Investigating the Watching Eyes Effect: A Quantitative Study

The assignment requires students to write a quantitative research report based on the provided starter references. The report should follow a structured format, including an abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections. Students are expected to critically review relevant literature, present research findings in a concise and coherent manner, and discuss how their findings fit into previous research. Additionally, students will need to select relevant sources from the starter references, iterate through the process as necessary, and use their judgment to determine which sources are most relevant. The report should be guided by the 'Guidelines for Writing Practical Reports and Projects' booklet and follow the suggested word count guidelines.

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PSYC1090 Introductory Research Methods in Psychology
Assignment 1 – Test of Difference: The ‘watching eyes’ effect
Assignment 1 aims to provide an introduction to the research process and an
opportunity for you to take part in the process of analysing data. A simulated
dataset has been provided for you on Blackboard (see the ‘Assignment 1 – Test
of difference’ folder under ‘Assessment’).
You are required to write up the study in the form of a research report. The
report should be formatted according to the reporting style guidelines outlined
in the separate booklet entitled ‘Guidelines for Writing Practical Reports and
Projects’ which is available on Blackboard (see ‘Module Documents’).
The report should be uploaded to Turnitin no later than 12.00 mid-day on
Wednesday 14th December 2016. The report, excluding references and
appendices, should be no longer than 1500 words. Failure to submit the
assignment will result in penalties being applied. Please see the student
regulations and the module handbook for more information.
Background
The ‘watching eyes’ effect refers to the finding that individuals behave in more
socially desirable ways when they are being ‘watched’ by pictures of eyes. For
example, participants were found to make greater contributions to an honesty
box (Bateson, Nettle, & Roberts, 2006), and bike thefts were found to be
reduced (Nettle, Nott, & Bateson, 2012), when participants were in the presence
of ‘watching eyes’, despite the fact that these eyes were only pictures and could
not actually ‘watch’. These findings have a number of theoretical and applied
implications, ranging from social-cognitive evolutionary adaptations to
strategies for preventing crime. In the current study, we investigated the effect
of ‘watching eyes’ on cheating.
Summary of the Study
In the current study, participants were asked to complete a general-knowledge
multiple-choice (MCQ) test in both of two conditions: in the first (Flowers
condition), they were seated in front of a picture of flowers; in the second (Eyes
condition), they were seated in front of a picture of eyes. The MCQ test was

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designed to allow participants to cheat, based on prior research by Mazar, Amir,
and Ariely (2008). In Mazar et al.’s study, participants were promised a small
payment for every correct response they made. However, participants were
asked to mark their own tests, thus allowing them to control how much they
would be paid. Mazar et al. found that on average participants reported
(slightly) elevated numbers of correct responses (e.g., compared to a separate
case in which the researchers marked each test), which they attributed to
cheating.
In the current study, participants first completed an MCQ test in the Flowers
condition, followed by an MCQ test in the Eyes condition. The number of correct
responses reported by participants in the two conditions was compared. Two
MCQ tests were created with 50 questions each (Tests A and B). The tests were
based on the Life in the UK Test (Great Britain Home Office, 2013). The
questions addressed the United Kingdom’s traditions, culture, events and
people, and no questions were repeated. Half of the participants were randomly
assigned to complete Test A in the Flowers condition followed by Test B in the
Eyes condition (AB), while the other half were randomly assigned to complete
Test B in the Flowers condition followed by Test A in the Eyes condition (BA).
First, participants completed the Flowers condition. Participants were invited to
sit at a desk in a research cubicle and to complete one of the MCQ tests. On the
wall facing participants was a 150 x 35 mm banner with a picture of flowers. For
every correct response, participants were promised £0.05. After 15 minutes,
participants were provided with an answer key and they were asked to tabulate
the number of correct responses and to report this to the experimenter. The test
was not collected or marked by the experimenter.
Second, participants completed the Eyes condition. Participants were invited to
sit at a desk in a different research cubicle and to complete the other MCQ test.
On the wall facing participants was a 150 x 35 mm banner with a picture of
eyes. The condition was otherwise identical to the Flowers condition (e.g.,
participants again tabulated the number of correct responses and reported this
to the experimenter).
Finally, participants were debriefed and they were thanked for their
participation. They were also given 45 minutes of RPS and a payment reflecting
their correct responses (up to £5).
Overview of the Dataset
Again, the current study aimed to investigate the effect of “watching eyes” on
cheating by comparing participants’ reported numbers of correct responses on
an MCQ test in two conditions: with pictures of flowers vs. eyes. Excerpted

