PSYC20006 Lab Report Guide Essay
Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages to Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
PSYC20006 Lab Report Guide Essay
Aim of the lab report
The aim of this lab report is to investigate whether the primary motor cortex (M1) is causally involved in mental rotation of Shepard figures (Shepard & Metzler, 1971) and hands (Bode, Koeneke, & Jäncke, 2007). We will use the neural noise TMS approach to interrupt processing of M1 during a mental rotation task. We will compare mean reactions times (RTs) for real TMS and sham TMS conditions for each experimental condition (Shepard figures and hands) using the relevant statistical tests.
In Assignment 1 you will just submit your method and results section, plus a statement of your hypotheses and whether or not these were supported. For Assignment 2 you will incorporate feedback from Assignment 1 into the relevant sections and submit a full lab report (i.e., title, abstract, introduction, results, methods, discussion, and references).
What is different about this lab report?
Each undergraduate subject emphasises a different element of the lab report. In PSYC20006 we emphasise the Methods and Results sections. We do this by:
Requiring you to extract key information from the tutorial slides and the Bode et al. (2007) paper in order to formulate your own method section, and
By giving you the opportunity to receive feedback from your tutor on these sections via the Assignment 1 hurdle, before submitting your marked Assignment 2. This feedback can be used to improve your skills in writing these sections and to improve your final marked submission.
Word Limit
As Assignment 1 is a hurdle requirement there is no strict word limit. However, it is recommended that you write a minimum of 500 words and aim to be concise with your writing (between 500-750 words).
The word limit for Assignment 2 is 2000 words (+/- 10%). Although they are not counted within your overall word count, your title should be 12 words or less, and your abstract should be no more than 200 words. For more information on what counts and does not count towards your word count, please consult your student manual.
Due date
Assignment 1 is due 8am Friday 5th April (Week 5). Assignment 2 is due at 8am Friday 10th May (Week 9).
Readings
The two papers below are required readings for the lab report. These two papers will give you a strong grounding in mental rotation research using TMS. Beyond these two papers, it will be up to you to decide what to include in your introduction. We have provided you with some further readings to get you started! These are available on the LMS under the Tutorials/Lab Classes folder → Tutorials #1 and #2 → Readings for Lab Report. You can also include other papers you may come across while researching on search engines such as Google Scholar or PubMed.
Eisenegger, C., Herwig, U., & Jäncke, L. (2007). The involvement of primary motor cortex in mental rotation revealed by transcranial magnetic stimulation. European Journal of Neuroscience, 25, 1240-1244.
Bode, S., Koenecke, S., & Jäncke, L. (2007). Different strategies do not moderate primary motor cortex involvement in mental rotation: A TMS study. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 3-38.
Marking Guide
Tutors will use the marking criteria below to assign a grade to your report. The grade is indicative of how well the criteria have been met and the overall quality and sophistication of the report.
Section Weight Marking criteria Title and Abstract 5% The Title: Clearly and concisely (≤ 12 words) outlines the main topic.
Fully explanatory on its own.
Abbreviations are avoided.
The Abstract:
Describes the problem under investigation
Describes the relevant sample characteristics (e.g., number of participants, age, gender composition) and essential features of the study method.
Describes the main findings, including effect sizes and confidence intervals or statistical significance levels
Discusses the implications of the study’s findings with regard to the problem under investigation
Introduction 25% Opens by introducing the topic and outlining the importance of the problem under investigation. Reviews the literature systematically and shows comprehension of essential concepts, arguments, and findings.
Key terms are suitably defined for a professional audience.
Content is targeted and appropriate, with a focus on the most relevant literature and not literature of tangential relevance.
Avoids nonessential details when summarizing prior work.
Critically evaluates previous research to establish a cogent rationale for the present study.
Aims and hypotheses are clearly stated and follow logically from the argument developed in the Introduction.
Method 15% The Participants section describes the participants involved in the research. In most cases this includes: Number of participants in total and in relevant subgroups
Descriptive statistics for years of age
Gender composition of the sample (e.g. proportion of the sample that identify as male, female, or other).
Other major demographic characteristics as warranted by the study
Eligibility and exclusion criteria
The Materials and Measures section describes all outcome measure, and the materials used to derive them, with sufficient detail to facilitate reproducibility.
The Procedure and Design section describes the procedures that were carried out in the study, including a detailed outline of how participants were allocate to groups or conditions and the specific steps
involved in collecting and analysing data. Note: For this assignment you may wish to have a separate Procedure and Planned Statistical Analyses sections.
Results 15% Presents required statistical information accurately and completely. Adheres to reporting conventions for statistical information.
Presents results in an organized manner, following the structure set by the study’s design and the order of the aims and hypotheses.
Presents the descriptive statistics first, followed by the inferential statistics where relevant.
Explains the results clearly and accurately in prose.
Avoids reflecting on what the results mean for the hypotheses stated in the Introduction.
Avoids redundancy such as presenting the same statistical information in different forms (e.g. in text, and in a table or figure).
Note: For this assignment, we are actually requiring you to have some redundant information, but this is to give you practice reporting descriptive statistics in text and in a figure. Keep in mind that this may not be the case for other assignments in psychology!
Presents at least one figure, which is referred to in text.
The figure conforms to the requirements of APA style.
Discussion 25% Opens with a clear statement summarizing the hypotheses and indicating whether they were supported or not. Considers how the study’s findings are similar to or different from relevant prior work, especially work cited in the Introduction.
Considers what the results mean for the problem under investigation, particularly with regard to specific issues raised in the Introduction.
Reflects on how the study advances scholarship in the field without overstating the importance of the study and its findings.
Suggests future directions informed by the problems that remain unresolved, new questions that have arisen as a consequence of the study’s findings, or limitations in the design of the study that may need to be addressed in future work.
Briefly returns to a discussion of why the problem is important and
how the research findings relate to the overarching issues motivating the research.
Writing / Presentation 15% Demonstrates cohesiveness in argument within and across all sections of the report Written expression exhibits a professional tone appropriate for academic writing.
Contains appropriate amount of original material.
Report style and general document appearance adheres to APA formatting requirements.
Writing is free of errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization etc.
Works are cited appropriately in-text and in the references list, following the requirements of APA style.