Foundations of Research 1 Quasi-experimental & field studies This is a PowerPoint Show Click slide show to start it. Click through it by pressing any key. Focus & think about each point; do not just passively click. To print: Click File then Print. Under print what click handouts (6 slides per page). This is a PowerPoint Show Click slide show to start it. Click through it by pressing any key. Focus & think about each point; do not just passively click. To print: Click File then Print. Under print what click handouts (6 slides per page). Dr. David J. McKirnan, 2014 The University of Illinois Chicago Do not use or reproduce without permission Ongoing field studies show Baboons to learn and transmit culture. Click for NY Times article. Foundations of Research 2 Naturally occurring events / case studies Interventions within a single group Experiments with non-equivalent groups Time series designs & field observations Many important issues cannot be studied with true experiments. This module addresses four topics best addressed with quasi-experiments. Foundations of Research 3 Naturally occurring events / case studies Interventions within a single group Experiments with non-equivalent groups Time series designs & field observations Quasi-experiments: how do we research GroupNaturally occurring event or social changeObserve Foundations of Research 4 Naturally occurring events It is important to understand the consequences of phenomena that are naturally occurring. It is easy to think of examples: Social, cultural or political events War, 9/11-like events, immigration, torture. Policy changes; educational or civic policies, gay marriage Rapid economic change Natural events Weather-related or other natural disasters Climate change Behavioral events Crime victimization Childbirth GroupNaturally occurring event or social changeObserve Foundations of Research 5 Naturally occurring events Research on naturally occurring events roughly falls into three categories: Simple description Predictors (correlates) of outcomes or consequences Potential interventions or policy changes GroupNaturally occurring event or social changeObserve Foundations of Research 6 Naturally occurring events Research on naturally occurring events Simple description What is the nature size, scope, intensity of the event? It is positive or negative? What are the consequences for those affected? Economic, social or cultural; are social structures damaged or enhanced? Individual; psychological adjustment or growth, physical harm, trauma GroupNaturally occurring event or social changeObserve Foundations of Research 7 Naturally occurring events Research on naturally occurring events roughly falls into three categories: Simple description Predictors (correlates) of outcomes What personal or social factors allow individuals or communities to benefit from positive events? What personal or social factors create vulnerability to adverse outcomes? What confers resilience in the face of uncontrollable events; e.g. community support, economic resources Potential interventions or policy changes To prevent future occurrences To lessen adverse outcomes GroupNaturally occurring event or social changeObserve Foundations of Research 8 Description During Sierra Leones civil war children as young as 7 were recruited as soldiers. E X A M P L E Betancourt, Theresa et al. (2010). Sierra Leones Former Child Soldiers: A Follow-Up Study of Psychosocial Adjustment and Community Reintegration. Child Development, 81 (4), Pp. 10771095. Click for article. Example: Child soldiers in Sierra Leone. In this sample M age of captivity was 10, average duration = 5 years. 88% witnessed violence or warfare 28% killed a stranger or loved one. 37% of females and 6% of males were victims of rape. 7% experienced all three exposures. Most were resettled in their original villages or with relatives. Many returned child soldiers reported PTSD or other psychological symptoms Anxiety, depression, hostility Low confidence and prosocial attitudes. Foundations of Research 9 Child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Description Predictors / correlates of outcomes Actions during the war were strongly related to negative outcomes Wounding or killing another person Witnessing violence Victim of rape Family acceptance upon reentry was the key variable associated with resilience & recove ry. Community acceptance was less important short-term, more important long-term Family acceptance was weaker for those who were Older, male, engaged in or witnessed violence, or were raped. Thus, acceptance was lower for those who needed it most. E X A M P L E Foundations of Research 10 Child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Description Predictors / correlates of outcomes Actions during the war were strongly related to negative outcomes Wounding or killing another person Witnessing violence Victim of rape Family acceptance upon reentry was the key variable associated with resilience & recove ry. Community acceptance was less important short-term, more important long-term Family acceptance was weaker for those who were Older, male, engaged in or witnessed violence, or were raped. Thus, acceptance was lower for those who needed it most. E X A M P L E Note: Predictors here are simply variables that correlate with the outcome. Cause and effect can be difficult to determine. Did family acceptance cause some former soldiers to have better outcomes? Or, are soldiers who are doing better more easily accepted by their families? Note: