This document provides guidelines and a rubric for a macroeconomic data report assignment. Students are instructed to analyze macroeconomic data from a 10-year period in U.S. history between 1950-present. They must create a PowerPoint presentation analyzing GDP growth rates and trends, unemployment and inflation data, and interest rate fluctuations. The presentation must include speaker notes and be 4-6 slides. A rubric assesses students' examination of the macroeconomic data, application of economic models, and articulation of the response.

1. ECO 202 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric: Macroeconomic
Data Report
Choose a 10-year period in the history of the United States
between 1950 and today. All responses will be related to that
timeframe.
a) Analyze the annual GDP to calculate specific growth rates
and trends in the U.S. economy.
b) Analyze unemployment and inflation data.
c) Analyze interest rate fluctuations throughout this time period
and their effects on other aspects of the economy.
Using the Milestone One PowerPoint Template provided, create
4–6 slides that address the following critical elements:
I. Examination of Macroeconomic Data (Be sure to include
speaker notes to accompany all of your responses.)
a) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Growth
i. Analyze the annual GDP during the time frame to calculate
specific growth rates and trends in the U.S. economy.
ii. Choose two or three of the most relevant historical and/or
current events during this time period that impacted the U.S.
economy. Apply
specific models developed throughout the course to demonstrate

2. how these events influenced national output during this time.
b) Unemployment and Inflation
i. Analyze unemployment and inflation data during the time
frame in their relation to output and growth, using
macroeconomic principles
and models to explain their effect.
ii. Apply specific models developed throughout the course to
demonstrate how the previously selected historical and/or
current events
influenced both unemployment and inflation during this time.
c) Analyze interest rate fluctuations throughout this time period
and their effects on other aspects of the economy. How would
these fluctuations
affect inflation? Would investments and foreign trade rates
increase or decrease? How would the GDP of the American
economy be affected?
Below are links that offer helpful tips and examples for
developing your presentations:
oint
Biz/Ed.com shows an effective use of photos, art, and charts to
present information.

3. http://snhu-
media.snhu.edu/files/course_repository/undergraduate/eco/eco2
02/eco202_milestone1_powerpoint_template.ppt
http://www.iasted.org/conferences/formatting/Presentations-
Tips.ppt
http://beyondbulletpoints.com/resources/
http://www.sethgodin.com/freeprize/reallybad-1.pdf
http://blog.ted.com/10-tips-for-better-slide-decks/
http://snhu-
media.snhu.edu/files/course_repository/undergraduate/eco/eco2
02/eco202_biz_ed_economic_growth_powerpoint_sample.ppt
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your macroeconomic data report
should be 4–6 slides in PowerPoint, Prezi, Keynotes or
PreZentit, not including title or reference
slides. Be sure to include speaker notes to accompany all of
your responses. Your reference list slide needs to be in APA
format.
Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in
Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade
Center. For more information,
review these instructions.
Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%)
Not Evident (0%) Value
Examination: GDP: Growth

4. Rates and Trends
Accurately analyzes the annual
GDP during the time frame to
calculate specific growth rates
and trends in the U.S. economy,
and provides information in
speaker notes
Analyzes the annual GDP during
the time frame to calculate
specific growth rates and trends
in the U.S. economy, but analysis
is inaccurate, or does not provide
information in speaker notes
Does not analyze the annual GDP
during the time frame
18
Examination: GDP:
Influenced National Output
Applies specific models
developed throughout the course
to demonstrate how relevant
historical and/or current events
have influenced national output
during the time period, and
provides information in speaker
notes
Applies specific models

5. developed throughout the course
to demonstrate how relevant
historical and current events have
influenced national output during
the time period, but events
chosen are not relevant, or does
not provide information in
speaker notes
Does not apply specific models
developed throughout the course
to demonstrate influence on
national output
18
Examination:
Unemployment: Output and
Growth
Analyzes unemployment and
inflation data during the time
frame in their relation to output
and growth, using
macroeconomic principles and
models to explain their effect,
and provides information in
speaker notes
Analyzes unemployment and
inflation data during the time
frame, but does not relate
analysis to output and growth,
does not use macroeconomic

6. principles and models to explain
their effect, or does not provide
information in speaker notes
Does not analyze unemployment
and inflation data during the time
frame
18
Examination:
Unemployment: Events
Applies specific models
developed throughout the course
to demonstrate how relevant
historical/or and current events
have influenced both
unemployment and inflation
during the time period, and
provides information in speaker
notes
Applies specific models
developed throughout the course
to demonstrate how relevant
historical and current events have
influenced both unemployment
and inflation during this time
period, but events chosen are not
relevant, or does not provide
information in speaker notes
Does not apply specific models
developed throughout the course

