In the IA discussion, you need to describe the potential findings of your proposed study. You also need to make sure “… the implication(s) for policy/practice are explained.” So what is an implication? The best way to learn about psychological research is with real examples. That’s why this post has three examples from real peer-reviewed studies.
Your task is to read the following three examples of researchers explaining their implications. What do they have in common? Can you use these examples to explain what the IB wants when they say you must explain the implications of your research?
ACEs and Depression
#1. ACEs and Later-life Depression (Von Cheong et al., 2017)
The aim of this study was to see if ACEs are correlated with getting depression as an adult. They also wanted to see if perceived social support (PSS) influenced this relationship. The researchers found that the number of ACEs was positively correlated with developing depression later in life. However, this was only true for those people who think they don’t have much social support (low perceived social support).
In the discussion section, the researchers explain the implications of these findings for clinical practice.
“Results of our study have potential implications for clinicians seeking to prevent mental illness among survivors of childhood adversity. Interventions that aim to protect mental health among survivors of childhood adversity might benefit from strengthening social support or perhaps even just perception of social support… By showing the buffering effect of perceived social support (PSS) on the ACE–mental health relationship, our findings highlight the potential for interventions targeting PSS to reduce the likelihood of depression in patients who experienced childhood adversity. Individuals with a history of childhood adversity may experience deficits in support-seeking behaviour and social attachments. Hence, interventions may include social skills training where participants are equipped with skills to identify, invite and maintain healthy social connections with others…”
Translation? The study suggests that people who had difficult childhoods may be less likely to develop depression if they feel supported and connected to others. Because of this, psychologists could help by creating programmes to teach people social skills and helping them build healthy friendships and support networks.
The researchers suggested ways psychologists could help people in their clinical practice.
Energy Drinks and Grades
#2. Does Red Bull Boost Grades? (Champlin et al. 2016)
Is it good to drink red bull when you’re studying? The aim of this study was to see if there’s a correlation between first-year university students’ energy drink consumption and their academic achievement (GPAs). The study found that consuming energy drinks was negatively correlated with GPA (more energy drinks consumed was related to lower GPA).
Here are the researchers discussing the implications of these findings on policy and practice.
“Our findings have important implications for young adults in post-secondary educational settings, especially as many of these individuals may currently believe that using energy drinks will facilitate their studying and work on school projects … It is critical that students understand the negative outcomes associated with energy drink use, as well as its harmful side effects. Programs on college campuses should provide students with information about energy drinks, with an emphasis on their ingredients, as many students may not realize how much caffeine is present in these beverages or understand the effects that their other ingredients carry… Freshman orientation may be an appropriate opportunity to provide college students information about energy drink consumption. Alcohol consumption prevention efforts should also include information about the potential negative implications of mixing alcohol with other substances, such as energy drinks. College campuses may also consider limiting the sales of energy drinks on campus or moving them to a less prominent location in campus stores and cafeterias.”
Translation? Students might not know the negative effects of drinking energy drinks to help them study, so universities should provide students with information to help them understand the dangers.
The implications of these findings are that universities should educate their students on the dangers of energy drinks.
Motivating Students with Money
#3. Paying Kids to Ace the Test (Levitt et al., 2016)
Can prizes like money and trophies improve students’ scores on standardised tests? This was the research question behind this study. They found that giving kids $20 for doing better the second time they take a standardised test increased their scores similar to 5 month’s worth of learning. However, if the prize (money or a small trophy) wasn’t given straight away it didn’t have an effect.
Here’s how they explained their implications for policy.
“These findings potentially have implications for policymakers because standardized assessment tests are often high stakes for teachers and principals (e.g., as determinants of school resources), but low stakes for the individual students choosing to exert effort on the test. Relatively lower baseline effort among certain groups of students can create important biases in measures of … achievement gaps. Understanding the extent to which performance gaps are due to lower effort rather than lower ability is crucial for the design of effective educational interventions (i.e. better teaching strategies): the former requires an intervention that increases student motivation, the latter requires an intervention that improves student knowledge and skills.”
Translation? Test scores can influence policies. For example, in America schools that score lower on standardised tests might get less funding (bizarre, I know!) These findings show that low motivation might explain low test scores, so if motivation is the factor then the right intervention can be developed.
So what’s an implication?
REFERENCES
Champlin, S. E., Pasch, K. E., & Perry, C. L. (2016). Is the Consumption of Energy Drinks Associated With Academic Achievement Among College Students?. The journal of primary prevention, 37(4), 345–359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-016-0437-4
Cheong EV, Sinnott C, Dahly D, et al. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and later-life depression: perceived social support as a potential protective factor. BMJ Open 2017;7:e013228. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2016-013228
Levitt, Steven D., John A. List, Susanne Neckermann, and Sally Sadoff. 2016. “The Behavioralist Goes to School: Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Improve Educational Performance.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 8 (4): 183–219.
Travis Dixon has been teaching for over 20 years and is an experienced IB Psychology, History and English teacher, author, workshop leader and examiner