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Monday, January 31, 2011

Stages of my Research Project (thesis) for my Psychology degree ©

*** As always, please disregard the formatting *** Introduction: So, I am basically conducting a "mock" research study with a qualitative and quantitative (mixed method) approach. I have to prepare a proposal, and set up the project and ultimately conduct this "mock" study to be published. This is all for my Applied Project course to complete the fruition of my BA in Psychology as a thesis project. This post is broken up into stages 1-4 of the project thus far.



STAGE 1








Video Game Violence and Child Aggression

My focus was primarily on psychological studies and I read through different journals to try and discover a topic of research that would interest me. I decided that I would want to focus on children within the psychological spectrum of research. After coming across several articles on child aggression and correlations with this behavior, I decided to research video game violence and child aggression. I found several pertinent studies that would help me formulate my focus on this topic.

Aggressive behavior in children is a concern for many parents. Aggression usually builds and becomes more of an aggravating circumstance and can be fueled by anger, fear, low self-esteem, anxiety from a lack of control and a combination of these factors (Department of Family and Consumer Studies, 2010). Aggression is a serious matter because of the problematic emotional development that can occur with a child displaying consistent aggressive tendencies. Furthermore, that child will continue to cope with situations in an aggressive manner if not addressed properly. The reactions others may have to aggression may be fear, avoidance, or submission to the behavior, enabling the child with aggression to have control, and this can possibly encourage the aggressive behavior to continue.

It is imperative to reinforce positive behavior through teaching a better way for children to express themselves. To understand why aggression is an issue, caregivers must try and discern the causes of the aggressive behavior (Department of Family and Consumer Studies, 2010). Emotions, tiredness, and other internal mechanisms may be a factor. However, there are environmental factors and other elements that can be considered to be a stimulant to aggression. Studies on aggression have become more extensive and research has suggested different approaches to the onset of aggression. One of the well-received approaches to aggression is the social learning theory in which aggression is learned initially through social interaction and is maintained by other conditions (Smith, 2008). With this theory of aggression, operant conditioning is also a factor. This theory would support the hypotheses that violent video games promote aggressive behavior through rewarding the violent activity with coins and other incentives related to the game.

Violence is rampant in our culture and steadily rising. Technology is growing rapidly as well. Entertainment is also on a steady rise, and various forms of entertainment are now related to technology in vast ways, and seemingly following the wave of growth in violence. One of the most popular forms of entertainment, fueled by advanced technology, is video games. This industry is embracing the depiction of violent images for sale growth more so than previous decades. Video games are a popular form of entertainment because of the player’s ability to manipulate the sequences of events. However, with video games rated for maturity rising in development and sales, entertainment containing violence has been raised to a new level. René Weber, an assistant professor at Michigan State University and the conductor of a research study on this issue stated, “m-rated games contain concerning violence: that is, realistic, rewarded and justified violent activities of attractive perpetrators in real-life settings” (Michigan State University, 2005, p. 1). Weber conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study on 13 male research participants to prove a correlation between aggressiveness and violent video games (Michigan State University, 2005). Brain activity of the participants were recorded and analyzed as the participants played violent video games. This study showed a link between the characteristic regions of interest in the brain that shows aggressiveness and the participants playing the violent games (Michigan State University, 2005). According to Weber, “there is a neurological link and there is a short-term causal relationship” (Michigan State University, 2005). This discovery justifies further research into the phenomenon of aggression and how it may be enhanced through violent interactive play, especially when considering young children.

