Essay on Possible Problems with Attempting to Measure Attitudes

Looking at the public opinion polls, you need to ask yourself if this was the best research method to use. The five types of research methods have their own advantages and limitations to consider when choosing the best one to use. In experiments, researchers can reliably determine cause-effect relationships. However, ethical considerations prevent certain kinds of experiments from being conducted. With correlational studies, the experiment has already been conducted, rather than complete the experiment researchers collect the data. The limitation with this kind of method is that researchers can never be sure the groups are completely comparable. In surveys, the advantage is the ability to gather data from large numbers of respondents relatively quickly and inexpensively. However, it is vulnerable to a variety of biases. Naturalistic observations have the advantage that behaviors are seen as they naturally occur. The limitation is the lack of control over the environment. With case studies, the advantage is that the study is more focused. As opposed to other studies, which study groups and multiple individuals, case studies focus on one, or just a few, subjects at a time. The disadvantage, however, would also be the small focus on the

The results were intriguing as there were large individual differences or variation in responses. However nonetheless what was evident was that 25 percent of participants remained independent throughout the trials, another 50 percent conformed to the erroneous majority in 6 or more trials and another 5 percent conformed on all 12 trials. Therefore the average conformity rate was 33 percent.

Social psychologists employ a variety of different measures in attempt to measure attitudes, which cannot be directly measured due to their hypothetical and unobservable nature. However, they are often inferable from behaviour. For example, a negative attitude towards smoking might be reflected in moving away from someone who lights up in your vicinity (behaviour). Attitudes measures can be explicit (i.e. participant is asked directly about their attitude towards an object – e.g. opinion poll), or implicit (i.e. measure wherein participants sub-conscious attitudes are assessed without their knowledge – e.g…) (Haddock and Maio, 2008). Questionnaires are the most common measure of attitudes, utilising one of four types of attitude measurement scales.

5. I thought the researchers’ use of multiple scales was very helpful to provide more evidence. In psychology, we are testing for ideas or concepts that are not observable. It’s important to rely on more than one type of research to capture these changes in scores or perception. It also gave the study a higher chance of showing a significant difference.

In the first experiment there were ninety-nine judges that took park in the survey, they were recruited to take part in the research during a routine professional development seminar run by the Judicial Studies Committee. Everyone that participated in the study had at least ten years of experience as an advocate, solicitor, or lawyer as well as considerable court experience. The participants were given a survey that had multiple choice questions about eye witnesses reliability among other things. The questions had to be completed by circling their preferred response that had three answers as well as an option that said I don’t know. The results showed that judges provided responses that were consistent with expert opinion only 67% of the time. The lowest percentage of responses that were consistent with expert opinion was 40% with mugshot bias while it was also the section with the largest I don’t know answers chosen. There are many other results but they are just numbers about the other sections, you understand what the study is about with just that section of the

In Asch's experiments, a group of eight individuals (one subject and seven confederates) sat in a room and verbally stated which of the three unequal lines matched a given line. The subject was seated so that he made his verbal judgement last, or close to it. The task was simple and straight-forward and the correct answers were obvious. When the confederates were each calling out correct answers the subject agreed. However, when the confederates unanimously agreed on a wrong answer the subject had either to disagree with a unanimous majority of seemingly normal, healthy, intelligent people, or to give an answer he knew was incorrect by the evidence of his own senses. Asch's study proved startling. In the trials about one third of the subjects conformed at least once. People were clearly choosing what they knew to be wrong answer so as to not deviate from the group.

“There were three equally distributed main themes noted in the majority responses: 1) identification of a question or problem to be solved, 2) obtaining relevant data and information, and 3) analysis of data to reach a conclusion, solution or outcome to the problem, and one sub-theme: affective dispositions,” (Rowles et. al)

better feel for people's reactions and feelings better than the other two experiments. My intentions for partaking in the creation of a survey is due to me wanting to discuss the controversy problems gaining other people's opinions on the topic. I wanted to witness how many individuals were more on my side or against my reasonings on why I believe ‘Being Mary Jane’ is more motivational for the black woman than degrading. My survey results retrieved me to have a better standing in my argument regardless if it is for or against Mary Jane. The results of my survey were outstanding, I had twenty three people participate.

However, when all the psychological methods presented in this chapters have their advantages and disadvantages, the most notable problem seems to be personal bias (researchers’ and participants’). After all, we are human and it seems inconceivable that all the personal biases could be taken into account in a psychological research. Too small a sample size of participants will not be able to reflect an entire population, but

In the direct measurement of stereotypes, such as the free response, scientists must ask if it is a reliable measurement of stereotypes. Many people may answer a free question regarding a particular group, but answers may be given to the tester of what the tested may what the tester to hear. For example, if a behavioral scientist were to ask a student his or hers feelings regarding African Americans, the student may state what is perceived as the ‘right’ answer at the time, so the scientist does not project the student as a bigot, racist, discriminatory or stereotypic. Therefore, according to David J.

In terms of the methodologies of the two studies, I consider the exploratory design of Baker studies which differentiates itself as a study that strongly emphasizes rater behaviors a more interesting one. According to its conceptual frameworks, Baker carefully added a GDMSI questionnaire and a ‘deferred double score’,an observational quantitative data, to effectively reduce the limitations of its controversial self-report scales in the qualitative protocols presenting a more reliable design for data analysis (Baker, 2012. p.229). Unlike Baker, Barkaoui limits the think aloud protocol as a tool to collect his data. This underestimates interferences of the think aloud protocol in the rating process(Barkaoui, 2010, p.57).The small number of participants may restrict the author from applying other counterbalance methods in such case.

Quantitative approaches make use of questionnaires and surveys with predetermined response categorizations to accumulate numerical results to logically analyze scientific knowledge through empirical experience and logical rational (Moustakas, 1994). Arghode (2012) further argues that quantitative methodologies are those that quantify the participant’s responses to prove or disprove a given hypothesis. In contrast, qualitative methodologies are geared toward gaining an understanding of a phenomenon through the member’s personal experiences in a field of human

They agree to disagree on some levels but it seems as though they feel the scale rating system is flawed.

we touch on some of the problems of past research. and mention some noteworthy attempts at solving them. The present research developed a new paradigm to help answer the question of whether attitudes can develop implicitly via classical conditioning. Address correspondence to Michael A. Olson or Russell H. Fazio. Department of Psychology.

In psychology, the purpose of research is to improve knowledge and inform action. This research must be of higher quality in order to form consistent boundaries in science. It also must not limit to exceed boundaries in order to advance and become more in depth with the subject at hand. There are three methods of research that have, more often than not, come to subjective conclusions. These methods include Case studies, which involves observing what has happened in the ‘case history’ of an individual or group of individuals. Surveys, which can be described as a “data collection tool used to gather information about individuals.” (Cherry, 2016). And at last, scientific experiments, which “key features are control over variables, careful measurement, and establishing cause and effect relationships.” (McLeod, S. A. 2012).