of the article. Please note that you do not need to refer to any other sources other than the article on which you have chosen to write your paper. However, you are welcome to refer to additional sources if you choose.

 

Other guidelines:

 

1. 2). Page size is 8 1/2 X 11” with all 4 margins set one inch on all sides. You must use 12-point Times New Roman font (Note: these instructions are in 12 point Times New Roman font).

1. 3). As a general rule, ALL paragraphs and sentences are double spaced in APA papers. This includes the spacing in your Paper I: Article Summary Paper. It even includes the references, so make sure to double space EVERYTHING

1. 4). When summarizing the article in your own words, you need not continually cite the article throughout the rest of your critique. Nonetheless, you should follow proper referencing procedures, which means that:

2. If you are inserting a direct quote from any source, it must be enclosed in quotations and followed by a parenthetical reference to the source. “Let’s say I am directly quoting this current sentence and the next. I would then cite it with the author name, date of publication, and the page number for the direct quote” (Winter, 2013, p . 4).

0. Note: We will deduct points if you quote more than once per page, so keep quotes to a minimum. Paraphrase instead, but make sure you still give the original author credit for the material by citing him or using the author’s name (“In this article, Smith noted that …” or “In this article, the authors noted that…”)

2. If you choose to reference any source other than your chosen article, it must be listed in a reference list.

1. 5). PLEASE use a spell checker to avoid unnecessary errors. Proofread everything you write. I actually recommend reading some sentences aloud to see if they flow well, or getting family or friends to read your work. Writing quality will become more important in future papers, so you should start working on that now!

 

1. If you have any questions about the articles, your ideas, or your writing, please ask. Although we won’t be able to review entire drafts of papers before they are handed in, we are very willing to discuss problems, concerns or issues that you might have.

 

Purpose of the Summary Paper

1). Psychological Purpose

This paper serves several purposes, the first of which is helping you gain insight into research papers in psychology. As this may be your first time reading and writing papers in psychology, one goal of Paper I is to give you insight into what goes into such papers. This paper will help you learn about the various sections of an empirical research report by reading at least one peer-reviewed articles (articles that have a Title Page, Abstract, Literature Review, Methods Section, Results Section, and References Page). This paper will also give you some insights into how the results sections are written in APA formatted research articles. Pay close attention to those sections, as throughout this course you’ll be writing up some results of your own! You’ll need this practice when you go to write your article critique paper this semester.

2). APA Formatting Purpose

The second purpose of the this paper is to teach you proper American Psychological Association (APA) formatting. In the instructions below, I tell you how to format your paper using APA style. There are a lot of very specific requirements in APA papers, so pay attention to the instructions below as well as Chapter 14 in your textbook! I highly recommend using the Paper I Checklist before submitting your paper, as it will help walk you through the picky nuances of APA formatting.

3). Writing Purpose

Finally, this paper is intended to help you grow as a writer. Few psychology classes give you the chance to write papers and receive feedback on your work. This class will! We will give you feedback on this paper in terms of content, spelling, and grammar.