Learn Before
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 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.
0
1
Tags
KPU
Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
Related
In Levine and Norenzayan's study on the 'pace of life' across various countries, researchers measured how long it took single pedestrians to walk 60 feet in downtown areas while explicitly excluding window-shoppers and only timing on clear summer days. What research method does this clearly defined sampling process exemplify?
In Robert Levine and Ara Norenzayan's study on the 'pace of life,' researchers used specific controls to ensure their observations were accurate and comparable across different cultures. Match each study procedure with the primary research purpose it served.
In a replication of the 'pace of life' study, a researcher times a single pedestrian walking 60 feet on a clear day. If the researcher includes this person in their data despite them stopping twice to look at store displays, they have correctly applied the study's sampling controls.
In the Levine and Norenzayan 'Pace of Life' study, researchers moved from a broad theoretical idea to a specific set of controlled observations. Arrange the following steps in the logical order required to transition from a theoretical construct to a controlled, quantitative measurement.
In the example of structured observation regarding the 'pace of life,' what specific distance did Levine and Norenzayan time single pedestrians walking to collect their quantitative data?
In the 'pace of life' study, timing pedestrians walking feet only on clear days and excluding window-shoppers was intended to capture the widest possible variety of social and environmental factors that influence walking speed.
In their study of the 'pace of life,' Levine and Norenzayan timed single pedestrians walking a distance of feet under strictly controlled conditions, such as excluding window-shoppers and only timing on clear days. While this design ensures the collection of precise and comparable data, a critical evaluation of these controls suggests they may limit the _____ validity of the findings by failing to represent how people walk in more diverse social or environmental contexts.
A researcher attempts to replicate Levine and Norenzayan's pace-of-life structured observation. Match each observer decision below to the specific methodological problem it would create within the study's sampling protocol.
In Levine and Norenzayan's pace-of-life study, restricting observations to clear summer days across all countries was a deliberate strategy to eliminate _____ that could cause walking-speed differences between nations for non-cultural reasons.
A student is critically evaluating whether Levine and Norenzayan's structured observation study of cultural pace of life meets sound methodological standards. Place the following evaluative steps in the logical order that moves from checking foundational definitional clarity to rendering a final, justified quality judgment.
Based on the structured observation study by Robert Levine and Ara Norenzayan on the 'pace of life' across various countries, describe the exact behavior that was timed, the specific distance pedestrians walked, and the two sampling restrictions used to control for extraneous variables.
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'.
Suppose you are designing a structured observation study to measure the 'pace of shopping' in different local supermarkets using a method similar to Levine and Norenzayan's study. State a specific physical distance you would time shoppers walking, and write one specific sampling rule you would implement to control for an extraneous variable (such as socializing or distraction).