What to do your research project on?

How to generate research ideas• Testing intuitive beliefs

– E.g., Freakonomics – E.g., Is a hard worker a better performer than

a smart worker? Rynes et al, 2002

• Testing cliches– E.g., Do birds of a feather flock together in

organizations?

How to generate research ideas• Reading

– Newspaper/newsmagazine articles• New York times, New Yorker, Economist

– Simple descriptions of empirical studies• Academy of Mgt Executive; • Economist.com (What’s new in journals)

• Observing people’s behavior– First hand, gossip

How to generate research ideas• Based on need

– Broad• E.g., Class research topic exercise for IRE2002Y

– Specific• E.g., Writing project for UTM Psychology• E.g., CIRHR project with Deb Campbell

Invention Activity• Handout in class

– Also available on course schedule website under 9/14 posting

After narrowing down to 3 topics…

• Write a short para for each– Describe the topic, – Why you are interested in it – How may you/others benefit from researching

it

(Adapted from Poe, 1999)

Criteria to consider after choosing a research topic

• Do you have the resources to conduct it?– People (at least 50 units)– Time (by Feb 2007)– Materials

• Will the study work? In what way can it not work?

• Can you think of explanations for the counter hypothesis?

Adapted from Sternberg, 1999

Next Steps• Use Journal Indexes

– Next class, Psych info workshop