Case Study

Explain why this student's proposed methodology fails to implement the controls used in Levine and Norenzayan's structured observation study, and discuss how these changes would affect the validity of the data collected regarding the 'pace of life'.

Case context: A student researcher wants to use structured observation to study the 'pace of life' on different university campuses. They plan to replicate the methodology of Levine and Norenzayan. They choose to measure how long it takes single students to walk 6060 feet in the main campus plaza. However, they decide to collect data throughout the entire academic year, including rainy winter days and sunny spring days, and they do not exclude students who stop to talk to friends or look at campus bulletin boards.

Question: Explain why this student's proposed methodology fails to implement the controls used in Levine and Norenzayan's structured observation study, and discuss how these changes would affect the validity of the data collected regarding the 'pace of life'.

Sample answer: This methodology fails to control for key extraneous variables that Levine and Norenzayan managed. By timing students during rainy and winter weather, the researcher introduces weather as a confounding variable, as weather conditions directly affect walking speed. By not excluding students who stop to socialize or look at bulletin boards, they introduce socializing/distraction as an extraneous variable. This compromises internal validity, as differences in walking times may reflect weather conditions or social interactions rather than the actual 'pace of life' of the campus.

Key points:

  • Failure to control for weather by collecting data across different seasons and conditions.
  • Failure to control for social distractions/activities by not excluding students who stop to talk or look at boards.
  • These extraneous variables act as confounds that threaten the validity of the study.
  • The resulting walking speed measurements will not purely reflect the intended construct of 'pace of life'.

Rubric: A successful answer must demonstrate comprehension by identifying that the student failed to control for weather (by collecting data in all seasons/rain) and social distractions (by not excluding students who stop to talk or look at boards). It must explain that these uncontrolled extraneous variables will confound the results and reduce the internal validity of the measurements.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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