psychology research proposal pdf

Psychology Research Proposal

Proposal maker.

Proposals, whatever they may be, may it be a wedding proposal , business proposal , or a research proposal , all have a similar goal. It is to hear the word “yes” from the mouths of the recipient. Despite that, these proposals give different feelings to the proposer. If you are here to get tips on coming up with a research proposal, you get what I mean. Don’t worry, this article will help you get ideas on how to devise your psychology research proposal.

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What Is a Psychology Research Proposal?

A psychology research proposal is an academic document that a person submits to propose a research project, specifically in the field of clinical psychology. The purpose of research proposals is to outline the research questions and summarize your selected research topic. Another necessary reason for creating this proposal is to present ways that you think would be best in conducting the study and justifying it.

How to Compose a Reliable Psychology Research Proposal

There’s a time psychology students dread. It’s the moment that signifies the beginning of hell week or maybe hell month. It is when the professors ask their students to submit their research proposals.  Coming up with a psychology research proposal might cost you a lot of sleepless nights. To get back the sleep that you deserve, instead of pulling your hair out, read this article and follow the steps mentioned below. 

1. Formulate a Working Title

The title of your educational research should reflect what your study will discuss. Omit unnecessary words. Only keep those words that contribute to the meaning and the impact of your title. Make your title engaging to attract the attention of the readers. It is necessary to take a moment to think about a research title that is both powerful and meaningful.

2. Construct Your Abstract

Abstracts should be short and concise. That said, it should be at least a hundred words and three hundred words at most. Describe your research in your proposal but don’t include too many details yet. A good abstract would provide an introduction to the key objectives and the hypothesis of your proposed research.

3. Include Necessary Components

There are necessary components that make an abstract complete. After your title and abstract statement, you should also include the research scope and your methodology. This segment will explain who your respondents are and how you will deal with possible problems you will encounter while conducting your study. Also, you should include the resources that you will use in the process.

4. Devise Your Appendices

Appendices have sections A to E. Appendix A is where you should cite a list of your sources. In the second section, Appendix B is where you should present your project timeline . Your list of skills and achievements relevant to the research belongs in Appendix C. You should detail your budget plan in Appendix D and print your approval letter in the last appendix.

What are interesting psychology research topics?

You can choose from plenty of compelling topics. Discrimination, social cognition, propaganda, gender roles, and bullying are some examples of it. Whatever topic you choose, the quality of your paper depends on how well you carry out your research. Even the most boring topics can be made interesting by a good researcher.

What are the differences between quantitative and qualitative approaches?

These approaches are two very different things. Qualitative research focuses more on analyzing and interpreting ideas, theories, and data. The methods employed in this approach are discourse analysis, content analysis, and thematic analysis. In contrast, quantitative research deals more with statistics and numbers and often involves a research survey , experiment, and testing hypotheses.

What are the qualitative approaches?

You can apply different approaches in conducting qualitative research. The most common ones are narrative research, action research , ethnography, grounded theory, and phenomenological research. Although all of these falls under the qualitative approach, they incorporate different data collection. Researchers implementing these approaches have varying aims. They also have different perspectives in the direction they should take in conducting their thesis.

The study of psychology focuses on people’s minds and cognitive behavior and how they function in different social settings and environments. That said, there are still a lot of mysteries about how people process their thoughts. If your goal is to uncover one of them, take your first step by composing a foolproof psychology research proposal and get it approved.

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How to Write a Psychology Research Proposal

Writing a brief research proposal cultivates all kinds of intellectual skills..

Posted May 3, 2018 | Reviewed by Matt Huston

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NOTE: This post was co-authored with the SUNY New Paltz students in PSY 307 (1) of Spring 2018 (in particular, Zachary Ertrachter, Mariah Griffin, and Gianna Petrera).

