1. PSYC301 Research Project
Nazli Baydar

2. Double checking your research question
Research questions will be about causes or consequences:
What are the academic (or social) consequences of negative self concept?
Is negative mood a precursor of retrieval of negative memories?
What are the family background characteristics that lead to high levels of aggression?
Is the level of motivation vulnerable to social influence?
Research questions should not be descriptive:
How do people form relationships?
Do KU students have a positive or a negative self concept?

3. TODAY Developing a conceptual framework
Reading articles – drawing useful information from them.

4. What is CONCEPTUALIZATION
What is CONCEPTUALIZATION? : Starting from a topic and a theoretical statement
TOPIC: Family influences on academic achievement during the first semester
STATEMENT OF THE THEORY:
Individuals who have clear expectations of a role tend to fulfill that role successfully, receive positive feedback on their performance of that role, and are satisfied with that role. The salience of the role for a person will influence the extent to which their satisfaction with that role spills over to their general well being.
STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS:
College students who have clear expectations of their newly redefined family roles will be satisfied as the adult child of their parents because of limited conflict and substantial positive feedback. Having been successful in their transition to their role as an adult child, these students will enjoy a higher level of academic achievement during their transition to college because enhanced overall well being.

5. Elements of a conceptual framework diagram
For variables
For concepts or constructs
For causal relations
For correlational relations
In a conceptual framework diagram, causality flows from
left to right.

6. Example Conceptual Diagram
There is a mediator implied here
Clarity of expectations after high school graduation
Overall psychological well being
Academic achievement during the first semester
Extent of communication about roles
Degree of conflict with the parents

7. Conceptualization Reports: Requirements
Topic
Statement of a relevant theory
Statement of the hypothesi(e)s
Must include citations and references to previous research.
A brief description of the variables to be considered (with references)
Potentially manipulable IVs
Diagram
Critique of the proposed framework (pictures in the diagram).

8. Theoretical statements and non-theoretical statementsOK
Not OK
Relationships of individuals with their parents will tend to constitute a model for their relationships in their adulthood. This occurs because…
Individuals who do not discuss important issues with their parents will break up with their boyfriends/girlfriends often
Children’s behaviors, like many other species, are driven by rewards. Children strive for their parents’ attention. They learn how to receive the attention through experience. Attention received through positive behaviors increase the occurrence of positive behaviors. Similarly for negative behaviors.
KU students who have authoritarian parents will get into fights with their friends often.