What do I need to include under each section of my IA report for IB Psychology?

Title page The hypothesis will determine how the title is constructed. For example, if the operationalized research hypothesis is The mean number of words correctly recalled by a group using a list with category headings will be greater than the mean number of words correctly recalled by a group not using category headings , then an appropriate title could be An experiment to investigate the effect of category headings on the recall of a list of words . A title such as An experiment on memory is not specific and is, therefore, insufficient. The title page must include:
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title y the method used (experiment) y the topic under investigation (for example, recall) y the variables (for example, category headings and their impact on word recall)

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student name and number subject and level (SL or HL) date, month and year of submission number of words.

Abstract The abstract gives the reader a chance to find out the bare essentials of the experiment without going any further. The style should be brief, but should not use note form. The abstract should include the following.
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A one-sentence summary, giving the topic(s) to be studied This may include the aim or hypotheses and the area studied.

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A description of the participants and setting for the experiment A description of the experiment conducted by the student, including the design, independent and dependent variables, and a basic outline of the procedure

A statement of the findings related to the aim (SL) including a mention of the statistics used, the significance levels (HL), and one sentence summing up the outcome (SL and HL) A short summary of the conclusion

The abstract should be no longer than 200 words. The word count for the abstract should be included on the abstract page. Introduction The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the theoretical framework and the background research and/or theories that should lead to the aim (SL) or hypotheses (HL). The introduction should follow the order below.
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A general introduction to the psychological subject area under investigation A summary of the key theories and research studies The introduction must include proper references, for example, (Zajonc 1965). Students at SL must cite one reference, and at least three are recommended for HL.

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A rationale and justification for the study The aim (SL and HL) and hypotheses (HL only) See below for further information about the aim and hypotheses.

The details of a piece of research should not be spelled out unless it is one the student is replicating. Aim The aim of the study is a clear statement about what is being investigated and what is expected.

Hypotheses (HL) Research hypothesis H1 The research hypothesis must be a clear, concise prediction of what is expected to be demonstrated in the experiment. This must be operationalized: it must be evident how the variables will be quantified, and may be either one- or two-tailed (directional or non-directional). Null hypothesis H0 The null hypothesis states that no significant difference is expected to be found between the groups on the measure of the dependent variable, and that any difference found is due to chance Problem areas
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Background studies not relevant or only marginally relevant to the hypothesis. Studies described but not made relevant to the hypothesis. Research hypothesis not operationalized and does not predict a difference between two groups or conditions.

Method This is typically divided into several sub-sections. Design A description of design decisions should be included, for example:
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experimental and control conditions the type of experimental design chosen by the student and justification for their choice (independent groups, repeated measures, or matched pairs) identification of variables (independent and dependent variables), operationally defined ethical considerations and reference to documentation (informed consent, debriefing) in the appendices.

Problem areas
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Variables are not identified properly and a mark of zero must be awarded. No mention of ethical issues, therefore a zero must be awarded. Informed consent not obtained - or 'consent' obtained rather than 'informed consent'. Justifying the use of the experimental method rather than justifying the use of a particular experimental design. The method does not need to be justified as all students are required to do an experiment.

Participants Details of the participants involved in the research should be included, for example: y the researchers involved in conducting the research y the target population, described in terms such as age, sex, education, or reference to any other relevant variables y the sampling method and justification of why it was used y the size of the sample (a participant sample of 20 is recommended), and how the participants were selected and assigned to experimental conditions. Problem areas
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Misunderstanding of the term random and ensuring their selection procedure is truly random. If not random, then the use of an opportunity or structured sampling procedure should be explained. Target population too broadly defined.

Materials A clear outline of materials or apparatus should be used. The exact details and examples should be placed in the appendices. Procedure This sub-section should include a statement of where the research was undertaken, the instructions given to participants, details of debriefing, and any other relevant details that would be necessary for replication of the experiment.

