any ideas for a thesis??

jenenena

hi everyone,
I gotta decide in a topic for a thesis any ideas i could work on?

FruitLover

Violence - on the increase (as some would have us believe) or not? If so, causes? Computer games? Marylin Manson?

jenenena

hmmm i'm intrigued.... movies, computer games violence i think i like it

Black Swan

Got this topic as a suggestion from my flatmate, who is a psych major. She said that there were a disproportionate number of students who either drop or fail online higher education classes in the USA. She said this would more than likely fall into ed psych as a topic: "What cognitive, behavioural, and procedural factors affect success or failure of students taking online higher education (college or university hosted) classes in the USA?" She seemed to think that you could get a USA grant to study it, develop an online survey, and administer it without ever leaving Ireland. To delimit your scope and study parameters, you could perhaps pick one state of the 50 to study?

jenenena

oh my god thats a great idea thanks! I was thinking of the educational psych area but couldnt actually think of what to study but really this is great thanks

Not The Real Scarecrow

I don't mean to come across as insulting or anything, but jesus shouldn't your thesis be something of your own imagination not some one else's idea.If you can't come up with a thesis for college then I can't imagine you surviving in the work force and if you did well on some one elses idea then isn't that kind of unfair to other people in your class that maybe put a little bit more work into it , instead of coming online to a bunch of strangers and asking for help.I'm sorry but this kind of thing sickens me, I know that you probably would put a fair bit of work into it regardless of whos idea it is , but I'd love to know what your supervisors would think of it.

p.pete

Some people struggle with creativity, there's a lot more to writing a thesis than the initial spark or idea.

TheNibbler

Meatwad wrote: »

I don't mean to come across as insulting or anything, but jesus shouldn't your thesis be something of your own imagination not some one else's idea.If you can't come up with a thesis for college then I can't imagine you surviving in the work force and if you did well on some one elses idea then isn't that kind of unfair to other people in your class that maybe put a little bit more work into it , instead of coming online to a bunch of strangers and asking for help.I'm sorry but this kind of thing sickens me, I know that you probably would put a fair bit of work into it regardless of whos idea it is , but I'd love to know what your supervisors would think of it.

That's very unfair.......it is possible to have an interest in, and talent for research without necessarily having a specific idea in mind. A lot of people I know heading into doctorates and masters have only a vague idea of the topic they want to study and it is their supervisors who help them structure and focus these ideas.

jenenena

yeah exactly i mean i have a lot of my own ideas but i need some ideas about how to make them original so i'm not just testing a theory that already exists

do you love it?

Meatwad wrote: »

I don't mean to come across as insulting or anything, but jesus shouldn't your thesis be something of your own imagination not some one else's idea.If you can't come up with a thesis for college then I can't imagine you surviving in the work force and if you did well on some one elses idea then isn't that kind of unfair to other people in your class that maybe put a little bit more work into it , instead of coming online to a bunch of strangers and asking for help.I'm sorry but this kind of thing sickens me, I know that you probably would put a fair bit of work into it regardless of whos idea it is , but I'd love to know what your supervisors would think of it.

i do psychology and i too am thinking of a thesis but its so difficult to come up with an idea that hasnt been done.
you need to cool the jets with your "sickens me" attitude, mate.

Valmont

Meatwad wrote: »

I don't mean to come across as insulting or anything, but jesus shouldn't your thesis be something of your own imagination not some one else's idea.If you can't come up with a thesis for college then I can't imagine you surviving in the work force and if you did well on some one elses idea then isn't that kind of unfair to other people in your class that maybe put a little bit more work into it , instead of coming online to a bunch of strangers and asking for help.I'm sorry but this kind of thing sickens me, I know that you probably would put a fair bit of work into it regardless of whos idea it is , but I'd love to know what your supervisors would think of it.

Creativity is definitely important but not as much as you'd think. A lot of undergraduate theses simply alter the parameters of an existing study or approach the same problem with a different methodological approach. Would you direct that toward Skinner? Initially he just used Thorndike's laws of learning and developed his theory from there. Also, a lot of masters research programmes give the student a topic they would like studied.

FruitLover

Meatwad wrote: »

isn't that kind of unfair to other people in your class that maybe put a little bit more work into it , instead of coming online to a bunch of strangers and asking for help.I'm sorry but this kind of thing sickens me

If she comes back and asks someone to actually write the thesis, then you can have a go at her. Currently though, you're just launching a tirade for no real reason.

Boom_Bap

The psychology behind thesis writing

eth0_

p.pete wrote: »

Some people struggle with creativity, there's a lot more to writing a thesis than the initial spark or idea.

Sorry but no. For an undergrad thesis it shouldn't be a big deal to come up with a research question. You're not expected to come up with groundbreaking new research - you're usually referencing and replicating research done by other psychologists.

The OP didn't give even an inkling of what ideas she/he'd had already, what area of psychology she/he wants to work in..nothing.

What next? Help with writing the thesis itself?

p.pete

I believe I'd possibly move that to the "College Work" forum...
Fair point about the initial post lacking in detail, but from me saying "some people struggle with creativity" to you saying "you're usually referencing and replicating research done by other psychologists" - are you just trying to be prickly?

eth0_

p.pete wrote: »

but from me saying "some people struggle with creativity" to you saying "you're usually referencing and replicating research done by other psychologists" - are you just trying to be prickly?

By "you're" I mean "undergraduate level psych students", not "You, P.Pete".
I am a final year psych student and I know they're not looking for students to come up with a groundbreaking new discovery, hence my point about referencing and replicating other research..

p.pete

Thanks, I got that. Can you imagine any psychology research being done in the absence of referencing? Not even in a greenfields area. I referred to creativity in response to the post previous reffering to a lack of imagination.

So you've seen my research?

do you love it?

i am a psych student and i have to say, sometimes people who dont do psychology generally have great ideas on thesis, as theyre not so consumed by the subject.
also the point of research is to try to benefit society so lets just see what people actually want!

and there is nothing wrong with a little help, the OP is only human. Some people need to back off!

Luttrell1975

OP, why don't you do something on the fear of crime and the desire to bypass the justice system and "hang 'em high"?