Zahn

Biol/Psych 3305 Fall 2014 Introduction to Scientific Research Exam 1

Courtney S. Zahn
September 28, 2014

1. Listed below are the ten steps in the research process:

1. Find a problem.
2. Review the literature.
3. Identify how existing theory and research point to future studies.
4. Develop testable hypothesis.
5. Design your research.
6. Conduct your research.
7. Analyze your data.
8. Prepare your research report.
9. Share your results.
10. Consider new problems for future research.
Clearly describe how you plan to go through (or have already gone through) steps 1-5 in
conducting scientific research on your topic.
1. Find a problem.
My research process began as an informal meet and greet session between my group mates
and me. We introduced ourselves and began getting to know one another. A discussion quickly
began regarding our majors of study and interests. We soon realized we had a common interest
in Psychology. We further discovered we all wanted to know more regarding the impact of
divorce on families, and more specifically on adolescents. We discussed areas of adolescents
lives that might be affected by the divorce of their parents. An interest in the topic made the
somewhat daunting task of finding information on our topic exciting. My initial specific
problem/question regarded whether divorce during adolescence affected the future parenting
methods of the adolescents involved.
2. Review the literature.
The review of literature began as a search on PubMed and EBSCO for articles on existing
research regarding the effects of divorce during adolescence on the future parenting methods of
the adolescents involved. I quickly realized, however, that my chosen topic was extremely
difficult to research, and it was almost impossible to find information. I promptly changed my
topic to the effect of divorce during adolescence on the adolescents relationships with their
mother and father.
3. Identify how existing theory and research point to future studies.

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I assumed researching my new topic would be relatively simple, but was sadly mistaken.
There appeared to be multiple research articles regarding the effects of divorce during
adolescence on behavior, romantic relationships, mental wellbeing, and academics, but there was
a gap in the research in the area of adolescent relationships with their parents following divorce.
This proves a need for future studies regarding adolescent-parental relationships after divorce.
Circumstances leading up to the divorce as well as the living arrangements of the adolescents
prior to and following divorce should be considered in the future studies.
4. Develop testable hypothesis.
My hypothesis suggests that maternal relationships with adolescents following divorce
strengthen while their relationships with their fathers weaken. I base this hypothesis on the
increased chance that the adolescent will live with their mother following divorce.
5. Design your research.
A plan was developed to conduct my research to test my hypothesis. I focused on four key
points which included my selection of participants, types of extraneous variable control(s) I want
to use, and the methods of gathering and analyzing my data. The participants in my research will
be both male and female adolescents of mature mental capacity. I will have them answer a series
of questionnaires regarding their living arrangements prior to following divorce, and their
feelings towards their mothers and fathers prior to and following divorce.

2.

A. Describe 5 ethical concerns that you would have to address in your research on
your research proposal topic, relating them to the principles of ethics we discussed in
class. For each concern, clearly describe how you would address the concern.

There are many ethical concerns related to research involving adolescents. First, research
involving people under the age of 18 is considered more sensitive than research of adults. It is
important to have the informed-consent of the adolescent as well as parental consent. Children
of lower socioeconomic status could become victims of exploitation, so the financial gain of
their parents should be of particular concern. Consent must continue throughout the research
process, so the adolescent can withdraw at any time. Also, the adolescent should possess
maturity and decision-making ability. To address this concern, I would make sure the child was
aware that if they felt uncomfortable or wanted to take a break at any time during the research
process, they should not hesitate to say so. I would also be certain that they understood that they
could withdraw their consent at any time without penalty. I would watch their body language
carefully throughout the research process, looking for signs of unwillingness or emotional
distress. The motives of the adolescents parents for allowing their childs participation would be
assessed, and participation would be discouraged or denied if their motive was financial gain
(Matutina, 2009).
The autonomy of the adolescent should be maintained throughout the research process. I
would address this issue by informing the adolescent that their identity would remain
confidential, and would follow through by not including anything that could diminish their

