If you would like to complete an alternative assignment rather than complete SONA for extra credit, here are the directions. You will NOT receive credit for both SONA and completing this assignment.
Psychology 101,
Alternative Assignment for SONA Participation
Use the QALMRI method (described below) to provide a 300-500 word summary of one of the following psychology articles. Both are available attached to this assignment.
- Karasewich, T., Kuhlmeier, V., Beier, J., & Dunfield, K. (2019). Getting help for others: An examination of indirect helping in young children. Developmental Psychology, 55(3), 606-611.
OR
- Lauer, J. E., Ilksoy, S. D., & Lourenco, S. F. (2018). Developmental stability in gender-typed preferences between infancy and preschool age. Developmental Psychology, 54(4), 613–620. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csusm.edu/10.1037/dev0000468
Using QALMRI for Reading/Summarizing/Writing Research Articles
QALMRI is an acronym that stands for “Question, Alternatives, Logic, Method, Results, Inferences.” It provides a framework for directing your attention when reading, summarizing or writing psychology research articles. Please use this handout to assist you in writing your 300— 500-word article summary. It defines each item in the QALMRI acronym. Note that not all of the information in the article you choose will appear in your summary. A short summary cannot include all information, and you will have to choose the most relevant information for your summary.
Q stands for Question: What is the broad question being addressed? All research begins with a question, and the point of the research is to answer it. For example, we can ask whether a placebo is better than no action in alleviating depression. For most journal articles, the General Introduction should tell the reader what question the article is addressing, and why it is important enough that anyone should care about the answer.
A stands for Alternatives: What are the plausible alternatives (answers) to this question? Good experiments consider at least 2 possible alternative answers to a specific question, and explain why both answers are plausible.
L stands for Logic: What would we expect to be true if each alternative was true? (i.e., “If X, then…”). The logic of the study identifies how the experiment’s design will allow the experimenter to distinguish among the alternatives. The logic is typically explained towards the end of the study’s introduction, and has the following structure: If alternative 1 (and not alternative 2) is correct, then when a particular variable is manipulated, the participants’ behavior should change in a certain way.
M stands for Method: What was the exact method used to test for each alternative? This section identifies the procedures that were used to implement the logical design. It should state the independent variable (the factor that was experimentally manipulated) and the dependent variable (the behavior that was measured) of the experiment.
R stands for Results: What was the outcome of the experiment? Describe the results of the primary measures of interest.
I stands for Inferences: What does this tell us about the alternative answers to the original question? If the study was well designed, the results should allow the experimenter to eliminate at least one of the possible alternatives.
[Adapted from assignment prepared by Mark Sheskin, following Kosslyn, S.M. & Rosenberg, R.S. (2001)]