Research Methods Test: Psychology

This assignment presents a Research Methods Test focused on core psychological principles. Students must demonstrate understanding of critical thinking, reliability, hypothesis formulation, operational definitions, and various research methodologies including case studies, self-reports, correlation vs. causation, experimental design (independent and dependent variables), random assignment, experimenter bias, double-blind procedures, sampling techniques (convenience sample), qualitative research, measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode), range, and types of correlations.

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Running Head: MASS VS DISTRIBUTIVE
Mass VS Distributive
NAME
Affiliate Institution

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Mass VS Distributive
METHOD
Participants
Number of involved participants: 212
Number of feedback forms received in each task; Part 1: 184
Part 2: 184
Participants in the study described their Gender as follows:
Gender Number of Participants(Percentage)
Male 63 (34%)
Female 117 (64%)
Unreported gender 4 (2%)
Total 118(100%)
The participant’s age was between 18-56 years. The mean age was 26.56 and standard
deviation was 7.60.
The study was given a go ahead by the Swinburne University Human Research Ethics Committee
(SUHREC) and 212 participants, who were psychology students voluntarily enrolled to the
program through the Swinburne Psychology Research Experience Program. There was no
compensation but the students enrolled in exchange for the course credit. In addition, the students
were informed that if they could withdraw anytime from the study without penalty.
Apparatus
This study, used a website called Qualtrics, where each volunteer would log in at the specified
time. The participants would then fill in details plus do their tasks and submit them online
through the same platform.
Materials
Materials used for this study included: Study materials, test materials, specific instructions to
massed practice condition and specific instructions to distributive conditions and finally
demographic questions.
Study materials used was a chapter from a book titled; “Research in Psychology”. All Students,
regardless of condition were to read chapter 2 of the book from page 30-60. This material was selected
because it was relevant to the students since they were psychology students. The topic, Research in
psychology was also relevant because it gave the students and background information of research
methods in a field they were involved in. The study material was 30 pages and this was enough and
suitable amount of material that could be studied and comprehended in four hours.

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Test materials included a twenty item questions (attached in the appendix) Students were expected to
fill in the gap with the correct answer. The questions were answered by all students regardless of the
condition. The items (questions) were derived from the study materials. Since they were fill in the gap
questions, the ability to answer them depended on the ability of the students to remember what they
had studied from the study materials. These type of questions were preferred to multiple choice
questions because unlike multiple choice questions that may give leeway to the students guessing the
response, fill in the blank questions are fully dependent on students ability to recall what they read. This
was in line with the objective of this study.
Specific instructions to both the students in mass and distributive study involved details on how they
would study and do the tests. Instruction to the mass study students was that they were supposed to
study the content provided in four hours continuous in one day with no interruptions. The distributive
study group were on the other hand supposed to spend two hours continuously studying the content
ach day for two days. In the study time, the students were not supposed to have any breaks or
interruptions aside washrooms and refreshments. These instructions were formulated based on the
research objectives and on the quantity and content of the study material.
Demographic questions were open ended and required each individual to fill in their age and
gender. Age was important because from theory, (Wray, 1973), argues that Learning process is
affected with age and that the older you grow the less the ability to learn. Comparisons within
same age or different age was not an objective in this study but it was important. The
knowledge of whether the students were male or female was important because this would
influence to some extent the way they would study and answer the questions (Balhara, Gauba
& Deshpande, 2011). For example, ladies tend to be distracted often and they also tend to have
more washroom breaks than Men.
Procedure
Participants read the consent information statement after which they agreed to participate in
the study by clicking “continue”. Participants were then later randomly assigned a study
strategy condition. Half of them received the massed practice condition strategy while the
other half received the distributed practice condition.
Those on the massed strategy studied a given material for four hours in one day continuous
without breaks. The distributive type, studied the same material for four hours also but in two
days, studying two hours continuously each day. This marked part 1 of the study and also
included presentation of relevant instructions and answering demographic questions.
In part 2, the two groups then were randomly assigned a specific strategy which involved
answering of fill the blank questions based on the study material in part 1. In one group, the
students logged in the website 24 hours after they studied the material in part 1. The other half
logged in 2 weeks after study part 1 and they did the questions in Part 2 study. All students
completed the same type of 20 item fill-in-the-blank in 20 minutes. The questions were then
marked as either right or wrong.

