develop a research question that builds on prior theory and methods in moral psychology.
Research Proposal Assignment Brief
Weighting: The research proposal is worth 100% of your final mark for this module.
Length: 6 pages (PSY3093), excluding the reference list. The page limit/ word count is the absolute maximum, please do not go over.
Formatting: You must use the guidelines from the Psychology course handbook, in conjunction with APA formatting for references and headings. Please submit the proposal using the Psychology coursework template (will do myself, do not worry about this).
Assessment and Feedback
This assignment will be marked using the research reports section of the Psychology Marking scheme (attached and clearly titled, page 4 to 5, NOT page 6). In addition, you should demonstrate that you have met all three of the learning outcomes for this module (see below).
Learning Outcomes
- To build an understanding of the controversies surrounding moral psychology, specifically surrounding definitions and measurement of concepts.
- To demonstrate an understanding of the antecedents and consequences of moral concepts.
- To develop a research question that builds on prior theory and methods in moral psychology.
General guidance: You should start your research proposal by choosing ONE reading from the reading list, it can be any reference in the whole list. You should use this initial reference to guide your literature search (e.g., readings cited within that reference, PsycINFO searches etc.). Based on your literature search you should identify a research question that you feel has not been answered in the literature to date and use this to develop your hypothesis.
Guidance per section: Below are a few tips for structuring the research proposal, which should include these main sections.
Title: You must include an original title, which reflects the research area.
Introduction: You should outline background research that led to your research question. You should critically review the literature and indicate why your research question is important. You are also expected to present a hypothesis based on the theoretical background and research question. I strongly recommend that the hypothesis is directional rather than open.
Method- It is recommended that your methods are based on prior research, unless it’s a truly novel approach. In this section you need to describe participants, procedure, and materials, demonstrating that you understand and have evaluated previous conceptualizations and measurements through the way that you propose to test your hypothesis, for example, through the materials and procedure you will use.
Results- In this section you need to identify what statistical test you would use to test your hypothesis and what your anticipated results would be, which could be presented in text, figure, or table. You do NOT need to present actual statistics, e.g., exact means, F values, p values etc., as the research has not been conducted. The main point is that the results section should accurately reflect your hypothesis, in terms of direction and what differences or relationships you expect.
Discussion- In this section you should summarize what you expect to find and how your expected results fit in with previous literature. Finally, you should also identify implications and limitations of your research, as well as possible future research.
