Imagine you are going to conduct research investigating a human behavior that you would be interested in learning more about. Be sure to describe that topic so that your classmates know what your research questions are and so that they can better understand your study. What are your specific predictions/hypotheses (e.g., what do you expect the findings of your study to be)?
Select a scientific method for this psychological research. Although in the “real world,” researchers may combine methods or use one or more methods, choose only ONE research method for the purpose of this academic exercise. Working with humans can create potential issues. List some of the strengths and weaknesses of this specific type of research. Identify potential ethical concerns in this research process.
Answers need to cover these questions and elaborate on key terms/concepts reviewed in the lesson this week. Replies can introduce new/different perspectives and must encourage the continuation of the discussion.
POST THE NAME OF THE METHOD ON THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR INITIAL POST.
NOTE: This is an example of how it should be. THANK YOU!!!
One subject that interests me is conflict and conflict resolution. When dealing with a conflict myself, I will try to take an outside look at the situation as unbiased as I can to determine a course of action and a possible solution. This is something that has become easier with age. I believe it is because conflict is an inevitable part of everyday life, whether it is with ourselves, friends, spouses, or coworkers. Coming across these conflicts gives us the experience required to deal with future issues, no matter how trivial.
Topic Description
If I were to conduct a study on conflict, I would be interested in looking at how conflict resolution may develop over our lives. I would ask such questions as: how would people of different ages handle a conflict? How would a child physically and verbally respond and how would an adult? Would they have the desire to resolve the issue? How could they avoid this situation in the future? Conflict resolution is an important part of our lives, and I am interested to see how people of different ages would respond.
Research Method
Natural observation would of course be the most preferable of the research methods, but trying to observe people in conflicts with themselves or others out in a natural environment would be difficult. If you asked two people to enact an argument with each other, it would not be the same as if they were home with each other and knew no one was watching them. For this reason, it may be easier to create a survey by compiling a list of questions about various events and asking people of all ages to answer them. On a survey about this matter, I would ask questions such as:
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You and a friend made plans a few days ago to go to lunch. Your friend called you on the day you are supposed to meet and said they were not feeling well, so they cannot make it. You decided to go without your friend, and while out, you see them in public.
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Would you approach your friend?
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If so, what would you say to them?
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Would you want to resolve the conflict?
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If so, what would you say to your friend to try to come to a resolution?
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You want to make plans with your friend to go see a movie, but they say they are too busy and will be for a while.
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How would you handle this situation?
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What would you say in response to your friend?
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Would you want to try again in the future to make plans with them?
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Your friend has said something to you that hurts your feelings.
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Would you tell them you are hurt, or keep it to yourself?
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How would you respond if they apologized for what they said?
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How would you respond if the friend did not apologize for what they said?
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Hypothesis and Expectations
I hypothesize that in situations like these, younger people and children would be less understanding. They would be less likely to confront the situation, or know how to talk through it effectively. Adults and older people may have an easier time moving past a non-major negative situation. Adults would have an easier time vocalizing their concerns and talking through it with the other party. They would give more grace and be more understanding with each other, as it would be easier to understand logical reasons as to why the conflict has risen, and how to avoid the conflict in the future.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As for strengths and weaknesses, conducting a survey on how people of different ages would handle conflict could be done in a more timely manner than any other method of research. There would be a much larger number of participants that could be reached, so this means many more responses and data. The biggest downside to this, especially with this subject, is that many people may not respond to questions with what would really happen in a real-life scenario. People may provide answers that sound kinder or how they think others may want them to respond. For ethical concerns, people may want to remain anonymous with their answers. The questions would have to be worded carefully as well, so as to not create deception or skew the answers in any way.
-Brianna Wyble