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Review the resources from the Course Resources link, located in the top navigation bar, to prepare for this weeks assignments. Please review the provided excerpts from previous NU psychology dissertations that demonstrate alignment between Problem Statement, Purpose Statement, and Research Questions (hypotheses).

Instead of a traditional paper outline, your assignment this week will be to complete a Purpose Table where you include the key aspects of your potential research study. These specific key aspects will be included in your Purpose Statement as part of your Lesson 8 Signature Assignment. Here is an example table:

Problem gap

Resilience has been shown to be an important protective factor for mental health among older adults, although further research is needed to investigate how resilience may buffer the impact of loneliness and ageism on psychological distress (Ribeiro-Gonalves et al., 2023).

Purpose of the Study (including method and design)

The purpose of this quantitative correlational design study is to assess the potential mediator role of resilience between the effects of ageism and loneliness on PD in older adults.

1-2 Research Questions/

Hypotheses

RQ1: How does resilience mediate the relationship between agism and psychological distress for older adults 60+?

Null hypothesis: Resilience does not mediate the relationship between agism and psychological distress for older adults 60+

Alternative hypothesis: When resilience is high, there will be no predictive relationship between agism and psychological distress.

RQ2: How does resilience mediate the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress for older adults 65+?

Null hypothesis: Resilience does not mediate the relationship between loneliness and psychological distress for older adults 60+

Alternative hypothesis: When resilience is high, there will be no predictive relationship between loneliness and psychological distress.

Population, Sampling and recruitment

The population of interest is older adults age 60 and over. A convenience sampling technique will be used to recruit older adults through social media. Target sample size: according to Wison VanVooris and Morgan (2007), researchers can target a minimum of 30 participants for each predictor in a correlational study. With 2 predictors (ageism, loneliness) and 1 mediator (resilience), we can consider this the same as 3 predictors. While 30 per predictor is the minimum (3×30=90), I want to make sure I have a large enough sample, so I will aim for more participants: a target of 200 participants.

Data collection strategy

Online survey will be used to collect data at a single time point (i.e. each participant will complete the survey only once).

Operationalization and instruments

Variables of interest include: loneliness(predictor) will be measured using he Short-Form of UCLA Loneliness Scale (USL-6), ageism (predictor) will be measured using the Ambivalent Ageism Scale (AAS), resilience (mediator) will be measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and psychological distress (criterion/outcome) will be measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6).

Data analysis

2 multiple regression analyses will be performed. For each hypothesis, mediation will be determined if:

Predictor and outcome are significantly associated (block 1) until the mediating variable is added to the regression model (block 2) and the predictor is no longer significant.

Note. Study information based on Ribeiro-Gonalves et al. (2023)

References:

Ribeiro-Gonalves, J.A., Costa, P. A., & Leal, I. (2023). Loneliness, ageism, and mental health: The buffering role of resilience in seniors. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 23(1). DOI: .

Wilson VanVooris, C. R., & Morgan, B. L. (2007). Understanding power and rules of thumb for determining sample sizes. Tutorials in Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 3(2), 43-50. DOI: 10.20982/tqmp.03.2.p043

Instructions

There are 2 parts to this assignment that can be included in a single Word document. You can include the revised Problem and Research Questions/hypotheses at the beginning of the document with the table, and you can add your reflection after the table.

Part 1

Begin with your Problem Statement and Research Questions (and hypotheses, if applicable) from previous assignments in this course. Be sure to revise these components based on any feedback and suggestions for revision provided by your professor. Next, you will begin to plan a proposed study to address your research problem and research questions.

Using the table provided in the Course Resources, complete each section of the table, citing sources to support claims as necessary. Your table should include the following:

1. The purpose of this [Study method], [study design] study is to . . . [complete the sentence by identifying your goal in conducting the research, which should address the gap you identified in your problem and answer your RQs]
2. Target population
3. Sampling frame and sampling method (including recruitment strategy)
4. Sample size (justified by scholarly sources and power analysis for quantitative studies, discussing the role of saturation for qualitative studies)
5. Research setting (location for study procedures and data collection)
6. Data collection method (including specific measurement instruments or interview protocols for all constructs/variables or phenomena of interest)
7. Data analysis method (identify the specific process or analysis you will use to answer each RQ)

Part 2

Reflect on how the revised Research Questions/Hypotheses and the information in your Purpose Table for Part 1 of this assignment were influenced by the examples you reviewed and the requirements of the assignment. Explain how well you feel the Problem/Purpose/RQs are aligned. Identify potential ethical considerations related to the research processes proposed in the Purpose Statement.

Expectations

Length: Part 1 of this assignment must be 1-2 pages (excluding the title and reference page); Part 2 must be 1-2 pages.

References: Include 2 scholarly resources.

Consider your edited problem statement from the Lesson 2 assignment, feedback you received from your professor for that assignment, and your work this week to create your elevator speech. Write a reflection to discuss what initial research questions you feel would target the gap youve identified. Discuss how your response to the questions listed in the Lesson 3 Lecture guided you in your development of these research questions:

• Will answering the research questions help solve or address the specific problem?
• Will answering the research questions help fill the knowledge gap?
• Do the research questions clearly identify the population of interest (i.e. who the questions are about)?
• Do the research questions clearly identify important concepts or variables from the Problem and gap?

Discuss if you think your research questions would be better answered by a qualitative or quantitative approach and why. Support your opinion with information from scholarly sources

Reflect on how to distinguish between questions you might ask as RQs (whole study) versus questions you might ask during interviews (data collection). Cite the Lesson readings as needed.

Expectations

Length: 1-2 page reflection

References: Minimum 3 scholarly sources

For this assignment, you will create a podcast which is a 2-minute , about the focus of your research. First, please consider your professors feedback from your Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 assignments. Next, revise your Problem Statement to reflect that feedback and your own conclusions from reflecting on your work.

Using your revised Problem Statement, please draft a 2-minute elevator speech. Based on typical speaking speed, that will be between 250-300 words. You do not need to submit a formal written version of your speech, but you will likely benefit from writing it out to prepare for your podcast recording. Be sure your speech answers the following questions:

• What is the topic of your research?
• What is the problem, issue, or question that you are asking and addressing in your research?
• Why is that problem interesting and important? (i.e., So what?)
• How does your work connect with a broader disciplinary conversation about this topic/problem in your field, and what does it add to that conversation

Please upload your recording to the assignment dropbox.

Expectations

Length: This assignment must be 2 minutes

References: The speech should be based on your Problem Statement (minimum 10 scholarly sources), but there is no need to cite or include references in this informal assignment.