The Science of Sex Research

 The Science of Sex Research

DUE: Thursday, October 10^th, 2019 at midnight, via eLearning

Purpose: This activity will help you think critically about empirical research in human sexuality. You should have a better understanding of the content and ways integrate relevant information by thoughtfully analyzing, reflecting and writing about the theoretical, substantive and methodological issues involved in this diverse discipline.

Assignment Instructions:

1. Read the “Science of Sex Research by Bentler & Abramson (1981)” (eLearning Reading #1).
2. Select a topic of interest from our syllabi this semester (i.e., love and attraction, sexual orientation, theoretical perspectives on sexuality, etc.).  Next, select and read a recent, peer reviewed, empirical journal article on the topic of interest (2014-current).The journal article must focus on a research study and not a topic review or meta-analysis.
   1. You can look at the citations at the end of our each chapter in our text to find appropriate articles or you can do a key word search in the library. All relevant journals should be available electronically via the UTD library. Suggested journals include, but are not limited to; Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sex Research, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, Journal of Sexual Medicine, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Review.
3. Using the Reading – Science of Sex Research by Bentler & Abramson (1981) as your guide, note that there are six subheadings; Theory, Issues in Design, Issues in Subject Selection, Measurement, Data Analysis, and Human Subjects. Within each of these sub-categories, there are numbered questions. For your essay, in each sub-category, select ONE of these questions to focus on in the article that you have chosen. Think carefully about the research study you have selected and answer the question using examples and information that is relevant to the study you have reviewed.
4. For your essay, please don’t just summarize the research, reflect and critically evaluate the article using the questions listed as your guide.
5. Following the guidelines above, your completed essay should include a brief overview of the research article you have chosen, focused consideration of a specific question from each sub-category (six questions) and a brief summary.

Formatting details:

The essay should be approximately 3-4 pages (at minimum and no more than 5). The essay should be in a word document (.doc  or .docx); 12 pt. font, typed and double-spaced with one inch margins.  Make sure to put your name on the paper and list the citations in APA format in the heading as well. It is important that this is your original work and will be assessed accordingly. Because you will be writing about a research journal article, you need to use caution in how you relay the information and interpret the material. For a guide to avoiding plagiarism and a guide to citation resources, see: http://www.utdallas.edu/library/help/PlagiarismTutorial/Plagiarism.htm

Essays will be graded according to the rubric in eLearning.

Things to think about while reading the article:

• Were you able to quickly ascertain the researcher’s theoretical view?
• Did they articulate their argument and hypotheses well?
• Does the author introduce and then define important and possibly unfamiliar terms or concepts?
• Describe and evaluate the sample. Is there any reason to be concerned about sampling bias? Are the findings generalizable to other populations?
• Do the specific language choices of the author betray a certain ideology or bias, or frame the argument in a certain way?
• Are there any risks that you can think of to the participants for being involved in the study?
• Describe the method.  What types of measures were used? Do you think these are valid and reliable measures? Thinking about what you have learned about the strengths and limitations of various types of research, what do you think about the methods used?
• Very briefly, describe the take-home message from the study and the overall findings?
• Were you shocked or surprised by any of them?
• Is this work relevant and important? Are there any cross-cultural implications? How will these findings contribute to our understanding of the topic?
• After reading the article do you think there would be ways to improve the study?