7. to demonstrate relevant events’
influence on unemployment and
inflation
18
http://snhu-
media.snhu.edu/files/production_documentation/formatting/rubr
ic_feedback_instructions_student.pdf
Examination: Interest Rate
Fluctuations
Analyzes interest rate fluctuations
throughout the time period and
their effect on other aspects of
the economy, such as inflation,
investment, foreign trade, and
the GDP, and provides
information in speaker notes
Analyzes interest rate fluctuations
throughout the time period, but
does not relate this to their effect
on other aspects of the economy
such as inflation, investment,
foreign trade, and the GDP, or
does not provide information in
speaker notes
Does not analyze interest rate
fluctuations throughout the time

8. period
18
Articulation of Response Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact readability
and articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
10
Earned Total 100%
ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT THEMSELVES: SURVEY
RESEARCH
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

9. *
Compare the two ways to administer surveys: written
questionnaire and oral interviews
Define interviewer bias
Describe a panel study
Distinguish between probability and nonprobability sampling
techniques
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Describe simple random sampling stratified random sampling,
and cluster sampling
Describe haphazard sampling, purposive sampling, and quota
sampling
Describe the ways that samples are evaluated for potential bias,
including sampling frame and response rate
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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10. Provides a methodology for asking people to tell about
themselves
To study relationships between / among variables
To study how attitudes and behaviors change over time
Provides useful information for making public policy decisions
Important complement to experimental research findings
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Defining the Research Objectives
Attitudes and beliefs
Facts and demographics
Behaviors
Must keep it simple to avoid confusion
Avoid jargon and technical terms when possible
If needed, provide a brief description of the background for
more complex questions
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Question Wording
Potential problems that stem from difficulty understanding the
question:
Unfamiliar technical terminology

11. Vague or imprecise terms
Ungrammatical sentence structure
Phrasing that overloads working memory
Embedding the question with misleading information
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Important considerations when writing questions:
Ensure simplicity
Avoid:
Double-barreled questions
Loaded questions
Negative wording
Yea-saying and nay-saying
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Closed- Versus Open-Ended Questions
Number of Response Alternatives
Rating Scales
Graphic rating scale
Semantic differential scale
Nonverbal scales for children

12. Labeling Response Alternatives
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Formatting the Questionnaire
Should appear attractive and professional
Neatly typed and free from errors
Use point scales consistently
Refining Questions
Proof questions with others
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Questionnaires
Personal administration to groups or individuals
Mail surveys
Internet surveys
Other technologies
“Computerized experience-sampling”
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

13. *
Interviews
Face-to-face interviews
Telephone interviews
Focus group interviews
Problem: Interviewer bias
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Questions Are the Same Each Time Surveyed
Tracks Changes Over Time
Repeated surveys of incoming freshman at university
Effects of sexual situations on TV
Teen pregnancy rates
Panel Study
The same respondents are studied over time
Helps to study the relationships between two or more variables
over time
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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14. Confidence Intervals
Level of confidence that the true population value lies within an
interval of the obtained sample
Sampling error or margin of error
Sample Size
A larger sample size reduces the size of the confidence interval
Must consider the cost / benefit of increasing sample size
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Two basic techniques for sampling
Probability Sampling
Simple random sampling
Every member of the population has an equal probability of
being selected
Stratified random sampling
Population divided into subgroups (strata) and random samples
taken from each strata
Cluster sampling – identify clusters and sample from three
clusters
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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15. © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Nonprobability Sampling—unknown probability of any member
being chosen
Haphazard sampling – convenience sampling
Purposive sampling – sample meets predetermined criterion
Quota sampling – sample reflects the numerical composition of
various subgroups in the population
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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16. Representative of the population
Sampling Frame
- Actual population from which the sample is drawn
Response Rate
- Percentage of respondents who complete
Reasons for Using Convenience Samples
Less costly in terms of time and money
Concerns
May not be generalizable
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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OBSERVATIONAL METHODS
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Compare quantitative and qualitative methods of describing
behavior
Describe naturalistic observation and discuss methodological
issues such as participation and concealment
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

17. *
Describe systematic observation and discuss methodological
issues such as the use of equipment, reactivity, reliability, and
sampling
Describe the features of a case study
Describe archival research and the sources of archival data:
statistical records, survey archives, and written records
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Quantitative
Focuses on specific behaviors that can be easily quantified
Assigns numerical values to responses and measure
Uses large samples
Is subject to the data statistical analyses
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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18. Qualitative
Observational measures
Focuses on behavior in natural settings
Small groups and limited setting
Describe or capture themes that emerge from the data
Data are non-numerical and expressed in language and/or
images
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Field Work or Field Observation
Researchers make observations in a natural setting over a period
of time, using a variety of techniques to collect information
Used to describe and understand how people in a social or
cultural setting live, work, and experience the setting
Used to observe people involved with sports teams or other
social settings, at work or animals in their natural habitat
Scribner (1997) used naturalistic observations to identify how
business decisions are made
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Description and Interpretation of Data
Techniques include:

