*Please note this project has been taken and is no longer available*
This project will be in collaboration with Prof. Olive Healy in the School of Psychology and is suitable for students in the Statistics and Data Science, Statistics and Sustainability, and Data Science MSc programmes. The goal of this project is to examine how best to communicate scientific technical terms from the field of evidence-based practices in behavioural psychology to non-subject matter practitioners. Specifically, you will analyse a survey that examined some concise background information questions, followed by rating scales measuring emotional responses. Respondents provided ratings of evidence-based practices which support persons with IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) in the form of a Technical definition (i.e., with jargon), a Plain English definition, and a Vignette (i.e., hypothetical situation). Two types of ratings were carried out: The first was on level of appeal/pleasantness and the second was on level of power/influence of particular words that describe psychological practices. Various statistical techniques, including classification methods and exploratory methods will be used to analyse the data and address the specific scientific questions of interest. While the initial goals of the project are specifically defined, there is considerable scope to explore beyond these as a reflection of the student’s and collaborators interests.