Part 1
Overview
When engaged in the research process, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you are taking in. Sometimes writers begin to lose track of how the content they are reading will be helpful in supporting the claims they make in their papers or in addressing their research question. A working annotated bibliography helps writers organize potentially useful resources and streamlines the process of identifying relevant research.
When drafting a proposal, it is important to make a compelling case why the proposed project can improve practice in an applied setting. As a psychologist, you do this by pulling from examples of theoretical and applied research from the field. Works of theoretical research establish foundational theories and offer insight as to why problems exist in an applied setting. Applied research studies observe practice in an applied setting and suggest strategies and techniques to improve a problem based on collected data. Together, these types of research comprise a well-balanced argument that explains why a problem exists and how it can be fixed.
In Module Four, you will submit a working annotated bibliography with at least four entries, including scholarly books or articles, pertaining to your proposal topic, applied setting, and the research questions identified in Module Two. Two of the articles you find should be related to the theories you related to your topic that you intend to feature in your final proposal. The other two articles should discuss applied research related to your topic area.
For each article, include one paragraph summarizing how the article relates to your chosen topic and setting and a second paragraph addressing the following questions:
• How do the research results and statistical findings in the article apply to your research question and your applied setting?
• What are the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question?
• How could you expand on available research to more specifically address your research question?
Conclude each entry with a brief critique of the article. What are the strengths or limitations of the research? How could future research build on these findings?
Part 2
Overview
As a professional with a cognitive psychology background, you may be called upon to contribute your insights to help solve a contemporary problem in an applied setting. This solution could take the form of a proposal for a new program, research study, or initiative. For your final project, you will select an applied professional setting and contemporary problem related to cognitive processes and draft a proposal to explore strategies to improve the problem in that particular setting.
In order to help you organize the thoughts you generated in an earlier discussion board in Module One, this assignment will allow you the opportunity to develop a topic suggestion. First, you will identify your topic of interest within the field of cognitive psychology from the following options:
Attention
Learning
Memory
Language
Decision making
Next, you will choose an applied setting, a professional field that could pose a contemporary problem related to your identified topic. You will describe how this problem relates to your topic and setting in this assignment.
Education
Law
Mental health
Technology
Finally, you will generate three research questions about a contemporary problem related to your topic and applied setting.
For example, if your topic is attention and your field of interest is technology, your potential problem could be related to decreasing attention spans and the online learning environment. Some potential research questions related to this problem might include:
- How does multitasking (e.g., listening to music while reading or texting while reading) influence attention to online course material?
- How do individuals with ADHD perform in an online learning environment, and what strategies can help them succeed?
- What strategies can teachers and students use to increase attention to relevant material in an online course?