week 3
SabrinaM
2 years ago
10
files (2)495week3discussion.docx
495CLASSMATEPOSTS.docx
495week3discussion.docx
Building Thoughtful Research for an Original Study
A critical element of the study of psychology is that it is not the tools or location (lab or the boardroom) that makes it a science. It is the approach by which knowledge is sought and obtained. In this discussion we are going to apply the principles of the scientific method to create studies that inspire us.
To refresh, the guidelines of the scientific method are to:
1. Observe the people and the world around you.
2. Ask questions about the things that you see in the world around you.
3. Look for information from within the empirical literature that provides insights towards understanding, or finding an answer for your questions.
4. Develop testable hypotheses that address possible solutions to the question you have developed.
5. Conduct empirical research to test your hypothesis.
6. Objectively evaluate the results of your test.
7. Compare your results with those that already exist within the empirical literature.
8. Communicate your results.
Employing the scientific method, psychologist generally pursue one of the following goals:
1. Description – providing a clear understanding of behaviors observed.
2. Prediction – anticipating the occurrence of behaviors and their magnitude.
3. Explanation – generating theories and models that move towards causal explanations of why behaviors happen in the manner that they do.
4. Control – applying knowledge to influence outcomes.
With the scientific method steps before us, and the types of goals we can pursue in mind, let's jump in and design our studies.
Your Task:
Part 1. Main Post
Research Methods and Design: Below you will find six questions. Use these questions to create a brief description of a psychology-focused study you would enjoy designing if you had the time and resources. When preparing your answers to share with the class, please number and label each of the six questions. Doing so will create a rhythm by which peer review and feedback can be enhanced.
1. Observe and ask: What psychological issue/concept/phenomenon are you interested in studying?
2. Look for information: What does the empirical literature have to say on your topic of interest? Briefly describe, in four sentences or more, one empirical study pertaining to your topic. (cite and reference)
3. Hypothesis: What is your testable hypothesis? Present operational definitions for your independent and dependent variables.
4. Research Design: Provide a rough look at the inner workings of your research design.
· Participants: How many participants do you think you will need to establish a representative sample of your target population? (Why this number?)
· Who would you like to include in your sample? (Explain.)
· Procedures: Share an idea for procedures you could follow to test your hypothesis.
· What is one confounding variable you should plan for?
5. Ethics in Action: List two principles of ethics you must keep in mind while designing this study.
6. Class contributions to terminology: while preparing your answers to Items 1-5, what terms or concepts challenged you? Provide here one term, or concept, that felt rusty in its application. Provide a link to a resource that explains, or defines that term.
When you have prepared your answers to these six items, post your work as a main entry for this discussion. [Thank you in advance, for your dedication in completing this assignment.]
Part 2: Peer Follow-up
Respond to two of your classmates' postings. In 5+ sentences, share how their posting reinforces your understanding of the scientific method. Provide constructive, thoughtful feedback designed to build an engaging dialogue. For example, can you guess what your classmate's research goal is based upon the details provided? You can also expand upon the discussion through the sharing of additional websites, articles, interactive tutorials, or videos relevant to your classmate's area of interest or concepts addressed.
You must start a thread before you can read and reply to other threads
495CLASSMATEPOSTS.docx
1. Observe and ask: what psychological issue/concept/phenomenon are you interested in studying?
In my line of work, it interests me to study both the social and forensic psychology in relation to police work. How the brain functions in both planning and committing a crime, investigating a crime scene, to interviewing witnesses. The psychology of each part is very intricate from the point-of-views of victim, criminal, to bystanders/witnesses. Where does it all begin? What triggers or causes a reaction that provoked or produced a crime to reporting a crime?
2. Look for information: what does the empirical literature have to say on your topic of interest? Briefly describe, in four sentences or more, one empirical study pertaining to your topic.
There are many relatable empirical research studies regarding both social and forensic psychology. In our reading, the story of Kitty Genoese fascinated me from the depiction of the opposite of committing a crime, but witnessing a crime and not intervening on behalf of the victim. The social psychologists Darley and Latane actually researched what was called a "counterintuitive hypothesis...the more witnesses there are to an accident or a crime, the less likely any of them is to help the victim." The reading mentioned the "bystander effect," which is discussed also in another article called, "The killing of Kitty Genovese: What else does this case tell us?" mentions this one storyline from a psychological study called the "bystander intervention." Both studies represent research that tested whether the more witnesses the less amount intervened.
