Expert answer:Constructs, Variables, Hypotheses ( max 500 words)
Solved by verified expert:Must be In APA 6th edition style max 500 words.The purpose of this component is to help you understand the difference between constructs,variables and hypotheses. There are five research topics listed below. Your task is to develop aresearch question for each topic, identify the constructs in each research question, describe avariable that could be used to measure each of the constructs that you have identified, andformulate a testable hypothesis for each research question using the variables that you havedescribed. For clarity, please address each research topic separately (i.e., research question,constructs, variables and hypothesis are presented for Research Topic 1, then Research Topic2, etc). You can provide your responses as complete sentences in paragraphs or in dot-pointform under headings. Must be In APA 6th edition style
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Portfolio – Component 1: Constructs, Variables, Hypotheses
23:55 Friday 23 November (Week 3)
Formatted according to APA guidelines (size 12 Times New
Roman Font, justified, double-spaced lines). Your name and
word count must be included in the header. (Please include Simple
Title Page).
Microsoft Word File – the file name must contain your surname
and the assessment number, for e.g.,
Smith-Component1.docx
400 – 500 words (no more than 500, strict penalties apply)
Weighting:
The Portfolio contributes 60% to the final grade for this course.
Component 1 contributes 20% to the final grade for this course
(i.e. 20/60 of the Portfolio mark).
Reference list required: A separate reference list is not required. If you need to cite a
reference, include the author(s) and year in the text.
Assignment Details
The purpose of this component is to help you understand the difference between constructs,
variables and hypotheses. There are five research topics listed below. Your task is to develop a
research question for each topic, identify the constructs in each research question, describe a
variable that could be used to measure each of the constructs that you have identified, and
formulate a testable hypothesis for each research question using the variables that you have
described. For clarity, please address each research topic separately (i.e., research question,
constructs, variables and hypothesis are presented for Research Topic 1, then Research Topic
2, etc). You can provide your responses as complete sentences in paragraphs or in dot-point
form under headings.
Research Topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
The relationship between the alcohol and risk taking behaviour.
The relationship between social media use and self-esteem.
The relationship between video games and aggressive behaviour.
The relationship between sleep and mood.
5. The relationship between physical activity and cognitive capacity.
Glossary of Terms
Constructs
Variable
Independent Variable (IV)
Dependent Variable (DV)
Hypothesis
Underlying hypothetical characteristics or processes that
are not directly observed but instead are inferred from
measurable behaviours or outcomes. Examples of
constructs include happiness, anger, memory etc.
A concrete observable measure of a construct. An
example of a variable that could be used to assess the
construct ‘happiness’ could be the number of times a
person smiles in one hour.
The variable in an experiment that is manipulated by an
experimenter. The experimenter expects the independent
variable to influence (or cause change in) the dependent
variable.
The variable in an experiment that is measured by the
experimenter. The experimenter expects the dependent
variable to be influenced by the independent variable.
A specific (testable) prediction about the relationship
between two variables.
How do I move from a research question to an hypothesis?
Before constructing a testable hypothesis, make sure you have correctly identified your
constructs and you have variables that will assess your constructs.
Consider the following research question: Does social media use affect quality of life?
There are two constructs in this research question – social media use and quality of life. A
number of different variables could be used to assess these two constructs. I can measure social
media use in terms of total hours spent using Facebook per day and I can assess quality of life
using the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale (Cummins, McCabe, Romeo, & Gullone,
1994). In this example, I am predicting that social media use (independent variable) will cause
a change in quality of life (dependent variable). Now that I have correctly identified my
constructs and I have described my independent and dependent variables, I can make a
prediction about the relationship between these variables (i.e., I can construct a testable
hypothesis).
What makes a good hypothesis?
A hypothesis often follows a basic format of “If {this happens} then {this will happen}.” One
way to structure your hypothesis is to describe what will happen to the dependent variable if
you make changes to the independent variable.
The basic format might be:
“If {these changes are made to a certain independent variable}, then we will observe {a change
in a specific dependent variable}”.
Using the example above, my hypothesis could be:
“People who spend more than 5 hours per day using Facebook will have lower quality of life
than people who do not use Facebook”.
What are the most common mistakes people make when constructing a testable
hypothesis?
•
People often state their hypothesis in terms of constructs rather than variables. In order
for an hypothesis to be testable, it must contain variables that are measureable.
7Children in small classes will have better learning outcomes than children in large
classes. [learning outcomes is a construct, it cannot be directly measured]
4Children in small classes will score higher on a maths exam than children in large
classes.
[a score on a maths exam is a variable that can be directly measured; this variable is
being used to
measure the construct of ‘learning outcomes’]
•
People often state their hypothesis with only one level of the independent variable (so
there is nothing to compare to). In order for an hypothesis to be testable, it must contain
each level of the independent variable.
7People who use Facebook for more than 3h per day will report higher levels of
happiness.
[The independent variable is ‘Facebook use’ but only one level has been reported – use
that is above
3h/day; who are you comparing the 3h per day group to?]
4People who use Facebook for more than 3h per day will report higher levels of
happiness than people
who use Facebook less than 3h per day.
[This hypothesis now contains both levels of the independent variable ‘Facebook use’ –
3 h per day versus less than 3h per day; now you can compare the two groups]
•
People often write their hypothesis as a correlation between two variables. This does
not make for a particularly strong hypothesis because it doesn’t tell you anything about
causation. An hypothesis is a prediction about what you expect to happen – does a
change in the independent variable cause a change in the dependent variable?
7Class size will be negatively correlated with exam performance [this hypothesis
describes a negative correlation between two variables – when one goes up, the other
goes down; the problem here is that
you don’t know anything about causation; which variable is causing a change in the
other variable?]
4Children in large classes will score lower on a standard exam than students in small
classes [this hypothesis is much stronger because we now have a clear indication of
causation – an increase in class
size will cause a decrease in exam score]
Hypothesis Check-list
• Is your hypothesis stated in terms of variables and not constructs?
• Does your hypothesis contain one IV and one DV?
• Does you hypothesis include all levels of the IV?
• Does your hypothesis make a prediction about the relationship between your IV and
DV? A good
hypothesis should indicate the direction of this relationship (e.g., an increase/decrease
in the IV will cause an increase/decrease in the DV).
…
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