DIRECTIONS: READ THE FOLLOWING STUDENT POST AND RESPOND. CITE REFERENCES USING APA FORMAT.
Brittany Humble
The nonexperimental quantitative study I chose looks at the relationship between mental health diagnoses in children and the behaviors of their parents. The independent variable that the researcher looked at was ADHD (diagnosis).
The dependent variables were the behavioral categories being analyzed: responsivity (attention to behavior), outward affection, and preparation/separation/reunion. Within responsivity, the researcher looked at support during tasks given, limit setting, sensitivity, praise/encouragement, positive affect, initiation of affection, comfortability, preparation of separation, and comforting actions.
The instrument used in this study is the Crowell Procedure. The Crowell Procedure is a method used by clinicians that assesses attachment through parent child interactions. It uses eight problem solving scenarios to collect data. These include (in this order): free play, clean up, bubbles, three separate teaching tasks, separation, and reunion.
Construct validity is the measure of which a test supports its claims. This article specifically does exactly that. The article is looking to find the relationship between mental health patients and parental behaviors.
By using the Crowell Procedure, the researcher is able to break down each category of behavior being studied to assess the effectiveness. Reliability is how trustworthy the study is. The study maintained reliability by used the outlined structures and timing of tasks within the study.
In terms of data analysis, a one- way ANOVA was used to on each of the dependent variables (categories of mental illness). The Crowell Procedure was used on each of the independent variables (behaviors). In order to fit the nonexperimental design approach, the researcher created frequency tables to compare the data. Then, a Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data.
The study talked about ethical issues within data collection. While parenting is a touchy subject, the researcher studied the relationship, and then shared their finding with the subject. Which if found to have a poor relationship, may affend the parent. The article itself shows high scientific merit.
It addressed every aspect of the study, gave descriptions and accreditations of each type of test used, and addressed all ethical and confounding issues. I personally would not change the study. While it used 3-6 year old and their parents, that is a great age range in my opinion to gather information on attachment.