Quantitative Research Methods Assignment: 2019-2020

Quantitative Research Methods Assignment: 2019-2020

 

• Submit the assignment in a Word document. PDFs will NOT BE GRADED.
• All answers should be in Times New Roman Font, size 12, otherwise it will NOT BE GRADED.
• Make sure all answers are within the stated line limits (where applicable). Answers that exceed the line limit will NOT BE GRADED.
• Good luck!

 

Part I – Text:

Please answer the following 7 questions according to the text below.

(42 points, 6 points per question):

 

The calming effect of a new wearable device during the anticipation of public speech

Azevedo, Bennett, Bilicki, Hooper, Markopoulou, and Tsakiris

* The original text was edited

 

Abstract

We tested whether the doppel, a wearable device that aims to reduce anxiety, would have a calming effect on physiological arousal and subjective reports of anxiety during a stressful situation. To test the doppel, we assigned participants to one of two groups (doppel powered on versus doppel powered off) and measured their responses to a stressful situation.

Method

Participants.

A total of 52 (20 male; mean age = 26.4, sd= 5.7) people responded to social media advertisements for the study and agreed to participate. Twenty-five participants (16 female; mean age = 25.9, sd = 5.2) were randomly assigned to the active group (doppel powered on condition) and 27 participants (16 female; mean age = 26.8, s.d. = 6.1) to the control group (doppel powered off condition).

Measures and procedures.

When participants came to the lab, they were asked to complete a baseline assessment of their subjective ratings of anxiety on a 20-item questionnaire. Their answers were given on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (always). Afterwards, they were hooked up to physiological devices, which measured their physiological arousal. For the purpose of this study, physiological arousal was measured as the number of spikes in electrical activity of their skin. The more spikes in skin electricity, the higher their physiological arousal. The participants were then instructed to sit quietly for 5 minutes so the researchers could collect a baseline measure of their physiological arousal.

Following the baseline measurement, the participants were fitted with a doppel wristband. A research assistant told them that they were turning the doppel device on and that that the doppel device was measuring their blood pressure (in order to conceal the real purpose of the study). The participants were also told they may feel some vibrations from the device while it was on. Participants were randomly assigned in a single-blind manner to one of two conditions (doppel powered off condition and doppel powered on condition).

Next, participants were told they would have 5 minutes to prepare a speech about animal research, explaining both the pros and cons on the subject, and would then have to present it in front of a panel of expert judges in the next room. This task served as a stressful situation manipulation and physiological arousal was measured continuously throughout the task. After the participants prepared their speeches, they were asked to fill out their subjective ratings of anxiety again. In addition, they reported on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely) the extent to which they found the speech preparation stressful.

Once they completed this final task, the research assistant removed the physiological equipment and the doppel device from the participant. At the end of the study, participants were debriefed and thanked for their participation.

Results

At the beginning of the experiment, the two groups displayed comparable levels of physiological arousal (as measured by the number of spikes in skin electricity) and comparable levels of anxiety on the “subjective ratings of state anxiety” questionnaire. However, at the end of their stressful speech preparation, participants in the doppel powered on condition showed a significantly smaller increase in physiological arousal compared to the control group. Similarly, at the end of their stressful speech preparation participants in the doppel powered on condition reported a significantly smaller increase in their subjective anxiety ratings compared to the control group. Finally, participants in the doppel powered on condition found the task significantly less stressful than participants in the control condition. Overall, we found that the group with a powered on doppel (compared to the control group) felt more relaxed, had lower physiological arousal, and lower subjective anxiety ratings during the stressful situation.

General Discussion

We tested the efficacy of a new wearable device on calmness during a task that typically induces high anxiety. In the present study, we hypothesized that a slow vibration from the doppel, as opposed to the absence of any vibration (i.e., the control group), would enable participants to be calm during a stressful scenario. To that end, we told participants that the doppel was a blood pressure monitoring device, and only for one of the two groups we turned on the doppel to deliver its vibrations during the stressful scenario. The results highlight that the use of the doppel had a clear and significant calming effect in both a physiological measure of arousal and a subjective report of anxiety during a task that is effective in inducing stress, suggesting that the doppel enabled participants to stay calmer and less anxious, as compared with the condition where the device was worn but was not performing its intended function. The results of the study support the effectiveness of the doppel device.

 

1. Describe the variables (these answers should be at maximum a few words):
   1. State the study’s IV (1 pt).

Answer: The vibration of the device

1. State the Scale of Measurement of the IV (1 pt).

Answer: Slow and/or absence vibration from the dopple device.

