involves critically reading and analyzing a research article, which is published in a referred psychology journal. Select a research article of interest from psychology journals (please attach a copy of your selected article to your assignment.

Your assignment is the following:

1) Answer EVERY question listed in the following page. List questions one by one and answer them thoroughly. Refer to your textbook (pp. 81-88), which discusses the critical reading of scholarly articles.
2) Your answers must be typed (with 1” margins), double-spaced, proofread and edited and no more than five pages.

How to Read and Critique a Psychology Journal Article:
(or how to become a more discerning consumer of research)

1) Write the reference for this article in APA style.
2) Write an “overview” or brief summary of the article, indicating IN YOUR OWN WORDS, your assessment of what the study is about and the major findings of the study.
3) According to the introduction, what information was already known about the topic? (Look for references to previous research).
4) What variables were studied- identify the independent and dependent variables. What were the hypotheses concerning these variables?
5) What were the operational definitions of the variables studied?
6) Who were the participants in this study? Were there any special participant characteristics?
7) What were the procedures used to test the hypotheses? Did you notice any problematic features of the procedure – that is, were there any confounds?
8) Was the experimental or correlational method used? Describe the design, if it was experimental. Were there attempts to control any extraneous variables? How?
9) What were the major results of the study? Were the results consistent with the hypotheses – that is, did the results confirm the hypotheses or not?
10) How do the results relate to the other studies cited in the introduction – confirm or refute past research?
11) How did the researcher interpret the results- what did the results mean to the researchers? Think of alternative interpretations – that is, what other variables may have caused the results?
12) Did the author(s) give suggestions for future research or applications of their research? Can you provide other suggestions?
13) What would you do if you wished to find out more about the research topic?
14) Are there any ethical issues with this study? Discuss.