Further evidence should be included regarding design decisions, such as counterbalancing, random allocation of participants to groups, single- or doubleblind, control of extraneous variables, standardized procedures and steps taken to avoid any possible bias in sampling or in the experimental procedures. Details of informed consent, briefing and debriefing of participants should also be included. Problem areas y There is insufficient information to replicate the study. y Procedure does not mention ethical considerations y The procedure is not in order Results The results should include the following.
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Statement of the measure(s) of central tendency, as appropriate Statement of the measure(s) of dispersion, as appropriate Justification of choice of descriptive statistic Appropriate use of fully explained graphs and tables (may be computer generated)

The student should give a narrative presentation of the results related to the aim and hypotheses of the experiment. All raw data should be included in an appendix. It should be presented in a readable form with all headings clearly explained. Personal details, such as the names of participants, should not be included. Such information should be regarded as confidential. All the actual answer sheets need not be included; one example in the report will suffice. Students should keep the answer sheets. Descriptive statistics (SL and HL) Appropriate numerical statistics should be included, for example, measure(s) of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measure(s) of dispersion (range, standard deviation).

Appropriate graphical statistics illustrating summary data should be provided, for example, tables, bar charts, histograms and pie charts. Special care should be taken to ensure that all graphs and tables have clear titles, all graphical axes are clearly labelled, and all graphs are drawn on graph paper if hand drawn. Raw data should not be included in the results section, but can be placed in the appendices. Graphs detailing individual scores should not be included. Problem areas
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Tests of central tendency may not be the most relevant - e.g., the median is sometimes better to report than the mean Graphing of raw data instead of descriptive statistics Graph labelling Results compare data that is irrelevant to the hypothesis - for example, analyzing results by gender Graphing irrelevant things Including all measures of central tendency instead of just the most appropriate. Not justifying the chosen measure Results not presented in graph and tabular form

Inferential statistics (HL) Inferential statistics enable us to draw conclusions about the likelihood of the hypotheses being retained. The following details should be included.
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A statement of the test(s) used and the level of measurement of the data (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio) Justification of the choice of statistical test, with reference to the design and the nature of the actual data collected A statement of the observed and critical values of the test, degrees of freedom, significance level and whether the test was one- or two-tailed A statement of the conclusion in terms of the experimental hypothesis A statement as to whether the experimental or null hypothesis was accepted

Presentation of the experimental calculations should be provided in an appendix. If a computer or calculator program have been used a printout should be presented. Choosing the right statistical test Type design of Type of data/level of measurement

Nominal

Ordinal

Interval/ratio (parametric) Unrelated ttest

Independent

Chisquared

Mann Whitney U test Wilcoxon Wilcoxon

Repeated Matched

Sign test Sign test

Related t-test Related t-test

In order to use a t-test, data must meet the requirements of a t-test.

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The level of measurement should be at least interval. The data samples should have been drawn from a normally distributed population.

The samples should have similar variances. Which test to use? There is debate among the teaching community about which inferential tests should be used for the DP Psychology simple experiment. Psychologists try to use the most appropriate and most powerful test they can to analyse their results. The world of inferential statistics and probability reaches far beyond the scope of the DP Psychology course. The learning outcome from our course that gives us direction reads: Apply an appropriately chosen statistical test (for example, Wilcoxon matchedpairs signed-ranks test, Mann-Whitney U test, sign test, chi-squared test) in order to determine the level of significance of data (HL only).

This only says an "appropriately chosen" test. The parenthetical examples are not required. They are just examples of what is acceptable. Other tests would be acceptable to use if they were 'appropriately chosen'. Each inferential statistical test has a set of conditions of use, i.e., what the experiment has to be like in order to use the test appropriately. Experienced teachers and examiners recommend keeping the choice of statistical test limited to the most basic, appropriate ones. The four tests mentioned in the guide are adequate for the vast majority of IB psychology simple experiments. Design and sample size will also play a role. In all cases, the assessment criteria focus on the selection and application of an appropriate and justified test. Problem areas
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No inferential analysis included The test used is far too complex for the IB psychology level Misunderstanding of concept of significance and the relationship between the null hypothesis and the research hypothesis

Discussion There are four divisions. 1. Explanation of findings The word explain means to give a detailed account including reasons or causes. Explanation may include reference to descriptive statistics. Students should have stated the results of their experiment in statistical terms in the results section of their report. 2. Relationship to background research This is the student s opportunity to explain their results in relation to their initial aim and hypotheses, as well as to their background research. No new research should be included here, but duplication of material from the introduction should be avoided.

