Practice Assignment 3

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Practice Assignment 3: Full Research Proposal

Now that you have decided on an acceptable research question and general type of design, you can develop your research design in more detail. The overall purpose of Practice Assignment 3 is to plan exactly how you propose to answer your research question by conducting a nonexperimental research study using either naturalistic observation or archival data collection. Practice Assignment 3 builds directly on your earlier work on Practice Assignment 1.

Answer all of the questions below that pertain to your chosen type of research design (naturalistic observation or archival).

Option A: Naturalistic Observation

1. State your hypothesis in the form of a statement that clearly describes the relationship you expect to observe. For example, “I hypothesize that people will be more likely to hold open doors for other people in the morning than in the afternoon.”

2. Describe the sample that you will observe, including their relevant characteristics (e.g., age, gender, handedness, etc.) and the setting in which you will observe them (e.g., a food court, library, public transit, etc.). Be sure to include any criteria that could lead you to exclude any people from observation.

3. Clearly describe the variables that you plan to measure via observation. Include your operational definition of these variables.

4. Describe how you will ensure that your observation is unobtrusive. That is, how will you ensure that the participants will not be aware that they are being observed?

5. Describe how the research setting and the population you are observing will limit the generalizability of your results.

6. As best as you can, identify your control variables. That is, what are you attempting to hold consistent across your observations (e.g., time of day) that could potentially influence the results?

7. Discuss in detail how your procedure is consistent with the three core ethical principles of 1) Respect for Persons 2) Concern for Welfare and 3) Justice.

Option B: Archival

1. State your hypothesis in the form of a statement that clearly describes the relationship you expect to observe. For example, “I hypothesize that the nationwide homicide rate will be higher on warmer days.”

2. Describe the source of your archival data and the criteria you will use when including or excluding any records.

3. Clearly describe the variables that you plan to measure or code in your archival data. Include your operational definition of these variables.

4. Describe how the archival data you are collecting and analyzing are publicly accessible and/or why the individuals whose behaviour is reflected in the records do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

5. Describe how the particular archival data set you are collecting and analyzing will limit the generalizability of your results.

6. As best as you can, identify your control variables. That is, what are you attempting to measure or code (e.g., type of crime) that could potentially influence the results?

7. Discuss in detail how your procedure upholds each of the ethical principles (respect for persons, concern for welfare, and justice) that govern research with human subjects.

If you aren’t sure about a specific aspect of your study or what information you might need for a particular question above, consult for help and suggestions.

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