Social Psychology
Instructor: Susan Boland
Case Study 1.1
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This case study assignment requires that you apply the ideas
presented in Chapter 2 of the textbook. Read the case study
carefully and answer the questions in detail. Follow the
instructions for case study write-up in the course handout booklet.
A copy of the instructions is also on my web page
www.lhup.edu/sboland
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A special note about plagiarism. Avoid quoting directly from
the textbook -- write using your own words. Information taken from
the text, even if rewritten in your own words, must be credited to
or cited to the textbook authors. (e.g., Brehm, Kassin, & Fein, p.
36). See the full instructions for more information about citing
the text as a reference. I also
suggest that you review the class exercise on plagiarism.
·
Because this particular case study covers research methods,
some of the material may fall under the “common knowledge” rule of
plagiarism. Despite this, I want you to cite the textbook when you
use terms or information that is covered in the textbook. This will
give you practice in using the citation format. For example, you
may know what an independent variable is from other psychology
courses. Normally, this would fall under the “common knowledge”
exception to plagiarism. For this case study, however, I want you
to cite the text as a source because 1) I cannot be sure of what
prior knowledge you do have, and 2) I want you to practice using
citations in your case study.
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If you have any questions regarding this assignment,
please ask. I am also happy to go over rough drafts of case
studies with you. If you wish me to review a rough draft, you must
set up an appointment, allowing at least 20 minutes to go over the
paper with me. Keep in mind that you may want to revise your paper
after our conference, so you should have your rough draft ready well
before the due date.
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You may have the opportunity to rewrite one of your
answers from this case study – but you won’t know which one until I
announce it in class. Therefore, you should write the paper with
the assumption that the version of the answers you will turn in will
count toward your grade.
Case
Study 1.1 For Better or Worse?
A report based on the National Health
Interview Survey found that married adults report better health than
non-married adults. Interviews with 127,545 adults, 18-years-old
and up were conducted by researchers for the Centers for Disease
Control (UPI, 2004).
The survey includes hundreds of questions
about health and related behaviors and functioning. Participants are
asked to rate their overall health. ("Would you say your health in
general is poor, fair, very good or excellent?") There are also
many questions about specific health conditions. ("Have you ever
been told by a doctor or health professional that you have
hypertension or high blood pressure?") Questions relating to
participants' mental health are also asked. ("During the past 30
days how often do you feel so sad that nothing could cheer you up?
All, most, some, a little, or none of the time?") Interviewers also
make inquiries about behaviors that affect health. ("On average, how
many cigarettes do you smoke a day?" "How often do you do light or
moderate leisure-time physical activities for at least 10
minutes?")(CDC, 2004).
According to the CDC, married adults were
both physically and psychologically healthier than divorced, widowed
or never married adults (Olen, 2004). For example, married adults
had fewer headaches and backaches, smoked and drank less, and were
more physically active than non-married adults. This trend was not
seen for one health factor, however, as married men were more likely
to be overweight than were unmarried men.
1) The results above come
from a correlation study. It goes beyond a descriptive study, yet
it is not an experiment. Describe what a correlation study is and
how one goes about conducting such a study Explain what
characteristics the study has that makes it a correlation study and
not merely descriptive. Also explain why the study does not qualify
as an experiment. (5 points)
2) Is the relationship
between marriage and general health positive or negative? Is the
relationship between marriage and smoking (e.g., number of
cigarettes smoked) positive or negative? Explain your answers,
i.e., what makes the relationships positive or negative? (2 points)
(Assume that marriage can be represented by scores on a scale and
being married gives you higher scores on this "marriage" scale.
Likewise, healthier people would have higher scores on a health
scale whereas; unhealthy people would have lower scores.)
3) a) Based on the results of this study alone, would you advise a
person that getting married would improve their health? That is, can
you conclude from the results of this study that being married causes
better health outcomes? Explain your answer. (2 points)
b) One article on
the internet about the CDC study was entitled "Marriage: It's good
for your health!". From a scientific point of view is this the most
accurate description of the results of such a study? Explain your
answer. (1.5 points)
4) Give three alternative explanations for a
relationship between marriage and health You need to include your
rationalization behind each alternative explanation, so I can
understand your reasoning. (4.5 points). (Think in terms of the
directionality and third variable issues discussed in class. That
is, might A (marriage) affect B (health), or could B (health) affect
A (marriage)? Or is it possible that another variable (C) affects
both A and B? I expect that you will have one alternative
explanation fitting each of these categories. I do not want three
explanations for why A causes B.)
Sources
cited:
CDC. (2004,
May3). NHIS Questionnaire. Retrieved January 3, 2004 from the World
Wide Web:
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Survey_Questionnaires/NHIS/2004/qadult.pdf
Olen, L. (2004, December, 16). Health and marriage go together, CDC
survey says. Retrieved December 17, 2004 from World Wide Web: http//health.dailynewscentral.net/index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=000214&p
United Press International. (2004, December 15). Marriage: It's
good for your health! Retrieved
December 17, 2004 from World Wide Web:
http://www.wphearld.com/print.php?StoryID=
20041215-055155-8332r