19. Observing, interviewing, and surveying documents
Goals:
- Describe setting, events, and persons
Analyze the categories that emerge
Researcher must interpret what occurred
Generate hypotheses that help explain the data
Write a final report of results
Needs accurate descriptions and objective interpretation
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Issues in Naturalistic Observation
Participation
Concealment
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Strengths of Naturalistic Observation
Useful in complex and novel settings
Limitations of Naturalistic Observation
Cannot be used to study all issues

20. Less useful when studying well-defined hypotheses under
precisely specific conditions
Must constantly reanalyze and revise hypotheses
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Systematic observations: careful observation of specific
behaviors in a particular setting
Coding Systems
Methodological Issues
Equipment
Reactivity
Reliability
Sampling
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Provides a Description of an Individual
Psychobiography – a type of case study in which a researcher
applies psychological theory to explain the life of an individual
Valuable in Informing Us of Conditions that are Rare or
Unusual
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© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

21. *
Archival research involves using previously compiled
information to answer research questions
Statistical Records
Survey Archives
Written and Mass Communication Records
Use of the General Social Survey (GSS)
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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Content Analysis of Documents
Systematic analysis of existing documents
Requires coding system
Can address questions that can be addressed in no other ways
Limitations
Difficult to obtain
Cannot be sure of accuracy
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
© 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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22. PART A: Content Analysis
1. Devise a simple coding system to do a content analysis of
print advertisements in a magazine.
Apply the system to an issue of a magazine and describe your
findings. Explain what
categories you chose and why.
NOTE: An example of a coding system that would allow a
person to conduct a content analysis of
print advertisements might include categories such as; food,
drink, toiletries, household
products, and automobile advertisements. A coding system such
as this would allow the
individual to assess the percentages of the magazine's
advertisements that fall into each
category. You should develop and identify your own coding
system/categories for this
exercise!
2. Provide an APA-formatted reference for the magazine you
used. See the OWL Purdue site for
more information on how to format a reference for a magazine.
PART B: APA Style
Go to the following link: http://library.national.edu/apa-
style/formatting-and-style-2/interactive-
apa-activity/#intext
Complete the drag-and-drop activity for each of the four
reference types on your own. You don't
need to submit anything for this one.

23. Next, go to the following link:
http://library.royalroads.ca/writing-centre/citing-resources/apa-
style
/apa-style-practice-exercises
Complete the following exercises: a) General APA Exercise, b)
In-Text Citations, c) Matching a
reference to the resource type, d) What's wrong with this
journal article reference?, and e) What's
wrong with this reference to a chapter in an edited ebook?
1. Save your report for each exercise and attach your results
(for all 5 exercises) to this
assignment.
PART C: Identifying Research Interests
Instructions: Listed below are several areas of human behavior
that social psychology has
traditionally investigated. Based on your personal interest, give
each topic area a rating from 1 to
10 based on the following scale.
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10
No Interest
Very Highly
Whatsoever
Interested
Rating:
______ Antisocial behavior: Aggression and violence
______ Prosocial behavior: When and why we help others

24. ______ Nonverbal communication: Body language and personal
space
______ Prejudice and discrimination: Causes and corrections
______ Interpersonal attraction: Friendship, liking, and love
______ Conformity and obedience to authority
______ Social norms
______ Advertising tactics based on social psychological
principles
______ Environmental issues
______ Group behavior, leadership, and roles within groups
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______ Environmental issues
______ Group behavior, leadership, and roles within groups
______ Other topic (describe):
______________________________________
______ Other topic (describe):
______________________________________

25. 1. Now go back and put a star next to topics that are of the
greatest interest to you and that really
get you excited.
2. Brainstorm about potential research questions related one or
more of the topics above. As you
think of potential questions, list them below (identify at least 3
questions):
PART D: Hypothesis Generation Worksheet (Loosely based on
McGuire, 1989)
The heart of a research paper is its hypothesis (or hypotheses).
The purpose of this exercise is
to practice the introductory steps necessary to create a
hypothesis. In its simplest form, a
hypothesis expresses the relationship between two (or more)
variables. Thus, it is important to
define the variables in question. The term “variable” comes
from the same root as “vary.” A
variable is a characteristic (usually of a person or situation) that
can have at least two different
values (sometimes called “scores” or “levels”). The phrase,
“violent television,” does not refer to a
variable, as there is no indication of how it can vary. The
phrases: “Amount of exposure to violent
television,” or “Exposure to violent television versus exposure
to nonviolent television,” both

