Based on this finding, explain what this reduction to +.03 indicates about the role of SES and the nature of the relationship between violent television viewing and aggression.
Case context: A researcher investigates the relationship between watching violent television shows and aggressive behavior. Concerned that socioeconomic status (SES) might represent a third variable driving this relationship, the researcher reexamines the data. They use partial correlation to statistically control for SES. The analysis reveals that after controlling for SES, the correlation between violent television viewing and aggression drops to +.03.
Question: Based on this finding, explain what this reduction to +.03 indicates about the role of SES and the nature of the relationship between violent television viewing and aggression.
Sample answer: A reduction in the correlation to +.03 indicates that socioeconomic status (SES) is indeed a third variable driving the relationship between violent television viewing and aggression. This suggests that the initial positive correlation was spurious, as the relationship between watching violent television and aggression does not exist independently of SES.
Key points:
- The drop in correlation to +.03 indicates that SES is a third variable driving the relationship.
- The result suggests the initial positive correlation between violent television and aggression was spurious.
- The relationship is not independent of SES.
Rubric: A successful response must describe how the drop to +.03 indicates that SES is a third variable driving the relationship, and explain that the initial positive correlation is spurious rather than a direct independent relationship.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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