PSY 300
Activity #4: Formulating Your Research Hypothesis and Operationally-Defining IV and DV
50 points
Please begin by reading the example I have created below of how one can progress from the initial research topic idea (you already have this), to the research question (you already have this), to formulating your experimental research hypothesis (this is your assignment).
Initial research idea:
Can Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) be treated effectively?
Research questions:
Are various treatments for SAD which are available more effective than passage of time?
Are non-psychopharmacological treatments for SAD more effective than medication?
Hypothesis:
What makes a good research hypothesis? First of all, a good hypothesis should have the following five attributes: It should be
Testable: it is possible to devise a test for this hypothesis
Falsifiable: the test can potentially show that the hypothesis is incorrect
Precise: the hypothesis contains terms which are clearly defined
Rational: the hypothesis logically fits what is already known about the laws of behavior
Parsimonious: the hypothesis is as simple as possible
A good research hypothesis is presented in the form of a concise declarative sentence which states a predicted relationship between variables. Typically, we begin by creating a draft hypothesis, which is then finalized by carefully describing each term and operationally defining variables. For example, a draft hypothesis for the above problem statements might be:
Non-pharmacological treatments for SAD are more effective than medication.
Questions to consider:
· Which and how many non-psychopharmacological treatments are we going to investigate in this experiment?
· Who will participate in our experiment? (AKA, relevant demographic characteristics)
· How are we going to measure depression in our research participants? (AKA, operational definition of depression)
· How are we going to apply treatments to our research participants? (AKA, operational definition of treatments)
For the above problem statements, one might formulate the following research hypothesis:
Mixed-gender persons aged 20-60 diagnosed with moderate levels of SAD who exercise daily for one hour and those who receive daily 20-minute exposure to artificial sunlight would show lower levels of depression as measured by Beck’s Depression Inventory than those who take 10 mg of Lexapro twice daily after 30 days of treatment.
Please formulate YOUR DRAFT HYPOTHESIS here:
Now that you have your draft hypothesis, you must operationally define independent and dependent variables contained within it. Your operational definitions will consist of measures at the self-report, behavioral, and physiological levels, as well as a manipulation of the variable. Your operational definitions should be written in such a way that you could measure and manipulate it in an actual experiment and it should be clear enough for other researchers to replicate it.
My DV is/are: _________________________________________________
My IV is: _____________________________________________________
1. Self-Reports. List four ways you can measure _______________ using verbal self-reports or questionnaires. What kinds of questions could you ask a person directly to determine if the person was experiencing this variable?
2. Behavioral Observation. List four ways you can measure _________________ by observing behavior. What kinds of behaviors could you observe to determine if a person was experiencing this variable?
3. Physiological Indices. List three ways you can measure _____________________ with physiological indicators. What physiological mechanisms would indicate that a person was experiencing this variable?
4. Experimental Manipulations. List three ways you can manipulate ________________ ethically in an experiment. What specific procedures would you use to create this feeling or behavior in an individual?
Please formulate YOUR FINAL HYPOTHESIS here:
Please choose YOUR EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGN which you believe can test this hypothesis here:
