1. PICK AN INDIVIDUAL TOPIC: The research project are are conducting involves a study of variables that predict people’s attitudes towards COVID-19 and are predicted by people’s attitudes towards COVID-19. You are asked to choose one or the other.
You may either:
Pick a variable that should PREDICTS how a person’s attitudes towards Covid. In this case, the attitude towards covid is the criterion you would pick a variable that should predict (i.e. the predictor variable) the type of attitudes one might hold. To help think about potential predictor variables you could study, you may ask yourself questions like:
a. Are there specific kinds of people that may hold certain attitudes? If so, what characteristics of people might predict their attitudes? For example, might people who are from one place hold attitudes different from those from another place?
b. Are people who have had certain kinds of experiences likely to hold different attitudes towards COVID than people who have not had those kinds of experiences? If so, what kind of experiences might contribute to the attitudes one might develop surrounding COVID.
OR
Pick a variable that would be PREDICTED BY a person’s attitudes towards COVID. In this case, attitudes towards covid is the predictor variable and you would pick another variable that these attitudes should predict (i.e. the criterion). To help you think about potential criterion variables, you may ask your self questions like:
a. Would people who hold a certain attitude towards COVID be more likely to behave in a different ways than people who hold the opposite (or less strong) attitude?
b. Would the attitude a person holds towards COVID be related to attitudes, beliefs or thoughts about other things?
To find a variable for your project:
Search the research professional literature on attitudes towards COVID to better understand your variable and get ideas for your hypothesis. Use Ebscohost, Google Scholar, Researchgate or, as a last resort, Google to find studies.
KEEP IT SIMPLE: Pick a variable that can be measured in one or just a few questions. Examples include demographic variables (e.g. gender), experience variables (e.g. grew up with police officer), or other attitudes that could relate to these attitudes (e.g. political party).
2. Once you have a topic that interests you, collect at least 5 PRIMARY SOURCE references directly related to your topic which help you formulate and support a good hypothesis. Keep a list of the search terms you used to develop this list.
3. Type up your preliminary list of references using APA style.
4. Save the topic, the search terms used, and the list of references.