Case Study

Explain how Dr. Aris's study design demonstrates comprehension of the ethical and methodological principles described in the cannabis and memory example.

Case context: Dr. Aris wants to study if heavy caffeine consumption during adolescence is related to sleep quality. Because they cannot ethically force adolescents to consume large amounts of caffeine, they decide to measure participants' natural, daily caffeine intake and administer a standardized sleep quality questionnaire.

Question: Explain how Dr. Aris's study design demonstrates comprehension of the ethical and methodological principles described in the cannabis and memory example.

Sample answer: Just as in the cannabis study where researchers cannot ethically force participants to use cannabis and must rely on a correlational strategy, Dr. Aris cannot ethically force adolescents to consume caffeine. Dr. Aris applies the correlational strategy by measuring the pre-existing, natural frequency of caffeine intake alongside sleep quality scores on a standardized test to see if they are statistically related, rather than manipulating caffeine intake.

Key points:

  • Recognizes that forcing substance consumption (caffeine) is unethical.
  • Avoids manipulating the independent variable.
  • Measures the natural frequency of caffeine intake.
  • Evaluates the statistical relationship alongside a standardized sleep quality measure.

Rubric: The student must show they understand that both studies avoid ethical violations of forced consumption by measuring natural frequency of use rather than manipulating the independent variable, and evaluate the statistical relationship using standardized measures.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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