The research question given: (and I decided to frame this three ways for understanding)
How does the frequency of family visits affect the emotional well-being and social behavior of elderly patients in assisted living facilities? (main question)
What impact do family visits have on the cognitive functioning and mood states of elderly residents in assisted living facilities?
How do regular visits from family members influence the social interaction patterns and overall happiness of elderly individuals in assisted living environments?
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read the instructor guidance, the quantitative section of Chapter 7 and all of Chapter 8 in the Creswell and Creswell text, the chapter by Meltzoff and Cooper titled Chapter 6: Research Designs and Threats to Internal ValidityLinks to an external site., and the article by Henrich et al. titled Most People Are Not WEIRDLinks to an external site.. Also review Standard 8 of the APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of ConductLinks to an external site. from last week. Your instructor will post an announcement with the assigned research question. You and your colleagues will share ideas about how to research this topic using a quantitative approach.
In your initial post, consider the following guidelines and questions:
Apply the scientific method by developing a null and an alternative hypothesis that provide potential answers to the research question.
Review the quantitative research designs in the required readings and choose one that is suitable for your research question and hypotheses. Explain why this choice is most appropriate to test your hypotheses.
Describe the target population, the desired sample, and any cultural considerations that may be involved.
Identify potential internal and external threats to validity. Explain how you might mitigate these threats.
Determine ethical issues that would need to be addressed. Explain what you would do to ensure an ethical study.
