Research Methods and Design I – Assignment #14– All Together Now
Instructions: As an end of semester treat, NO math involved in this one! For each of the studies list below, first indicate the (A) null and (B) alternative hypotheses. Where possible, note whether it is directional or non-directional. Second, note the (C) IVs and (D) DVs (if present). Third, indicate (E) the most appropriate statistical test to use (Figure 13.1 in Salkind, page 235 may help unless it is a correlational study!). Finally, based on your own thought about how the data would turn out if you ran it, I want you to (F) write up the results as you would see it in an APA results section of an empirical article (make up the statistics, including F values, t values, correlation values, degrees of freedom, means, SDs, etc.. Make sure to write them in APA format and make sure they make sense in context – e.g. if you note significance, it must be higher than the tabled critical values).
1) A researcher is interested in studying whether a company’s sick day policies can influence how much employees feel motivated to work hard. They randomly assign company A to adopt a sick day policy in which employees are given at total of 15 sick days that they may use at any point during the year without question or documentation required, and Company B to adopt a policy in which they are given up to 15 sick days, but they must provide a doctor’s documentation of their illness in order to be able to take the day off. The researcher believes that employees at company A, with the more lenient “no questions asked” policy will feel more motivated to work hard than those at company B, with the stricter sick day policy.
A. A Null hypothesis:
B. Alternative hypothesis:
C. IVs:
D. DVs:
E. Best test to use:
F. Results Write-Up:
2) A researcher is interested in studying how exposure to blue spectrum light (the light emitted from smartphones and other technology devices) can influence sleep quality. She randomly assigns one group of participants to use no technology before bed for 1 week, and a second group of participants to look at a smartphone or tablet for 1 hour before bed for 1 week, and a third group to read a book for 1 hour before bed for 1 week. She compares the groups on their sleep quality and expects that the group that uses technology before bed will sleep significantly worse than the other two groups.
A. Null hypothesis:
B. Alternative hypothesis:
C. IVs:
D. DVs:
E. Best test to use:
F. Results Write-Up:
3) A high school believes that their seniors have gotten exceptionally high SAT scores this year, and they want to compare the SAT scores of their 400 seniors to the SAT scores of all the high school seniors in the country.
A. Null hypothesis:
B. Alternative hypothesis:
C. IVs:
D. DVs:
E. Best test to use:
F. Results Write-Up:
4) A researcher is interested in examining whether exposure to “green spaces” (such as those found in nature) can influence stress levels (as measured by cortisol). Researchers place participants in a room lined with green plants for one hour and measure their stress levels before and after being in the room.
A. Null hypothesis:
B. Alternative hypothesis:
C. IVs:
D. DVs:
E. Best test to use:
F. Results Write-Up:
5) Researchers are interested in studying whether time spent on social media is associated with happiness. They measureparticipant’s reports of the amount of time they spend on social media each week, and also measures their reports of happiness (on a scale of 1-10).
A. Null hypothesis:
B. Alternative hypothesis:
C. IVs:
D. DVs:
E. Best test to use:
F. Results Write-Up:
6) For this one, I want you to come up with your own original study idea (like the ones I gave you above), and then answer questions A-F about your study. I want each individual group member to come up with their own original study idea, you may not turn in the same answer as your group members. If you do, you will not receive credit for this question.
A. Null hypothesis:
B. Alternative hypothesis:
C. IVs:
D. DVs:
E. Best test to use:
F. Results Write-Up: