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PsycINFO
PsycINFO is a comprehensive electronic database created by the American Psychological Association (APA). It indexes thousands of professional journals and scholarly books dating back over a century, making it one of the most important databases for locating psychology research literature. Because no single database is literally exhaustive, researchers should treat PsycINFO as a major source rather than as the complete body of psychology publications.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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PsycINFO
In psychological research, what is the primary purpose of an academic database?
A psychology student needs to find published research on the effects of sleep deprivation on memory. She opens an electronic database designed for searching the scientific literature and types in relevant search terms. The results she receives will primarily consist of articles from professional journals and scholarly books rather than content from popular websites and social media posts.
A psychology student is starting a literature review on 'prosocial behavior' using an academic database. Arrange the following steps in the correct order to show how they should apply this tool to locate relevant research.
To effectively utilize an academic database, a researcher must understand how its different components work together to facilitate a literature search. Match each component of the database system with the logical role it plays in organizing and retrieving scientific literature.
Which types of academic works are specifically identified as being part of the massive searchable collections provided by an academic database?
Which statement best explains how an academic database facilitates the process of searching scientific literature?
A first-year psychology student wants to find peer-reviewed articles for a paper on the bystander effect. She opens her university library's electronic database and types 'bystander effect' into the search interface. Based on how academic databases function, this approach will successfully return records of relevant academic publications on the topic.
A researcher is planning a literature review and must select the most appropriate academic database for each research focus. Match each research area to the database that best serves that discipline.
A psychology student is justifying her database selection to her research supervisor. She argues that, rather than using a general multidisciplinary database, she should use _____ because it is a discipline-specific academic database tailored to psychology and behavioral science literature, which will produce more targeted and credible results for her systematic review on cognitive biases.
A student evaluating various search strategies determines that a general web search is insufficient for finding credible psychology research. They conclude that an academic database is necessary for their project because it is the principal tool specifically designed to search the _____.
Define what an electronic academic database is and identify the two primary types of academic works explicitly mentioned as being contained within its collections according to the concept text.
Based on the concept description of academic databases, explain how the design of an academic database's interface and the structure of its collection will facilitate Dr. Miller's literature search process compared to manual searching.
Imagine you are beginning a multidisciplinary research project on how cognitive neuroscience intersects with educational methods. How would you apply the primary features of an academic database to locate relevant publications for your study?
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PsycINFO
Which of the following sources is typically included as part of the research literature in psychology?
Match each type of information source with the description that correctly identifies its role and classification within the psychological research literature.
A student researching memory disorders finds a summary of a new experiment on a popular science news website and a full report of the same experiment in a peer-reviewed professional journal. True or False: In the field of psychology, both of these publications are classified as research literature.
A student is filtering search results to build a foundation for a new study. Based on the criteria for inclusion in the psychology research literature, arrange these sources from the most central and rigorously vetted (1) to those most explicitly excluded from the field's professional literature (4).
In a scientific field, sources intended for the general public, such as self-help books and websites, are classified as part of the professional research literature.
Why are sources like self-help books, dictionary entries, and public websites excluded from the formal 'research literature' of psychology, even if they describe actual psychological findings?
A researcher is vetting sources for a professional meta-analysis and decides to reject a factually accurate summary from a reputable news organization. To justify this evaluation, the researcher must identify that the source lacks _____, which is the defining requirement for inclusion in the formal research literature.
An undergraduate student is compiling sources for a literature review on cognitive development. Match each potential source with the correct classification decision based on the definition of research literature.
A research assistant analyzes why a chapter in a handbook of personality psychology is included in their literature database while a personality definition in an online dictionary is excluded. They conclude that the key analytical distinction is that the dictionary entry is intended for the general public and lacks the _____ required of formal scholarly sources.
A student is evaluating sources to build the scientific foundation for their research proposal. Order these potential sources from the highest evaluative suitability (the most central and vetted form of research literature) to the lowest (excluded from the formal research literature due to lack of peer review).
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PsycARTICLES
Which of the following best describes PsycINFO?
PsycINFO is the most critical database for psychological research. Match each characteristic of PsycINFO with the specific detail that explains why it is so essential for the field.
Based on the specialization and depth of professional research tools, arrange the following resources in order of their comprehensiveness regarding the 'entire body of research literature in psychology,' starting with the most exhaustive resource.
When evaluating the thoroughness of a psychological literature review, a researcher would be justified in concluding that PsycINFO is an optional resource, given that general search engines provide equivalent access to the entire body of scholarly psychology research dating back over a century.
PsycINFO indexes thousands of psychology journals and books, so it should be treated as literally exhaustive of every psychology publication.
A researcher is conducting a systematic review of the literature using PsycINFO. Which of the following best describes how the researcher should interpret the scope of their search results?
A researcher needs to conduct a wide-ranging search of psychology literature, including scholarly books and peer-reviewed articles dating back as far as the early 1900s. To utilize the most comprehensive database produced by the American Psychological Association (APA) for this task, they should search _____.
A research methods student is setting up their search workflow for a literature review. Match each search scenario or entity to its correct methodological classification or description.
A psychology student is analyzing their search strategy for a literature review. They note that while they have retrieved hundreds of relevant articles from a single database, they must expand their search to other databases because _____ is not literally exhaustive of the complete body of psychology publications.
Evaluate the methodological soundness of the following literature search strategies for a psychology thesis. Order these strategies from the least comprehensive/justifiable to the most comprehensive/justifiable according to the principles of database selection.