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Mass VS Distributive
Results
The results of this study was based on the number of right or wrong responses participants got
from the 20 item fill in the blank questions. For easy analysis and discussions the results were
expressed as a mean of the correct responses given by each category of participants which
included:
 Massed practice with 1 day test delay
 Massed practice with 2 weeks delay
 Distributive practice with 1 day delay
 Distributive Practice with 2weeks delay.
Table 1.1 below represents the mean and standard deviation of the correct responses given in
the 4 scenarios.
Study
Strategy
1 day 2-weeks Overall
Mean SD N RSD Mean SD N RSD Mean SD N RSD
Massed 19.29 1.53 45 0.079 14.48 2.87 47 0.198 16.89 2.31 92 0.13
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Distributiv
e
18.45 1.52 47 0.082 17.03 1.45 45 0.085 17.74 1.49 92 0.08
4
Overall 18.87 1.52 92 0.081 15.76 2.29 92 0.145 17.31 1.94 18
4
0.11
2
From the means and standard deviation, the relative standard deviation (RSD) can be calculate
by dividing the standard deviation with the mean. The RSD can be used in making comparisons
and the following graphs were derived:

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Mass VS Distributive
Graph 1.1: Represents the comparison in mean marks between the four scenarios;
Massed practice
with 1 day Massed practice
with 2weeks Distributive practice
with 1day Distributive practice
with 2weeks
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
Chart Title
Graph 1.2 below represents the Overall performance of Massed study against distributive
study; in this case the means are used because the number of participants is equal.
Massed Distributive
16.4
16.6
16.8
17
17.2
17.4
17.6
17.8
18
Chart Title

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Mass VS Distributive
Discussion
From the results we can generally say that participants who studied using the distributive study
performed well that those who used the massed study. This is evident from the second graph. This
occurrence which affirms the hypothesis, can be attributed to the fact that in distributive learning, the
participants divides the content to be read into small manageable sections that can be read and
comprehended easily unlike in massed practice where the content per given session is more and this
results to faster reading and cramming. Also in distributive, the participants reads the 1st section, then in
the one day break there are able to consolidate what they learnt and this makes the knowledge to be
stored in the long term memory.
From the first graph, we can see that the performance of massed and distributive in 1 day of the test is
almost similar. This can be attributed that in distributive the content studied is still memorable within
one day after end of learning session. In massed learning the participants, who mostly cram the content
can be able to retain and remember what they learned at least one day ago.
Participant who did the distributive study and had their test two weeks after studying performed better
than those who did the test one day after the study. With this result it can be thought that the
distributive study results in learning of content that remains in memory for a long time and therefore
even after two weeks the participants can still recall what they learned.
It is however unexpected from the results that the students who performed well in all the scenarios are
those who took part In the massed study and did their test two weeks after the study. This results is
different compared to what was expected from the hypothesis. It can however be assumed that the
participants who took part in the massed learning and knew they would do the tests in two weeks’ time,
resulted to reading and understanding the content unlike cramming, which is normally done in the cases
where the test is to be done immediately.
Conclusion
From the results and discussion of this study, it can be concluded that;
Distributive learning is important in the cases where the content being studied needs to be retained in
memory for a long time. Distributive learning is important in solving practical application problems that
require the use of the knowledge learned. Most institutions should embrace these form of learning in
order to educate and bring up students who do not only pass exams but also solve problems in the
society.
Massed learning, also known as cramming is useful in learning that requires that the content not to be
retained for a long time. It is only important during the passing of exams and should not be encouraged
in learning institutions. The human brain needs time to consolidate learned knowledge from short term
to long term and this cannot be done in massed learning.

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Abstract
Massed and distributive learning are two important aspects of learning that are used by many students
in the learning process. Each of the learning process can be argued of its advantages and disadvantages
and the effects of each of this learning process on the learning outcome of the students is of
importance. In this study, the aim was to compare the two learning processes and the hypothesis was
that distributive learning is superior to massed learning. Two groups of participants took part in this
study and they were each given instructions where one group was to study a give content in four
continuous hours in one day. The other was to study the same content in four hours but spread into 2
days. The participants then did a test study where they answered 20 item fill in the blank question either
1 day after study or 2weeks. In the results it was noted that there was no major difference in
performance in distributive learning test one day after the study or 2weeks after the study. It was
however notably noted that the students who performed better are the ones who took part in massed
study and did the test two weeks after the study. In conclusion, it was noted that distributive study is
superior to masses study and should be adopted by most institutions.

