Type a one-page abstract of an empirical article from a professional journal where the author(s) describe the purpose, method, and results of a scientific investigation. Some examples of relevant jou

The purpose of this assignment is to provide students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with published research. The tasks of the assignment are as follows:

1. Choose an empirical article from a professional journal where the author(s) describe the purpose, method, and results of a scientific investigation. Some examples of relevant journals in Developmental Psychology are:

Developmental Psychology

Human Development

Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

Child Development

Adolescence

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Aging and Cognition

Psychology and Aging

Research on Aging

Journal of Black Psychology

Developmental Review

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Journal of Marriage and the Family

Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences

Death Studies

Note that not all research articles are complicated reading. As a novice, it might help to browse through the journals until you come upon one that is of interest as well as readable.

1. Identify your article by including a full APA style reference of it at the top of your assignment.

2. Briefly summarize the research article using the headings most common to such empirical reports. These include the Introduction, which generally states a rationale for the investigation and the purpose of the study. The introduction also reviews relevant research. Next is the Method section, which includes a description of the participants, instruments, and procedures. The Results section follows next, which addresses the significant findings of the study. Finally, comes the Discussion and conclusion where the author(s) summarize(s) the findings and future directions.

Note that in writing an abstract you do not want to reproduce or summarize the entire article. Rather, you want to provide the most salient information, as succinctly as possible in each of the aforementioned areas. Further, in some instances you might choose to replicate or incorporate part of the original text. In these cases you MUST put quotation marks around the words you are copying, followed by the page number in parentheses.

1. Type your one-page abstract.

Handout 1-5

Sample Abstract

Oltjenbruns, K. A. (1991). Positive outcomes of adolescents’ experience with grief. Journal of Adolescent Research, 6 (1), 43-53.

INTRODUCTION

Reports suggest that by the time youngsters finish high school 90 percent of them will have experienced the death of a family member or friend. Yet, there is very little grief-related literature examining adolescent populations, particularly in terms of possible positive outcomes to grief. Thus, the purpose of this research was to “examine the perceptions of older adolescents regarding positive outcomes, if any, to the grief experience” and “to determine if there are significant differences in responses related to ethnicity, gender, or the personality variable of locus of control” (p. 46).

METHOD

Participants

Research packets were mailed to a computer generated random sample list of 1,200 addresses. A total of 336 individuals returned consent forms and completed surveys, however, only 93 fit the criteria for inclusion in the study. Of these 93 participants, 37 percent were Mexican-American, 63 percent were Anglo-American, 28 percent were male, and 72 percent were female. The age range of participants was 16 to 22 years old.

Procedure

Participants responded to the question “What positive outcomes, if any, do you feel were the result of your grief experience(s)? Check all that apply” (p. 47). Seven checklist options were included, for example, “have a deeper appreciation for life, developed emotional strength, and increased empathy for others” (p. 47). In order to measure the personality variable, participants also responded to the Rotter I-E Locus of Control Scale.

RESULTS

Results indicated that 96 percent of the participants identified at least one positive outcome. The most frequent positive outcomes were “deeper appreciation of life (74 percent), greater caring for loved ones (67 percent), strengthened emotional bonds with others (56 percent), and developed emotional strength (53 percent)” (p. 48). The less noted positive outcomes were “increased empathy for others (47 percent), better communication skills (28 percent), and enhanced problem solving skills (9 percent)” (p. 48). Chi-square tests with Yates correction formula were computed to determine if there were significant differences in responses between ethnic groups or gender. No differences were found. However, “significantly more persons with an internal locus of control orientation reported that better communication skills were a positive outcome of their grief experience (X2 = 4.153 [1, N = 93], p < .05)” (p. 48). Some participants added positive outcomes that were not included in the list, for example, “put priorities in a different perspective and made me more independent” (p. 49).

DISCUSSION

It is suggested that learning more about adolescent grief reactions, both painful and positive outcomes, can be beneficial for both the griever and helper. It is also suggested that more research be conducted.

EVALUATING RESEARCH

Source:

Coats, E.J., Feldman, R. S., & Schwartzberg, S. (1994). Critical thinking: General principles and case studies (pp. 29 - 33). New York: McGraw-Hill.