Theory Methodology and Human Development

Theory Methodology and Human Development

Analyze a selected topic from a social scientific perspective by doing the following

Explain the significance of a suitable question, which you have formulated, for social scientific analysis.

The impact that video games, as a form of media entertainment, have been a matter of concern for politicians, parents, and legislators. However, the results generated from the scholarly literature are not in agreement; researchers continue to disagree about the impact that video games have on people.

Analyze three research problems (i.e., subordinate questions) that will help answer the social scientific question that you have formulated.

For purposes of this research, a quantitative research design is utilized.

Question #

What is the relationship of playing video games to increased levels of obesity?

Justification:

Walsh, Gentile, Walsh, & Bennett (2006, p. 2) found that "children who spend more time playing video games are heavier, and are more likely to be classified as overweight or obese."

Rideout, Roberts, and Foehr (2004) found that the average child in America between the ages of 8 and 18 years of age spends nearly 7 hours per day with some form of electronic media, with video game playing constituting almost 2 full hours per day.

Question # 2:

What is the relationship of playing video games to increased levels of aggression?

Justification:

Peng, Liu, & Mou (2008) suggest that, while many quantitative research studies (Anderson & Bushman, 2001; Sherry, 2001) have found statistically significant correlations between the playing violent video games and aggressive behaviors the claimed causal relationship is tentative at best.

Question # 3:

Are some video games more addictive than others? If so, which games are more addictive than others?

Justification:

Skoric, Teo, and Neo (2009) note that all addictive behaviors are associated with uncontrollable urges that are often in tandem with loss of control, usage preoccupation, and an overwhelming desire to continue the behavior, despite negative consequences.

Yee (2006) notes that "hardcore" video game players tend to be younger and have emotional problems, including low self-esteem. When such a player compounds "hardcore" game playing with feelings of deficient self-worth, Yee (2006) argues, players tend to supplement this lacking self-worth with the immersive environments of interactive video games.

Young (2009) notes that people who are addicted to video games "willingly forgo sleep, food, and real human contact just to experience more time in the virtual world. Gaming addicts sometimes play for ten, fifteen, or twenty hours straight in a single gaming session, every day."

The negative consequences of video game playing, though tenuous, are well documented in the scholarly literature and are of concern to politicians, parents, teachers and video game programmers.

Explain the social scientific analysis required for each of the three research problems.

All of these research questions will involve a Non-experimental, Quantitative research design. For this quantitative research, surveys will be administered to a cohort of video game players in an effort to determine if causal connections are present.

Trochim (2010) observes that survey research has become one of the most important measurement tools to social science researchers. For these research questions, a survey questionnaire is appropriate. The benefits of using a questionnaire-based survey are several; they allow the researcher to tailor-fit questions for research participants, allow for flexibility for research participant responses and are relatively low cost compared to other forms of social science research measurements.

Using procedures designed for sampling, survey responses from a given group or cohort can be generalized to a larger population, thereby allowing researchers to make predictions and hypotheses about human behaviors and events.

Consider the extent to which your chosen topic question can be examined by the application of the scientific method by doing the following:

Discuss the scientific method as understood in the natural or physical sciences.

The scientific method in the natural and physical sciences refers collectively to the set of techniques and procedures utilized for investigating and researching phenomena in an effort to ascertain knowledge about a given issue or to build upon previous bodies of knowledge. However, for an inquiry method to be considered "scientific" it must be quantifiable, empirical, observable or otherwise measurable. Thus, through a rigorous design of observable techniques or through a carefully designed experiment, the scientific method allows researchers to develop, apply and test given hypotheses.

While differing procedures exist among the various fields of inquiry and study, the scientific method in the natural and physical sciences are primarily concerned with gaining knowledge through experimental research designs to test hypotheses, confirm predictions and revise prior hypotheses when needed. One important consideration in designing and conducting experimental research is that the methods utilized must be replicable; without the ability of others to implement the methods used, the ability to repeat a given research study is not possible and therefore negates the ability of others to confirm results.

Toward this endeavor, it is imperative that researchers document and record all data collected and detail the methods used to obtain data. This practice of detailing the methods used in research should also include not only the assumptions of the research, but also the limitations in the research; such full disclosure is imperative to bolster the scientific method. In other words, researchers must strive to remain as neutral and objective as possible to avoid claims and suspicions of bias in research.

Compare the research methods required for your formulated question (from part A2a) to the scientific method as understood in the natural or physical sciences (from part A3a).

Natural/physical sciences primarily study phenomena associated within the physical world, the observable nature of the universe, while the study of social sciences is primarily oriented toward studying the behaviors of people and of societies. While phenomena in the natural world is easily observable and is able to be readily documented, the field of social science involves a different kind of methodological inquiry.

In the social sciences, quantitative research designs provide a foundation for a systematic method to investigate, empirically, social phenomena as well as the relationships between observed or hypothesized phenomena. For the purposes of this proposed research, surveys are used.

While the research methods utilized for the video game questions in part A2a are primarily oriented with human behaviors pursuant to external stimuli, the research involves

The research methods used for studying human behavior

a. Discuss whether a social science perspective must rely on the scientific method in the same way that natural or physical science would.

No, the social science perspective does not rely on the scientific method in the same ways that natural/physical sciences would rely on the scientific method. While the physical and natural sciences might involve observing physical phenomena such as objects in the world, processes involved, and physical events, the natural and physical sciences do not seek to explain behaviors or emotions or feelings as the social sciences might.