3. Hypothesis: What is your testable hypothesis? Present operational definitions for your independent and dependent variables.
The testable hypothesis is,"Motorists that approach a car accident will drive by compared to the number that will stop and ask if they can provide any help." The independent variable will be a stimulated car accident. The dependent variable will be the number of people/cars that pass by without stopping even if they are waved to stop and assist.
4. Research Design: Provide a rough look at the inner workings of your research design. ◦ Participants: two participants involved in accident; at least 20-30 cars/motorists to encounter witness accident. Since the number of motorists passing by will depend on the area, a populated area would need to be integrated into the study where a high number of accidents have occurred. ◦ Who would you like to include in your sample? Possibly use a campus intersection and those who are on campus either walking or passing by. ◦ Procedures: bicyclist and car collide at a low rate of speed on a college campus. The bicyclist is on the ground and the motorists is asking for help from passerby's at the intersections. ◦ One confounding variable to plan for would be the amount of calls to 911 or campus police to report accident.
5. Ethics in Action: List two principles of ethics you must keep in mind while designing this study. ◦ Informed consent for research from the bicyclist and motorist. Anyone who participates by intervening will be given the informed consent to participate too. ◦ Reporting research results
6. Terminology such as variables; independent and dependent variables. From our reading, Chapter 2.1 Basic Concepts, and the following link to Scribbr regarding a strong hypothesis: https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/hypothesis/
References:
Kassin, S. M. (2017). The killing of Kitty Genovese: What else does this case tell us? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(3), 374-381. https://doing-org.ezproxy.umgc.edu10.1177/1745691626679465
Saylor Academy (2012). "Chapter 6: Experimental research." Research Methods in Psychology v. 1.0.
CLASSMATE POST 2
1. Observe and ask:
Psychological Issue: I am interested in studying the impact of social media on adolescents' body image, self-esteem, and mental health, focusing on how excessive usage can lead to addiction and detrimental effects.
2. Look for information:
Empirical Study: Paakkari et al. (2021) conducted a study titled "Problematic Social Media Use and Health among Adolescents," which examined the relationship between excessive social media usage and various health outcomes among adolescents. The study utilized data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey across 45 countries, revealing that 7% of adolescents reported problematic social media use, with negative impacts including depressive symptoms, anxiety, lower self-esteem, social isolation, and poorer sleep quality.
3. Hypothesis:
Testable Hypothesis: Excessive social media use among adolescents is positively associated with lower body image satisfaction, decreased self-esteem, and higher levels of depression and anxiety. Operational Definitions:
· Independent Variable: Excessive social media use, measured by daily hours spent on social media platforms.
· Dependent Variables: Body image satisfaction, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, measured using standardized psychological assessment tools.
4. Research Design: I would employ a cross-sectional correlational research design to examine the relationship between social media usage and adolescent mental health outcomes. Data would be collected through self-report surveys administered online or in person.
Participants: Representative Sample: To establish a representative sample, I would need a sample size of at least 500 adolescents from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, and geographic locations. This number allows for sufficient statistical power and generalizability of findings. Sample Inclusion: Adolescents aged 13-18, representing a range of social media usage patterns and demographics, including gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.
Procedures: Participants would complete surveys assessing their social media usage habits and mental health outcomes. Additionally, demographic information would be collected. To control for confounding variables, I would include questions about offline social support, familial relationships, and other factors influencing mental health outcomes.
Confounding Variable: A potential confounding variable to consider is the presence of offline social support networks, as familial solid and peer relationships may buffer the adverse effects of excessive social media use on mental health.
5. Ethics in Action:
Principles of Ethics: Informed Consent & Confidentiality
Informed consent entails fully informing participants about the study's nature, risks, benefits, and voluntary participation rights. At the same time, confidentiality involves safeguarding participants' privacy through data anonymization to prevent tracing responses back to individuals.
6. Class contributions to terminology:
One term that felt rusty in its application was "cross-sectional study design." To further my understanding on this research method, I read the article by Wang & Cheng (2021), titled "Cross-Sectional Studies: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recommendations", which provided valuable insights into the advantages, limitations, and recommendations for conducting cross-sectional studies in psychological research.
References:
Paakkari L, Tynjälä J, Lahti H, Ojala K, Lyyra N. Problematic Social Media Use and Health among Adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(4):1885.
Wang X, Cheng Z. Cross-Sectional Studies: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recommendations. Chest. 2020 Jul;158(1S):S65-S71. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2020.03.012. PMID: 32658654.
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