How Grounded Is Your Love Life? In a recent experiment, psychologists at Univers

Question

How Grounded Is Your Love Life?

In a recent experiment, psychologists at University of Pittsburgh and the University of Waterloo in Canada decided to examine stability, turbulence and love. The researchers focused on stability because it is a term that has both literal and abstract meanings. Our bodies can be physically stable or they can be wobbly, and so can our intimate relationships. The study participants were 40 college students who reported being involved in a committed relationship that had lasted for at least a year. The researchers randomly assigned half of their volunteers to sit at a normal desk and the other half to sit at a workstation that had been subtly altered so that both the chair and the desk wiggled slightly. The volunteers individually completed questionnaires about their lives and romantic relationships, including whether they felt the relationship would last. The volunteers were alone in the room when they completed the questionnaire and were instructed to not put their name on the questionnaire. The ratings of perceived stability ranged from 1- 7 (1 = not at all likely to last to 7 = certain this relationship will last). A participant could report any number between 1 and 7 on that scale. The students who had been seated at the unstable workstations were much more likely to perceive instability in their love lives (mean = 4.17) than were the students whose chairs and work spaces didn’t waver (mean = 4.93). There is a statistically significant difference between these means (t(38) = 3.64; p<0.05).

1. Name the Predictor / Independent Variable
2. Give the operational definition of the Predictor / Independent Variable.
3. Evaluate the construct validity of the Predictor / Independent Variable (Be sure to consider face, method, and procedural aspects though not all aspects will necessarily need to be discussed; point out strengths and weaknesses of this measure.)

Explanation / Answer

Variable means the thing which varies from time to time. It is of two types – independent and dependent variables. Independent variable is the one which changes and can be manipulated, to know the effects of the dependent variable.

Dependent variable is the variable which can’t be changed or manipulated in the experiment. This variable is called as dependent variable because it depends on the results of the independent variable.

The predictor or independent variable is the no. of participants (i.e. 40 college students) opinions to the questionnaire provided.

The operational definition of the independent variable in the given experiment: Independent variable changes and can be manipulated by the experimenter to know the effect or result of the dependent variable, as dependent variables depends on the independent variable. In the given experiment, independent variable is the no. of students participated (i.e. 40 students) who were divide into two groups – half of them were made to sit at normal desks and other half were made to sit at movable ( unstable) desks.

Here, the dependent variable is to know the stability, love and turbulence in romantic relationships. The participants were grouped into two, in order to know the differences of behaviors and opinions of the students who are at both stable desks and unstable desks to know their effects on stability, love and turbulence in relationships.

3. Construct validity means to know whether the desired measures in an experiment are obtained or not. In this experiment, the main purpose is to know about the stability, love and turbulence in romantic relationships among the participants who were grouped under two categories (stable and unstable places). It is observed that participants who are at unstable desks obtained more instability perceptions (in one’s love life) than the participants at stable desks – stable and unstable desks are related to stability and instability in the participant’s love life. So, the construct used served the purpose of the experiment (what has to be measured has been measured accordingly).

Face validity deals with the subjective perspectives (no guarantee of what it measures actually) in attaining the results of the experiment and this is done superficially.

Strengths and weaknesses of construct validity:

Strengths are: Measurements or the results have high chance of accuracy; hypothesis can be formulated and generated easily for better understanding of the experiment.

Weaknesses are: Once the hypothesis is guessed, it is easy to formulate but generating hypothesis basing on construct validity is difficult. The scores may vary, biases can occur, may lack reliability and validity in few cases.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse H
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.