A researcher finds a correlation between participants' measured level of self-reflection and their strictness on moral judgments, and concludes that self-reflection causes moral strictness. Apply the causal limitation principles from the Schnall et al. study to write a brief two-sentence critique of this conclusion and state what must be done to the variable to establish causality.
Question: A researcher finds a correlation between participants' measured level of self-reflection and their strictness on moral judgments, and concludes that self-reflection causes moral strictness. Apply the causal limitation principles from the Schnall et al. study to write a brief two-sentence critique of this conclusion and state what must be done to the variable to establish causality.
Sample answer: This conclusion is unjustified because self-reflection was only measured rather than manipulated, meaning the association could be driven by an unmeasured third variable. To establish causality, the researcher must manipulate the self-reflection variable rather than simply measuring it.
Key points:
- Critique that the causal conclusion is invalid because the trait was only measured.
- Identify that an unmeasured third variable could cause the association.
- State that establishing causality requires manipulating the variable.
Feedback: The critique should state that the causal claim is invalid because the variable was only measured, leaving it vulnerable to third-variable confounds. It must also specify that establishing causality requires manipulating the variable.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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A researcher finds a correlation between participants' measured level of self-reflection and their strictness on moral judgments, and concludes that self-reflection causes moral strictness. Apply the causal limitation principles from the Schnall et al. study to write a brief two-sentence critique of this conclusion and state what must be done to the variable to establish causality.