BAMG20150 Fall 2013 - Homework #1 Additional Questions Solutions 1.

Compare the terms active independent variable and attribute independent variable. What are the similarities and differences? An attribute independent variable is a characteristic or a part of the participants, whether or not the study takes place. It is not manipulated by the researcher. Some common attribute variables, such as ethnicity, gender, and IQ, are not easily changed. Other attributes, such as age, income, job title, personality traits, and attitudes, can change over time. The key characteristic of attribute independent variables is that they are measured, not manipulated. An active independent variable is manipulated or caused to vary systematically. The treatment or condition that the group receives may be determined by the experimenter or sometimes by someone else, often a group (school, clinic, etc.). The researcher or other person actively gives different groups different treatments, and the differences between groups that have different treatments are usually the focus of the study. The most common active variable is when an experimental and comparison group receive different treatments (curricula, interventions, etc.). The participants might be randomly assigned to groups or already be in intact groups such as school classes. 2. What kind of independent variable (active or attribute) is necessary to infer cause? Can one always infer cause from this type of independent variable? If so, why? If not, when can one infer cause and when might causal inferences be more questionable? ACTIVE. NO, IN FACT EVEN WHERE THERE IS SIGNIFICANCE, THERE IS A PROBABILITY THAT THE RESULTS ARE BY CHANCE (E.G. .05 LEVEL). THE LOWER THE P VALUE AND THE HIGHER THE EFFECT SIZE THE MORE LIKELY THAT THERE IS A CASUAL CONNECTION. ALSO, YOU MUST CONTROL EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES AND THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE MUST PRECEDE THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE.

3. What is the difference between the independent variable and the dependent variable? In the classic definition of the independent variable, it is the variable that is manipulated. However as commonly referred to in the field, the term independent variable is used more broadly to mean the presumed cause of differences in the outcome variable. The scores or values for the dependent variable depend on the level of the independent variable. For example, you might have an experiment in which you are testing the effectiveness of a new weight reduction plan, say reduced carbohydrates. The independent variable involves whether or not the participant was on the low carbohydrate diet. One group (one level of the independent variable) is given and follows a low carbohydrate diet, whereas the other group (the other level of the independent variable) eats their normal diet. Then to determine if the low carbohydrate diet is initiated and again following a certain period of time (during which one group was on the low carbohydrate diet and one was not). The weight measurements serve as the dependent variable. Thus, the researcher is hoping that the low carbohydrate treatment (the independent variable) affects a change in weight (the dependent variable).

BAMG20150 Fall 2013 - Homework #1 Additional Questions Solutions 4. Compare and contrast associational, difference, and descriptive types of research questions.

A DIFFERENCE QUESTION COMPARES GROUPS, OR LEVELS OF AN INDEPENDENT VARIABLE ON THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE. DIFFERENCE QUESTIONS ARE USUALLY USED WITH RANDOMIZED EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE DESIGNS. AN ASSOCIATIONAL QUESTION ASSOCIATES OR RELATES THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE AND THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE. STATISTICS USED ARE CORRELATION OR MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS. A DESCRIPTIVE QUESTION DESCRIBES OR SUMMARIZES THE DATA. DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS CAN BE USED IN ANY TYPE OF RESEARCH DESIGN.

5. Write a research question and a corresponding hypothesis regarding variables of interest to you but not in the HSB data set. Is it an associational, difference, or descriptive question? Example associational question: Is there an association between IQ scores and SAT scores for high school seniors? Example difference question: Are there differences between three different weight loss programs in regard to the average weight loss? Example descriptive question: What is the average weight loss of all participants in the study?

6. Using one or more of the following HSB variables, religion, mosaic pattern test, and visualization score: a. Write an associational question b. Write a difference question c. Write a descriptive question A) IS THERE AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MOSAIC PATTERN SCORES AND VISUALIZATION SCORES? B) IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PERSONS RELIGION AND THEIR VISUALIZATION SCORE? C) WHAT IS THE AVERAGE MOSAIC PATTERN TEST SCORE?