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Psychology Laboratory Report Writing |
8: Discussion
The Discussion section of a Psychology laboratory report is where the
results of the research are interpreted. It is generally a good idea to begin
the Discussion with a succinct statement that specifies the purpose of the research
that was undertaken.
The Discussion section:
- Provides the reader with a comprehensive account of the research findings;
- Helps the reader to make sense of the findings that were
yielded from the research that was undertaken;
- Compares the major findings with the relevant hypotheses that were stated
in the Introduction, as well as with the relevant literature from which the
hypotheses were derived;
- Outlines for the reader how the results of the research
relate to the existing literature in the field, that is, the extent to which
they are consistent with, or discrepant from, the results of similar research.
A well-written Discussion section:
- Elaborates on the findings in a way that enables the reader to integrate
the new knowledge with existing knowledge in the field. Where there are multiple
hypotheses, elaboration and interpretation of each, one at a time, is often
an effective structure for the Discussion section;
- Is not simply a reiteration of what was presented in
the Results section;
- Is carefully constructed. Its structure is rather like an inverted funnel.
It starts in a rather focused way, beginning with the interpretation of results
from each of the major tests or sets of analyses, and becomes broader, integrating
those interpretations, both with each other, and with existing work in the
relevant literature;
- Leads naturally to a statement of the significance of
the research, its limitations (and specifically, the ways in which the aspects
of the methodology affected the results that were obtained, and possible ways
in which the methodology might be altered in order that the limitations would
be overcome), as well as any other indications for further research.
So, having read a well-written Discussion, the reader should be able to answer
the following questions:
- What exactly do we now know about the phenomenon under investigation
that we did not already before carrying out this research?
- Which specific findings provide us with that new knowledge?
- How does this new knowledge align with our predictions or hypotheses?
- If any hypothesis was not supported, how can we best
account for that?
- What are the characteristics of the research design or methodology that
limit the conclusions that can be drawn from the research? What do the findings
and the acknowledgement of the limitations indicate for future research?
- What is the significance of the research and the implications
for the broader field within which the research should be understood?