A solid psychology education should lead to all kinds of outcomes related to analytical skills, statistical reasoning, and research design. One of the core skills that I try to cultivate in my students is the ability to write a clear and concise research proposal. Being able to write a solid research proposal demonstrates the following qualities:

* An understanding of some theoretical concepts in the behavioral sciences

* The ability to organize one's ideas in a coherent and efficient way

* The ability to get to the foundation of a set of research ideas

* The ability to write clearly and concisely in a scientific manner

* The ability to describe a hypothesis, proposed methodology, and proposed set of statistical analyses

* The ability to efficiently contextualize one's ideas in the existing scientific literature in some area

* The ability to think about how statistics can be used to examine some research-based predictions

* and probably more

Toward this end, I tend to give the following assignment to students in my undergraduate class in evolutionary psychology :

"Evolutionary psychology is a research-based enterprise. And learning about evolutionary psychology tends to lead people to develop hypotheses about human nature. For this assignment, you are to write a brief paper that does the following:

• Articulates a hypothesis based on evolutionary reasoning
• Describes methods that would test this hypothesis
• Includes predicted outcomes and implications

Importantly, this paper is to be no more than two pages—printed on two sides of a single page. And it should be double-spaced.

This kind of assignment, forcing you to get your ideas reduced in a small space matches the kinds of assignments that professionals have all the time—this assignment will help prepare you for this kind of assignment in your future."

As an end-of-the-semester activity, to demonstrate the process of writing a research proposal, we actually worked together today (5/3/2018) as a class to develop and to fully create a research proposal. The document below is the result of this work. Nice job, evolutionary psychology students!

Research Proposal: A Proposed Study on the Mental Health Effects of Outdoor Experiences

Written by the SUNY New Paltz Spring 2018 Evolutionary Psychology Class

The evolutionary psychological perspective on human behavior suggests that instances of evolutionary mismatch may lead to adverse psychological functioning (e.g., Geher, 2014). Mismatch can exist in multiple domains, including nutritional offerings, exercise, community size, technology, transportation, and the nature of one’s physical environment—among many others.

One important way that modern environments are mismatched to ancestral environments pertains to the proportion of time that people spend in the out of doors. In fact, many evolutionists have made the case that humans have a natural love of the living world (see Wilson, 1984). Based on this reasoning, it may be the case that increased time spent in the outdoors leads to positive mental health outcomes. On the other hand, we might predict that increased time spent in human-made, non-natural environments might have adverse mental health outcomes.

Several mental health outcomes have been documented as important in all kinds of human psychological functioning. In particular, this research will focus on depressive tendencies, tendencies toward anxiety , and general psychological well-being. The basic prediction is that increased out-of-door experiences will correspond to less depression and anxiety and higher scores on a measure of well-being.

This study will utilize a randomized between-groups design using 200 relatively fit American adults ranging in age from 18-34 selected from Southern California. Using a random-assignment process, participants will be assigned to either (a) the outdoor condition or (b) the indoor condition.

Participants in the two experimental conditions will all be included in a climbing camp for two weeks. The outdoor participants will be at an all-outside version of the camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Southern California in September. The indoor participants will be at an all-indoor version of the camp at an indoor climbing gym for the same two weeks. Importantly, these climbing experiences will be overseen by the same Climbing Camp with the same activities and personnel.

This methodology would allow for the isolation of the “out of doors” variable and will have participants across groups have the same experiences otherwise. Given the random assignment to experimental conditions, this methodology would allow for an examination of the specific effects of the outdoor experience.

To measure anxiety, Liebowitz’s (1987) measure of social anxiety will be used. To measure depressive tendencies, Kessler et al.’s (2003) measure will be used. We will create a 5-item Likert scale of subjective well-being that participants will also complete.

Anticipated Results

Across the three outcome measures, including social anxiety, depressive tendencies, and subjective well-being, it is predicted that the outdoor group will score as less anxious, less depressed, and as higher in subjective well-being. These results will be examined using three between-groups t-tests.

Potential Implications

Evolutionists are interested in the mismatches between modern conditions and ancestral conditions. Simply being in the out-of-doors or not is a classic mismatch that surrounds us all the time, often unbeknownst to ourselves. The experimental design here would allow us to zero in on the effects of the outdoor experience as it relates to mental health outcomes, controlling for individual differences between groups.

If the predicted pattern of results is obtained, then we would have strong evidence suggesting that people function best when they are provided with outdoor experiences. Such a pattern would support an evolutionary-mismatch approach to understanding the interface of people with their physical environments.

Here is a PDF link to the two-page paper. Enjoy!

Geher, G. (2014). Evolutionary Psychology 101. New York: Springer.

