MATH2006: Experimental Design and Analysis

Instructions

Students will be asked to write a report in APA format

1. Introductionincluding a background to the literature and problem at hand, the aims/objectives of the project and research hypothesis
2. Methodsincluding who was tested, the study design, what measures were used, the experimental manipulation, the chronological order of the data collection procedure, data cleaning and statistical assumptions testing
3. Resultsincluding descriptive summary statistics, inferential statistics appropriate for testing the research hypotheses, key data visualisations of hypothesis
4. Discussionincluding summary of findings, interpretation, conclusions, potential limitations of current study and suggested avenues for future research
5. Referencesof cited research in APA format 

FAQs 

1. Do I have to include both hypotheses in this report?

No, this report covers only the group-based hypothesis (Study 2) you have developed this semester.

Hypothesis for study 2:
It was predicted participants exposed to environmental framing will exhibit higher willingness to try, buy, and pay compared to the control condition

1. Is it ok if my results are not significant (p > .05)?

Yes, absolutely! This is perfectly fine - you can hypothesise one thing and the results not meet that hypothesis. That is the scientific process. 

1. Can I test differences in willingness to pay specifically (and not try or buy)?

No. The correct variable is willingness index so you must use this variable.

1. Do I need an abstract

No.

1. Should figures be included in the main text or at the end?

Include figures in the main text.

1. What's included in the word count?

Everything including headings and captions, but not the references. 1000 words +/-10%

1. Which references do we need to include?

You will need the Willingness index measure, and the outlier criteria. You will need at least 3 other citations that justify your hypothesis

1. Do we need to talk about the null hypothesis?

No - the null hypothesis is simply a starting point for a statistical test. You will definitely need your research hypothesis for Study 2.

1. Do we need to talk about the HEXACO measure?

No, since Study 2 does not talk about personality, there is no need to include it. (Therefore make sure no filters related to personality are on!)

1. Where do I start with Study 2?

Study 2

Study 2 tested if the framing of the information of meat alternatives (health/environmental/social norm/neutral) impacted someone’s willingness to try/buy/pay for insect base alternatives. Participants were randomly allocated to one of these four groups with different framing information. Then participants saw 4 images of different insect-based meat alternatives and asked to rate their willingness to try, buy and pay more for these meat alternatives (3 separate questions). So the manipulation here was the framing, and we then measured willingness to try/buy/pay for insect-based meat alternatives (the same measure as used in the Bates paper). The hypothesis you should generate for this study should compare neutral information to either health or environmental or social norm framing (i.e. comparing 2 groups).

1. Do I have to talk about all of the framing conditions?

Yes, even though your chosen analysis is to compare 2 groups, it is possible to compare multiple groups. Include information about all of the framing manipulations. Your introduction only needs to focus on the one relevant to your hypothesis

1. Can I change my hypothesis?

Yes you can - but please only change it based on the literature (not because the results did not give you a significant difference - this is bad science!)

1. Does the order of filters matter?

No

1. Can we use a table for descriptives?

No. No tables.

1. Do we need a scatterplot?

No. A scatterplot is not appropriate here. Review the Data visualisation week

1. Do we need to include outliers on the boxplot?

No - turn off 'Label Outliers'. This is because the way outliers are determined for a boxplot is different to how we determine it

1. Where do we put information about the design, stimuli, experimental manipulation etc?

You can either add another subtitle in the Methods section or put it in Procedure. But you definitely need this information here! see Q10 above.

1. Can we mention the other framing conditions in the Discussion?

Yes, sure - you can. If there is something interesting to say about them (e.g. you see an effect from one type of framing but not another)

1. Age is not normally distributed. Which statistics should I use to describe it?

Either mean and SD or Median and IQR is ok - this is because a lot of papers typically report mean and SD (even though the distribution is not normal). Either is fine here.

1. Should I assess normality?

Yes. Assess normailty within each group. Do this using the Descriptives tab, split by group and then select Normality test and it will report normality test within your two groups. 
21. For descriptives
Make sure to put Willingness Index in the Variables box, and Group in the Split by box

Brief Summary of Assessment Requirements

This assessment requires students to write a 1000-word APA-format report based on Study 2, which investigated the effect of framing on participants’ willingness to try, buy, and pay for insect-based meat alternatives. The key elements to be covered include:

• Introduction: Background literature, problem statement, aims/objectives, and the research hypothesis for Study 2 (environmental framing predicted to increase willingness compared to control).

