What has and has not been done in previous research on this topic?.
Introduction (24 marks): A useful format for the Introduction is to structure it in terms of the following (major) sections: (1) Describe the ‘real world problem – What is the applied or practical significance of the research? e.g., Why is research on attitudes towards asylum seekers important? (2) The scientific or theoretical problem: What has and has not been done in previous research on this topic? What are the limitations of past research in this area? What is the ‘gap in knowledge we are seeking to address in the current research? Key concepts (e.g., implicit and explicit attitudes, self-control, prejudice, and motivation to control prejudice) should be clearly defined and explained, as should formal definitions of asylum seekers and refugees. (3) Aims/research questions and hypotheses. Most of the intellectual energy that goes into this report should be directed towards the theoretical and empirical rationale provided for the hypotheses. Formulate hypotheses that reflect the study aims. Justify hypotheses by tying them to related research so they flow smoothly and directly from the literature. The majority of the marks will be given for the analytical ability shown in building a case for the link between cognitive self-control and motivations to control prejudice, and how these constructs might relate to attitudes towards asylum seekers.
Method (12 marks): Include subheadings for Design, Participants, Materials/Measures and Procedure. The Design section should describe the 2 x 2 between-groups experimental design. The dependent variable should also be specified. The Participants section should describe the nature of the individuals who participated in the research. The Materials/Measures section should only describe the questions used in the research report. Dont forget to describe the questions used for the manipulation checks. Materials (cognitive tasks and questionnaire) used as part of the experiment should also be described. The Procedure should describe exactly what happened (i.e., participants randomly assigned to conditions, instructions given in each condition, etc.).
What has and has not been done in previous research on this topic?
