UCB Chew Gum While Studying Evaluating Concentration Levels Research Paper

Study Strategy Writing Guide

Rationale & Hypotheses (65 points)

1. Briefly state the study strategy that you are testing in this proposed experiment (as
indicated by “Study Strategy” above) and explain which aspect(s) of the study
strategy you are interested in studying. State the question(s) that you will be
specifically addressing in this proposal, and briefly describe your design type
(between vs. within-subject).

Explain how your proposed experiment is a logical test of this study strategy; that
is, how do your research question(s) logically relate to the suggested study
strategy? Finally, what will your experiment clarify about this piece of advice? In
other words, what are the larger implications of studying your specific question(s)?

Your answer should:
• Explicitly state the study strategy you are testing; explain which aspect of the

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strategy you are examining (e.g., is this an exact test or an extension?); and
clearly indicate the 1) design, and 2) specific research question(s) you aim to
address through the proposed experiment.

• Explain how your specific research question(s) logically stems from the assigned
  study advice. In other words, how does your study come out of/is inspired by this
  suggested study strategy? How did you get from the basic strategy to your
  specific research question(s)?
• Indicate what the results of your project could add to general understanding of the
  study advice. For example, in examining the advice to “study in groups” by looking
  at different group sizes versus studying alone, the experiment could help to clarify
  whether there is an optimal group size for learning (e.g., compared to studying
  alone, studying in a group of 2 is more effective and studying in a group of 3 is even
  more effective, while increases in group size beyond 3 becomes less effective). Such
  a result would allow a more specific recommendation for the benefits of group
  study: namely, that one should study in small groups of 2 or 3 but avoid large study
  groups.
  Name the independent variable that you are proposing to manipulate and provide
  an operational definition of this variable. Describe the three different levels of the IV
  and explain the ways in which each level differs. Finally, provide an example of the IV
  manipulation.

In your answer:

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• The IV construct and three levels/conditions should be appropriately
  named, and their operational definitions should clearly indicate how they
  are to be manipulated.
• An example of the IV manipulation should be included. In other words, what
  will the IV manipulation look like to participants?

3. Name the dependent variable that you plan to measure. Further provide an
operational definition of this DV and indicate on what type of scale its values will
lay (e.g., interval vs. ratio). Finally, provide an example of the DV measurement.

In your answer:

• The DV should be appropriately named, and its operational definition should
  clearly indicate how it would be measured. The type of scale (interval or ratio
  only) on which your measure of the DV lies must also be stated.
• An example of the DV manipulation should be included. In other words, what
  will the DV manipulation look like to participants?

4. What are the hypotheses that you want to test involving this independent variable?
How do you think your DV will change as per the different levels of your IV?
Remember to include significance and directionality, and address all three levels of
your IV.

In your answer:

between groups of 2 and 4 people.”) You should follow the format of hypotheses
learned, including both significance and directionality in hypothesis statements.

5. Provide a rationale for your hypotheses. Why are you making these predictions?
What logic prompts you to make each of the hypotheses you listed above? Why
do you think each level will differ (or not) from one another?

In your answer:

• You should provide logical reasons for your predictions. You do not need to
  provide outside citations, but you should clearly explain why you think one
  condition/level will differ from another.
• Your logic should rely on general knowledge or experience (e.g., saying that the
  brain shows different patterns of activation when learning with peers than
  learning alone is not common knowledge and would require a citation)

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prompts you to make each of the hypotheses you listed above? Why do you think
each level will differ (or not) from one another (remember to provide the
rationale for each difference you expect to observe)?