Hypothesis
This research is concerned with a real world scenario whereby a group of children are put to the test with video games. These children have been put in a category of two groups; one group is supposed to play violent and aggressive video games while the other group plays a non-violent video game for a given period. This research uses the video games to actively test hypotheses about the changes in the behavior of the children. A series of questions were prepared to interview the participants hence test these hypotheses by preferential searching for behavioral change that would confirm these hypotheses.
Dependent and Independent Variables
The independent variable in this study is the type of video games that are given to the children to play with. This variable is estimated to be the reason for the adjustment in the conduct of the children and is what makes these two groups different from each other. The dependent variable, on the other hand, depends on the independent variable and will either change or not change because of the independent variable. In this case, the dependent valuable is the change of behavior that the children have shown as reported by their parents.
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Random Assignment
The researcher, in this case, wanted to minimize the chances of an unintended variable influence. The researcher therefore randomly assigned children to different groups to play the video games. This random assignment was used to help the researcher in his study by ensuring that any pre-existing difference among the subjects did not impact the experiment. The random assignment would also minimize factors like personality measures as well as other individual variables. Furthermore, at the end of this experiment, the researcher would be able to connect the independent and dependent variables. Every member will be in a position to be similarly doled out to some condition.
Limitations of the study
The research was conducted to evaluate behavioral changes in two different groups. The problem faced by the researcher included:
Sample size-The sample size that was used to collect data was small and included one age group thus the researcher had difficulty in determining an accurate statistical test.
Unreliable data -The parents and the teachers could not provide reliable and accurate data thus would restrict the extent of the data collection and in addition the size of the population. The researcher might realize later after issuing the questionnaires that a crucial question was missing from the list inhibiting the ability to conduct a thorough analysis of the results.
Self-reported data -The researcher in this survey is likely to get accurate data as he/she will be relying on the questionnaires provided to the teachers and parents. Furthermore, self-reported data could be biased as the participants in the survey could fill inappropriate information on the investigations.
Practical Issues
Some of the practical problems in the interview will include lack of enough information as some participants will claim not to be aware of the study and will lack interest in the interviews. These participants will also not be in a position to understand their involvement in the study thus will be less concerned on the interview. Another practical issue is finding the right study participants as well as the right institution on where to carry out the research. In this case, the researcher has a challenge in determining the right group of people to recruit for the study and the right institution. Individuals have different personalities that would influence how the research would be conducted.
Ethical Issues
Ethical issues are the rules that help a researcher determine what should be done and what should not be done while conducting research.
Objectivity
All researchers carrying out research with human participation should carry out a study that is not biased in any experimental design or any data interpretation. Moreover, the researcher fabricates or misrepresents the information collected after the research and thus should give accurate information to the public ( Marianna, 2017). The researcher should learn to keep proper records of the investigations, and the study should not constitute research misconduct.
Social Responsibility
The researcher should strive to promote social good and be in the knowhow of preventing social harms throughout the research. This would best be done by maintaining and improving competence as well as allow the participants make their own decisions. In addition, the researcher should obtain informed consent from the parents of the children who have been identified to participate in the research.
Internal and External Validity
Carrying out research is not an easy thing, and sometimes the researcher is faced with challenges that make it hard to determine whether the independent variable cause changes in the dependent variables. Internal validity refers to the conditions that determine whiter the experiment was a success while external validity refers to the generalized condition outcomes.
Internal validity:
Selection-The researcher, in this case, might select participants who do not qualify to be in the research and whose experience does not mirror everyone else’s.
Maturation-The children who were selected to participate in this research might change in the course of the study and might mature before the given period expires due to the effect of the independent variable.
External validity:
Pretesting-Subjects in this behavioral change study may cause the children react strongly or weakly in relation to the treatment that they received in the pretest experience.
Selection bias-This research in some way cannot be generalized since the results that were obtained could be as a result of the environment that the selected children were performing in.
The researcher, in this case, will be assuming a statistical significance test to give the results of the 12-year-old girls and assume that the results would tally to that of the boys. However the researcher will not be 100% sure of the findings since this would be a random chance and one should not be certain that a relationship can exist between two variables.
The use of violent video games among youngsters, in most cases, determines their aggressive behavior as the violent games have an indirect effect by increasing the risk factors associated with the behavior. Violent video games exposure is just like the exposure cigarette smoking whereby youths who are most exposed tend to smoke as compared to those who have minimal exposure to cigarette smoking.
Long-term effects of video game playing
Video game addiction-The researcher did not want to scare the participants since addiction to these games is real across the globe and it becomes a disorder whereby a person has to seek medical attention. Video games addiction even results to damage of one’s family as the players are fully engaged in the media.
Teaching wrong values-Some video games are associated with teaching the children to have bad morals in the society, and therefore the researcher did not want the children who participated to feel as weaker characters in the community. The researcher also avoided the thought that would make the players feel guilty about their behavior in the virtual world (JIA-KUN, Z., & QIAN, Z. 2016).
Social learning theory
This theory states that people can learn different behaviors by observing others. Human beings tend to change depending on the environment that they live in. Playing violent video games can thus impact children negatively, and they will be tempted to live a life that portrays what they have been exposed. Children who play violent games will develop attitudes and emotional responses.
References
JIA-KUN, Z., & QIAN, Z. (2016). Priming Effect of Computer Game Violence on Children’s Aggression Levels. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 44 (10), 1747-1759. doi:10.2224/sbp.2016.44.10.1747
Marianna, M. (2017). What are the major ethical issues in conducting research? Hsj.gr . Retrieved 5 February 2017, from http://www.hsj.gr/medicine/what-are-the-major-ethical-issues-in-conducting-research.
