Synthesis Paper 7 PDF

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Provides an overview of material learned in the course and is written in correct APA guidelines....

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Running head: Synthesis Paper

Name 1

Synthesis Paper Name Liberty University

Author Note Name, Department of Psychology, Liberty University. Correspondence for this article should be directed to Name, Department of Psychology, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 24515 Email:

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Through out the course of Psychology 255, the art of research as well as how to write about studies became clearer aspects. The introductory course helped established foundations in designing research, understanding the variables behind the investigation, and the correct APA format for discussing studies. This course simultaneously improved personal comprehension of studies and how to design, conduct, interpret, and publish results. A Christian perspective also contributed significantly to the course. Not only were versus from the Bible shown to have relevant application to research, there also was strong emphasis on how Christianity affects the moral and ethical approaches taken in conducting studies. Lessons Learned Paper Format After completing the APA Module 3, writing a paper in accordance with the American Psychological Association became easier. The module served as a template for future assignments and outline the essentials of a paper such as title pages, running headers, and different level headings. The title page was not a new a feature in terms of a research presentation, but the implementation of an author’s note was a task that required the help of the APA publication manual for formatting concerns. Running headers were a struggle to format on a word document, but through writing multiple papers in APA format, the researcher learned the proper techniques. The different level headings were the main lesson learned in paper formatting. The headings essential function is to define the level of importance of information and provide organization to the research paper. The distinctions between level one headings which are bolded and centered versus the level three headings that are bolded, italicized, and lowercase, really

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made a difference in paper organization (APA, 2010). The final papers became a clearer and well-developed representation of ideas by the end of the course. In-Text Citations After writing most papers in MLA format, citing in APA was more of a challenge. A. R Crawford’s book, Introduction to research: Less frights, more insights, detailed how in-text citations could be written with just the year of publication in parentheses if the author and book name was included in the beginning of the summarized material (2017). The book also placed a large emphasis on summarizing reference material rather than using direct quotes. However, when quoting directly, the page number is required within the citation (Crawford, 2017). References References were made a more manageable task through the APA Publication Manual. The reference page itself, has a bold title that is centered. This course also defined the difference between a citation versus a reference. Before taking this course, the terms were assumed to be interchangeable. However, citations are for quoted or summarized material, while the references are the list of materials in which the citations were extracted (APA, 2010). Additionally, the APA Publication Manual serves a great aid for creating the final reference page for sources other than a standard textbook or journal article. Qualitative and Quantitative The distinctions between qualitative and quantitative methods were greatly expounded upon by the textbook Introduction to research: Less frights, more insights. The qualitative observations are often used as a precursor for future experiments involving empirical data. Much of the qualitative observations come from naturalistic observations and searching for patterns in prior histories. The quantitative method revolves around the manipulation of variables and

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running statistical calculations based of the acquired data (Crawford, 2017). Usually, research will include a compilation of both methods as they serve different purposes. Case Studies In depth research into case studies showed a whole new perspective on research. The most pertinent information acquired about case studies, was their ability to provide ethical research data on questions that are not easily observed (Crawford, 2017). While the results may not be wholly applied to the public, because each circumstance is typically an extreme case, researchers still may infer a lot from their naturalistic observations and set up future experiments. Studies like Phineas Gage and Genie the feral child opened new avenues in terms of brain function and the underdevelopment of mental and social skills, while maintaining an ethical standard that brought no harm or discomfort to the patient. The argument over the validity of case studies being applied to mass populations is still tentative. For example, while the Phineas Gage case study is well known for suggesting the destruction of Gage’s frontal lobe led to complete reversal of his personality, other opinions suggest differently. Other psychology researchers like Kotoweiz and Harlow suggest the post-trauma behavior was due to Gage’s period of adjust to his disfigured continence (Griggs, 2015). Discrepancies such as this one, leads to further discussions over what the real reasoning behind Gage’s personality changes. While case studies may not be completely applicable to the mass public and there are multiple risks with bias and preconceived notions, case studies do open avenues for discussion and bring about new ideas for research. What made the case studies so intriguing, was their ability to answer questions but facilitate a conversation on multiple reasons as to why certain events or processes occurred.

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Pursuit of Research The first discussion board of the course drove the researcher’s focus to God’s intention for humans and research. Through personal reflection and exploration of bible verses, the researcher concluded “the Bible warns against pseudoscience in the research community” (Berrios, 2018). In current debates, non-believers claim that science and faith can not effectively coexist. However, the bible does not look down up research. Proverbs 2:2 in the English standard Version suggests people, “make ears attentive to wisdom and incline hearts to understanding.” The Bible encourages learning and discovery. The researcher’s assessment on pseudoscience and the Bible, comes from a belief that God does not want His children to approach His creations with malcontent and then proclaim false truths for others to misguidedly believe. The researcher discovered earlier that “God encourages all His children to actively pursues the knowledge of His creations, with the same fervor we have for pursuing Him” (Berrios 2018). The ability to pursue research is one of God’s many gifts that should be used for the betterment of the others. Research should not be falsely proclaimed or blindly followed. Research Ethics Upon pursuing research, there are certain ethical standards according to God and the scientific community that should consistently be respected. The textbook recommends researchers follow the Belmont Report. The Belmont Report gives all participants the ability to leave the study whenever they wish, ensures that all risks are disclosed and kept to a minimum, and eliminates discrimination by equally sharing all risks among participants (Crawford, 2017). Research was intended to improve the quality of life, not diminish the well being of others. Any time a participant is at risk of mental, emotional, or physical danger, there is a breach of ethics.

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Following the APA guidelines for research, all participants should be well informed of all the risks and go into all research studies fully accepting of any consequences (APA, 2016). The participants should be apprised of the risks, but no unnecessary risks should be taken to begin with. No human life or comfort is worth proving a scientific hypothesis. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins of the Bible, and whenever a researcher puts his/her own prideful study ambitions above the life of another human being, there is a breach in ethics with God and the legal realm of this world. As the researcher discovered with the Little Albert experiment, “the research conducted was selfish, broke multiple codes of ethics, and was used by Watson to prove a theory” (Berrios, 2018). Breaking ethical codes is a sin against what God hopes for mankind. In John 13:34, God tells the world, “Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another” (ESV). Research was made to bring enlightenment to the world, but never at the risk of one of God’s creations. Researchers need to place Godly love for one another above their own personal desires. Through this course, the researcher discovered there are multiple avenues to learn about unique concepts, such as case studies, without endangering another human being. Research is all about learning how to combine faith with curiosity, all while maintaining a life that glorifies God. Conclusion The completion of this course has taught the researcher basic components of conducting a scientific study and publishing the results. Techniques learned in this course made the researcher adept at writing papers in the APA format, while expanding the researcher’s knowledge on types of studies and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Additionally, the course grew the researcher’s understanding in the biblical expectations of research. This course showed the standard, ethical expectations of conducting research along with conducting research in

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accordance with the Christian faith. The course truly outlined how research is God’s gift to people and it is researchers’ job to explore this gift while keeping God at the forefront.

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American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Berrios, A. (2018) DB 1 [Web log post] Retrieved from liberty.edu Berrios, A. (2018) DB 3 [Web log post] Retrieved from liberty.edu Crawford, A. R. (2017). Introduction to research: Less frights, more insights (2nd ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. Griggs, R. A. (2015). Coverage of the Phineas Gage Story in Introductory Psychology Textbooks: Was Gage No Longer Gage?. Teaching Of Psychology, 42(3), 195-202....