Homework answers / question archive / Lab report marking guide Cognitive Psychology (PSYC20007) Overview In your lab classes, you participated in an experiment in which you were required to categorise amoeba-like stimuli based on their internal features (i

Lab report marking guide Cognitive Psychology (PSYC20007) Overview In your lab classes, you participated in an experiment in which you were required to categorise amoeba-like stimuli based on their internal features (i

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Lab report marking guide

Cognitive Psychology (PSYC20007)

Overview

In your lab classes, you participated in an experiment in which you were required to categorise amoeba-like stimuli based on their internal features (i.e., the organelles). Classification learning difficulty was varied between conditions. The features relevant to this categorisation decision were not revealed to you, so you were required to learn how to correctly classify the stimuli from the feedback you were given.

This experiment is a partial replication of one by Shepard et al. (1961), who explored how different types of category structure affected classification learning. In their first experiment, Shepard et al. (1961) demonstrated that learning difficulty increases with category structure complexity. Our experiment was designed to test the reproducibility of this result using more confusable stimuli.

In your tutorials, we described Shepard et al.’s (1961) first experiment and contrasted their design with that of our experiment. In your lab report, your task is to demonstrate an understanding of Shepard et al. (1961)’s original experiment and findings, citing other relevant literature where appropriate to explain their results. In doing so, you should provide a rationale for the current study that justifies our predictions. You will also need to report the results from the lab report experiment and discuss your findings in the context of Shepard et al.’s (1961) results and the broader classification literature.

A template for writing the lab report, including the method section, is available on the Lab Report Assignment page. Please note that, while the method is not assessed, you are still expected to complete this section by replacing the missing values with the appropriate numbers.

Assessment criteria

A. Title and Abstract		Weight
A1. Title Content	Clearly and concisely outlines the main topic of the research, including the relationship between key variables.	1%
A2. Abstract (Background)	Describes the problem under investigation (i.e., the research topic).	1%
A3. Abstract (Method)	Describes relevant sample characteristics (e.g., number of participants, age, gender composition) and essential features of the study method (e.g., study design, outcome measures, data-gathering and analysis procedures).	1%
A4. Abstract (Results)	Describes the main findings, including effect sizes and statistical significance levels (i.e., p values), where appropriate.	1%
A5. Abstract (Discussion)	Discusses the implications of the study’s findings with regard to the problem under investigation.	1%
B. Introduction		Weight
B1. Opening	Opens by introducing the problem under investigation and outlining its importance.	6%
B2. Literature Review (Relevance and Understanding)	Provides a succinct and focused review of literature relevant to the problem.  Summarises key background information accurately and in appropriate detail.	10%
B3. Literature Review (Rationale)	Develops a cogent rationale by critically evaluating the literature and explaining how the current study builds on prior research.	8%
B4. Aims and Hypotheses	Outlines the purpose and scope of the study and generates specific hypotheses for testing.	6%
C. Method		Weight
C1. Participants	Describes the participants involved in the research. In most cases, this includes: number of participants in total and in relevant subgroups - descriptive statistics for years of age - gender composition of the sample - other major demographic characteristics as warranted by the study - eligibility and exclusion criteria	0%
C2. Materials and Measures	Describes all outcome measures, and the materials used to derive them, with sufficient detail to facilitate reproducibility.	0%
C3. Procedure and Design	Describes the procedures that were carried out in the study, including a detailed outline of how participants were allocated to groups or conditions and the specific steps involved in collecting and analysing data.	0%
D. Results		Weight
D1. Statistical Information	Presents all relevant statistical information accurately and completely.	5%
D2. Presentation	Describes the results of each analysis appropriately and presents statistical and mathematical information in correct APA Style format. Presents results in an organised manner, following the structure set by the study’s design and the order of the aims and hypotheses. Avoids making interpretive comments that are better suited for the Discussion (e.g., interpreting what the result means for the hypotheses stated in the Introduction).	10%
D3. Tables and Figures	Presents at least one table or figure which is referred to and described appropriately in text. Tables/figures conform to the requirements of APA Style. Each table/figure serves a purpose and does not merely duplicate information contained in the text or in another table or figure.	5%
E. Discussion		Weight
E1. Hypotheses	Opens with a clear statement summarising the aims and hypotheses and indicating whether the hypotheses were supported or not.	5%
E2. Interpretation	Considers how the study’s findings are similar to or different from relevant prior work. Considers what the results mean for the problem under investigation, particularly with regard to the specific issues raised in the Introduction. Reflects on how the study advances scholarship in the field without overstating the importance of the study and its findings.	15%
E3. Future Directions	Suggests future directions informed by issues that remain unresolved, new questions that have arisen as a consequence of the study’s findings, or limitations in the design of the study that may need to be addressed in future work.	8%
E4. Conclusions	Concludes by briefly returning to a discussion of why the problem is important and how the findings relate to the overarching issues motivating the research.	2%
F. Writing/Presentation		Weight
F1. Written Expression	Demonstrates clarity and conciseness in written expression. Demonstrates continuity and flow within and across all sections of the report. Exhibits a professional tone suitable for academic writing. Word choice is appropriate and sentences are well-constructed, with no errors in spelling, grammar, or usage. Contains an appropriate amount of original material.	7%
F2. Report Formatting	Adheres to APA Style formatting requirements (e.g., with regard to page numbers, headings, line spacing, and paragraph alignment and indentation).	3%
F3. Referencing	Works are cited appropriately in-text and in the reference list, following the requirements of APA Style.	5%