Perspectives

A desire for understanding human behavior is a defining interest in our culture and will most likely never cease. This is a fascinating area of study that expansive with endless possible discoveries to be made. With the incredible advancements of technology and a modernized approach to the world we live in continuously changing the way we perceive reality, it is necessary to continue to explore human behavior as it relates to our fluctuating environment. Aggression is a behavior that can be internally formulated or engaged through outside influence. Therefore, it is a relevant area of study that can produce interesting results when coupled with another variable.
Violence is a concerning issue in our culture and continues to affect how we live. Not only does violence exist in everyday life, but alarmingly violence has become an accepted, even preferred method of entertainment. Video games in particular are raging with violent images that beckon the user to participate rather than simply watch (Anderson, et al., 2001). Trying to find a correlation between violent video games and aggression may uncover disconcerting findings. While video games are enjoyed by players of all ages, it is significant to focus on a select group. The health and safety of children may be at risk if aggression becomes dominant. Furthermore, a child succumbing to aggression poses a concern for society. Focusing on children of a certain age would be a suitable target for this research study.
Aggression is a complex issue because it can be approached as biological, psychological, or culturally induced (Farrell, 2002). Although a research study concentrating on the correlation between stimulating violent video games and aggression would fall easily into the cultural aspect of this phenomenon, there are also biological and psychological reactions when aggression abounds. Therefore, a good research study will delve into aggression comprehensively and include all aspects of aggression and all possible variables. When considering aggression, the researcher should have an understanding of theoretical approaches to aggression as well as the factors that can be considered stimulants or antagonists of this behavior.
With a focus on children, the study should take on the perspectives of the parents or caregivers as well as the child. This is highly important because children are in the care of adults and if negative effects occur, there is a high probability of correcting the problem if the adult is enlightened by the new information. Additionally, statistics of video game play should be pursued in this research, including previous studies comprised of this research topic to enhance the findings.

This study should be qualitative due to the observation that must take place. However, it should be expected that direct aggression may not be witnessed during the study, and aggression cannot be ruled out if this is the case due to the biological and psychological elements of this behavior. Therefore, it is appropriate to complete the research with quantitative methods such as surveys that assess the attitudes and perceptions of the children after playing violent video games.



References
Anderson, C., Ihori, N., Shibuya, A., Swing, E., & Bushman, B. (2001). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: a meta-analytic review. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/abstracts/2010-2014/10ASISBSRS.pdf.

Department of Family and Consumer Studies. (2010). Anger and aggression in young children causes. Retrieved from http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=2&mode=form&reqsrcid=APAWebPa ge&more=yes&nameCnt=1.

Farrell, A. (2002). Aggression: biological, psychological, and cultural explanations. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web2/afarrell.html.

Michigan State University (2005). Violent Video Games Lead To Brain Activity. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051012082710.htm.

Smith, A. (2008). Theories of aggression. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1809.




STAGE 2




Video Game Violence and Child Aggression

Child aggression is a topic of interest for any parent and for society as a whole. Aggression can create a multitude of problems for children including advanced anger issues, violence, and depression. Additionally, video games are a top form of entertainment for children and the use and development of video games is steadily growing. According to Anderson and Bushman, “about 10% of children aged 2 to 18 play console and computer video games more than 1 hour per day (Anderson & Bushman, 2001, p. 353)”. Because violence is prominent in video games, it is important to study the correlation between video game violence and child aggression.

A viable research question should appropriately relay the issue being studied as well as the intent of the research (Brenner, 1997). There should be identifiable variables within the research question that outlines what is being addressed (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Moreover, it is important for a research question to identify whether it is qualitative or quantitative in nature (Brenner, 1997).

Qualitative Research Question

A qualitative research question regarding video game violence and child aggression will state, “What is the effect of violent video games on child aggression within hours after playing?” This research question discusses the independent variable of violent video games with the dependent variable of child aggression. Although video game violence may have a lasting impact on the child by influencing that child on how to handle situations in the future, it would be difficult to address future aggression and connect this aggression to video game play. Therefore, this research question gives a more narrow emphasis by directly focusing on a time frame of hours in which to measure the aggression rather than a general perspective of aggression that might be apparent days after the game.