Kessler, R .C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L.J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D.K., Normand, S.L....Zaslavsky,A.M. (2002) Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32, 959-956.

Liebowitz, M. R . (1987). Social phobia. Modern Problems of Pharmacopsychiatry, 22, 141-173.

Wilson, Edward O. (1984). Biophilia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Glenn Geher, Ph.D. , is professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He is founding director of the campus’ Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program.

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Research Proposal Example/Sample

Detailed Walkthrough + Free Proposal Template

If you’re getting started crafting your research proposal and are looking for a few examples of research proposals , you’ve come to the right place.

In this video, we walk you through two successful (approved) research proposals , one for a Master’s-level project, and one for a PhD-level dissertation. We also start off by unpacking our free research proposal template and discussing the four core sections of a research proposal, so that you have a clear understanding of the basics before diving into the actual proposals.

• Research proposal example/sample – Master’s-level (PDF/Word)
• Research proposal example/sample – PhD-level (PDF/Word)
• Proposal template (Fully editable) 

If you’re working on a research proposal for a dissertation or thesis, you may also find the following useful:

• Research Proposal Bootcamp : Learn how to write a research proposal as efficiently and effectively as possible
• 1:1 Proposal Coaching : Get hands-on help with your research proposal

PS – If you’re working on a dissertation, be sure to also check out our collection of dissertation and thesis examples here .

FAQ: Research Proposal Example

Research proposal example: frequently asked questions, are the sample proposals real.

Yes. The proposals are real and were approved by the respective universities.

Can I copy one of these proposals for my own research?

As we discuss in the video, every research proposal will be slightly different, depending on the university’s unique requirements, as well as the nature of the research itself. Therefore, you’ll need to tailor your research proposal to suit your specific context.

You can learn more about the basics of writing a research proposal here .

How do I get the research proposal template?

You can access our free proposal template here .

Is the proposal template really free?

Yes. There is no cost for the proposal template and you are free to use it as a foundation for your research proposal.

Where can I learn more about proposal writing?

For self-directed learners, our Research Proposal Bootcamp is a great starting point.

For students that want hands-on guidance, our private coaching service is recommended.

Psst… there’s more!

This post is an extract from our bestselling short course, Research Proposal Bootcamp . If you want to work smart, you don't want to miss this .

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Key Elements of Psychology Research Proposals + Sample Templates

Table of Contents

Need help writing a research proposal for your psychology study? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll guide you through the key elements you should include for a winning proposal. We’ll also share a  research proposal sample psychology that you can refer to! With a well-written research proposal, you’ll be able to showcase the significance of your study. Plus, it can impress potential reviewers and secure the necessary funding for your project.

What is a Psychology Research Proposal?

A psychology research proposal outlines a proposed study consisting of the objectives, hypotheses, methods, and expected outcomes . This document serves as the blueprint for conducting a successful experiment or data collection effort in the field of psychology. Research proposals are often required by granting agencies or academic institutions. Taking the time to create an effective proposal is essential for ensuring the success of any research project.

Key Elements of Psychology Research Proposals

The section you should include in a research proposal depend on the requirements set by your professor or grant agency. But in general, research proposals will need to have the following key elements:

Research Topic

This is the main focus of the research proposal. It should be explained clearly and concisely. This section aims to:

• Identify the specific area of psychology that will be explored.
• Provide a brief overview of existing knowledge on the subject.
• Outline the objectives and goals of the proposed study.

Research Questions

A list of research questions should be included in the proposal to help guide the study’s investigation. These can range from broad inquiries into a given topic to more specific queries regarding certain aspects or areas related to the topic.

Literature Review

An effective literature review serves two essential purposes:

• It provides an overview of the current understanding of the topic.
• Demonstrates that the researcher has conducted adequate background research to develop an informed hypothesis.

Hypothesis/Research Objectives

The hypothesis forms the basis of the research project and outlines what the researcher expects to find. It should also include any specific objectives associated with testing the hypothesis.

Methodology

This sections focuses on the methods used to conduct the study. It provides information on the study’s sample size, participant demographics, research environment, data collection techniques, and so on.

Data Analysis Plan

Once data has been collected, it must be analyzed to draw meaningful conclusions. Outlining a data analysis plan helps ensure that all relevant aspects are considered during analysis.

