Research methods 4 – research Results and discussion ASSIGNMENT
RM4 Research Report Coursework contributes towards 30% of your Mark for RM4.
Guidelines for Research Report
Your research report will report on two studies. Both studies involved online data collection, the first was conducted amongst current second-year students, recruited via forum and lecture announcements. The second study was conducted among the current first-year students, recruited on Sona and contained several different scales. All data collection took place on Qualtrics.
The Introduction and Methods and Results for study 1 and Methods section for study 2 of the report will be provided to you (written by the module staff). Your task will be to write the Results for study 2 and the Title, Abstract and Discussion for the two studies combined.
On Keats you can find files that will help you navigate through study two and the data. Your task is to evaluate the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the new ‘Social Desirability’ scale that we developed through the in person live lectures/workshops series. As outlined in the live sessions, social desirability can be defined as
“the bias or tendency of individuals to present themselves in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others. In an experiment, for example, it manifests as the social desirability response set, which is the tendency of participants to give answers that are in accordance with social norms or the perceived desires of the researcher rather than genuinely representative of their views. This is a confound to be controlled for in certain research, as it often reduces the validity of interviews, questionnaires, and other self-reports”
(obtained from https://dictionary.apa.org/social-desirability, 9/1/25).
A measure of Social Desirability therefore will require participants to indicate their views and behaviours in relation to multiple social norms and desires to assess the extent to which individuals respond in an overall socially desirable way.
In the dataset that you are provided, you will find a number of other variables in addition to our Social Desirability Scale. You will need to identify variables that are directly relevant to the tests that you are asked to conduct (see further below). The full list of measures that we included is as follows:
1. Our Social Desirability scale
2. Social Status and Social Inclusion measure from Mahadevan, Gregg, Sedikides, & de Waal-Andrews (2016)
3. Short Big-5 personality inventory (including all 5 subscales) from Gosling, Rentfrow, and Swann (2003)
4. Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 (NPI-16) from Ames, Rose and Anderson (2006)
5. Need for Conformity Scale from Singh (2021)
6. Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17) from Stöber (2001)
7. Age
8. Gender (categorical only)
Excluded data:
Following data collection, the following exclusions were made to the dataset prior to its release to students. Each are outlined in the methods section of your report:
1. In study one, the data for 1 participant was excluded as they failed the attention check.
2. In study two, the data for 11 participants was excluded as they submitted incomplete datasets i.e., they started but did not finish the survey.
You need to complete the following analyses:
Evaluate the Factor Structure of the Scale
1. Based on the EFA results from week 5 (which have been provided in the intro, methods, results 1 + methods 2 document), use a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate how well the final model from the EFA fits the data that has been collected as part of the secondary data collection. Consider if the results from the CFA match our expectations and intentions for the scale design.
Evaluate the Reliability of the Scale
2. After assessing the factor structure, you need to assess the reliability of your final scale and any subscales. You will examine the internal consistency using the ‘Cronbach’s alpha’ statistic. For this report, do not exclude any items based on the results of this analysis but do discuss the results for your test of internal consistency and what they mean in the Discussion section.
Tips:
· Chapter 3 of Gravetter, Forzano & Rakow (2021) will help you interpret the results.
· You may also want to consult your notes for RM1 and RM2.
· Note that this section of the paper is probably quite short, perhaps only 1 paragraph in length.
Evaluate the Validity of the Scale
In addition to evaluating the factor structure and reliability of our new Social Desirability scale, answer the questions below, which are related to the validity of our new Social Desirability scale.
3. Investigate whether our new Social Desirability scale has concurrent validity with Stöber’s Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17). Do this for the whole new Social Desirability scale only. You do not need to analyse subscales here.
4. Investigate whether any of the big five personality factors have predictive validity for our new Social Desirability scale, after controlling for the other personality dimensions. Do this for the whole new Social Desirability scale only. You do not need to analyse subscales here.
Tips:
· Chapter 3 of Gravetter, Forzano & Rakow (2021) will help you discuss and interpret validity, as will the materials of the live lecture workshops.