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Mass VS Distributive
References
Cepeda , N.J. , Coburn, N.,Rohrer,D.,J.T.,Mozer, M.C and Pashler, H.(2009).Optimizing distributed
practice: theoretical analysis and practical implication.
Ciccone, D. (1973). Massed and distributed item repetition in verbal discrimination learning. Journal of
Experimental Psychology, 101(2), 396-397.
Dempster,F.N.(1989).Spacing effects and their implications for theory and practice. Educational
Psychology Review,1 ,309-330
English, M., & Visser, T. (2013). Exploring the repetition paradox: The effects of learning context and
massed repetition on memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21(4), 1026-
1032.
English, M., & Visser, T. (2013). Exploring the repetition paradox: The effects of learning context and
massed repetition on memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21(4), 1026-
1032.
Garrett, H. (1940). Variability in learning under massed and spaced practice. Journal of Experimental
Psychology, 26(6), 547-567.
Greeno, J. (1964). Paired-associate learning with massed and distributed repetitions of items. Journal of
Experimental Psychology, 67(3), 286-295.
Jucks, R., & Hillbrink, A. (2017). Perspective on Research and Teaching in Psychology: Enrichment or
Burden?. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 147572571770520.

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Judd, C. (1995). Data Analysis: Continuing Issues in the Everyday Analysis of Psychological Data. Annual
Review of Psychology, 46(1), 433-465.
Leech, N., & Onwuegbuzie, A. (2007). An array of qualitative data analysis tools: A call for data analysis
triangulation. School Psychology Quarterly, 22(4), 557-584.
Miles, S. (2014). Spaced vs. massed distribution instruction for L2 grammar learning. System, 42, 412-
428.
Miles, S. (2014). Spaced vs. massed distribution instruction for L2 grammar learning. System, 42, 412-
428.
Murphree, T .R. (1971). Effects of massed and distributed practice upon motor leaenig and retention of a
novel gross motor task
No authorship indicated. (1949). Case reports in clinical psychology. Journal of Consulting Psychology,
13(6), 450-450.
Rogers, J. (2015). Learning Second Language Syntax Under Massed and Distributed Conditions. TESOL
Quarterly, 49(4), 857-866.
Rohrer, D., & Taylor, K. (2006). The effects of overlearning and distributed practice on the retention of
mathematics knowledge. Applied Cognitive Psychology,20,1209-1224
Ruch, T. (1928). Factors influencing the relative economy of massed and distributed practice in learning.
Psychological Review, 35(1), 19-45.

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Appendix A
Research Methods Test
[Note: The questions were presented to the student simultaneously in this order.]
Instructions: Please answer these questions as accurately as possible.
1. __________________ is the process of assessing claims and making judgements on
the basis of well-supported evidence. <answer: Critical thinking>
2. _________________ refers to the degree to which the data (or measure) are stable
and consistent. <answer: Reliability>
3. A hypothesis is a specific, ______________ proposition about how two variables
relate to one another. <answer: testable>
4. Dr Wise is conducting a research study in which she is interested in the effects of
aerobic activity on weight loss. Aerobic activity is defined as 30 minutes of exercise
on the treadmill three times a week. This specific way of defining aerobic activity is
referred to as a(n) __________ definition. <answer: operational>
5. Researchers interested in rare and unique psychological disorders will likely use a
_____________ to better understand the symptoms and potential causes. <answer:
case study>
6. A disadvantage most associated with a __________ measure is that people may not
accurately report their thoughts or feelings. <answer: self-report or survey>
7. Correlation does not equal ___________. <answer: causation>
8. An experimental group receives the experimental treatment, whereas the
_________ group receives no treatment or a placebo. <answer: control>
9. In an experiment, the variable manipulated by the researcher is called the
____________ variable. <answer: independent>
10. In this experiment, what is the dependent variable? “The effect of daily walking
program on elderly people’s lung capacity”? <answer: lung capacity>
11. In an experiment, ___________ is important to ensure there are no systematic
differences between groups of participants. <answer: random assignment>
12. Sometimes experimenters may unintentionally influence participants to respond in a

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way that supports the experimenter’s hypothesis. This is called ___________.
<answer: experimenter bias>
13. The term “double-blind” refers to a study in which neither the experimenter nor the
______________ know which condition the participant is in. <answer: participant>
14. Our own Research Experience Program (REP) is an example of a ________________
sample. <answer: convenience>
15. ___________________ research provides an in-depth investigation into an issue,
often through conversation or interviews. <answer: Qualitative>
16. The mean, median, and mode are types of measures of ________________.
<answer: central tendency>
17. The _____________ of a data set is the difference between the highest and lowest
scores in that data set. <answer: range>
18. A _________________ correlation means that one variable increases as the other
variable decreases. <answer: negative>
19. A correlation coefficient of __________ suggests that there is no relationship
between two variables. <answer: 0>
20. Research in psychology must comply with _____________ guidelines. <answer:
ethical>