Assignment brief:
Write a research proposal on an area of personality of your choice. The proposal should include a clear explanation of how the topic is pertinent to psychological development and explain how it is informed by developmental theory.
Include the following sections and headings in your proposal:
Title. This should be informative (and interesting if possible!). 25 words max.
Abstract / Project summary. A brief summary of your proposal, including its key goals. 200 words suggested.
Main proposal. This should include the following subsections:
- The background and aims of the project. This section is to sell the project idea to the reader, so it should be both authoritative and clear. It should include relevant literature showing why this is an important/interesting/sensible/novel project, and state how/why your project is pertinent to development. Remember to define your personality construct clearly and concisely, and include clearly stated aims, goals, and/or hypotheses.
I am looking for: a clear and compelling argument for how your project contributes to the literature.
- Your theoretical model and assumptions. This section should detail the theory underlying your approach to the project. You can use theory in a number of ways, such as to justify your topic, to clarify how your project relates to development, to explicitly test a theory etc. Please us the TESSERA model as the theory for this proposal. Include a figure/diagram showing how the theory applies to your specific project, and make sure you explain the diagram in the text.
I am looking for: well-reasoned links between theory and your project.
- The work to be carried out (i.e., method). This section should detail all the work you will do to meet your aims or answer your research questions. This includes the design, procedure, and the sample/participants. Explain why you have chosen this approach / tasks / design, and justify your target sample size (e.g., by carrying out a power analysis, or referencing studies with samples of a similar size). Describe how you will address any important ethical issues (if relevant).
I am looking for: methods that have been explained clearly and concisely, with clear explanations of why this method/tasks/design has been chosen.
- Analysis plan. This section should explain how you will analyse the data, (using cross lagged panel, and moderation analysis in this case). It should also be clear how these analyses will answer your research questions/hypotheses, e.g., if there is a significant difference between A and B, or if C predicts D.
I am looking for: a plan that clearly links the data to be collected with the research aims/hypotheses.
- Implications. This section should explain possible practical, theoretical, and scientific implications of your project.
I am looking for: a suggestion of how the results of your project could be applied.
References. This is not included in the word/page count.
Optional appendix. If you want to include a study timeline or other additional information, this can be added to an appendix (not counted in your word count).
Learning outcomes (relevant marking criteria in bold):
- Critically analyse and summarise research articles on personality and development, so that it is clear how your proposed study relates to existing literature and findings. [Knowledge]
- Discuss causes of personality stability and change. Use theory to explain your proposed study, hypotheses, and its developmental assumptions. Draw on previous studies/findings to justify your study proposal.
[Development of argument] - Interpret results from a range of complex research studies. Define and justify the methods and analyses you will use to answer your research questions.
[Transferable skills]
Writing guidelines:
Your research proposal should be no more than 6 pages in length or 2000 words. This includes title, abstract, proposal, and figures, but excludes references. You can use your own subheadings in addition to those I set out above. The proposal will need to be Times New Roman, 12 point font, double-spacing, margins kept at 2.54cm. You should aim to follow APA guidelines for formatting.
