Methods!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week we were able to analyze four studies' methods to see what they did well and what could have been improved. Going through such an in-depth study of the procedure and seeing how well it aligned with the research question was interesting. It gave me ideas that changed what I had originally planned for my methods (which was too simple in regards to noting what ADHD symptoms were still present based on DSM-IV criteria), and set a more directed course for what I plan to do.

So far, what I feel most positive about is the way I can see if neurofeedback therapy had an effect: using personality/behavior scale or ratings, which are already certified, pre-determined ADHD diagnostic testing. Using the Conners Rating Scale or Wender Utah Scale are widely administered, so are easy to find online and are provided by the clinic I use. I am confident that this would be the best way to determine what symptoms persist or have lessened/been eliminated since the assigned number of sessions has transpired (usually around 30-40). I would be drawing a link between the test that was administered before the session started that my clinic does to show the patient their current psyche, and then I could administer the after test after the different number of sessions, hopefully with some patients closer to the end of their yearly treatment plan, so I can have a wide breadth and compare fewer sessions with more sessions on both adult and children groups. Of course, logistics have to be adjusted based on the patients that do end up consenting to be a part of this research.

What I am most nervous about is basically administering the tests myself. I do not know really why I am nervous, but I think I just generally get nervous doing things alone with people I do not know. Especially, in regards to gaining consent with the patients, even though I have come to know many of them, I can't rely on that knowledge to know for sure that they will be willing to be part of my study. I think I am most nervous about the asking part and explaining, because um, social interaction and that always makes me a little scared? But other than that, I am not so nervous about my procedure or my methods or even connecting to my research question. I hope I can glean some meaning from the results that actually make sense statistically. Making sure my method accounts for only the variable I want to know that was affected (number of ADHD symptoms) could also end up being a worry. But, I think it is best if I address this when I am analyzing the results, because I can find a statistical method to taking into account the correlation without the extraneous variables.

But, overall, I really am excited to actually start enacting the methods. It is something I have never done before like a real-life experiment almost. I have been a part of a lot of research projects and written science papers and stuff, but actually conducting the research by myself with actual people will be a whole new experience.

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Reflection!!!!!!!

Trimester 1 often felt longer than necessary. But now that is over and we are in mid-November, it is crazy how fast your perspective changes based on your vantage point. The last first trimester of my high school is over and just thinking about that feels scary, but also exciting, which I guess the best things in life are a mix of both.

When I first walked into AP Research, I had some idea of where my research was to go. I had spent the summer at the ADHD clinic, constantly amazed at the possibilities this promising, innovative work provided. But, even with a little direction, any research can be daunting. There was logistics to think of, permission to acquire, and preliminary investigation to be done. One basic, but wholly true lesson I have taken away from this first trimester is that for something to be done right, it needs to be done in pieces, with the most focus and effort put into each stage as you progress. If you want the best, you have to do your best one step at a time.

Finding sources that could provide more of an insight into the history of neurofeedback therapy and its efficacy in the medical world was hard. It is always hard taking details from research studies, and attempting to formulate them into a cohesive whole. However, I do think that was my favorite part of this trimester: the researching era. The learning and reading of various scientific articles, examining credibility and study execution. It is fascinating to know that you can always learn more. Even working at the clinic, there were details that I only found out about through scouring through the history of the therapy and reading about how biologically the process could be successful. More than anything, this research solidified my interest and it is really comforting to know that when you truly love and know a subject, you can still be excited by the new things you discover.

Putting sources in conversation was a little trickier. I had to interweave these different esteemed researchers and then these global studies with scientific organizations and national surveys. It was this crisscrossing of various data that I had to connect to make sense. It was challenging, but it kind of opened my mind to the numerous stances on the topic. There were so many different therapies, people supporting Ritalin (ADHD medication) to those who believed ADHD was confined to the childhood years. Everyone had a unique background or thought to add to the discussion. I think my work was better for it, because I was able to hopefully coalesce all these ideas, in a way that made sense, while disregarding and challenging the ones that warranted opposition. Adding more voices brought more to the argument.

Finally, the literature review, the finish line for this trimester. The literature review marked the transition from the exploring, the outlines, and the preliminary research into the real, concrete dive into the actual paper. It felt like a lot of pressure, but, again, the breaking up into stages really helped to ease the tension. I knew I had to take it seriously, but I had time to carefully work on it day by day, referencing the previous outline and my Excel sheet of sources and my annotated bibliography. It was not just this document I was producing out of nowhere. The literature review represented the fundamental starting point for the paper, the introduction for the reader to understand your topic and your question. I hope I was able to express and establish this start to my research paper in an effective way.

I hope in the next trimester I am able to create a method that is reproducible and logical. I think with the information I have collected, I have the means to find a method that can answer my question. I hope I can learn from the studies I have read to apply to the method of my research paper. I am looking forward to delineating the steps and the organization of what is to come. Then this will lead into the actual proposal plan and researching, which I am excited to begin. To take all this information collecting and exploring and actually start doing something is very thrilling to think about.

I know there are a lot of challenges ahead like finding out exactly how to examine the results, using the TOVA, IQ test, or even just logic-based performance test? How do I analyze the data? Through some sort of statistical method or success rate based on the clinic's parameters or number of sessions? There is so many specifics that I have to figure out.

Ultimately, this trimester really did feel like the beginning to a hopefully captivating journey ahead. I know that it gets harder, that the next few stages are pivotal and can be arduous to plan out and implement, but I do feel confident with this solid base of an introduction into the world of AP Research. With the experience of AP Seminar from last year and the exploration of trimester 1, I hope I am prepared and ready for the rest of my senior year!!!!!!!!!!

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