SOCW-6301-6500-WK8-Response

    Response 1: Methods of Measuring

·      Respond to a colleague's post by suggesting two alternative methods and instruments for measuring his or her phenomenon.

·      Explain why your suggestions have value.

      Please use at least 1 resource to support your answer
.

***Response needs to be 1/2 page***

Colleague 1: Jennifer

The phenomenon I chose to measure is anger. In order to create a more subjective judgments to measure anger I would create a list containing the following questions, with responses being measured on a simple composite scale (1-Not at all; 2-A little; 3-Moderate; 4-Frequently) (Yegidis, Weinbach, Myers, 2012).

·      I feel angry.

·      I feel angry enough to hurt myself.

·      I feel angry enough to hurt others.

·      I get upset when things do not go my way.

·      Other people make me angry.

·      It bothers me when people do not like me.

·      It is hard to concentrate because I am angry.

·      It is hard to sleep because I wake up angry, or cannot fall asleep because I am angry.

·      When I make mistakes, I get angry.

·      Others are afraid of me when I am angry.

In order to determine if the questions and responses are reliable, the questions are similar and derived from questions on the Clinical Anger Scale (CAS) (We et al., 1995). Because this model has been proven adequate and consistent for measuring clinical anger, utilizing the CAS as a base for questioning should provide an effective means for measuring anger.

To successfully collect data, participants would be asked to either complete the form online or in paper form and return. Because the questionnaire inquires about behaviors that would be unobservable by others, these forms would be filled out individually and would rely heavily on self-declaration of the participants interviewed (Garcia and Gustavson, 1997). Although false positives and false negatives can occur when asking individuals to recall things from memory or offer interpretations of themselves, self-declaration still proves to be a reliable means to measure unobservable behaviors (Garcia and Gustavson, 1997). 

Garcia, J. & Gustavson, A. (1997). The science of self-report. Retrieved on January 18, 2017 from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-science-of-self-report#.WH-mItIrIdU

We, S., Gum, S., Shuck, R., Ja, M., Hite, T. (1995). The clinical anger scale: preliminary reliability and validity. Journal of Clinical Psychology (51)2: 215-226.

Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2012). Research methods for social workers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.

Response 2: Use of Existing Measures

·      Respond to a colleague's post by suggesting one alternative advantage or disadvantage of their chosen instrument of measurement.

·      Explain why your suggestions have value.

***Response needs to be 1/2 page***

Please use at least 1 resource to support your answer
.

Colleague 1: Michelle

I chose to evaluate family interactions and in my observation record the interaction.  I chose ordinal level to do that.  I also chose another researcher to observe as well.  The existing instrument I would use is Secondary Analysis.  Comparing this with the original measurement would constitute re-examining closely different positions within the family and/or switching positions.  (i.e. mother/daughter swap)   This would include identifying the limitations of the study.  Due to the nature of the data being analyzed (they were measured and recorded for some purpose other than the current study and usually by people other than the researcher), there is a greater- than-usual likelihood that they will have limitations regarding their application to the current study.  (Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L., 2012, p.240)

     The most I would do to my original plan was have another researcher do their own research and not be influenced by my analysis, but, to draw their conclusions and do a research literature to see the variations. 

     There are advantages to using this method of  Secondary Analysis.  As According to Yegidis, Weinbach, & Myers, (2012) notes, first, the financial costs associated with it are often minimal compared with other data collection methods. Second, it generally requires less time than other forms of data collection and analysis. The data are already collected and recorded; 

     The disadvantage with secondary analysis is that The researcher’s plans for studying a question or testing a hypothesis may need to be modified to fit available data. ( p. 241)  You must also take into account the quality of the measurement, does it lack credibility.  Can it be trusted.  Secondary analysis would be almost equivalent to developing a research question and doing your literature review. 

REFERENCE

Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2012). Research methods for social workers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.