1) The police chief of New City states publicly that she sees a direct relationship between teenage arrests in New City for violent crimes and the popularity among New City teens of especially violent television shows. Design a correlational study to research this claimed relationship, being sure to address how each of the following design elements would apply to your study:
Operational definition of variables
Selection of participants ·
Generalizability ·
Two ethical considerations
Operational definition of variables:
The operational definition of variables is crucial to clearly define and measure the concepts under investigation.
1) Violent TV shows: Operational definition could be the number of hours spent watching violent television shows per week, measured through self-report or a viewing log.
2) Teenage arrests for violent crimes: Operational definition could be the number of teenage arrests for violent crimes recorded in official police records.
Selection of participants:
The study should focus on New City teenagers to ensure that the findings are specific to the population in question. The participants could be randomly selected from a pool of high schools in New City. It is important to ensure a diverse sample that includes different socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities to enhance generalizability.
Generalizability:
To enhance the generalizability of the findings, it is necessary to establish a representative sample of New City teenagers. Randomly selecting participants from various high schools in the city would help reduce bias and generalize the findings to other New City teens. However, it is important to note that generalizing beyond New City may be limited.
Two ethical considerations:
1) Informed consent: Before participation, informed consent should be obtained from the teenagers and their parents or legal guardians, ensuring they understand the purpose, procedures, potential risks, and their right to withdraw at any time without consequences.
2) Confidentiality and privacy: Ensure that all data collected is kept confidential. Anonymity should be maintained by assigning unique identifiers to participants instead of using their names or other personally identifiable information. Additionally, measures should be in place to protect the participants' privacy and ensure their safety, especially given the sensitive nature of the topic involving teenage arrests.
To design a correlational study to investigate the claimed relationship between teenage arrests for violent crimes and the popularity of violent television shows, we need to consider the following design elements:
1. Operational Definition of Variables:
We need to clearly define and operationalize the variables being studied. In this case, we have two variables:
- Variable 1: Teenage arrests for violent crimes. We can operationalize this variable as the number of arrests made among teenagers in New City for violent crimes within a specific time period.
- Variable 2: Popularity of violent television shows among New City teens. We can operationalize this variable as the viewership ratings or audience share of violent television shows among teenagers in New City during the same time period.
2. Selection of Participants:
To select participants for the study, we should consider using a representative sample of New City teens. This can be done by randomly selecting a diverse group of teenagers from schools, community centers, or other appropriate sources within New City. It is important to ensure a sufficient sample size to increase the generalizability of the findings.
3. Generalizability:
To enhance the generalizability of the study findings, it is crucial to select a sample size that reflects the diversity of the New City population. This means including different socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, and geographic locations within New City. By doing so, the findings can be applied more broadly to the entire population of New City teens.
4. Ethical Considerations:
When conducting research involving human subjects, it is important to prioritize ethical considerations. Two ethical considerations specifically relevant to this study are:
- Informed Consent: Obtain informed consent from both the participants and their parents/guardians, ensuring they fully understand the study's purpose, procedures, and potential risks.
- Confidentiality and Privacy: Ensure that participants' personal information and responses remain confidential. Remove any identifying information to maintain privacy, and store data securely so that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals.
By addressing these design elements, we can conduct a correlational study that investigates the claimed relationship between teenage arrests for violent crimes and the popularity of violent television shows in New City, while also adhering to ethical guidelines and promoting generalizability of the findings.
We do not do your homework for you. Although it might take more effort to do the work on your own, you will profit more from your effort. We will be happy to evaluate your work though.
It helps to remember that correlation does not necessarily indicate causation.