Reference no: EM132274140 , Length: word count:2000

Research Methods Assignment -

For this Exercise, your task is to:

1. Design a two factor between-subjects randomised experiment with three or four levels on each factor (a 3 x 3, 3 x 4, or 4 x 4 design would be acceptable; a 2 x K design would not), and with at least 10 observations per cell.

• Both factors should involve random assignment (i.e., factors should be chosen that allow for participants to be randomly allocated to one of the J x K cells in the design).
• The dependent variable should be a continuous measure (with at least interval scale properties). It can be a made-up measure or one referenced in the literature, either way it should be a plausible measure.
• The design should allow for the examination of questions of interest to researchers in some area of psychology.
• Make up a plausible set of raw data (scores obtained by participants on the dependent variable), so that you have n observations in each of the JK cells of your design.
• Do not use data sets and research examples from PSYC3001 course materials. You are being asked to make up your own design and data for this Exercise.

2. Carry out a standard factorial post-hoc analysis, controlling the family wise error rate at α = .05. Your post-hoc analysis should include overall tests and follow-up contrasts.

Carry out overall tests of the homogeneity hypothesis for the A main effect, the B main and the AB interaction effect. You can use SPSS to produce an ANOVA Summary Table, or you can calculate this yourself.

Your analysis must produce a significant ANOVA F for the AB interaction effect and a significant ANOVA F for at least one main effect. What happens to the other main effect is up to you.

3. Having carried out overall tests for each effect, use PSY statistical program for the post-hoc contrasts analysis. Base your analysis on tests and raw confidence intervals.

Choose a plausible set of follow-up contrasts (A and/or B main effect contrasts, AB product interaction contrasts). Do not include simple effect contrasts in your analysis.

Your chosen contrasts should allow for a satisfactory account of the data, with minimal redundancy. You are encouraged to avoid including an exhaustive set of contrasts in the write-up of your analysis.

Your post-hoc contrasts analysis must produce at least one statistically significant main effect complex contrast and at least one statistically significant interaction complex contrast (product of A contrast with B contrast where either A or B, or both, is a complex contrast).

What happens to the other contrasts is up to you. Whatever the outcome, the results should be plausible.

Provide directional and confidence interval inferences for your contrasts. In order to make your confidence interval inference more meaningful you should propose a minimum difference in dependent variable units of theoretical or practical importance.

NOTE: You may find that you need to modify the data in order to achieve the results you are looking for. A very large contrast F statistic would usually indicate that MSE (mean square error) is implausibly small, given the pattern of differences between means. For the purpose of this Exercise, a contrast F > 100 will be regarded as implausible.

4. Write up of the Exercise (this is what you submit to Turnitin as a single WORD document)

Download the ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATE (Word document) from Moodle and edit it for your write-up. The Template provides a guide for your write-up, which should include the following (in this order).

i. A brief description and rationale for the design, a clear description of the independent and dependent variables and how these are to be operationalised.

ii. ANOVA Summary Table, a clear indication of the decision rules being applied, test outcomes and inferences for Overall Tests.

iii. A clearly labelled table of means and plot of cell means.

iv. A clearly labelled table of A, B and AB contrast coefficients, identifying which contrasts are included in your analysis (and the levels of A and B that each of the JK coefficients refers to).

v. A summary of the outcome of your contrast analysis (both tests and raw confidence intervals). State the decision rule used for tests. Include the PSY summary table and formatted PSY confidence interval table (edited from PSY output to produce a single table for A, B and AB contrasts).

Provide a concise interpretation for your contrast analysis (what does it all mean?). Your interpretation should include directional and confidence interval inference.

vi. Appendix - include your PSY input file, and complete (unedited) PSY output file(s) at the end of your assignment (as an Appendix).

[Your Assignment cannot be marked unless the analyses can be verified from your PSY input file and unedited PSY output files.]

Length: Total 2000 words with min 12 adequate references.

Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar