Assignment: Choose a topic of study that is of some personal interest to you. Keep the idea
verysimple. Choose two variables and state how you believe they might relate to one another in a very general way. Keep the two variables the same in each study, just change the way you measure them. Design three studies; 1) an observational study (as an initial assessment of your concepts), 2) a survey study (to measure simple correlation between your two variables) and 3) an experimental study (to measure cause and effect between your two variables). Keep the same topic and same variables for each study, only change how you are conducting the study and testing your hypothesis in each study. Define operationalization. Describe for me each study, how you would set it up and measure (operationalize) the variables. State your hypothesis for each study.
Make asimple statement about the internal or externalvalidity for each study.This writing assignment allows you to be the creative Social Psychologist, measuring your variables of interest with ethical and reasonable techniques. Use Turnitin.com to upload your final paper, the link is included in this section
Attached is an example.
Running head: LIFTING AND SELF-CONFIDENCE 2 Weight Lifting and Self-Confidence Amy Blickenstaff, Ph.D. Nova Southeastern University January 13, 2020 Weight Lifting and Self-Confidence I am investigating the idea that participating in weight lifting exercises helps to build self-confidence. I am wondering if weight lifting increases self-confidence. I propose three different studies to test this hypothesis. Proposed Research Observational Study The first study I propose will be observational in nature. Weight Lifting and self-confidence will be assessed and measured only through aspects of behavior that can be casually observed. Participation in weight lifting will be operationalized (recorded) as the repetitions of weights lifted. Any weight that is lifted, including barbells, dumbbells or kettle bells, will be recorded and repetition of lifts will be counted. Self-Confidence will be operationalized (measured) as the number of times a participant looks in the mirror during the observation session. Two data collectors will place themselves at three different local gyms from different parts of the city around Biceptropolis, IN for two hours at a time. Only data that is in agreement between the two observers will be recorded as official data. Behavior of both those who do and do not lift weights while at the gym will be observed and recorded. I hypothesize that a greater number of reported weight lifting repetitions will be related to a greater number of “looking in the mirror” episodes. This study has high external validity because it is conducted in a real-world environment where people exercise. It gives us an idea of how self-confidence may vary for different types of exercisers. However, we did not randomly assign participants to weight lifting and non-weight lifting conditions (in a gym who is lifting weights and who is performing other exercises is a naturally occurring variable), so we cannot imply weight lifting caused self-confidence, it could be that self-confidence inspires weight lifting. Further, looking in the mirror may not fully measure self-confidence. Survey Study The next study will determine if weight lifting and self-confidence are statistically related to each other (correlated) using self-report surveys. In order to obtain a more representative sample of the population that includes both exercisers and non-exercisers, researchers will place themselves outside three different grocery stores from different parts of the city in Biceptropolis, IN. Researchers will ask shoppers on their way in and out of the grocery store if they would like to volunteer to complete a brief survey about exercise habits. The weight lifting variable will be assessed through a series of questions about how often the participant exercises, what type of exercise, duration and amount. Weight lifting questions will be embedded into these exercise questions and ask specifically about the frequency of their weight lifting work out. Ten questions that assess self-confidence will be embedded among other questions about the self, like body image, life satisfaction, and personal stressors, to hide the explicit hypotheses of the study. I hypothesize that there will be a positive correlation between the amount of weight lifting reported (how many times a week) and self-confidence scores, such that the more often a someone reports lifting weights, the higher their self-confidence score will be. This study has good external validity because it surveys a broad section of the community by asking people at grocery stores in various parts of the community to answer these questions. This study has targeted a more diverse group of people to assess the variables and therefore the results could be said to apply to a larger portion of the population. This study is low in internal validity because we did not randomly assign people to the weight lifting and non-weight lifting group. Therefore, we have not controlled for other differences that may exist between lifters and non-lifters that possibly explain differences in self-confidence. For instance, those who lift weights may be naturally stronger people who also have higher self-confidence due to their natural strength. This would make it look like weight lifting and self-confidence are related, when in fact a third variable (natural strength) can explain both outcomes. Random assignment to experimental conditions is the only way to rule out confounding variables. Experimental Study The final study will involve experimentally manipulating participation in weight lifting behaviors to observe if there is an effect on self-confidence. In this example, weight lifting and not weight lifting (in this case it will be aerobic exercise) is the independent variable, because I believe it has an effect on self-confidence, the dependent variable. New gym memberships skyrocket in January as people try to fulfill their New Year’s Resolutions. Many people sign up with personal trainers in order to begin their fitness regiments. I will coordinate with three different gyms in different parts of the city of Biceptropolis, IN to have trainers randomly assign, through the flip of a coin, 10 people to an aerobic exercise routine and 10 people to a weight lifting regiment, to be followed for 12 weeks. Participants will complete many self-report scales, with 10 self-confidence questions embedded. These self-report questions will be completed at the beginning and end of the 12-week exercise period. I hypothesize that those in the weight lifting condition will have significantly higher self-confidence scores than those in the aerobic exercisers at the end of the 12-week period, suggesting that there is something about lifting weights specifically that causes increased feelings of self-confidence. Internal validity for the experimental study is strong. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a weight lifting condition or an aerobic condition, so type of exercise is the only observed difference between the groups. Therefore, any differences in self-confidence between the groups can be attributed to the type of exercise. External validity is moderate. Although the study is taking place in a gym, a natural, real world setting, it is in a very in a specific environment and it would need to be replicated in other setting and communities in order to be generalizable. Summary In summary, performing all three types of studies regarding the same hypotheses helps us to maximize both internal and external validity. The central concepts will be measured in various ways, through observations of behavior, self-reports of behavior and experimentally manipulated behavior. Further, the central concepts will be measured in different settings, both at the gym and at the grocery store. Finally, the proposed independent variable, weight lifting or aerobic exercise, will be manipulated and the resulting self-confidence will be recorded, so a causal relationship can begin to be suggested. Altogether, these three studies can provide a robust test of the hypothesis that weight lifting increases self-confidence.