Considerations Before Research Begins

¶ … Operational Definitions in order carry research, researchers define variables terms actual procedures measure manipulate. Operational definitions provide details procedures needed measure a variable written precisely, increase Variables and operational definitions The independent variables for the topic social media and technology are availability of technology, social media access, and availability of internet. Technology availability is vital for someone to access and use social media. Without technology, the subjects would have to rely on traditional methods for communication, and the results would differ from those who have technology access.

The popularity of social media sites available is independent since it determines the level of access and usage. Internet availability is critical because without internet connectivity it would not be possible to connect on social media with others. The dependent variables are sense of community, and enjoyment. Subjects who have access to social media and technology are bale to connect with their peers and community easily. The subjects will also gain enjoyment, as they will be fulfilled when they can connect and interact with others using technology and social media.

Enjoyment is measured on the ordinal scale as one either gets enjoyment, or they do not. Technology availability, social media access, and internet availability are measured on the interval scale. Social media access is measured on the popularity of the available social media sites. Popularity of social media sites will be tested individually by making only one site available at a time. Technology and internet availability are operationally defined as either available or not. The researcher could also reduce the internet speed to measure adaptiveness of subjects.

The rationale behind the definitions is that the study aims at establishing the link between social media and technology. The operational definitions given have the capability to affect the reliability of the study since the independent variable can be manipulated in different ways to achieve different or same results (Rucker, Preacher, Tormala, & Petty, 2011). Validity is established because the results of the study can be adapted to other settings, which would provide external validity. Internal validity would be achieved by measuring the dependent variables based on the independent variables.

This would provide an precise measurement of the cause and effect. Non-experimental and experimental methods Experimental techniques allow for the direct manipulation of independent variables in order to test their effect on the dependent variable (Cozby & Bates, 2011). The researcher would manipulate the first variable and measure its effect on the dependent variable. Non-experimental techniques measure both variables. The technique will study the relationship between the two variable using observations. A relationship would be established if the two variables vary together.

Using experimental techniques, a researcher would get these advantages: one can establish cause and effect. Allowing the researcher to manipulate a variable offers him or her the chance to establish if there is a cause and effect. The researcher would have precise control over the control variables (McKenzie, Stillman, & Gibson, 2010). The experiment can be easily replicated in a different setting in order to determine if the results will vary. Disadvantages of experimental techniques are it is artificial since the experiment is not typical of a real life situation.

Having control over variables limits the behavior of the subjects. The cons of non-experimental techniques are cannot establish cause and effect relationships, variables cannot be manipulated, and the study methods are mostly case studies or correlation. The concept of experimental control is used to minimize the effects of external variable. This would increase the reliability of the obtained results. Causality is the relation between one event and a second event. The first event is normally the cause and the second event the effect.

The second event would be a consequence of the first event. Randomization is.