Description
You are required to answer four short essay questions on general design and methodological issues.
Under no circumstances should any single answer be more than 500 words long (approximately one standard A4 page), and you must provide a word count at the end of each answer.
Answer the questions in full text form rather than by using bullet points and other summarising methods.
All reference material must be cited and referenced in correct APA style.
The FOUR essay questions are:
1. “The scientific method provides the best way to answer questions, explain causal relationships in nature, and test the effectiveness of treatments.” Do you agree with this statement? Take a position on this question. In answering this question, make sure to contrast the scientific approach with one of the non-scientific methods of knowledge acquisition that were discussed in lectures, perhaps in the context of a real or hypothetical research question.
2. “What is the best design for an intervention study, and why?” Describe a hypothetical intervention study and outline how you would design such a study. Make sure that you describe all the essential features of the design that you choose.
3. “Why are reliability and validity such important principles in psychological measurement?” Make sure you clearly define both terms in your answer. In answering this question, consider a scenario where an important decision is made about a person on the basis of a psychological test. Why would reliability and validity be important in this situation, and what might be the consequence of using a test with poor psychometric properties?
4. Describe some of the main ethical issues in conducting research with Australian Indigenous populations and how such research can be conducted ethically and in a culturally responsive way.