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autonomy in my report. I would avoid including their name, school, or any other personal
information that might give away their identity (Matutina, 2009).
Risks involving personal and social harm should be avoided during the research process,
particularly when researching adolescents. As a means to minimalize risk during qualitative
research, I would avoid discussing extremely difficult topics at the end of the interview. This
would allow time for the adolescent to recover from any emotional distress caused by such
topics. I would also avoid discussing the content of my interviews with other members of the
adolescents family, because disclosure could potentially compromise the research by affecting
his or her participation, or even put the adolescent in danger (NSPCC Factsheet, 2013).
Emotional risks are often involved in research, especially regarding research with
adolescent subjects. I would address this ethical concern by taking special care to consider the
personal history of the adolescent before choosing him or her to participate in the research. I
would try to imagine how the research process would affect them by assessing their vulnerability
and history (if any) with abuse. I would consider the potential damage that might be done to the
adolescent after re-living painful experiences, and make sure the benefits outweighed the risks
(NSPCC Factsheet, 2013).
Lastly, an ethical concern regarding research with adolescents is the balance of power
between the researcher and the subject. I would address this issue by including the adolescent as
a member of my research team, allowing him or her to make choices and valuing his or her input.
I would give the child some control over the research process (Matutina, 2009).
B. Imagine that you are doing a study using human subjects. Construct an informed
consent form and a basic script for debriefing that you might use in your research
study. Feel free to use your research proposal topic if it involves using human subjects.
Informed Consent Form
Read this consent form and ask the experimenter any questions you have regarding the form.
Protection of human participants involved in research and other related activities is
supported by the Department of Psychology as well as this research team. Read the following
information to determine whether you would like to participate in the present research study.
Please take note that you are free to withdraw from the study at any point, even after
participation agreement. You will not be reprimanded for withdrawal from the study.
You are being asked to fill out several questionnaires in order to help determine the
effects of divorce on adolescents, and more specifically the relationships of adolescents with
their parents following divorce. The series of questionnaires should take no longer than 60
minutes. Your completion of the questionnaires will be completely anonymous.
I have read the above statement and have been informed of the procedure of this
research study. I have been given ample time to ask questions regarding the procedures and risks
involved in the process. I completely understand the procedure and potential risks and

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voluntarily assume such risks. I understand withdrawal from the study is allowed without
reprimand at any point during the study.

Participant_________________________________________________

Date____________

Authorized representative_____________________________________

Date____________

Debriefing the Subject

Debriefing for a study on the effects of divorce on the relationships between parents and
adolescents.
This study was an investigation into the relationships between parents and adolescents following
divorce. Divorce effects many different aspects of adolescents lives. For example, grades may
plummet, depression may result, behavior issues and/or substance can occur, and relationships
are often effected. Sometimes the adolescent becomes close to one parent and distant from the
other parent following a divorce. Following divorce, the mother generally gets custody of
adolescents more often than the father. It appears there might be a relationship between the
living arrangements of adolescents following a divorce and their relationships with their mothers
and fathers. We want to see whether this is true.
So in this experiment we measured the relationships with both the mother and the father
following divorce and these relationships acted as our main dependent variables. This was
achieved by 1 method. The method consisted of a series of questionnaires regarding the
relationships between the subject and their mother before and after a divorce, and the
relationships between the subject and their father before and after a divorce, as well as general
questions regarding the subjects relationship with his or her parents overall. No manipulations
were used in the study. Confidentiality of the participants will remain throughout our
evaluations of the findings and reports of the results. The subjects were reminded throughout the
process that they were free to withdraw at any time.
We anticipate that participants are more likely to form a stronger connection with their mother
following divorce if they live with their mother. If this is true, than our suspicion that the living
arrangements of adolescents following divorce affect which parent they form a stronger
connection with might be true
Please contact Dr. Natalie Lenard at the following e-mail address if you have any questions or
concerns regarding this study: natalie.lenard@ololcollege.edu
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.
(University of Kent, 2014)

