Let's say you are given an extra-credit assignment by your psychology professor. You are required to put together a descriptive research study, carry it out, and report on the findings. What question do you think you would ask, what sort of design would you use, and what do you think would be the potential drawbacks to your selection?

What will be an ideal response?


Proposed studies will vary, but they may include naturalistic observations, case studies, or surveys. Make sure students identify the question they are asking and the hypothesis they will use to guide their research. They should also make clear the design they will use and why they chose that design to answer their specific question. Students should point out the loss of control of extraneous variables in a naturalistic observation, the difficulties in generalizing data from case studies, and the biases that can be inherent in surveys.

Psychology

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Psychology