The Sections of Your Report
Overall, you should write the Title, Abstract, Results and Discussions sections of the report as a coherent evaluation of the psychometric properties of the newly developed Social Desirability scale with the above three elements (factor structure, reliability, validity) as core features. The Introduction and Methods section will be written for you by Module staff – you do not need to include the introduction and methods in your report, instead, provide your abstract and title and then write ‘Insert overall Introduction and Methods and Results of dataset 1 + Methods 2 here’ then follow this with your results section, discussion section and your specific reference list. Specific word limits apply to different parts.
Title
For this assignment, write your own title for the report. The title has a maximum word limit of 20 words.
Abstract
This should be a concise but informative summary of the report. The word limit for the abstract is 200 words. Note that the word limit of 200 words is quite challenging, so leave yourself plenty of time to write and edit your Abstract. The Abstract should go at the beginning of the report (i.e., after the coversheet, but before the Introduction) on its own page. You may wish to write the abstract last.
Introduction + Methods + Results 1 + Methods 2 sections
These sections will be written by the module staff and given to you. You should not therefore write your own introduction or methods section for this report, nor do you need to re-analyse or report the EFA results from dataset 1. You do not need to include the introduction, methods or results of the EFA in your report, instead, write ‘Insert overall Introduction and Methods and Results of dataset 1 + Methods 2 here’.
Results section
Your results section should cover the analyses set out above. Make sure you fully address the analyses relevant to the questions above - remember to include how the data was analysed, all relevant descriptive statistics and all relevant inferential statistics.
You can use the structure and style. of the RM1-4 practical answers as a template for your results section, but you must use your own wording to avoid issues of plagiarism.
Discussion section
Keep your discussion focussed on your findings, what they mean, and what more could be done in a future study to clarify any issues that could not be resolved by your analyses. Consider the hints and tips provided throughout the live workshop classes and the information provided in your RM2 seminars on how to write a Discussion section to ensure you are including discussion of all relevant content in this section of the report.
The word count for the Results and Discussion section combined is 2000 words (this does not include the words used to report the results of Study One).
Reference section
Include a Reference section with the references listed and set out according to APA conventions. You should use APA 7.
Appendices
Appendices may be used if you wish to provide full details on something that is not practical to provide these within the Main Text of the report. You do not need to include an Appendix and, where you do, make sure it is necessary to do so. Keep it as concise as possible. The contents of any Appendices do not contribute to the word count for the main text. Note, however, that you should not regard Appendices as alternative means of providing essential information that you could not fit into the Main Text of the report. Make sure that all essential information is provided in your methods and results within the Main Text of the report. You will lose marks if you do not include essential information in the main text. For guidance on what is “essential”, please refer to the Assessment Criteria for a Year 2 Research Report (on KEATS) and see what will achieve ‘top marks’ on each section of the report.
Please include your JASP output in the appendices. As stated in the paragraph above, you must report all essential information related to your results in the main body of text. Including your JASP output in the appendix, will allow the marker to provide more specific feedback if the results reported in the main body are not as expected (e.g., because of conducting the incorrect analysis). Do not take any time to format the JASP output in the appendix, simply screenshot then copy and paste. Note: this is unique to RM4 and will not be a requirement of third-year projects. We use this as a potential opportunity to provide you with feedback if the results you report appear to be inappropriate.
Style, structure, and presentation
Use the guidance in your textbook, the RM4 Practicals, and APA-style. journal articles to structure and write your report but do not plagiarise the formats used. Your objective is to make your report easy to read and straightforward to understand (e.g., if additional subheadings help the readers understanding, then it is a good idea to use additional subheadings).
Any ‘standard’ version of English may be used for determining spelling and grammar: for example, you can use the spelling “colour” (British English) or “color” (American English). However, please be consistent (e.g., stick to one spelling throughout your report)—though use whichever spelling the original author(s) used when quoting directly from a paper, or listing it in your References section.