 

Assessment and feedback

Your work will be evaluated according to the assessment criteria, with the table below used as a guide for marking. Your tutor will also provide feedback on your report, with the aim of offering practical guidance that you can use to enhance your lab report writing in the future.

Grade	Range	Example Descriptor
H1	80-100	Excellent performance; shows a high to very high level of proficiency.
H2A	75-79	Very good performance; shows a high level of proficiency.
H2B	70-74	Good performance; shows a sound level of proficiency.
H3	65-69	Competent performance; shows a fair level of proficiency.
P	50-64	Satisfactory performance; shows an acceptable or adequate level of proficiency
N	0-49	Unsatisfactory performance; shows an inadequate level of proficiency.

 

Writing resources

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association forms the basis of APA Style and provides guidelines for scholarly writing in psychology and related disciplines. You can access the manual through the library (https://helpinhomework.org/psychology-assignment-help). The companion website (https://helpinhomework.org/psychology-assignment-help) summarises much of the manual’s contents and includes webinars, tutorials, and other resources that can help you with your writing.

The following texts provide advice specific to lab reports. They offer strategies for tackling each major section of the report, while also addressing other aspects of the research process, such as how to conduct a literature search.

Understanding the assessment criteria: Some pointers

Title and abstract

The title of the report should be focused and succinct. Ensure that the title captures the main topic by including only essential terms. Avoid using abbreviations and phrases that serve little to no purpose (e.g., “a study of”).

The abstract should provide a brief, comprehensive summary of the report in a paragraph of no more than 250 words. It should include a description of the research topic, relevant sample characteristics, essential features of the study method, main findings, and conclusions and implications. On a new line immediately below the abstract, include three to five relevant keywords that capture important aspects of the study. The title and abstract do not contribute to the final word count.

Introduction

Opening

The opening should give the reader an understanding of the broader context for the research topic, setting the stage for the more detailed review that follows. In this paragraph, you will attempt to capture the reader’s interest by outlining the importance of the problem under investigation.

Literature review

There are two aspects to the literature review that your readers (and assessors) will be paying attention to. The first aspect focuses on whether you have selected relevant literature for your review, whether that literature is discussed in appropriate detail, and whether you understand the key ideas under consideration.

The second aspect is the rationale, which is central to the purpose of the Introduction. Your task is not merely to describe what has come before, but to evaluate it and to build an argument for your study. Readers will have this question in mind as they read through your Introduction: Is it clear why further research is warranted and why the current investigation will be valuable in advancing our understanding of the problem?

Building a compelling rationale can be tricky and there is no single recipe for how to do it; it depends on the study and on the problem that study seeks to address. One very common approach is to identify a gap in current knowledge and to explain how your study will help in addressing this gap. Importantly, the rationale should guide the reader toward the specific aims and hypotheses of your study. Thus, to develop a cogent rationale you will need to think carefully about what your study is trying to accomplish and how it fits with prior research as you work through your literature review.

Aims and hypotheses The Introduction ends with a statement of your study’s aims and hypotheses. These should follow logically from the rationale, meaning that by the end of the Introduction, it should be clear to the reader how your aims and hypotheses were derived. Your hypotheses must also be specific and testable, meaning that you need to articulate clear expectations for the results of your study.

