To: sbaker@odu.edu
From: Thomas Meyer
tmeyer@ph.vccs.edu
276 656-0283
Patrick Henry Community College
Subject: Statistics - w/ Dr.Spencer Baker - Homework Assignment #3, Ch 10 - Problem 08, page257.
Date: March 21, 2004
Question:
For the following descriptions, make a determination whether the study could be
most appropriately labeled an evaluation study or a research study.
Provide a justification for your answer.
a. An aggressive advertisement campaign was released by a company to improve the sale of a particular brand of athletic shoe. the company tracked the sales of the shoe over a six-week period of time in order to determine whether the aggressive ad campaign should be continued.
Answer:
|
This is an evaluation study. Evaluation studies tend to have: 1. An investigator who has a clear preference for one outcome over another; 2. Results are often interpreted as not inconsistent with the policy position that motivated the study. 3. Results get applied to the policy or program that motivated the study. 4. The study usually has direct implications for action. (See text page 247.) The word "aggressive" and advertisement suggest that items 3 and 4 above apply to this example. The investigating company clearly has an interest in the outcome, and that satisfies criteria #1 above also. |
Question:
b. An important component of reading comprehension is the
encoding strategy that readers utilize. According to the Levels of
Processing perspective, readers should recall more information if it is encoded
at a deeper level. Two encoding strategies, paraphrasing what was read and
recording the key words for what was read, were identified as involving two
different levels of processing. Participants were given instructions to
read a passage one and only one time. Upon completion of the reading, they
were instructed to either write down the central ideas in their own words
(paraphrase) or list the key words in the passage (key-word). One week
later the participants were asked to write down as many ideas from the passage
as they could recall in a 40-minute time period.
Answer:
|
This is a research study. Research studies tend to have: 1. An investigator who assumes an indifferent attitude to the study outcome; 2. An interpretation of results that follows strict rules of inference; 3. The study's results become generalized as widely as possible; and 4. The study seldom has direct consequences in action. In this example, the investigator seem indifferent to the outcome, and he appears to pursue knowledge for its own sake. He is therefore likely to adhere to strict rules and to publicize his findings widely. |
Question:
c. Participants were randomly assigned to view video-tape of
a counseling session that involved marital problems of a couple. In
introducing the study, the participants were either informed that counselor was
a masters level clinical student in training or that the counselor held a
doctoral degree in clinical psychology. After viewing the same 30-minute
session, the participants were asked to rate their perceptions of the
effectiveness of the counselor on a 7-point scale.
Answer:
|
This is
also a research study. Research studies tend to have: 1. An investigator who assumes an indifferent attitude to the study outcome; 2. An interpretation of results that follows strict rules of inference; 3. The study's results become generalized as widely as possible; and 4. The study seldom has direct consequences in action. Like the previous example, the investigator seem indifferent to the outcome, and he appears to pursue knowledge for its own sake. He is therefore likely to adhere to strict rules and to publicize his findings widely. |
Question:
d. An environmental protection group wanted to determine the
effectiveness of signs strategically placed in a mountain meadow describing the
consequences to the plant life of failing to walk on the designated trail to
determine if the state and federal government should fund a program to place
this type of sign in all public park areas where the natural vegetation was at
risk of dying as a result of human traffic.
Answer:
|
This is another evaluation study. Environmentalists will have a stake in the outcome, and results will have direct consequences on existing programs. Items 1, 3, and 4 seem to be satisfied in the checklist mentioned in answer "a" above. |
filename: StatHW3Ch10Prob08page257TomMeyer.doc
Tom Meyer
Thomas Meyer