Methods of Research

For your Methods of Research assignment, use the Capella library to locate a minimum of three peer-reviewed journal articles (published within the last 10 years) that discuss a biological psychology topic of interest to you. For example, you might be interested in:

• Neurobiology of ecstasy (MDMA) abuse.
• Progression of reading ability in a child diagnosed with autism.
• Effectiveness of a new drug to treat depression.

You are not limited to these topics, but may choose one of these if you are interested. These are listed to help give you an idea of types of appropriate topics.

You will be using these resources to help support a proposed research study of your choosing in Unit 7 and then applying what you learn in an assignment in Unit 9. Note that the assignments in this course build on one another. It is a good idea to look ahead to the assignments in Units 7 and 9 to begin to think about a topic you might be interested in researching. This is a good time to select articles for this assignment that will help support your ideas for the Unit 7 and Unit 9 assignments.

Submit your analysis of the articles you selected for this assignment in accordance with the criteria listed below:

Format your paper using the following headings, as well as the Methods of Research Template (linked in Resources):

• Topic: Identify the topic and describe the search strategy used for locating articles for the review.
• Article Analysis: For each article, analyze the articles using the headings below. Use appropriate in-text citations of the article, per current APA guidelines:
  • The research method(s) used in the articles reviewed.
  • Key variables in the hypothesis or phenomena of interest.
  • Description of how the hypothesis was supported (or not) and how questions were answered (or not).
  • Determination and explanation of whether the study was (or was not) conducted safely and ethically by the authors.
• Summary:
  • Summary determination and explanation of whether the studies included in the review were (or were not) conducted safely and ethically by the authors. Substantiate your views with evidence from the studies.
  • With the topic you selected, decide which of the research methods you believe is the most appropriate to further study the problem. Explain why.

Paper Requirements

• Number of Resources: 3–5 peer-reviewed journal articles.
• Length: 5–7 pages.
• Format: Formatted using the Methods of Research Template, linked in the Resources. Use current APA style and formatting.