CAPSTONE CLASS INFORMATION

****Only thing needed at the moment is the research question from the picked topic***** and I have a meeting next Monday on refining and selecting my question what would be the research question I would be using? I’m trying to get it all prepared so I can know what to say for the meeting will it be a casual or predictive question I just wanna make sure I’m saying the correct thing and what to say when I get on the zoom meeting 1. This is the research topic I want to do "The Role of Cognitive Biases in Decision-Making Across Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Using Advanced Cognitive Science Models" • This topic could focus on exploring cognitive biases in decision-making processes, utilizing advanced cognitive science models. It can compare how these biases manifest in different cultural contexts and the implications for decision outcomes. What will happen during this meeting? At the time of your meeting, Anisiasunta or I will walk you through your brainstorming assignment from Module 1 and help you select and refine your initial research question. You should already be reading some related research and preparing for your assignment due on Sunday. To get the most out of your meeting, bring any questions you have. We will answer as many questions as time allows, and make sure you feel comfortable proceeding with your project by the time the meeting ends. 2. This is the correct template to conduct your topic exploration template . Instructions Throughout the MS program you have been exposed to a number of theories in various fields of psychology. To begin exploring your topic, look back over your courses that were of most interest to you and identify a theory or two (e.g., social judgment theory, dual process theory, attachment theory, etc.), or a few key concepts (e.g., self-efficacy, motivation, etc.), or even some research articles for a particular line of research. Then, complete the template and submit it through the appropriate tab in Module 1. Your responses should be brief—this is essentially an informal “brainstorming session.” If you cite a specific theory or research study you should provide a citation, but you do *not* need to provide a cover page or a references page. Also, you may use single spacing. *AVOID simple descriptive or relationship/association questions. You may need to review the question types from your PSY 500 course.* IT IS DUE OCT 23 (NEXT MONDAY) 3. MODULE 2 You will be reading through this document and let me know if my research question is *causal or predictive type of question*. So I can discuss on soom TASK FOR MODULE 2 Tasks 1. Prepare for meeting with instructor. - Read through the information on the *Research Variables Review <https://asu.instructure.com/courses/159091/files/69149853?verifier=CBSFbDfw5iULaa60fY3eTrfOk5LdxHxvPisHDQ0U&wrap=1> * document. - Decide which of your research questions from the brainstorming activity you would like to pursue. *Your research question must be a causal or predictive type of question*. - Locate and read some articles related to your question to develop some background knowledge. You also want to get an idea about current gaps in the existing research that you might address in the study proposal part of your project. (See information and video below.) - Identify one or more potential variables that either mediate or moderate the relationship between your IV and DV. (See information and video below.) 2. Meet with instructor via ZOOM at your appointed time. (*If for some reason you need to reschedule, email me prior to your meeting time.*) 3. Submit your *Initial Project Proposal Template* <https://asu.instructure.com/courses/159091/assignments/4292308>. Finding Your Initial Research Literature I recommend that you begin by looking for a few recent *research reviews* and *meta-analyses*, as these will have the broadest coverage of your topic. Then find a few primary research articles. Other tips: - Use *PsycARTICLES* initially, as the articles returned from your search are going to be mostly relevant. Do *not* use "One Search" or "Google Scholar" or even "Academic Search". These search engines are going to return a bazillion articles, many of which will not be relevant. They are big time-wasters!! - Use the "Advanced Search" page, as this will give you the most options for narrowing down the number of articles returned on your search. - I always start by limiting my search to the current year because then the future research directions discussed by an article's authors are up-to-date. If nothing comes up in 2021, then I search 2020, and so on. - If I am looking for something very specific, I will scroll down the search page and check the appropriate box(es). For example, in the "Methodology" section, I can check "meta analysis" and "metasynthesis." - Other good bets for research databases to search include *PsycINFO * and *PubMed*. The latter is particularly helpful if your topic is in an area of neuropsychology. Finding the Gap in the Research Finding the gap in the research is not as difficult as you might think. Notice that in the introduction (lit review) sections of your primary research articles (i.e., original studies), that the author(s) always identify the gap in the research that their study will address. Then, in the sections of the article on *limitations* and *future research directions*, the author(s) will discuss the gaps in the research that still remain. Another approach is to find a good *methodological review* or *systematic review* for your research area. These articles will discuss weaknesses in the prior research and suggest new areas for investigation. Remember, the more recent the review, the better to identify a current gap in the research! The brief video below provides some additional information on finding the research gap. Mediation and Moderation One of the requirements of your capstone project is to incorporate at least one mediator and/or moderator into your design for your research project. Why? Because investigating mediators and moderators pushes you to look beyond a simple causal or predictive relationship between two variables, which provides a more complete picture of the relationship between the variables in the real world. *Mediator*: A mediator is caused by the IV and influences the DV. We say it explains a causal* relationship between the IV and DV. In other words, mediators are part of the causal pathway and can tell us how or why an effect occurs. It is the "intermediate variable" in the causal process between the IV and DV. In *full mediation*, if the mediator were to be removed, the relationship between the IV and DV would disappear. In *partial mediation*, if the mediator were to be removed, the relationship between the IV and DV would be reduced in size, but not 0. In the complexity of the real world, it is more likely to have a partial mediation. Example: A psychologist finds that *adverse experiences in childhood* predicts *aggressive behavior in adolescence*. The psychologist then tests to see if a *distorted threat reaction*serves as a mediator. This would mean that adverse experiences in childhood leads to distorted threat reaction which then leads to aggression in adolescence. In other words, distorted threat reaction explains (or partially explains) the relationship between adverse experiences in childhood and subsequent aggressive behavior in adolescence. *Moderator*: A moderator influences the strength or direction of a causal/predictive relationship between the IV and DV. It tells us for whom, when, or under what context the relationship between the IV and DV will hold. Statistically, the moderator is the "interaction effect," meaning the relationship between the IV and DV depends on a third variable, the moderator. Example: A sports psychologist finds that *group cohesion* among basketball players predicts *performance*. But on closer inspection the psychologist finds that the relationship between group cohesion and performance only holds for female basketball players, and does not hold for males. This means that *gender* moderates the relationship between group cohesion and performance. *Key Difference Between a Mediator and Moderator:* A moderator does *not* change as a result of your experiment, whereas a mediator changes when your independent variable changes. *NOTE: I use the causal relationship above to describe mediation and moderation, with IV and DV, but the same is true for predictive relationships, with a predictor variable (PV) and an outcome variable. In other words, you can substitute "PV" for IV and "outcome variable" for DV and the information above still holds. <https://youtu.be/p2Tti_R_ADs?si=_XslQQsJdswEhFSB> 3 easy ways to identify the research gap <https://youtu.be/p2Tti_R_ADs?si=_XslQQsJdswEhFSB> youtu.be <https://youtu.be/p2Tti_R_ADs?si=_XslQQsJdswEhFSB> <https://youtu.be/p2Tti_R_ADs?si=_XslQQsJdswEhFSB> <https://youtu.be/UHWuu-7Mrc0> Mediation, Moderation, and the Third Variable Problem <https://youtu.be/UHWuu-7Mrc0> youtu.be <https://youtu.be/UHWuu-7Mrc0> <https://youtu.be/UHWuu-7Mrc0> Sent from my iPhone