• Methods: Participant details, study design, experimental manipulation (framing conditions), measures (willingness index), data collection procedure, outlier handling, and statistical assumptions testing.

• Results: Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics testing the group-based hypothesis, and key figures included in the main text.

• Discussion: Interpretation of findings, summary, limitations, potential explanations, and suggestions for future research.

• References: APA-style citations, including the willingness index measure, outlier criteria, and at least three other supporting papers.

• Other requirements: No abstract, use figures rather than tables, include all framing conditions contextually, focus only on the willingness index (not separate try/buy/pay items), word count 1000 ±10%, references excluded from word count.

Important points:

• Only the group-based hypothesis (environmental framing vs neutral) is tested.

• Results do not need to be significant; reporting null findings is valid.

• Outliers should not be labelled in boxplots.

• Age distribution may not be normal; either mean/SD or median/IQR is acceptable.

• Other framing conditions (health, social norm) can be mentioned in the Discussion.

Approach Guided by the Academic Mentor

The mentor structured the student’s approach in a clear, sequential process to ensure adherence to APA reporting and proper analysis:

1. Understanding the Study and Hypothesis

   • Mentor explained the context of Study 2, framing manipulations (environmental, health, social norm, neutral), and the importance of focusing on environmental framing vs neutral for the hypothesis.

   • Student drafted the research question: “Does environmental framing increase willingness to try, buy, and pay for insect-based meat alternatives compared to neutral framing?”

2. Literature Review and Introduction Drafting

   • Mentor guided the student to summarise relevant studies supporting environmental messaging and consumer willingness (minimum 3 citations).

   • Student outlined the background, problem statement, objectives, and hypothesis.

3. Methods Section Development

   • Mentor instructed the student to include participant demographics, random allocation to framing conditions, experimental manipulation details (framing information and images of insect-based products), and data collection order.

   • Emphasis on outlier criteria and checking normality within each group using descriptive statistics split by group.

4. Data Cleaning and Statistical Preparation

   • Mentor demonstrated handling missing data, applying exclusion criteria, and verifying statistical assumptions (normality for group-based analysis).

   • Student confirmed that the willingness index was used for all analyses and no personality filters (HEXACO) were applied.

5. Results Analysis and Visualisation

   • Mentor explained how to compute descriptive statistics (mean, SD) and perform inferential tests (e.g., independent-samples t-test) for the environmental vs neutral groups.

   • Student generated figures in the main text, such as boxplots (with outliers hidden) to visualise the willingness index.

6. Discussion Section Drafting

   • Mentor guided the student to interpret the findings (even if non-significant p > .05) in the context of the literature, discuss limitations (e.g., sample size, online survey), and suggest future research directions.

   • Student included reflections on other framing conditions (health, social norm) where relevant.

7. APA Formatting and References

   • Mentor reviewed in-text citations, reference formatting, and headings according to APA 7th edition.

   • Student ensured all required references (willingness index measure, outlier criteria, supporting studies) were included and properly formatted.

8. Final Review and Submission Preparation

   • Mentor checked the report for word count compliance, clarity, and logical flow.

   • Student finalised the report with figures embedded in the main text, headings correctly aligned, and ensured all required sections were present.

Outcome Achieved

By following this structured approach, the student produced a coherent, APA-compliant report that:

• Clearly stated the research hypothesis and rationale.

• Accurately described the methods, study design, participants, and measures.

• Presented descriptive and inferential statistics with visualisations of the willingness index.

• Provided an informed discussion, including interpretation of null results, limitations, and future directions.

• Maintained a professional, student-friendly tone aligned with assessment criteria.

Learning Objectives Covered

1. Research Design Application – Understanding randomised group designs and experimental manipulations.

2. Data Handling Skills – Cleaning data, handling outliers, testing statistical assumptions, and correctly computing the willingness index.

3. Statistical Analysis – Conducting descriptive and inferential tests appropriate to the hypothesis.

4. Scientific Communication – Writing an APA-style report with clarity, structure, and proper referencing.

5. Critical Interpretation – Discussing findings in context, considering limitations, and suggesting meaningful future research.

6. Ethical and Scientific Integrity – Properly acknowledging null results and avoiding data manipulation or misrepresentation.

Conclusion

The assessment guided students through a complete research cycle: understanding a problem, designing a study, analysing results, and communicating findings. With step-by-step mentorship, the student successfully met all assessment requirements while demonstrating analytical, interpretive, and reporting skills essential for psychological research.

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