Your Final Research Paper (which is due at the end of the semester) contains the following components:
-Literature Review with APA citations (which we did in a previous Discussion Board)
-Literature Gap
-Hypothesis
-Method
-APA References (which we did in a previous Discussion Board)
In this Board, we will work on the Literature Gap and the Hypothesis. In a future board, we will work on the Method.
A literature gap provides direction on what future research should be within a particular research area. The purpose of this assignment is for you to find a literature gap. Potential literature gaps may include problems with the participants, the settings, the materials/procedures, conclusions about cause-effect, or any other variables (confounds) that were not included. Another potential literature gap may also be an unexplored research area.
Things to think about:
Areas where researchers did not yet investigate. Is there a specific population that has unique characteristics that are directly relevant to the research topic? Think about different demographics, cultures, etc.
Are there tools or technology that have not yet been used by researchers in this topic? Consider neglected and forgotten technology, or recently emerging technology
Was there something problematic with how the procedures were conducted in one of your sources? Examine how they recruited participants, the procedures and the materials they used, or whether privacy and social desirability were issues.
Were the researchers drawing conclusions that were beyond the scope of what their study could address? Remember that cause-effect hypotheses can only be address with an experiment that includes a Control Group.
Instructions
Paragraph 1 (1-3 sentences)
Write a brief literature review on any topic in psychology. The review must include one peer reviewed source that includes an APA citation and accompanying APA Reference.
Paragraph 2 (1-3 sentences)
Identify a literature gap within the scope of the research topic you chose in the first paragraph. The sentence should explicitly state that you are identifying a gap like this:
-Researchers do not yet know if…
-Studies have not yet examined whether…
-However, a problem with the research conducted by…
Finally, complete the paragraph with a hypothesis. The hypothesis must directly answer the question posed by your literature gap. Hypothetically, if researchers did conduct a study to address your literature gap, what do you think the results would be? The hypothesis should explicitly be stated: “I hypothesize that…”
Below is a sample post. Include all the APA formatting (citation and accompanying References). Closely follow the format of the sample below:
Mate retention behaviors minimize the risk that one’s partner will commit infidelity or will end the relationship and ranges from positive behaviors (e.g., showering your partner with gifts and attention) to negative behaviors (e.g., restricting your partner’s behaviors; De Miguel & Buss, 2011). Mate retention occurs across various countries (De Miguel & Buss, 2011) and species (Birkhead, 1979). Mate retention is typically measured using the Mate Retention Inventory—a survey where people report how frequently they perform various mate retention behaviors (Buss, 1988).
Researchers have not yet investigated mate retention among older adults (e.g., retirees). Because our mate preferences and life priorities change after we retire, we may expect mate retention to change as well–and perhaps to occur less frequently. I hypothesize that mate retention behaviors are performed less frequently after people retire.
References
Birkhead, T. R. (1979). Mate guarding in the magpie Pica pica. Animal Behaviour, 27, 866-874.
Buss, D. M. (1988). From vigilance to violence: Tactics of mate retention in American undergraduates. Ethology and Sociobiology, 9, 291-317.
De Miguel, A., & Buss, D. M. (2011). Mate retention tactics in Spain: Personality, sex differences, and relationship status. Journal of personality, 79, 563-586.
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this is the topic that will be used –
The study explores the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes among adolescents, finding that higher levels of social media use are associated with increased depressive symptoms and decreased well-being (Twenge & Campbell, 2018) (Twenge & Campbell, 2018)
Reference:
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study. Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, 271-283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.10.003
