PS137: Introduction to Research Methods Semester 1 Assignment 1 2017/2018
Please read the following short summary of a research design, and answer the five questions below.
Psychologist Niamh has observed from her everyday experiences that people who have long commutes to work tend be more tired and unhappy (versus people who have shorter commutes) and she thinks that this may have a negative impact on their psychological well-being. To test this scientifically, Niamh recruits participants who have to travel various distances to work every day – some short, some longer. She assesses the distance each person commutes and measures their self-reported stress levels using a stress questionnaire, during the commute.
Question 1
(a) Please state the …show more content…
The IV variable is the element of the theory that can be changed to impact the DV. Therefore, the DV is determined by the IV. The DV variable is what the researcher observes and measures (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). Thus, the IV for Niamh’s theory is the varying distances the commuters travel and the DV is the resulting stress level of each commuter.
Question 3
(a) Outline three advantages for Niamh of choosing a survey approach (i.e., using a questionnaire) in this research?
i. If Niamh is there taking the survey for commuters that drive to work, she will be able to frequently see the commuters physical reactions along the journey in case they fake good for some of their answers to the survey. Faking good is when the participant would adapt their behaviour to what seems to be socially acceptable (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). ii. It is cost-efficient as there is no need for any equipment and she does not have to enlist anyone else to help with the data collection (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). iii. As the questions in the survey will be the same for each participant, the analysis of the data will be more precise.
(b) Outline three disadvantages of choosing a survey …show more content…
If nobody adhered to ethics when conducting research, the participants of the research could be psychologically or physically damaged. Humans cannot be placed in a position of harm for research, and there are guidelines to ensure this does not happen. The institutional review boards (IRBS) are the committees that help keep these rules in place. Animals in research have different ethical standards placed on them, but they do have committees that help researchers adhere to these rules. They are called the institutional animal and care and use committee (IACUC) (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016).
(b) Outline two ethical concerns that are present in Niamh’s research project?
The first ethical concern would be on privacy (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). If the commuter is traveling by train, bus or taxi and the survey is being filled in at that present time other commuters are going to be observing what the participant is doing. So, even though the commuter may be anonymous to Niamh they would not be to the surrounding public. This would not only be unethical, but it also could have an impact on the answers, as the participant could get more stressed if the other commuters were watching
Please read the following short summary of a research design, and answer the five questions below.
Psychologist Niamh has observed from her everyday experiences that people who have long commutes to work tend be more tired and unhappy (versus people who have shorter commutes) and she thinks that this may have a negative impact on their psychological well-being. To test this scientifically, Niamh recruits participants who have to travel various distances to work every day – some short, some longer. She assesses the distance each person commutes and measures their self-reported stress levels using a stress questionnaire, during the commute.
Question 1
(a) Please state the …show more content…
The IV variable is the element of the theory that can be changed to impact the DV. Therefore, the DV is determined by the IV. The DV variable is what the researcher observes and measures (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). Thus, the IV for Niamh’s theory is the varying distances the commuters travel and the DV is the resulting stress level of each commuter.
Question 3
(a) Outline three advantages for Niamh of choosing a survey approach (i.e., using a questionnaire) in this research?
i. If Niamh is there taking the survey for commuters that drive to work, she will be able to frequently see the commuters physical reactions along the journey in case they fake good for some of their answers to the survey. Faking good is when the participant would adapt their behaviour to what seems to be socially acceptable (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). ii. It is cost-efficient as there is no need for any equipment and she does not have to enlist anyone else to help with the data collection (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). iii. As the questions in the survey will be the same for each participant, the analysis of the data will be more precise.
(b) Outline three disadvantages of choosing a survey …show more content…
If nobody adhered to ethics when conducting research, the participants of the research could be psychologically or physically damaged. Humans cannot be placed in a position of harm for research, and there are guidelines to ensure this does not happen. The institutional review boards (IRBS) are the committees that help keep these rules in place. Animals in research have different ethical standards placed on them, but they do have committees that help researchers adhere to these rules. They are called the institutional animal and care and use committee (IACUC) (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016).
(b) Outline two ethical concerns that are present in Niamh’s research project?
The first ethical concern would be on privacy (Gazzaniga, Halpern, & Heatherton, 2016). If the commuter is traveling by train, bus or taxi and the survey is being filled in at that present time other commuters are going to be observing what the participant is doing. So, even though the commuter may be anonymous to Niamh they would not be to the surrounding public. This would not only be unethical, but it also could have an impact on the answers, as the participant could get more stressed if the other commuters were watching