Using the archival study on optimism and health described in the example, recall and explain the methodology used by the researchers. Specifically, describe the source of historical qualitative data, how they converted it to a quantitative score, and the statistical relationship they found between early optimism and health at age 60.
Question: Using the archival study on optimism and health described in the example, recall and explain the methodology used by the researchers. Specifically, describe the source of historical qualitative data, how they converted it to a quantitative score, and the statistical relationship they found between early optimism and health at age 60.
Sample answer: The researchers used open-ended questionnaires about wartime experiences completed by college students in the 1940s as their historical qualitative data. They used content analysis to extract an explanatory style score for each participant. They then assessed the statistical relationship between these early optimism scores and archival measures of the men's health at age 60, finding a positive correlation (Pearson's ).
Key points:
- Qualitative data source: open-ended questionnaires from the 1940s about wartime experiences completed by college students.
- Measurement technique: content analysis to extract quantitative explanatory style scores.
- Statistical analysis: correlation between early scores and health at age 60.
- Statistical result: a positive correlation of Pearson's .
Rubric: The response must correctly identify the 1940s wartime questionnaires as the qualitative data, content analysis as the method to extract explanatory style scores, and the Pearson's positive correlation with health at age 60.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Using the archival study on optimism and health described in the example, recall and explain the methodology used by the researchers. Specifically, describe the source of historical qualitative data, how they converted it to a quantitative score, and the statistical relationship they found between early optimism and health at age 60.
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Suppose you want to design a new archival study to test if early-life stress relates to cognitive health in old age using letters written by students in the 1960s. Apply the measurement and statistical approach from the optimism and health study to describe how you would operationalize early-life stress from these letters and evaluate its relationship to later cognitive health.