PSY 450: Research Methods in Psychology

LAB 2: APA Style Reports

Does watching crowding on television lead to more personal space preference among college students?

Theories: Personal space is subjective but based on experience and expectations.

We learn from watching others – creating expectations for ourselves.

Hypothesis:Watching a threat to personal space in others will make students show increased preference

for their own personal space.

  • Sample includes 202 college students (87 Male & 115 Female) in introductory psychology. Divide the class using random assignment – balancing on gender so both groups have equivalent number of each gender. Half view a documentary film of other students living in crowded conditions and the negative personal effects (personal conflicts, poor health, memory problems, sleeping difficulties) it has on them. This group stayed in the classroom. The other half view a film on cognitive therapy at the same time in a similar room (size, lighting, seating arrangement, screen size) next to the class room in same building.
  • Then immediately after the film concludes, give them a survey of demographic questions (age, gender, year in college, GPA – all open ended responses) and the Personal Space Preference Questionnaire (PSPQ) (Johnson, 1978).
  • PSPQ gives a general size preference for space across situations.
  • It is a projective method – uses an overhead image (on a piece of paper) of a person in the center of an open and empty room (with no furniture). They are asked to think about this situation as if they were the person in the center of the room, then imagine someone else walked into that room and walking towards them. Their task is to draw a line indicating the closest distance they would allow that new person to get to themself in general.
  • This represents the boundary they don’t want others to cross “in general”
  • Measures general space preference based on average distance (in inches) from their image to the boundary (greater distance on paper represents greater general space preference)
  • Given 0.5 % extra credit
  • Done during class time at the end of class: all on same day to control for diffusion of treatment
  • Male research assistant used in both rooms to conduct the study
  • Filmswere both 20 minutes long
  • Participation was voluntary (i.e. not mandatory) – they could leave if not participating
  • Completed anonymously

Prediction:

1) Personal Space Preference will be increase after seeing others experience difficulties as a result of decreased personal space.

Findings:

Average age of subjects = 23.35 (SD = 7.45), range 18 - 32

Average for males = 24.11 (SD = 4.42)

Average for females = 22.34 (SD = 6.33)

Average size of personal space preference of Control Group (therapy film): 24.22 inches (SD = 8.43)

Average size of personal space preference of Treatment Group (personal space film): 32.16 inches (SD = 7.08)

Independent sample t Test

  • Compare space preference as DV, with film as IV (2 groups)
  • t(195) = 4.55, p=.003
  • hypothesis confirmed

Lab #2 Assignment:

Your task is to create a portion of an APA style report for the information provided as if you had just conducted this study and gotten this information. It must include the following sections (we’ll skip the introduction at this point because we focused on it in lab #1):

Title Page

Method

  • Use the information on this handout and place it in the relevant sections

Participants

Materials or Apparatus

Procedure

Results

  • Use the information on this handout to write about the outcomes – include calculation of descriptive statistics, the statistical analyses used, and the actual outcomes. Use the many examples you now have to guide how this looks.

Discussion

  • Include some evaluation and explanation of what the findings mean (i.e. don’t just repeat the outcomes from the results in different words – explain the outcomes. Are predictions verified or not? What do the outcomes really mean? What do they tell us related to theory, previous research, and implications)
  • EXPLAIN alternate explanations and limitations – link to previous research?
  • Future research?

References

Johnson, J. (1978). The Personal Space Preference Questionnaire: Measuring projective psychological space.

Journal of Space and Distance, 34, 19-44.

ALSO NOTE: ALL INFORMATION ON THIS SHEET IS MADE UP– EVEN THE JOHNSON (1978) REFERENCE - FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES IN THIS CLASS AND SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS EVIDENCE FOR ANY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THESE VARIABLES – DO NOT CITE THIS LAB OR THESE OUTCOMES IN ANY PAPERS IN ANY OTHER CLASSES!

Also, Johnson is the reference for the PSPQ, not the overall study. You’re supposed to act like you conducted this study and these were YOUR outcomes.

This is DUE March 17that the beginning of class

A late report (any time after the beginning of class) will result in a 10% reduction for each day it is late (note: at 11:01 it is considered 1 day late – at 11:01 the next day it is 2 days late etc.). Failure to hand in any lab report will result in an automatic failure of the class.