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materials have been provided for you on Blackboard (see the ‘Assignment 1 –
Test of difference’ folder under ‘Assessment’).
You will need to download the simulated dataset and input the data into SPSS.
The dataset includes the following variables:
Participant: Participant number (1-40)
Age: Age in years (18-30)
Gender: Gender (F = Female; M = Male)
Ethnicity: Ethnicity (BME = Black and Minority Ethnic; W = White)
Recruitment: Source of recruitment (RPS = Research participation scheme)
Order: Test order (AB = Test A followed by B; BA = Test B followed by A)
Flowers: Reported number of correct responses in the Flowers condition (0-50)
Eyes: Reported number of correct responses in the Eyes condition (0-50)
You will be asked to generate descriptive statistics and conduct and report the
appropriate statistical tests to examine the difference between the Flowers and
Eyes condition.
Recommended Reading
To help you to understand the method and statistics that you are going to be
conducting, it might help to consult the following texts:
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS (4th ed.). London: Sage.
Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2014). Introduction to research methods in psychology
(4th ed.). Harlow: Pearson.
Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2014). Introduction to statistics in psychology (6th ed.).
Harlow: Pearson.
Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2014). Introduction to SPSS statistics in psychology (6th
ed.). Harlow: Pearson.
Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis
using IBM SPSS (6th ed.). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
Starter reading list
Two relevant and useful articles have also been provided for you on Blackboard
in the ‘Assignment 1 – Test of difference’ folder. The following references
constitute your reading ‘starter pack’. Remember you should supplement this
list with at least two more relevant journal articles, using PsycInfo, Scopus,
Web of Knowledge or Google Scholar.
Bateson, M., Nettle, D., & Roberts, G. (2006). Cues of being watched enhance
cooperation in a real-world setting. Biology letters, 2(3), 412-414.
Nettle, D., Nott, K., & Bateson, M. (2012). ‘Cycle thieves, we are watching you’:

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Impact of a simple signage intervention against bicycle theft. PloS one,
7(12), e51738.
Additional relevant reading:
Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008). The dishonesty of honest people: A
theory of self-concept maintenance. Journal of marketing research, 45(6),
633-644.
These articles should form a starting point for your reading; as a minimum
requirement, your review of the relevant literature should include citations of
the two papers that are available for download from Blackboard. Please note
that it is not sufficient to only have two research papers as references for your
assignment. You should also seek out more studies to support your arguments
and provide a thorough review of the research literature. Also, for more general
reading, use the Library catalogue to find up-to-date textbooks in the general
area of social cognition. There are lots of textbooks available in the Library, and
DMU subscribes to a number of journals that will contain useful materials, so
you should have no difficulty in sourcing materials for this assignment.
Tips for literature searching:
 Look at the reference lists of your starter articles, especially the more
recent ones, to see if there are previous works they cite that look
interesting and relevant. Then search for these references on PsycInfo,
Scopus, Web of Knowledge or Google Scholar.
 In PsycInfo, look up the starter references and click on the link ‘Times
cited in this database’. In Scopus, click on ‘Citations’. These will lead you
to further, more recent journal articles that cite the starter references.
 Look up key words (e.g., ‘watching eyes effect’), and key authors.
 Note that the process can be followed-up / iterated several times
 Finally, use your judgement! Remember you have to select relevant
sources. Read the abstracts for quick sorting, then read shortlisted papers
in detail for your final decision and inclusion in the report.
Writing it up…!
To write up your report, you should use the structured format described in the
booklet ‘Guidelines for Writing Practical Reports and Projects.’ Some additional
notes are below, which you may find useful.
Quantitative Report Format
When writing a quantitative research report you are expected to do the
following: critically review the research evidence, and create a rationale for the
study, document the mechanics of a study, present research findings in a

