1. APA Format Method Psychology 291 October 28 - 30, 2013

2. APA Rules to Keep in Mind Write in Past Tense First-level headings are centered and bolded – Method, Results Level two headings that must be included and are flush left and bolded – Participants, Subjects, or Sample – Apparatus and/or Materials – Procedure and Design Remember to follow other APA rules (page layout, font, etc.), as well as consult the manual on-line

3. Method How was your study conducted? – The method describes what you did in the experiment and how you did it Provide enough detail so that another researcher could replicate your work Three subsections: – Participants, Subjects, or Sample – Apparatus and / or Materials – Procedure and Design

4. The Method section is like a Recipe Ingredients: – Participants Who do I need to collect to participate? – Apparatus/Materials What do I need to collect before I can begin my experiment? Instructions: – Procedure & Design How do I put it all together?

5. Participants, Subjects or Sample? Participants refer to: – People Subjects refer to: – Non-Human Subjects Sample – Artifacts

6. Participants Total number of participants Standard demographic information: – Age (with a mean, SD, and range if available) – Sex – Inclusion/Exclusion criteria (ethnicity, race, physical/psychological conditions, experience/training etc.) – If any subjects did not complete the experiment state how many and explain why they did not continue Describe groups (if applicable) – how were groups formed and number assigned to each group Describe any compensation given

7. Subjects and Sample For non-human subjects: – report the genus, species, or other specific identification, such as the location of the supplier – Give the animals’ sex, age, weight, and physiological condition – Specify all essential details of their handling Light/dark cycle Habituation protocol Food and water ad lib or restricted? For other types of sampling (artefacts, concepts, etc.) – Describe the sampling procedure in detail – Describe the sample in detail

8. Apparatus and / or Materials Apparatus usually refers to equipment Materials usually refers to supplies or tests List apparatus and / or materials and state what each item is used for. – Equipment should be identified with reference to the specific model numbers. Names and model numbers should be in italics. (E.g., Canon Optura 500 video recorder) – Tests/Questionnaires should include citation and description of questions (with examples, response scales and number of items) – Do not include trivial materials (pens, pencils, etc.)

9. Procedure and Design How was this study done? – Discuss in past tense Detailed enough to give the reader an accurate description of how the data was collected The procedure begins only when data collection / manipulation begins Include: – Order of completion of the tasks involved (counter-balancing?) – Location / Setting – Duration of tasks – Variable(s) measured (operationalized) – Scoring procedure(s)

10. APA SAMPLE PAPER 5 Method Participants (or Subjects) [Indent] Here is the information about the participants in my study. I would include information about their sex, age, number and any other pertinent details. I would also include information about compensation and describe how groups were formed if applicable. Apparatus (and/or Materials) [Indent] Here is the information about all apparatuses and materials that I used in my study. I would include Equipment Names and Model Numbers in italics if applicable. I would also include citations if I used a published test (Author, year). Procedure and Design [Indent] Here is a detailed description of how the data was collected in enough detail so that someone else could replicate my findings. This description begins only when my data collection/manipulation began. I would include a detailed list of the steps I took and a description of my design, including an operationalization of each of my variables and how I intend to score those variables.