A researcher wants to study academic procrastination. If they choose to use an observational research design to observe students in a library, what type of conclusions are they restricted to making, and what must they avoid claiming about the relationship between library study habits and procrastination?
Question: A researcher wants to study academic procrastination. If they choose to use an observational research design to observe students in a library, what type of conclusions are they restricted to making, and what must they avoid claiming about the relationship between library study habits and procrastination?
Sample answer: The researcher is restricted to making descriptive conclusions that provide a snapshot of behaviors as they naturally occur in the library. They must avoid claiming a cause-and-effect relationship between study habits and procrastination, because they are not manipulating or controlling any variables.
Key points:
- Restricted to descriptive conclusions or snapshots of naturally occurring behaviors.
- Must avoid claiming cause-and-effect or causal relationships.
- Applies the rule that lack of variable manipulation/control prevents causal inference.
Rubric: The student must state that the researcher is limited to descriptive snapshots/conclusions of naturally occurring behavior. The student must also specify that the researcher cannot make causal/cause-and-effect claims due to the lack of manipulation or control of variables.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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A researcher wants to study academic procrastination. If they choose to use an observational research design to observe students in a library, what type of conclusions are they restricted to making, and what must they avoid claiming about the relationship between library study habits and procrastination?