PSY 5107 Assignment Develop a Good Research Question with Chosen Variables and Related Hypotheses

Research Question and Variables

When developing research, there are essential elements that make up a good research topic. These include independent and dependent variables, which are the parameters that need to be investigated in the research. Additionally, a good research question must have all the requirements of a scientific research question. The purpose of this assignment is to describe independent and dependent variables and develop a good research question.

Variables

Independent variables are measures that the researcher can control or manipulate and they often come first in the research question (Gravetter & Forzano, 2018). In my inquiry, the topic is to investigate the relationship between maternal factors of age, income level, education level and the risk of obesity in infants. For example, the independent variables in my topic are maternal factors of age, income, and education level. The dependent variable is a measure that the researcher has no control over, and it often comes towards the end of the research question (Gravetter & Forzano, 2018). The dependent variable in the topic is the risk of infant/child obesity. Validity refers to the extent to which the research results present accurate findings. Variability is the absence of consistency. There is a concern for variability, which might occur with the research if the results from different participants are not consistent (Lee et al., 2018).

Research Question

Weak: What do the maternal factors of age, income, and education have in common with the infant’s risk of obesity?

Improved: Do maternal factors of age, income, and education level have a strong correlation with the risk of infant/child obesity?

A research question must have five elements. The first element is falsifiable, which means a theory that can be proven to be untrue. The second element is that the question should be based on a topic that is worthwhile to study (Ratan et al., 2019). The third element is that the research question should reveal a relationship expected from the study. Finally, the research question should be possible to answer in one question.

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The first question is vague and does not visibly indicate the possible relationship between the variables. The question does not reveal that the hypothesis can be proven to be false and also the expected relationship is not clearly demonstrated by the question (Vignero & Wenmackers, 2021). The second question which is more improved incorporates the five elements of a good research question. For example, the relationship can either be proven true or false at the end of the study. Similarly, the expected relationship is clearly outlined. Furthermore, the topic of study is important as it concerns the health outcomes of the pediatric population and obesity which is on the rise within this population, making it a major health problem. Finally, the improved question is answerable with only one study.

PSY 5107 Assignment Develop a Good Research Question with Chosen Variables and Related Hypotheses

Hypothesis

Alternative: Maternal factors of income, age, and education level are associated with the risk of infant/childhood obesity.

Null: Maternal factors of age, income and education level are not associated with the risk of infant/childhood obesity.

Conclusion

Developing a research question requires an effective understanding of variables and the elements of the research question. A good research question should show the connection between the independent and the dependent variables. Furthermore, the question should be based on an important topic that is worth studying. Other important elements of the research question are falsifiable and testable in one study. Variables are either independent or dependent whereby independent variables can be manipulated by the researcher, but dependent variable is not modifiable.

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). PsycLearn research methods [Computer software]. APA.

Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L. B. (2018). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Lee, Y., Hofferth, S., Flood, S., & Fisher, K. (2018). Reliability, Validity, and Variability of the Subjective Well-Being Questions in the 2010 American Time Use Survey. Soc Indic Res., 126(3):1355-1373. https://doi.10.1007/s11205-015-0923-8.

Ratan, S., Anand, T., & Ratan, J. (2019). Formulation of Research Question – Stepwise Approach. J Indian Assoc Pediatr Surg. 24(1):15-20. https://doi.10.4103/jiaps.JIAPS_76_18.

Vignero, L., & Wenmackers, S. (2021). Degrees of riskiness, falsifiability, and truthlikeness. Synthese, 199, 11729–11764. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03310-5.

PSY 5107 Assignment Develop a Good Research Question with Chosen Variables and Related Hypotheses