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C. Imagine that you are doing a study using non-human animals. Indicate the model
organism, the role of the IACUC and who comprises the committee, any ethical
principles that need to be addressed in an animal study. Feel free to use your research
proposal topic if it involves using non-human animals.
The model organism of non-human animals involved in research is the mouse. The role of
the IACUC is to ensure the well-being of the animals used for research. They serve to ensure
the conformance of researchers regarding the legal and ethical standards involved in using
animals in research. The IACUC also assists animal researchers with any animal-related
issues or concerns they may have. The IACUC must consist of a minimum of 5 members
including a veterinarian, a scientist with experience in laboratory procedures involving
animals, a non-scientist (such as an ethicist, lawyer, or librarian), and a non-affiliate
(someone who has no affiliation with the organization). Ethical concerns regarding the use
of animals for research include the justification of the research, the presence of personnel
trained in animal-care during the research process, the conformation of all procedures to
appropriate federal guidelines, proper care and housing of the animals, and lawful and
humane acquisition of animals not bred in the laboratory.
3. Imagine that you are a pseudoscientist. Clearly describe the steps you would take in
researching your topic and making and sharing your conclusions. In your answer,
describe at least three ways that the scientists approach differs from the
pseudoscientists approach.
As a pseudoscientist, my first step would be to find a component of my topic that conflicts
with a personal emotion, or to just find something about my topic that I do not like or want to
accept (Simanek, 2009). I could use my Catholic background as a reason for my wanting to be
right, and wanting others to see that. As a Catholic, I could state that divorce is a sin, so the
effect it has on adolescents involved and their relationships with their parents is always negative.
I could go on to research the problems associated with divorce and adolescents. I would search
for an article that proposed divorce negatively impacts the relationships of divorced parents and
adolescents, and then find a way to expound on the article to make my thoughts sound like fact.
I would find specific passages from the Bible that talked about divorce in a negative manner.
Then I would begin reporting what I had found as fact, and get angry if people did not believe
what I reported. I would justify everything by repeating that if the Bible says it is true, it is, and
that the article I found is further proof.
There are many differences between the scientists approach and the pseudoscientists
approach. A scientist uses observation and experimentation to test a hypothesis and studies all
evidence closely. The results of experiments must be reproducible. Oppositely, a
pseudoscientist only searches for evidence supporting their hypothesis, and completely ignores
or argues against any conflicting evidence. Pseudoscientists often avoid experimentation, or
perform experiments with results that cannot be reproduced. Scientists do not use personal
stories or experiences as evidence, and use a common language understood by members of the
scientific community. Pseudoscientists use personal experiences as evidence, and often make up
vague words and phrases which are only understood by a select few. The literature and findings

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of a scientist is mainly written for other experts of their field, and expressed through peerreviewed scientific journals. The literature of a pseudoscientist is written for the general public.
Accuracy and honesty are not reasons for concern for a pseudoscientist, so their literature is not
peer-reviewed. Another key difference between the research of a scientist and the research of a
pseudoscientist is the progression of the topic of interest. A scientist is always learning new
things regarding the topic being studied. The topics of pseudoscientists do not progress, because
nothing new is learned (Coker, 2001).
4. Log onto the databases on EBSCO or PubMed and find one current, peer-reviewed
journal article that examined your topic and cite the article in APA format. Using your
own words, clearly describe how the author applied a theory to understanding the
topic. Briefly describe the findings of the study.
Buehler, C. & Welsh, D. P. (2009). A process model of adolescents triangulation into parents
marital conflict: The role of emotional reactivity. J Fam Psychol, 23(2), 167-180.
doi:10.1037/a0014976.

References
Coker, R. (2001, May 30). Distinguishing science and pseudoscience. Retrieved from
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/pseudo.html.
Matutina, R. E. (2009, October). Ethical issues in research with children and young people,
Paediatric Nursing, 21.8. Retrieved from

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http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/nursinggold/departments/sigma/pdf/20100422ethic
alissues.pdf.
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (2013, August). Conducting safe and
ethical research with children. NSPCC Factsheet. Retrieved from
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/briefings/ethical-researchfactsheet_wda97712.html.
Simanek, D. E. (2009, December). What is science? What is pseudoscience? Retrieved from
https://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/pseudo/scipseud.htm.
University of Kent. (2014). Examples of participant information, consent and debriefing. School
of Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.kent.ac.uk