Short Answer

A student is planning a literature review on a newly emerging psychological phenomenon that has rarely been studied. How should the historical scarcity of research on this topic affect their expectations for the number of sources they will include, compared to a well-established topic?

Question: A student is planning a literature review on a newly emerging psychological phenomenon that has rarely been studied. How should the historical scarcity of research on this topic affect their expectations for the number of sources they will include, compared to a well-established topic?

Sample answer: Because the appropriate number of sources depends on how extensively a topic has historically been studied, the student should expect to find and include fewer sources for a newly emerging phenomenon compared to a well-established topic.

Key points:

  • The appropriate number of sources depends on how extensively the topic has historically been studied.
  • A rarely studied or novel topic will naturally result in fewer available sources.
  • The researcher should adjust their expectations for source count accordingly.

Rubric: Full credit requires applying the principle that the historical extent of study influences source count, concluding that a novel topic will naturally yield fewer sources.

0

1

Updated 2026-05-27

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

KPU

Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

Related