The role that research plays in enhancing understanding and knowledge cannot be overstated. As they conduct research, scientists provide audiences with important insights that they need to understand how various elements of the universe function. In an effort to ensure that research is conducted in a standard fashion that yields credible findings, guidelines have been developed. These guidelines address such issues as the need for a control group and the importance of researchers to adhere to established ethical values. The research on the impacts of negative body talk that Katrevich, Register and Aruguete (2014) conducted highlights the importance of the scientific method.
Hypothesis
Essentially, a hypothesis is a claim that researchers often make before conducting the study. They then proceed to determine whether this claim is true using the research process. Given the wide scope of their study, Katrevich and her colleagues centered the study around three hypotheses. One of the hypotheses sought to determine if there are any differences in the eating pathology among the participants in the experimental and the control group (Katrevich, Register & Aruguete, 2014). This means that they set out to establish that when exposed to negative talk, participants develop eating pathologies.
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Dependent and Independent Variables
Variables are among the key tools that researchers use to conduct studies. Basically, they are the factors whose impacts the researchers wish to establish. They come in two types: dependent and independent variables. Exposure to fat talk is the primary independent variable that Katrevich and her team examined Katrevich, Register and Aruguete. What makes this the dependent variable is the fact that the level of exposure is not related to any other factor that the researchers examine in their article. On the other hand, the incidence of eating pathology is the dependent variable Katrevich, Register and Aruguete. That this incidence is tied to such issues as exposure to negative body talk is what makes it the dependent variable. Essentially, eating pathologies are determined by whether one is exposed to negative talk.
The concept of operational definition captures how researchers measure particular variables (Matthews et al., 2013). To determine if the participants had been exposed to negative body talk, Katrevich and the other researchers simply placed them in control and the experimental groups. Those in the experimental groups were determined to have been exposed to negative body talk. The Drive for Thinness is the tool that the researchers used to measure eating pathologies. Using this tool, the participants provided responses regarding whether they exhibited symptoms consistent with anorexia and bulimia.
Random Assignment
Random assignment is a common procedure used in research. Basically, it involves placing participants in the control or the experimental group using a method that leverages chance (Ledford, 2017). For example, the participants could be asked to toss a coin and the result of the toss determines their group. While they do not provide details about how randomization was conducted, Katrevich and her colleagues state that random assignment did occur. The purpose of random assignment is to ensure internal validity (Ledford & Gast, 2018). This means that by assigning participants randomly, researchers are able to ensure that the factors under consideration are the only explanation for the observations made.
Experimental Group and Control Group
The experimental group constitutes the essence of research. Enabling researchers to observe and determine the impacts of an intervention is the primary purpose that the experimental group serves. Participants who were exposed to negative body talk made up the experimental group for the research that Katrevich and her team performed. This is because the research set out to determine the effects of negative body talk on eating pathologies. Since they were exposed to the talk, the participants allowed the researchers to observe the link between the talk and the eating pathologies. On the other hand, the control group is comprised of subjects who do not receive the intervention. The main issue that necessitates the control group is the need to benchmark. Using the control group, researchers are able to compare observations between the control and the experimental group (Pithon, 2013). In essence, the control group allows the researchers to establish conclusively that the intervention being examined is responsible for the outcomes observed in the experimental group.
Ethical Considerations
Ethics play a critical role in scientific research. As they conduct their studies, researchers need to give particular consideration to established ethical guidelines and standards. One of the functions that ethical considerations serve is that they challenge researchers to uphold integrity and shun fabricating data (“Ethical Considerations”, n.d). Falsification of data would erode confidence in research findings and the research community. More importantly, when the falsified data is integrated into practice, serious harm could result. That they enhance collaboration by establishing an environment of trust is another role that ethical considerations play (“Ethical Considerations”, n.d). Researchers rely on one another to be faithful in their compliance with ethical guidelines. Another function that ethical considerations serve is that they facilitate the protection of subjects. As they conduct studies, researchers are required to safeguard human participants against any and all forms of harm. While they do not explicitly indicate that they followed ethical guidelines, it can reasonably be expected that these guidelines governed the conduct of Katrevich and her team.
In conclusion, research is the fuel that facilitates human progress. The study that Katrevich and her fellow researchers carried out serves as evidence of the important role that research plays. These scholars set out to identify the damaging effects that negative body talk can cause. As part of the research process, they integrated common research procedures. These procedures included creating a control and experimental group and using random assignment. Given that they followed standard guidelines, one can conclude that the research findings are accurate and credible. Other researchers need to follow the example that Katrevich and her colleagues have set.
References
Ethical considerations. (n.d). Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching. Retrieved September 24, 2018 from https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/tutorials/ethics
Katrevich, A. V., Register, J. D., & Aruguete, M. S. (2014). The effects of negative body talk in an ethnically diverse sample of college students. North American Journal of Psychology, 16 (1), 43-52.
Ledford, J. R. (2017). No randomization? No problem. Experimental control and random assignment in single case research. American Journal of Evaluation, 39 (1), 71-90.
Ledford, J. R., & Gast, D. L. (2018). Single case research methodology. Applications of special education and behavioral sciences . New York: Springer.
Matthews, D. D., Blosnich, J. R., Farmer, G. W., & Adams. B. J. (2013). Operational definitions of sexual orientation and estimates of adolescent health risk behaviors. LGBT Health, 1 (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2013.0002
Pithon, M. M. (2013). Importance of the control group in scientific research. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics, 18 (6). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2176-94512013000600003
