GENERAL INFORMATION The marking rubric for this 1500 word Lab Report can be found attached. Please use the Template document below to complete the necessary sections to write up the lab report, remember you need to add in the Title page, Abstract, Introduction, fill in the blanks in the results and add in the Discussion and complete the references.Overview The theories and ideas in cognitive psychology are built on evidence. Theories are constantly critically evaluated and updated in light of new evidence. This lab report is an opportunity for students to employ fundamental research skills in terms interpreting data, critically evaluating current evidence in light of existing theoretical models and in the scientific communication of report writing. In the Week 3 tutorial, we had the opportunity to participate in a demonstration of the task used in the actual experiment. The task was to complete the Iowa Gambling task under high or low cognitive load. For the lab report, you will interpret the data based upon the provided output (see Results attached) to write a 1500 word laboratory report. The report will follow the standard format and will require: a title page abstract (no keywords needed) introduction method (provided for you) results (all output provided, some sections completed – your job is to finish the missing parts) discussion references APA 7 formatting convention must be followed. The report will be marked in terms of quality of information, the depth of your understanding of both theoretical models and empirical evidence, your demonstration of critical thinking, accurately reporting and interpreting results, and the overall expression and style of writing. INTRO & METHODS Introduction The introduction should clearly introduce the reader to the topic and indicate the importance of this research. Key terms should be defined. Theoretical background and empirical evidence should be outlined (you should be using several references here). Where several people have said similar things, think about synthesising their arguments or evidence. When this is done well it increases the scientific tone and sophistication of your writing, and lends more weight to your arguments. You will be required to formulate two hypotheses. To complete this task, you need to consider the following: There were two groups: High cognitive load (remembering words) Low cognitive load (counting to 10 repeatedly) Both groups completed the Iowa Gambling Task. We can measure both the net score, which is the difference between the number of cards selected from the advantageous decks and the disadvantageous decks, and we can measure reaction time, which represents the time from the cards being presented on-screen to the participant selecting a card. With the information provided in this information sheet and in week 4 – Tutorial (3) slides on the introduction, you have enough to write two hypotheses. If you are unsure about the hypotheses, think about the statistical analyses you have been provided with. Remember the necessary requirements when stating the hypotheses: You should try simply and clearly state your hypotheses and operationalise them in terms of IV and DVs. The necessary hypotheses that you will be required to generate will compare performance on the Iowa Gambling task between the two types of cognitive load. You will need to make a prediction about the net score and the reactions times. Your hypotheses, and the predicted direction of results should follow on from your literature review of the background theories. Note – there are often several ways that we can form an argument. Your hypotheses will depend on the argument that you make with evidence in your introduction. Your job is to make sensible predictions based on existing evidence. While there are many ways we could analyse this sort of data, we have conducted the appropriate t-tests for you, see the results tab for that info. We have also completed some of the result section for you, see the Lab Report Template Document at the top of this page. Method Completed for you and reported in the Lab Report Template document. You must include this section in your report. RESULTS & DISCUSSION The dataset for this assignment will be attached. Remember that this is not a statistics course, so you are only being asked to complete certain sections of the results section – see Results tab at the top for details. You must include the full results section in your report that we have provided, and fill in the blanks adhering to APA 7 rules. Discussion This is where you unpack your findings and relate them back to your research aim and hypotheses and interpret in light of the existing evidence and theory. This is where you lead your reader through the ‘so what?’ of your findings. The format is the opposite funnel shape of the introduction: Specific key findings and whether they supported the predictions. The interpretation of the findings and relationship to current theory or thinking in the literature (linking back to theory and literature) What are the limitations of the study – methodological and theoretical. Implications (what do we know now, what does this reveal, how might this impact real-world behaviour) Future research Word Limit The word limit for this assignment is a maximum of 1500 words. The Method and results that we have completed for you do not count towards your total. You must report your total word count on the title page (see template). Per School Policy, tutors will read assignments up to the maximum word limit and further words will not be assessed. A reference list must be included, but it does not contribute to the word count. An appendix may be included, but the primary information should be included in the body of the report. Words will be counted from the abstract, introduction, part of results, and the discussion (including any tables, in-text citations, captions, footnotes). See Redbook for further details. While the word limit for the assignment is a maximum of 1500 words, the decision on how to allocate words to each section is entirely up to you. Students might choose to “save words” in some sections and use more in others. However, for those students who require guidance, a ‘suggested’ number of words for each section is offered (please note you do not need to stick to this – it will depend on several factors – these are rough guidelines only). Section Suggested # words Abstract 120 Introduction 700 Method Zero – provided for you Results <80 (this total includes the figure legends and the values that you have to fill in, each value count as 1 word, for example P = .001 would count as 1 word) Discussion 600 Total 1500 Main APA Issues It is important that your report follows the traditional lab report format (refer to Redbook for more information). You will be marked on the clarity of your written communication, the accuracy of your writing and reporting results, your level of critical thinking and the insight you display. Your literature review skills, statistical reporting of results, and interpretation of findings in the discussion are all assessed. You should adhere to APA 7th Edition formatting requirements, including statistical copy. Include a reference list of all papers/sources and use correct APA formatting which is assessed in the marking criteria. It is important to acknowledge all sources in-text using correct formatting (if quotations are used indicate page number of the original source). Sample papers in APA format can be found on the APA website (https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/sample-papers). PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY EVERY ATTACHED DOCUMENT
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