Expected Results

You won’t be able to predict precisely how an experiment will play out. But you can still give some insight into expected outcomes based on available evidence. This will allow readers to evaluate the validity and practicality of the proposed research project.

Significance and Implications

Explaining the project’s significance gives readers a better idea of why it was conducted in the first place. Detail the potential implications of the findings. This will help others consider the study’s broader application beyond simply answering the research question.

Research Proposal Sample Psychology Template

Introduction.

A. Background of the study : Provide an overview of the studied topic. This includes pertinent facts and figures demonstrating the need for further research. Be sure to include any relevant literature reviews and a concise explanation of the focus of your proposal. B. Rationale/Rationale for Study : Explain why this study should be conducted, including its value to the scientific community. Include evidence from previous studies or theories that may suggest your proposed project’s potential outcomes. C. Hypothesis/Objectives : State your hypothesis or research objectives clearly and succinctly. Describe how you plan to conduct the study and provide detailed information on collecting and analyzing data.

A. Participants : Detail the criteria used to identify and select participants for the study. Specify how many participants are needed and describe their demographic profiles (e.g., age range, gender, education level, etc.). B. Instruments : Identify the instruments (e.g., questionnaires, interviews, surveys) used to collect data and discuss how they were developed and validated. Cite any sources consulted when creating these instruments. C. Procedures : Outline all procedures to be followed during the study, including recruitment methods, data collection techniques, and analysis processes.

D. Data Analysis

Describe the statistical tests to analyze data and explain how results will be interpreted. Make sure to specify whether any ethical issues have been considered when conducting the study and discuss any implications for future research projects.

A. Summarize your study’s purpose, methodology, and findings and make recommendations for future action based on these results. B. Conclude by comprehensively reviewing what has been learned through your work. You can also thank anyone who assisted or supported you throughout the process.

A. Background : Describe the need for research in psychology and how it relates to your study. Give a brief overview of past studies or experiments conducted on the same topic and explain why further exploration is necessary. B. Purpose & Significance : Explain why you are undertaking this research project and what impact it could have on society. Elucidate what questions will be answered by carrying out the proposed study and which theories may be examined as part of the process. C. Objectives : Outline the specific objectives of the research, such as exploring certain phenomena or measuring particular variables. Specify any hypotheses that may be tested during the investigation. D. Study Design & Methodology : Summarize the methods chosen to achieve the project’s aims and justify their selection. Describe key components of the methodology used, including participant selection criteria, data collection techniques, and analysis plans.

A. Overview : Include relevant literature on your research question and discuss its implications. B. Strengths & Limitations : Analyze the strengths and limitations of existing work in the field. You can also identify gaps that need to be filled with further research. C. Synthesis & Recommendations : Present a literature review synthesis and make recommendations for future studies based on your findings.

Results & Analysis

A. Data Collection : Describe how data was collected from participants, such as surveys or interviews, along with details about sample size and demographics. B. Analysis Techniques : Clarify which statistical tools were used for analyzing results, such as linear regression or ANOVA tests. Explain how data was processed before being presented in charts or tables. C. Findings & Implications : Present the key findings from the analysis, commenting on both positive and negative outcomes where applicable. Discuss potential implications for psychological theory, practice, or policy in light of these results.

Discussion & Conclusions

Summarize the main points discussed throughout the paper and reiterate the purpose of the study and its results/implications.

Final Words

 So there you have it: the key elements of a psychology research proposal and some sample templates to get you started. Writing a winning proposal is not easy. But by taking a cue from this  research proposal sample psychology , you can present your project more effectively.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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FREE 10+ Psychology Research Proposal Samples in PDF | DOC

A research study needs to undergo a proposal first before it could officially start. This is true to all fields of study and different industries, and the psychology field is no exception to that. Whether you are a psychology student, or an expert in the field, conducting a research proposal can help you prepare for the actual research work. You will face a lot of limitations such as time, money, environment, equipment, and ethics, your research is not feasible, or you’re not just ready to do a more in-depth study of your research. To prepare yourself to write a research proposal, you need to plan your strategy and think of the steps you need to do. To give you an idea how to create research proposal , read the article below.

