Essay

Based on the provided example of archival research investigating optimism and health, outline the key details of the study. Specifically, recall and describe the nature of the historical participants, the source of the qualitative data analyzed, the specific method used to quantify that qualitative data, the outcome variable, and the final statistical result (including the Pearson's rr value).

Question: Based on the provided example of archival research investigating optimism and health, outline the key details of the study. Specifically, recall and describe the nature of the historical participants, the source of the qualitative data analyzed, the specific method used to quantify that qualitative data, the outcome variable, and the final statistical result (including the Pearson's rr value).

Sample answer: The study examined healthy male college students from the 1940s who completed open-ended questionnaires about difficult wartime experiences. Researchers used content analysis to extract a quantitative explanatory style score for each participant. They then assessed the statistical relationship between these early scores and archival measures of the participants' health at age 60. The study found a positive correlation between the early optimism scores and later health, with Pearson's r=+.25r = +.25.

Key points:

  • Participants were college students in the 1940s who completed open-ended questionnaires about wartime experiences.
  • Content analysis was utilized to extract an explanatory style score from the qualitative questionnaires.
  • Health was measured using archival data of the participants when they reached approximately age 60.
  • The statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation between early optimism and later health, with Pearson's r=+.25r = +.25.

Rubric: Award 1 point for identifying the participants (1940s college students/males), 1 point for identifying the qualitative source (open-ended questionnaires about wartime experiences), 1 point for specifying the method used to quantify optimism (content analysis to get explanatory style scores), 1 point for specifying the outcome measure (archival health measures at age 60), and 1 point for stating the correct Pearson's rr value (+.25+.25 or positive correlation of +.25+.25).

0

1

Updated 2026-05-27

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

KPU

Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

Related