Quantitative Research Question

A quantitative research question regarding video game violence and child aggression will state, “How much more do children playing violent video games have aggressive feelings within hours after playing than children playing non-violent video games?” This quantitative research question focuses on comparing the two participant groups of the study. One group would be children playing violent video games and the second group would be children playing non-violent video games. This research question also aims to identify the correlation between the independent variable of video games and the dependent variable of aggressive feelings. Unlike the qualitative research question that would directly observe aggression in the children playing video games, this quantitative approach would directly focus on the feelings of the participants and measure these aggressive feelings for a comparative study. This would be done through survey questionnaires of the children in both participant groups directly after playing video games. The survey questionnaires would ask the children to identify their aggressive feelings on a scale to measure the degrees of aggressive feelings that may or may not be present and this would be measured in both participant groups.

It is important to study the correlation between child aggression and violent video games to understand the direct effects certain variables can have on children and the way they behave. A viable research question is necessary to ensure the study is relevant and understandable. By utilizing a useable research question in a qualitative or quantitative manner, the study will have a good foundation for discovery to begin.



References

Anderson, C., & Bushman, B. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior. Psychological Science, 12(5), Retrieved from http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/abstracts/2000-2004/01ab.pdf.

Brenner, E. (1997). Developing a "research question". Retrieved from http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/brenner/lsci105/rsrchqus.html.

Trochim, W., & Donnelly, J. (2008). The research methods knowledge base (third edition). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.




STAGE 3




Video Game Violence and Child Aggression

For the topic of child aggression, a research focus is necessary to understand the phenomena being addressed. For a focus to be considerable, a viable research question with identifiable variables needs to be constructed in addition to having an appropriate sampling method for a qualitative study on video game violence and child aggression.

A research question must address the issue being studied and the direction of the study, along with the variables involved (Marion, 2004). In this particular study regarding video game violence and its effect on child aggression, a qualitative research question should be assembled to show a perceived correlation between video game violence and child aggression (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). The intended outcome is to prove the phenomena that participation in violent gameplay will initiate aggressive behaviors and feelings within the player, thus perpetuating possible violence in reality. The research question to be used in this study is, “what is the effect of violent video games on child aggression within hours playing?” The variables essentially power the study and a correlation must be distinguishable between the independent and dependent variables (Price, 2000). This research question discusses the independent variable of violent video games and aims to discover if this independent variable will cause the dependent variable of child aggression to ensue. The timing of the research study will also be an important variable that allows for the study to be narrowed to an immediate observation of aggression or non-aggression as opposed to a longer timeline of observation.

Sampling

This study aims to be qualitative and will have a purposeful sampling method imposed. Purposeful sampling targets subjects that have certain characteristics (Siegle, 1998). The characteristics that are needed for this sampling are children of a specific age group that regularly play video games for recreation. This study will ideally include twenty third grade students and separate these students into two sampling groups. The two groups of participants will be randomly selected to include ten students in each group. One group will consist of ten students who will play a non-violent video game for one hour. The second group will consist of the remaining ten students who will play a violent video game for one hour. Due to this study focusing on individual perceptions of violence and individual reactions or behaviors associated with the participation of the video game, the students in each group will play the video games individually rather than collectively. This will eliminate the possible variable of group influence that may explain why each student shows or does not show aggression based on learned behavior of others. The specific type of purposeful sampling will be homogenous because of the basic similarities chosen within the groups and the need to simplify the analysis to focus specifically on the independent and dependent variables (Siegle, 1998).

With a viable research question imposed that correlates the independent variable of violent video games with the dependent variable of child aggression, the phenomena of this possible correlation can be addressed and explained through qualitative means. A purposeful sampling of children will sufficiently provide an opportunity to examine the differences between non-violent video gameplay and violent video gameplay to prove or disprove the expected outcome.

References

Marion, R. (2004). Developing research questions. Retrieved from http://www.sahs.utmb.edu/pellinore/intro_to_research/wad/res_ques.htm.

Price, I. (2000). Variables. Retrieved from http://www.une.edu.au/WebStat/unit_materials/c1_behavioural_science_research/vari ables.html.

Siegle, D. (1998). Purposive sampling. Retrieved from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/research/Samples/purposivesampling.htm.

Trochim, W., & Donnelly, J. (2008). The research methods knowledge base (third edition). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.