Method

In the Method section, you should describe the participants involved in your research, the materials you used as part of the study, and the steps taken in collecting and analysing the data. It is usually best to organise this information in separate subsections, with the first subsection focusing on the participants.

Here you will provide pertinent information about those who participated in your study, such as how many participants there were (in total and in relevant subgroups) and major demographic characteristics (e.g., gender identity and age). You should also describe any eligibility and exclusion criteria and indicate how the participants were recruited into your study.

In the next subsection, you will describe the materials you used (e.g., recording equipment, questionnaires, checklists, stimuli). You should describe all materials with sufficient detail to facilitate reproducibility. Doing so ensures that other researchers will be in a better position to repeat the study using the same materials.

In the final subsection, you will describe the procedures carried out in your study, including the specific steps involved in collecting and analysing the data. This means you will describe what the participants did, what the researchers did, and how this yielded the data used in the analysis. In this subsection, you should also describe the design of your study. For example, if your study used a repeated measures design, you would note that in this subsection.

Results

There are three criteria for the Results section. The first criterion focuses on the accuracy and completeness of the statistical information (i.e., whether you have reported the correct values from the statistical analyses). The second criterion considers how well each result has been described, whether formatting conventions have been applied correctly, and whether the results have been presented in an organised manner.

In this section, you should describe the results of each analysis clearly in prose. But avoid discussing whether the findings lend support to the hypotheses or not—such material is better placed in the Discussion. Ensure that you follow the conventions of APA Style with regard to rounding, leading zeros, spacing, the proper use of statistical symbols and abbreviations, and so on. Finally, think carefully about how best to organise the Results section. If you are reporting results from multiple analyses, it is useful to closely follow the structure already laid out in earlier sections of the report.

If you are required to include a table and/or a figure, ensure that it serves a purpose and does not merely duplicate information presented elsewhere. Ensure that all tables and figures are formatted correctly and refer to each table and figure in text by its designated number only (e.g., Table 1). Do not refer to tables and figures by their position relative to the text (e.g., “above” or “below”).

Discussion

Hypotheses

The Discussion section should begin with a clear statement summarising the aims and hypotheses and indicating whether the hypotheses were supported or not. When you describe your results here, you do not need to present any statistics (e.g., p values), as this information should already be contained in the Results section.

Interpretation

In the Introduction, you would have critically engaged with relevant literature to develop a framework for your study’s aims and hypotheses. In the Discussion, your interpretation will involve relating your study’s findings to that framework and making inferences about what it all means for the problem under investigation. This is an essential part of the scientific process, but it can be difficult to write about—even experienced lab report writers often find it challenging. Here are some questions to consider as you write this part of the Discussion: How do your findings fit with those of relevant prior work? Do they corroborate the general conclusions of previous research or do they suggest the need to revise our thinking on the topic? What are the theoretical and practical implications?

As you try to answer these questions, keep in mind that you are writing for a critical reader, one who will attend to how you argue each of the points you raise. Thus, you should ensure that your statements are supported with evidence and that you explain the reasoning behind your conclusions.

In a similar vein, while it is appropriate to reflect on how your study contributes to knowledge in the area, take care not to overstate those contributions. Your study may build on prior work in various interesting and important ways, but readers are not likely to be convinced by claims that exaggerate its overall significance.

Future directions

Having given your interpretation, you should then consider directions for future research on the topic. It is unlikely that that your study was perfect and that there are no further questions to answer with regard to the problem. Thus, in suggesting future directions, you should think about limitations in your study’s design, issues that remain unresolved, and new questions that may have arisen from your findings.

Keep in mind that each point you make needs to be argued for. For example, if you claim that a certain aspect of the study’s methodology constitutes a limitation, you should explain why that is the case and how it could have affected the results. Likewise, if you claim that future research should explore a particular line of inquiry, you need to explain why that would be useful and how it would help build on your work. Importantly, the goal here is not to discredit your study; rather, it is to show readers that you understand its limitations and have some notion of the paths that future work may take.

Conclusion

The final paragraph of your report is similar to the opening paragraph; it is broad in scope and should give the reader an appreciation of the wider significance of the topic your study addresses. Use this paragraph to summarise your findings and conclusions and to recapture the importance of the problem. This helps to underscore the value of your study—why it was worthwhile—and gives the reader a renewed sense for why the topic deserves investigation.

Writing and presentation

Throughout your report, readers will be paying attention to how you express yourself in writing, how you format the paper, and how you reference work from other authors. You can find advice relevant to these matters in the Publication Manual.