Summarizing a Research Article Exercise

Summarizing a Research Article Exercise

 

Title of Article:

“The Impact of Failures and Successes on Affect and Self-Esteem in Young and Older Adults”

Authors:

Alessia Rosi, Elena Cavallini, Nadia Gamboz, Tomaso Vecchi, Floris Tijmen Van Vugt and Riccardo Russo

Hypothesis (or research question):

The success-failure manipulation associated with a cognitive task should impact on affect state and self-esteem of older adults (Rosi et al., 2019,p.2)

Part 1: Abstract

• What is the problem under investigation?

The study seeks to examine whether young adults and older adults are affected differently by manipulation of success-failure associated with a cognitive task (Rosi et al., 2019,p.2).

• Who were the participants (population studied)?

The study involved 100 young people aged between 19 to 30 years and 102 older adults aged (65-81) years.  The young adults selected for the study were undergraduate students.  The selection of 102 older adults was made through a branch of the University of Third Age. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to ensure none of the selected older adults had a condition of dementia.  Other variables included the level of education, vocabulary, and age. Also, young adults selected for the study had more years of education compared to older adults Fswww (1,200) = 61.06, p < 0.001, η 2 p = 0.23 and lower vocabulary score compared to older adults F(1,200) = 24.78, p < 0.001, !2 p = 0.11 1.( Rosi et al., 2019,p.3).  Among the 100 young participants, males were the majority, while in older adults, females were the majority. Another factor considered in the population was a vocabulary test extracted from the Primary Mental Abilities Act (PMA).

• Briefly, what methods (steps) were undertaken?

The participants for the study were administered to Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to assess change before and after induction of failure/success.  According to Terracciano et al., 2003,p. 134), PANAS is used to measure positive and negative affective states. All the 202 participants were administered the Rosenberg trait Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Italian Version, and State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES). First, the participants filled demographic questionnaires involving AG, SSES, PANAS, and the RSES. The participants undertook failure-success manipulation using Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices. The last activity undertaken by older adults was participation in screening to test MMSE.

• List main statistical findings

The result was measured using the ANOVA test with age and manipulation conditions (failure/success) as independent variables. Findings showed a positive affect scale of (PANAS)  and negative affect (PANAS) showed significant effect of age with younger adults registering High scores compared to older adults F(1,198) = 3.51, p = 0.062,!2 p = 0.02 (BF = 0.76) and F(1,198) = 7.38, p = 0.007,!2p = 0.036 (BF = 4.86) (Rosi et al., 2019,p.5). The success factor had a stronger response to the level of arousal than failure. The condition of age and age interaction was viewed as insignificant. Findings from the pleasure scale revealed a significant main effect of condition with age been insignificant. Also, trait self-esteem and state self-esteem analysis from RSES and SSES showed no significant effect of age.

• What were the results of the study?

Based on the first research question, the study showed that the type of manipulation of success/ failure adopted effectively induces robust change on all affect state and self-esteem. The manipulation of success-failure proved to be useful in determining positive and negative effects and other affects states like arousal and pleasure. The result showed manipulation did not affect the measure of trait self-esteem (RSES), while the manipulation significantly affected the measure of state self-esteem (SSES) (Rosi et al., 2019,p.6). Both younger adults and older adults were equally affected by success-failure manipulation.

• Was the hypothesis proven correct or incorrect?

The results proved wrong the research question that there is a difference in the way young and older adults are affected by success-failure experimental manipulations associated with a cognitive.

• What are the implications of the study?

The study demonstrated the low-level impact of success-failure manipulation on older adults. The results showed that older adults have high stability in self-esteem, which flattens their emotional reactions to success and failure.

Part 2: Introduction

• What is the main theory, and who were the researchers being used/quoted?

Success-failure experimental manipulations linked with the cognitive task have a differing effect on the states and self-esteem of young adults and older adults.

• What is the rationale for the study?

The state self-esteem (SSES) is profoundly impacted by the manipulation of success-failure associated with cognitive activities.

• What is the new approach/idea “your” study is taking/has, or how does “your” study hope to find a new or different approach to the issue?

The study followed the theoretical approach by Rosi et al., (2016), which shows Success-Failure Manipulation (SCM) induces significant changes in affects state and self-esteem.

The current study examined the manipulation of failure/success in a more demanding cognitive task by solving Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM (Rosi et al., 2019,p.2).

 

 

Part 3: Discussion

• According to the researchers, how did the results support the hypothesis?

The results for this study “suggested that failing or having success in a demanding cognitive task achieved the same effect on affect states and state self-esteem both in young and older adults”(Rosi et al., 2019,p.7).

• According to the researchers, what differences (or similarities) did “your” study have from previous ones?

The result from past research by Rosi et al., (2016), show consistency in that the success-failure manipulation induced on cognitive task affects only the state self-esteem and not trait self-esteem.

There is a difference from past research conducted by Meier et al., 2014), which showed older adults have higher stability of self-esteem compared to young people.

The results also differ from a past study by Charles et al.,2001), who found that negative affects are low in older adults.

• According to the researchers, what were the weaknesses of “your” study?

The researcher failed to prove that the two selected age groups have similar motivation factors for success or failure in a cognitive task.

The study failed to consider the fact that the emotional charge of events experienced in the experiment may subdue those associated with real-life events.

• According to the researchers, how could “your” study be improved?

The study should assess all life factors that affect self-esteem reactions to success-failures and motivation levels of participants when testing success-failure manipulation among different age groups.

McFarland and Buehler, 1997; Nummenmaa and Niemi, 2004) should be more relevant and be more motivating for older adults than younger adults (Rosial., 2019,p.8).

• According to the researchers, what future implications does the study suggest?

The study demonstrates the need to examine other life events not only age when investigating the impact on affect and self-esteem of young adults and older adults.

 

 

Reference

Rosi, A., Cavallini, E., Gamboz, N., Vecchi, T., & Russo, R. (2019). The impact of failures and successes on affect and self-esteem in young and older adults. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1795.