STAGE 4



Video Game Violence and Child Aggression

It is important for any research proposal to entail the exact concepts to be measured. This includes the data to be collected and how it will be assessed. In regards to the topic of child aggression and how it may be directly related to video game violence, the concepts to be measured must be suitable for a mixed method study and should additionally outline the ways in which these concepts can be analyzed.

Measurable Concepts

Child aggression can be witnessed or assessed through the subject’s perceptions and documented feelings. Therefore, this study leans toward the qualitative side with the addition of quantitative data being analyzed. For this study, the concepts that need to be measured are the degrees of noticeable aggression in the child playing the video games, the survey depictions of the feelings and personal perceptions of aggressive tendencies, and the degree of violence in the video games. These concepts are imperative to the study, as they outline the research question and the reason for the study being conducted.

In order for the concepts to be introduced and acceptable to the research proposal, validity is a factor that must be considered. According to Nahid Golafshani, validity can be described as a determination as to “whether the research truly measures that which it was intended to measure or how truthful the research results are” (Golafshani, 2003, p. 3). This statement elicits the ideal that the research instrument correctly targets the intent of the research question. For this particular study, in order to discover the effect of aggression based on violent video game interaction, the concepts of the video game violence in addition to the degrees of aggression being displayed are key concepts to be measured. The next step is to evaluate how these concepts will be measured in a mixed method fashion that meets the needs of the study.

Types of Analysis

The concepts of a study are important and the ways in which these concepts are measured and analyzed are just as significant to the outcome and cogency of the research. Focus groups would be utilized in this study to focus on a specific age group interested in video games (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). Furthermore, the groups will consist of around ten participants per group. The participants will be selected from the same school, based on pre-interview surveys made up of questions to determine the time spent recreationally playing video games. It is important to note that the degree of violence in video games being utilized for the study will be dependent on the rating of the video game only, based on the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Informed consent forms for the students and parents will be drawn and will outline the study to occur, the video games to be played, and the expected outcome of a correlation between video game violence and child aggression. Furthermore, the parents of the study will be given literature of previous studies on the issue of video game violence that will be used in this study for analytical purposes to inform the parents of the possible effects of video game violence before consenting to the study.

Once conducted, the observations of this study will be recorded through videotaping and transcripts. Other important data will be the quantitative surveys that are given to the participants. The data from these surveys will be measured statistically for quantitative analysis with semi-structured interviews being conducted of the participants for qualitative input (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). The data will be analyzed both empirically as an indirect measure and with quantitative descriptive analysis of the surveys conducted on the participants (Trochim & Donnelly, 2008). This combination of analytical techniques will fulfill the necessary components of the mixed method approach to this study. Additionally, the analytic induction method will be utilized to justify the qualitative aspect of the study. This is one of the simplest and most thorough methods of conducting a research analysis (Ratcliff, 1999). This method of analysis allows the researcher to look at the event and develop a hypothesis of what has occurred based on objective observation (Ratcliff, 1999). To add to the quantitative aspect of this study, asymmetric measures of association will be used to determine the relation between the independent variable of violent video games and the dependent variable of child aggression (Grosshans, 1992).

The ways in which to measure the concepts of this study must be approached with a qualitative standpoint in mind coupled with an approach to include quantitative data analysis. With the proper concepts in place to measure and the correct analytical tools put in place to bring the concepts and correlations to full fruition, a proper mixed method study on the effects of video game violence on child aggression can commence.





References

Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding reliability and validity in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 8 (4), Retrieved from http://www.learningdomain.com/MEdHOME/QUALITATIVE/Reliab.VALIDITY.pdf.

Grosshans, W. (1992). Quantitative data analysis: an introduction. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/pe10111.pdf.

Ratcliff, D. (1999). 15 methods of data analysis in qualitative research. Retrieved from http://qualitativeresearch.ratcliffs.net/15methods.pdf.

Trochim, W., & Donnelly, J. (2008). The research methods knowledge base. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.