Predictors here are simply variables that correlate with the outcome. Cause and effect can be difficult to determine. Did family acceptance cause some former soldiers to have better outcomes? Or, are soldiers who are doing better more easily accepted by their families? Foundations of Research 11 Child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Description Predictors of outcomes Potential interventions or policy changes The predictor / correlation evidence has shown some paths toward interventions International Rescue Committee has developed programs specifically targeting family & community integration Programs for former child soldiers include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Uganda. UNICEF, the UN and other organizations are resettling soldiers There are only scattered data on the long-term effect of these programs. Here are interviews with Ishmael Beah, a child soldier in Sierra Leone who wrote a biography of his experiences.biography E X A M P L E The complete interview.interviewAn excerpt.excerpt Foundations of Research 12 Naturally occurring events Lets think about the study of naturally occurring events from a research perspective Naturally Occurring means events that are not controlled by a researcher. GroupNaturally occurring event or social changeObserve Foundations of Research 13 No control over who is exposed to the event Possible control over who is selected for the research sample May compromise both internal and external validity. Group Event not controlled / manipulated. Not a true Independent Variable Often no control group Significant threat to internal validity Naturally occurring event or social changeObserve May or may not have control over measures. Archival measures medical records, climate data, crime reports may not assess exactly what the study needs. Survey or other post- hoc measures can address hypotheses. Naturally occurring events Heuristic value of field studies: generating hypotheses for later experimental study or to confirm controlled data in a real world setting. Foundations of Research 14 E X A M P L E Events Outcomes Examples of naturally occurring events: Descriptive data The 1984 San Francisco earthquake Coping responses to a major stressor Natural disaster / stressor Trauma Iraq / Afghanistan service PTSD & response to treatment Historical event 2007 2010 economic contraction Voting patterns Publicity / cultural event Negative results from The Womens Health Initiative study of hormone replacement Health decisions Foundations of Research 15 E X A M P L E Events Outcomes Examples of naturally occurring events: Post-hoc predictors (correlates) The 1984 San Francisco earthquake Coping responses to a major stressor Natural disaster / stressor Trauma Iraq / Afghanistan service PTSD & response to treatment Historical event 2007 2010 economic contraction Voting patterns Publicity / cultural event Negative results from The Womens Health Initiative study of hormone replacement Health decisions Post-hoc surveys showed that: Proximity to the event was the best predictor of stress reactions Previous psychiatric history was also predictive Those with anxiety or depression histories had a significantly stronger stress reaction. Social support buffered the effect of the earthquake on stress People who perceived themselves to have strong social support networks fared better than those who did not. Post-hoc surveys showed that: Proximity to the event was the best predictor of stress reactions Previous psychiatric history was also predictive Those with anxiety or depression histories had a significantly stronger stress reaction. Social support buffered the effect of the earthquake on stress People who perceived themselves to have strong social support networks fared better than those who did not. Foundations of Research 16 E X A M P L E Events Outcomes Examples of naturally occurring events: Post-hoc predictors (correlates) The 1984 San Francisco earthquake Coping responses to a major stressor Natural disaster / stressor Trauma Iraq / Afghanistan service PTSD & response to treatment Historical event 2007 2010 economic contraction Voting patterns Publicity / cultural event Negative results from The Womens Health Initiative study of hormone replacement Health decisions Post-hoc studies have shown that: As with the earthquake data, both proximity to the event previous psychiatric history were strong predictors of PTSD. Traumatic brain injury is a major co-factor in symptom severity. Immediate tela-treatment (web links from mental health professionals to the field) could moderate symptoms Post-hoc studies have shown that: As with the earthquake data, both proximity to the event previous psychiatric history were strong predictors of PTSD. Traumatic brain injury is a major co-factor in symptom severity. Immediate tela-treatment (web links from mental health professionals to the field) could moderate symptoms Foundations of Research 17 E X A M P L E Events Outcomes Examples of naturally occurring events: Post-hoc predictors (correlates) The 1984 San Francisco earthquake Coping responses to a major stressor Natural disaster / stressor Trauma Iraq / Afghanistan service PTSD & response to treatment Historical event 2007 2010 economic contraction Voting patterns Publicity / cultural event Negative results from The Womens Health Initiative study of hormone replacement Health decisions Descriptive & hypothesis-testing research has shown that: Voters generally vote more conservative during times of economic stress.