Evaluate the student's causal claims. Based on the logic of research design and causal limitations discussed in the text, explain why the claim regarding disgust is justified while the claim regarding private body consciousness is not, and describe how an unmeasured third variable could explain the latter finding.
Case context: A student researcher replicates the study design of Schnall and colleagues. They manipulate disgust by placing participants in clean or messy rooms and measure private body consciousness. They observe that both the messy room condition and high scores in private body consciousness are associated with harsher moral judgments. The student claims that both disgust and private body consciousness cause changes in moral judgments.
Question: Evaluate the student's causal claims. Based on the logic of research design and causal limitations discussed in the text, explain why the claim regarding disgust is justified while the claim regarding private body consciousness is not, and describe how an unmeasured third variable could explain the latter finding.
Sample answer: The causal claim for disgust is justified because it was manipulated, establishing a clear temporal and causal path. The causal claim for private body consciousness is unjustified because it was only measured and not manipulated. This leaves open the possibility that a third variable, like neuroticism, independently causes both heightened bodily awareness and moral strictness, creating a non-causal association between them.
Key points:
- Disgust was manipulated, justifying a causal claim.
- Private body consciousness was only measured, making a causal claim unjustified.
- Causal claims require manipulation of the independent variable.
- An unmeasured third variable can explain associations between two measured variables.
- Neuroticism is a potential third variable that increases both bodily awareness and moral strictness.
Rubric: Students must demonstrate comprehension by explaining that: 1) disgust can be claimed as causal because it was manipulated; 2) private body consciousness cannot be claimed as causal because it was only measured; and 3) an unmeasured third variable (such as neuroticism) could independently influence both variables, accounting for the association.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Evaluate the student's causal claims. Based on the logic of research design and causal limitations discussed in the text, explain why the claim regarding disgust is justified while the claim regarding private body consciousness is not, and describe how an unmeasured third variable could explain the latter finding.
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