Anonymity Students need to describe how Professor Kester ensured participants’
anonymity, through the use of codes for participants or the use of
fictional names when results were communicated to others.
Risk Students need to describe how Professor Kester made sure none of the
participants experienced mental or physical risk as a result of
participation in the study.
Debriefing Students need to describe how Professor Kester informed the
participants of all the research procedures after the study was
completed and how to obtain results of the study when they are
available.POINTS 5, 6, AND 7
In order to earn points 5, 6, and 7 students need to describe how Professor Kester’s study meets at least
three of the five ethical criteria for research involving human participants. Students can describe more
than three of the criteria, but only 3 points maximum are awarded.
POINT 8
In order to earn point 8, students need to predict that Professor Kester’s results will indicate that children
raised in permissive households will be LESS (not more) independent than children raised in households
where other parenting styles are the norm. Past parenting style research indicates that the permissive
parenting style generally results in more dependence among children and young adults. The authoritative
parenting style is generally associated with higher levels of independence.
Sample Student Response Essay 2
Professor Kester needs to identify the right variables in her hypothesis. Two of
the more important variables are parenting styles and age. Then the professor needs
to go on and operationalize these variables. The operational definition of
parenting styles are how parenting styles affects the independence of children who
grow up in households where different parenting styles are used. The operational
definition of age is obvious: how old people are.
There are at least two studies that Professor Kester could do to test this
hypothesis. One study might use the cross-sectional method: this is when you take a
cross-section of people, in this case people of different ages, and you test them
all at once. You could figure out which people grew up with permissive parents and
which didn’t, then look at the people in different age groups and figure out if the
“permissive” groups were more independent than the other groups or not. Or
Professor Kester could use the longitudinal method. This one would take longer:
Professor Kester would have to find one group of people as kids, then figure out
which ones were growing up with permissive parents and which weren’t. Then the
professor would have to wait until the kids grew up a little, then test their
independence again. Then wait a few years, and test again. Over the years, the
professor might be able to figure out whether being a kid of permissive parents has
anything to do with independence.
Ethical considerations are very important to researchers, and Professor Kester
might have trouble meeting the ethical requirements for this hypothesis. First, she
would have to get the partipants’ permission to even be involved in the study in
the first place. This would mean the parents’ permission and their permission for
their kids to be involved. Along with this, Professor Kester would have to make
sure that no one was going to be hurt because of the study. Independence is a