26. describe variables as they indicate the possibility of different
values. The different values of a
variable can be measured either qualitatively (for example, male
or female if the variable is
gender) or quantitatively (for example, a certain number of
pounds if the variable is weight). There
are two general classes of variables.
Independent/predictor/cause variables (IVs)are those things
that are presumed to be the cause of some phenomenon.
Dependent variables (DVs) are the
effects and outcomes we are interested in measuring. Suppose
we hypothesize that greater
exposure to violent imagery leads to more aggressive behavior.
In this case “exposure to violent
television” is the independent variable and “aggressive
behavior” is the DV.
Instructions: Select a psychological variable that interests you.
Give it a label:1.
Briefly describe this variable:2.
Describe how this variable can be operationalized (that is,
describe exactly how you
determine which category or which value of the variable applies
to a particular person or

27. situation):
3.
Next, select another psychological variable that you believe is
related to your first variable:
4. Give it a label:
5. Briefly describe this variable:
6. Describe how this variable can be operationalized:
Once the variables are defined, the next step is to predict the
relationship between these two
variables by writing a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a prediction
about the relationship between two
or more variables. For now, assume that there is a causal
relationship between the two variables
even if it would be impossible or unethical to test a causal
hypothesis. This means that changing a
person’s score on one of the variables (the independent
variable) would cause the person’s score
on the other variable (the dependent variable) to change. For
example, you might say, “increasing
the amount of violent television that a person watches will
cause that person to exhibit more
i b h i ”

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on the other variable (the dependent variable) to change. For
example, you might say, “increasing
the amount of violent television that a person watches will
cause that person to exhibit more
aggressive behaviors.”
7. State a hypothesis:
Hypotheses are not mere guesses. Although there is never 100%
certainty that a hypothesis is
true, there are usually good reasons why the researcher believes
that the hypothesis is true. It
is very important to note why a particular relationship is
expected.
8. Why does this relationship exist? Give a short theoretical
explanation for this hypothesis:
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29. ECO 202
Presentation Title
Danya Barber
ECO 202
Milestone One
Choose a title for your presentation.
Include your name, the course name and the assignment name.
*
ECO 202
Ten-Year Period of U.S. Economic History OverviewThis slide
should include a brief overview of the 10-year period between
1950 and today that you chose for this presentation.
Write a brief overview of the time period you chose.
To give greater impact make sure to be brief in the slide and
explain in the speaker’s notes.
Imagine that you have to present the PPT to an audience.
The slides are an outline for the audience to follow your
presentation.
The speaker’s notes would be what you are going to say.
*

30. ECO 202
GDP (1–2 slides)Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and
GrowthAnalyze the annual GDP to calculate specific growth
rates and trends in the U.S. economy.Choose two or three of the
most relevant events from this time period that impacted the
U.S. economy. Apply specific models developed throughout the
course to demonstrate how these events influenced national
output during this time period.
Start with the first topic you want to present.
First research the main idea you want to talk about, research
sources, images/graphs/diagrams/tables.
Try to express the main concepts in a brief manner, such as
bullet points, images with key words.
Explain the slide in the speaker’s notes.
*
ECO 202
ECO 202
Unemployment and Inflation (1–2 slides)Apply specific models
developed throughout the course to demonstrate how the
previously selected events influenced both unemployment and
inflation during this time period. Analyze unemployment and

31. inflation data as to their relation to output and growth, using
macroeconomic principles and models to explain their effect.
Make sure to include speaker’s notes.
*
ECO 202
ECO 202
Interest Rates (1–2 slides)
Analyze interest rate fluctuations throughout this time period
and their effects on other aspects of the economy:
How would these fluctuations affect inflation?
Would investments and foreign trade rates increase or decrease?
How would the GDP of the American economy be affected?
Include Speaker’s notes.
*
ECO 202
ECO 202

32. ReferencesThe United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.census.gov/Bureau of Labor
Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.bls.gov/home.htmThe white House. (n.d.). Retrieved
from https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/HistoricalsThe
National Bureau of Economic Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.nber.org/Congressional Budget
Office. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://ttps://www.cbo.gov/about/overview
*
ECO 202
ReferancesFereral Reserve Economic Data. (n.d.). Retrieved
from https://fred.stlouisfed.org/Federal Reserve Bank of San
Francisco - Economic Research Publications. (2016). Retrieved
from http://www.frbsf.org/search/?q=1980