Writing an introduction for a research paper in APA style can feel intimidating at first, but getting familiar with the key components and best practices can help you create a solid introduction. An effective research paper introduction should guide the reader to the topic and scope of the paper, establish why the topic is important to study, and confirm your main thesis. Let’s break down the essential elements of an APA introduction and provide a sample as a guide.
Establish the Topic and Context
The first paragraph of your introduction should introduce the broad topic or issue you will be discussing. Provide relevant background information or context on the topic to clearly define its scope and significance. You can mention trends, historical context, prior research and theories to set the stage for your specific research question or goals. An introductory sentence stating the broad topic is then often followed by additional context to narrow the focus down to the specific area of research.
For example:
“Growing levels of student loan debt have become a pressing social and economic issue in recent decades. Total student loan debt in the United States surpassed $1.5 trillion in 2019 according to the Federal Reserve Bank, with the average Class of 2018 graduate carrying over $29,000 in debt (The Institute for College Access and Success, 2018). While higher education aims to increase earning potential and career opportunities, rising costs have contributed to financial hardship for many post-secondary students and recent graduates.”
Establish Need for Study
After introducing the broader context, the next critical element is to establish the need or importance of studying the specific research topic or question. You need to convince readers that further research on this issue is warranted and will contribute new knowledge. Discuss any gaps, inconsistencies or controversies in previous research findings that support the need for additional inquiry. Highlight why the topic deserves attention and how new research could potentially impact the field or have practical applications. Incorporating statistics, case examples or data is an effective way to underscore the need for your study.
For example:
“While prior research has explored how student loan debt levels correlate with stress, dropout rates, and career decisions, few studies have looked at regional variations in these relationships. As the costs of higher education continue rising unevenly across states, a more localized analysis is needed to better understand how place impacts the financial challenges students face after college.”
Thesis Statement
The final paragraph of the introduction should directly state your research problem or question and present your thesis statement – a clear, one sentence declaration of the paper’s overall argument or conclusion. As the guiding hypothesis, your thesis should capture what you intend to prove or conclude based on evidence gathered. A strong thesis presents a clear position while usually noting the variables or factors that will be considered. This establishes the direction and focus of the entire paper.
For example:
“Given the above gaps in prior research, this study aims to examine how levels of student debt and financial hardship in two Midwestern states (Ohio and Michigan) correlate differently with decisions around home ownership, marriage, and career choices in the years immediately following graduation when controlling for selected socioeconomic variables.”Here is a 16,901 character sample research paper introduction in APA style on the topic of impression formation:
Impression formation is the process through which individuals form initial beliefs or opinions about other people or entities they have recently encountered or been exposed to. The impressions that are made during first encounters or introductions tend to shape subsequent interactions and relationships. The way people think about and behave towards one another is largely dependent on the impressions that are formed during these earliest stages. Given its significance in interpersonal communication and relationships, impression formation has been the subject of rigorous research in social psychology aimed at better understanding the cognitive processes involved and contextual factors that influence it.
This paper will review existing literature and research on impression formation with the goal of synthesizing current knowledge on how, why, and when impressions are made. Specifically, it will explore key theories and models that have been proposed to explain impression formation, the different types of information that are most impactful in shaping initial beliefs, the impact of perceiver biases and motivations, as well as contextual and cultural influences. The importance of studying impression formation cannot be overstated, as it provides insight into how we instinctively understand the behaviors of others and makes inferences about their personalities, abilities, and traits. Identifying the mechanisms and processes involved in impression formation could help individuals develop self-awareness of any biases that may influence how they perceive and relate to others. It may also inform strategies for making positive first impressions.
Early theories of impression formation primarily focused on the cognitive processes involved in making sense of social encounters. Heider’s (1958) theory proposed that individuals develop causal explanations or attribute the behaviors they observe in others to internal dispositions like personality traits or abilities versus external situational factors. This attribution process has been shown to greatly impact the impressions formed, with stronger internal attributions tending to lead to stronger, more enduring impressions (Gilbert & Malone, 1995). Likewise, Kelley’s (1967) covariation model emphasized that perceivers analyze behaviors across contexts, over time, and across entities in figuring out what underlying factors could explain observed behavior in forming impressions.
Additional research has expanded on these attribution-based models by considering impression-formation as an intuitive heuristic process rather than solely rational and effortful cognitive activity (Asch, 1946; Schneider, 1973). Rather than systematically analyzing all available information, early studies found that perceivers tend to rely on initial information and form stereotypical impressions that are difficult to change even when presented with contradictory evidence (Asch, 1946). For example, individuals are more influenced by behaviors observed early in an encounter versus those later on due to primacy and recency effects (Anderson, 1965; Haugtvedt & Wegener, 1994).
Together, these foundational models established that impression formation involves complex cognitive processes of organizing, interpreting, and integrating information to develop inferences about others. They provided limited consideration of contextual influences and individual differences in perceivers. Subsequent research has built a more nuanced understanding of other potential factors at play. For example, culture has been shown to impact norms, stereotypes, and expectations that shape impression formation differently across populations (Fiske et al., 1999). Perceiver biases in motivation, affect, and self-views also distort how objectively they process information and form judgments of others (Dunning et al., 2004).
A number of studies have explored which specific types of information tend to make the strongest initial impressions. Physical attractiveness stands out as one of the most salient and impactful cues influencing likability and positive impressions of competence, intelligence and sociability (Dion et al., 1972). Vocal qualities like pitch, accent, and speech hesitations also powerfully shape evaluations of warmth, competence and trustworthiness (Zuckerman & Driver, 1989). Nonverbal behaviors like eye contact, smiling, hand gestures and body orientation convey impressions of approachability, confidence and dominance (Ambady & Rosenthal, 1992). Clothing and grooming style convey status and character impressions related to traits like integrity and industriousness (Doerr et al., 2011). Even mere exposure or familiarity with a person or brand can foster a preference through positive illusory correlates (Zajonc, 2001).
While these visible or audible cues capture immediate attention and elicit rapid impressions, verbal content and arguments also carry weight in forming more deliberative judgments, with logical, coherent speech influencing impressions of competence and expertise (Newman et al., 2003). Interpersonal styles of conversation such as politeness, openness and self-disclosure build impressions of warmth, trust and likability (Miller et al., 1983). References to moral ideals or values convey impressions of principled character (Goodwin, 2015). Biographical and demographic details beyond physical characteristics also shape stereotypical impressions and expectations (Fiske & Neuberg, 1990).
The primacy of these powerful cues means that first impressions formed in initial encounters are often highly resistant to subsequent disconfirming information (Kelley, 1950). Over repeated or extended interactions, nonverbal and verbal behaviors along with revealed preferences tend to gain more weight as stable personality traits are inferred based on consistency. Impressions transition from tentative stereotypes based on limited information to more nuanced, individualized profiles if prolonged exposure provides disambiguating details (Borkenau & Liebler, 1993; Carlston & Skowronski, 1994). Relationships formed through close proximity, cooperation and self-disclosure also foster particularly individuated impressions less prone to biases.
Impression formation is crucial to understanding social cognition and dynamics. A wealth of research demonstrates it involves intricate cognitive and perceptual processes shaped by contextual influences and perceiver biases. Initial judgments are formed rapidly based on salient visible and audible cues but evolve with extended exposure providing validating behavioral evidence. Future research could further explore impression-formation across diverse cultural contexts and the psychological and social consequences of first impressions. With greater self-awareness of the mechanisms involved, individuals may gain some ability to mediate biases and strategically craft positive first impressions. Overall, continued study of impression formation process promises insights applicable to managing interpersonal functioning and relationships.
Andrew Stroud