1. State the theoretical definition of the study’s DV (2 pts).

Answer: Stressful scenario

1. State the operational definition of the study’s DV (2 pts).

Answer: The number of spikes in electrical activity of the skin.

 

2. State the study design (this answer should be at maximum a few words).

Answer: A slow vibration from the doppel, as opposed to the absence of vibration reduces stress

 

3. The authors state “The participants were told that the doppel device was measuring their blood pressure to conceal the real purpose of the study”. Why was it important for the authors to mislead the participants? (Maximum 1 line)

Answer: To test the efficacy of the new wearable device on calmness.

 

4. What is an appropriate test of reliability for the “Subjective ratings of anxiety” questionnaire in the study? (this answer should be at maximum a few words).

Answer: Doppel device absence of vibration.

 

5. If the scores on the “Subjective ratings of anxiety” questionnaire are positively related to scores on the valid physiological arousal assessment, what type of validity does that refer to? (this answer should be at maximum a few words).

Answer: Criterion validity

 

6. How would the study design change if the researchers had given all participants a powered on doppel and looked at how their initial anxiety scores related to their subsequent anxiety scores after the study instead of randomly assigning participants to different groups? (Maximum 1 line)

Answer: By how much does powered on doppel can decrease anxiety.

 

7. What sampling method did the researchers use to collect their sample? (this answer should be at maximum a few words).

Answer: Simple random sampling

 

Part II – Fill in the blank:

Fill in the blank for each of the following statements. these answers should be at maximum a few words.

(7 questions; total of 28 points, 4 points per question)

 

1. A __________ variable is a variable that explains the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable.

Answer: Confounding Variable

 

2. A list of individuals or clusters of individuals in a population who might actually be selected for inclusion in the sample is referred to as __________.

Answer: Research participants

 

3. When a researcher is concerned that situational factors caused participants to score lower on a measure of IQ than they normally would have, the researcher should assess reliability via __________.

Answer: Validity

 

4. A researcher was interested in people’s barbequing habits. To that end, the researcher asked participants “whether or not they enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers”. This is an example of a __________ question, and therefore the researcher should remove it from the survey.

Answer: Closed question

 

5. __________ is a potential solution for dealing with problems raised by order effects.

Answer: Counterbalancing

 

6. A __________ serves as an alternative explanation for the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Answer: Confound Variable

 

7. A testable answer to a research question which provides a specific prediction about the expected results of a study is known as a(n) ___________.

Answer: Hypothesis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part III – Design your own study:

(5 questions; total of 30 points, 6 points per question)

 

Designing your own study:

 

In this section you will suggest your own research design using the two variables: social media usage and depressive symptoms.

 

Your answers will be graded on how well you are able to implement the theories we learned in class. Additionally, your answers must be expressed in your own words and cannot be copied from one another. No answer should exceed one line.

 

1. Description of your IV

1. What is the IV? (2pts)

Answer: Social media usage deficiency.

1. How would you operationalize the IV? (2pts)

Answer: Taking away any device that can make participants access the social media

1. What scale of measurement is the IV measured on? (2pts)

Answer: Participant time without social media before depression symptoms

 

1. Description of your DV

1. What is the DV? (2pts)

Answer: Depressive symptoms

1. How would you operationalize the DV? (2pts)

Answer: Emotional characteristics

1. What is the appropriate test of reliability for your DV? (2pts)

Answer: External reliability

 

1. Moderator

1. What is a potential moderator for this study? (2pts)

Answer: Without social media

1.  How would you measure it? (2pts)

Answer: How long does depression take effect on a participant without social media?

1. In 1 sentence, describe the hypothetical relationship between the moderator and the IV and DV. (2pts)

Answer: The longer a participant is without social media the more depressed the individual becomes.

 

1. Description of your design

1. Design type you used: (2pts)

Answer: Correlational design type

1. Advantage of this design: (2pts)

Answer: Finding the direction and strength of each relationship thus creation of future studies

1. Disadvantage of this design: (2pts)

Answer: Correlation does not tell the researchers about cause and effect

 

1. Expected results, results, and explanation

1. What is the hypothesis of your study? (2pts)

Answer: The more participants stay away from social media the more they are depressed

1. Assuming you found a significant result, state an alternative explanation. (2pts)

Answer: The participants became bored due the length of the research

1. How would you rule out this alternative explanation? (2pts)

Answer: There are more activities to be done that does not involve accessing social media.

 

 

 

 

Good luck!