3. Limitations, modifications and suggestions for further research Even a well-designed study will have flaws. The design and procedure should be considered and suitable modifications should be suggested. Limitations include, but are not restricted to:
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experimental flaws and problems that may have affected the results, such as lack of sampling controls and problems with the procedure materials design.

Modifications need to be clearly stated and could include other ways of investigating the aim. Students should refer to any ideas they may have for further or follow-up research. 4. Conclusion Students should finish with a concluding statement of their findings (SL) and a brief, focused summing-up of findings relating back to the aim and hypotheses (HL). Problem areas
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No discussion of descriptive statistics, especially differences in standard deviation or range. Background studies or theories are simply restated and not discussed remember the definitions of the command terms. Limitations are superficial and not necessarily the most relevant.

References This section should be a list of all the material the students have referred to. If the student does not have the original source material, all the necessary details can be found in the references section at the back of the book that referred to the source. All references stated in the introduction and discussion sections of the student s report should be included in the references section. References should follow a recognized format and be consistent throughout.

The recommended style for a textbook reference is: Flanagan, C (1997) An introduction to Psychology. London, UK. Thomas & Co. (That is, in the order: surname, initial (date) title. Place of publication. Publisher.) References for textbooks written by multiple authors should be presented as follows: Crane, J & Hannibal, J (2009) IB Diploma Programme: Psychology Course Companion. Oxford, UK. OUP. (That is, in the order: surname, initial & surname, initial (date) title. Place of publication. Publisher.) Please note that page references should be included. Websites must be fully referenced with "http://www. followed by the address so they can be located. Any statistical packages used must also be included in the references section.

Problem areas: y Inconsistent formatting which could very easily be rectified with an eye for detail y Not all citations from the body of the report are included in the references section y Secondary sources are not cited appropriately. They can be used but should be cited as such. Appendices In this section, students must include blank copies of any supplementary information, a list of the materials used, such as standardized instructions, debriefing notes and a blank copy of an informed consent statement. This section provides all the materials necessary to allow the experiment to be replicated. Tables of raw data and calculations must be included. However, it is not necessary to include all participant responses: one blank copy or a sample is sufficient.

Materials should be clearly labelled and organized. A checklist for each section can be found in the Appendices . It is recommended that these checklists are distributed to students to track their progress. Participant informed consent Informed consent is an integral and required part of the internal assessment process. All students must ensure all participants who are 16 years or older sign an informed consent statement. For experiments with participants under the age of 16, parental consent must be obtained. Students must include one blank copy of their informed consent statement as an appendix. A sample consent form that could be modified by students can be found in the "Appendices" section. Frequently asked questions What is a simple experiment ? A simple experiment is an experimental research method that has one independent variable and one dependent variable. The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher. The dependent variable is the variable that is measured by the researcher, and changes as a result of manipulation of the independent variable. A simple experiment should also have two conditions. Condition 1 is the experimental condition, where the independent variable is changed. Condition 2 is the control condition, where the independent variable remains unchanged. Multiple variables and conditions should be avoided as this does not constitute a simple experiment . Other research methods, such as interviews, surveys, case studies, questionnaires, observations, correlations or quasi-experiments, should be avoided as these are non-experimental. Students will receive no marks if they produce non-experimental work.

Can students work as part of a group? Yes. Group work may be undertaken by groups of up to four students. Each group must collect its own data but each student must write up his or her own individual report. Can students use software packages for calculating statistics? Yes. These are permitted provided students interpret the results obtained and check the significance of the data. A printout of the calculated data should be included in the appendices of the student s report. How can I ensure that my students work is ethical? Make sure your students follow the guidance given in the Ethical guidelines section. Teachers can use the proposal form provided (see the Forms section) to check and approve student research proposals before students start to collect any data. Teachers are also encouraged to arrange a review board to check that all students work is ethical before they start collecting data. Can a t-test be used? Yes. A t-test can be used if the student s data meets the requirements of the test outlined in the Report section.