Reference no: EM133580714
Problem
Brady and Dakes hypothesized that the absence of socioemotional supports among the elderly results in a high level of chronic health problems and low morale. They tested this hypothesis by interviewing a sample of 250 residents of one community who were aged 65 years and older. The participants were randomly selected from a list of town residents. The researchers asked a series of questions about the availability of socioemotional supports (e.g., whether the participants lived with any kin, whether they had any living children who resided within 30 minutes away) Based on responses to the various questions on social support, participants were classified in one of three groups: low social support, moderate social support, and high social support. In a 6-month follow-up interview, Brady and Dakes collected information from 214 of the participants about the frequency and intensity of the respondents' illnesses in the preceding 6-months, their hospitalizations, and their overall quality of life. The data analysis revealed that participants in the low-support group had significantly more health problems and hospitalizations and lower quality of life ratings than those in the other two groups. The researchers concluded that the availability of social supports caused better physical and mental functioning in old age.
Task
Question A. What is the independent variable in this study?
1. The independent variable in this study is the level of socioemotional support (low, moderate, high) received by the elderly participants.
Question B. What is the dependent variable in this study?
1. The dependent variables in this study are the frequency and intensity of illnesses, hospitalizations, and overall quality of life reported by the elderly participants
Question C. Is the design experimental or quasi-experimental?
Question D. Was random assignment used to control confounding variables?
Question E. Was matching used to control confounding variables?
Question F. Is the researcher justified in concluding that lower levels of social support causes more health problems and lower quality of life?