Psychology Research Proposal

10+ psychology research proposal samples, 1. psychology research proposal report, 2. psychology research method proposal, 3. psychology research project proposal, 4. psychology research grant proposal, 5. clinical psychology research proposal, 6. educational psychology research proposal, 7. funded psychology research proposal, 8. community psychology research proposal, 9. psychology research conference proposal, 10. psychology research honors program proposal, 11. psychology research dissertation proposal, what is a psychology research, how to write a psychology  research proposal, 1. make the title, 2. create the research question, 3. identify the research objectives, 4. present the literature review, 5. describe the research methodology, 6. explain the expected outcome, what are the five types of psychological research, what are the types of research methodology, what are some good research topics for psychology.

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Psychology research refers to a scientific method of research in the psychology field where psychologists, psychology students, or anyone in the psychology field conducting a systematic study for analysis of various experiences and behaviors of individuals or groups of people. Psychology research can be used in educational, occupational, and clinical applications.

Research proposals are usually required to make and submit before you can commence to the actual research. The proposals are evaluated to improve the research study and to see if the research is practical and ethical, and if the researcher understands the study well and has enough resources to pursue the research study.

The sections below discuss the general format of a research proposal:

The first of the proposal s to create a title that indicates what will your study be about. Remember the title of your study can still be changed while you’re conducting your research, so the title that you will create now is still the initial title.

The next part of your research proposal is stating your main research questions . Explain its significance, and relate it with the relevant literature review. Most format of the typical research questions usually addresses one main question, and be broken down into several sub-questions. However, some researchers have two or three research questions where appropriate.

The next part of your research proposal is to state your research objectives must contain the following: the topic of your research and its general significance and the key ideas that led you to create your research question, and the hypotheses you conjured in your study based on your analysis from your literature review.

This part of the research proposal is where you lay out all the studies, such as published studies, journals, articles, books, magazines, and laboratory results of experiments, that will support and justify the necessity of your research.

The next part of your research proposal is to describe how you will do your research methodology to answer your research questions and why you will use this approach to address the question. Furthermore, you need to discuss who will be your target audience to be the participants of the study, what will be the procedure to be done, and the materials, instruments, equipment, and budget you will need for your research.

You will also need to provide a timeline of when your research will start until when it will be completed.

The last part of your proposal is explaining what will be the expected outcomes of your research. Explain how your research makes a contribution to the field of psychology knowledge,  how it contributes to advance theoretical understanding, and how it contributes to psychology policies or practices.

The five types of psychological research are naturalist observation, survey method, case study , correlational design, and experimental method.

There are various types of research methodology. These are quantitative , qualitative, descriptive, analytical , applied, fundamental, and exploratory.

• Types of disorder: Examples could be about e ating disorders, depression, phobias, or personality disorders.
• Topics related to human cognition: Examples could be dreams, false memories, attention, perception, speech disorders, problem-solving, or judgment.
• Analysis of a famous experiment: In your research paper, you can choose to summarize the experiment, analyze the ethics of the research, or evaluate the implications of the study.

Once you’re done writing the proposal don’t forget to include a bibliography where you will list all the materials that you used as reference of your research study proposal.The reference is usually done in APA style, but you can ask your professor if there are other references style that they want you to follow. Make sure you follow the proper format of the APA citation since evaluators are also critical about that. If you’re planning to start your research proposal now, you can download our free sample templates to guide you!

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Research proposal

Your research proposal is your opportunity to show your prospective supervisor that you have interesting ideas, and that you have some idea of how to test them.

It should consist of about two sides of A4, including references and it should include:

• clear empirical objective
• some idea of the research methods you would use
• some theoretical background

Firstly you need to lay out the theoretical background to your research question, and then provide a rationale for testing a hypothesis or two. You should briefly outline your methods, your sample, and the various techniques you hope to use. Finally give a brief statement of how the data will be analysed, and outline what various findings might lead to.

Current Postgraduates​ ​​​​​ ​

Introduction, open day 2024, application procedure​, mphil in psychology, phd in psychology, application deadline - to start october 2025.

Applications for October 2025 will open in September 2024.

The Department will continue to accept applications up until Thursday 27 March 2025  for October 2025 start date. 

Any application submitted after 3 December 2024 will not be considered for the funding round.

Research Councils​

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