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concise and coherent manner, and discuss how the findings fit in with previous
research, along with acknowledging the potential limitations of your study.
The content of your report should be guided by the information provided in the
booklet entitled ‘Reporting Style Guidelines for Practical Reports and Projects’
which has been posted on Blackboard (see ‘Module Documents’). However,
further information is provided below.
The sections of a quantitative report should be as follows:
Title:
Think of a title that captures the nature, purpose and results of the investigation
(HINT: look at journal article titles and see how they are written).
Abstract:
Your abstract needs to succinctly summarise the aims, methods used, the main
findings (HINT: written with no numbers), and the implications of the findings.
Introduction:
The introduction provides the rationale for your research and prepares the
reader for the method used. It is a good idea to start ‘broad’ and end ‘narrow.’
First, discuss general issues, then write a concise and critical review of the
relevant literature, and conclude by describing the rationale for your study, and
the hypothesis(es) being tested. Do not state null hypotheses, and remember
that your rationale is your answer to the question ‘Why was this study
conducted, and what contribution will the results make to what is already known
about this topic?’ This section should therefore critically review relevant
research in order to create a rationale (good reason) for conducting the
research. Please consult the workshop handouts for more information on how to
write an introduction (HINT: read some journal articles and see how they argue
their points in the introduction of their articles - this is what you are aiming to
achieve).
Methods (with the following subheadings):
Participants
In this section you need to provide information about the participants such as
age range, average age, ethnicity, number of males and females, and where
they are from (e.g., the Research participation scheme). All of this information
you can find in the dataset.
Design
This section needs to contain information on the type of design of the study. Is it

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experimental or correlational? Is it a laboratory study or questionnaire survey?
Where relevant, is it longitudinal or cross sectional? These are things that you
need to decide. You need to provide information on the variables being used in
the study here too - think carefully about this.
Materials
In this section, you need to describe the materials used in the study, including
the MCQ test(s) and banner(s). All of this information you can find in this
handout and/or in the packet of materials.
Procedure
In this section, you need to write it as if you collected the data yourself. You
need to consider how ethics were adhered to here, too. For your information I
have provided the bare bones of the study below. Please note: this handout and
the questionnaire information have been submitted through Turnitin, and
therefore should NOT BE COPIED. You need to write the information in your
own words and use prose - not bullet points.
 Participants were asked if they would like to take part in a psychological
study.
 Participants were provided an overview of the study in the information
sheet.
 Participants were asked if they had any questions before the start of the
study.
 Participants were assured that their identity would not be revealed, and
the data would be kept confidential.
 Participants were advised of their right to withdraw.
 Participants completed the study on the DMU campus in a safe
environment.
 Participants were debriefed about the study upon completion/withdrawal.
 Participants were provided with details of support organisations if they felt
like they were distressed by the study.
 Participants were not actively deceived.
 Participants were thanked for their time and effort.
Results:
Your results section should include the appropriate descriptive statistics and
inferential statistics presented in the appropriate format. Please refer to your
workshop handbook, and the reporting style guidelines for how to format your
results section. Your results should be an effective summary of your analyses
and should not include details of calculations or raw data – these belong in an
appendix. Your results section should include a concise interpretation of
statistics but no further implication of the result – these belong in your
discussion. You will be able to use the relevant SPSS Workshop notes, and the

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handouts dealing with descriptive statistics and graphical representations of
data to help you present your results section. Your workshop tutor will also be
available to help you should you be unclear about any aspect of your results, or
the SPSS procedures required to generate them. Remember to include your
SPSS printouts in an appendix.
Q: To chart or not to chart?
In considering whether to include a chart in your ‘Results’ section, think about:
 Is a chart necessary or are you repeating information already presented in
this section (which should be avoided!)
 The most appropriate chart to use (Bar? Histogram? Line?)
 The most appropriate outcome (of your analysis) to illustrate
 Formatting (use the reporting style guide to help you)
Discussion
Your discussion should start with a summary of your findings (in words, not
statistics), followed by a statement as to whether your hypotheses were
supported by statistical findings in the data, and how these relate to the
literature presented in your introduction. You should then return to the questions
raised in your introduction, and discuss how far your study has been successful
in providing answers to them. In effect, this means that you should discuss your
findings.
You should also consider any limitations of the current design or analysis – for
example, can you think of any confounding or extraneous variables that may
have affected the results? Is our choice of design the most appropriate one?
The Discussion, in contrast to the Introduction should start narrow (a
consideration of your results and experiment) and end broad (considering the
results of your work in the context of other studies in the general area, and how
the present line of research could be extended).
References
Remember to include a reference list (see the booklet entitled ‘Referencing
Guidelines for Essays, Practical Reports and Projects’ for further information
under ‘Module Documents’ on Blackboard).
Appendices
For this assignment you need to include your original SPSS output here and
examples of materials used in your study. SPSS outputs should not be included
in your results section. The Appendices should be included in your report after
your references section. f

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Suggested Word Count Guide
Abstract (150); Introduction (350); Method (250); Results (120); Discussion (350)
Finally - Good luck!