A note on tables and figures
All tables and figures should be formatted according to APA-style. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers are all helpful for creating tables; Excel/Numbers/PowerPoint are useful programmes to get the formatting right for figures. All tables and figures need to be easy to understand and should be referred to in the main text. Tables and figures are powerful tools to present findings. Use them to convey an idea or essential results. You must not copy/paste tables straight from JASP in the main body of the report (only allowed in the appendix).
Formatting
Your research report should follow the standard format for a psychology research report (Title, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, References) and should follow APA conventions for in-text referencing. In addition to the main section headings (Results, Discussion, etc.) it is acceptable to use sub-headings if you feel that this helps the reader to follow your report e.g. for the different analyses in the results.
The maximum length for the Results and Discussion sections of the research report is 2,000 words (the words used for Results of Study One do not contribute to your 2000-word limit). The word count includes headings and sub-headings. Avoid using footnotes and note that footnotes are included in the word count. The contents of figures and tables and their associated titles and captions are not included in this word count. Tables and figures, if included, should be placed at an appropriate place within the main text of the report; and not at the end of the report as is sometimes seen in ‘draft’ work. The Coversheet, Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methods and the References section are not included in the word count. BUT note that the title and abstract do have a separate word count of their own (see below).
Over-length reports
As outlined above:
· The title has a maximum word limit of 20 words.
· The Abstract has its own word limit of 200 words maximum.
· The main body of the report (results/discussion) has a word limit of 2000 words maximum.
The word limits above are all independent of each other, i.e., the 20 words of the title do not count towards the words of the abstract or results/discussion.
Note that for this assignment there are separate word counts for the Title, for the Abstract and for the Results/Discussion. A 2-spine point penalty is applied for every 10% of excess words over the limit, or part thereof will be applied. I.e., if the abstract is 201-220 words it will receive a 2-spine point mark reduction e.g., a 78 will become a 55. If the abstract is 221-240 words, you will receive a 4-spine point mark reduction, e.g., a 78 will become a 28. There is no minimum number of words for this assignment; though note that titles, abstracts or reports that are much shorter than the recommended length indicated above are unlikely to contain all essential elements.
Assessment and Submission
Deadline
Upload your completed assignment via Turnitin (on KEATS) before 5.30pm on 6th April 2025. That is, the latest time for an on-time submission is 5.29am.
Please remember to check that you have uploaded the correct file and leave enough time for the system to process your data. Avoid uploading your report last-minute.
Assessment criteria
A document containing the Assessment Criteria for a Year 2 Research Report is available on KEATS. This is what the markers use when marking this assignment, and it provides a useful checklist for you when you are drafting and editing your report.
General guidance on report writing
There is useful guidance on academic writing, and on writing a research report in:
· Gravetter, Forzano & Rakow (2021) Chapter 16
· The practicals and seminars for RM4
· The concise APA handbook (available from the KCL library)
Coversheet
Use the coversheet template for a RM4 Research Report Assignment (available on KEATS). Please complete all parts.
Write your own concise and informative title for this report and include it as the “Title Report” on your coversheet.
Provide separate word counts for the Title, Abstract and Main Text on the coversheet.
Do not include a “running head” (i.e., short report title) for your report in the header of your document. Rather, your K-number and Student ID-number should be in the document header, as per other assignments.
References
Ames, D. R., Rose, P., & Anderson, C. P. (2006). The NPI-16 as a short measure of narcissism. Journal of research in personality, 40(4), 440-450.
Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann Jr, W. B. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 504-528. Doi: 10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00046-1
Gravetter, F.J., & Forzano, L-A. B. (2016). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (5th edition). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, A. P., & Sedikides, C. (2019). Is self-regard a sociometer or a hierometer? Self-esteem tracks status and inclusion, narcissism tracks status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, A. P., Sedikides, C., & de Waal-Andrews, W. G. (2016). Winners, losers, insiders, and outsiders: Comparing hierometer and sociometer theories of self-regard. Frontiers in Psychology. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00334
Singh, N. (2021). Need for Conformity: Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Management Research, 21(2), 65-75.
Stöber, J. (2001). The Social Desirability Scale-17 (SDS-17): Convergent validity, discriminant validity, and relationship with age. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 17(3), 222.