Question

Dr. keyes is a veterinarian who believes that people are happier if they own more pets. he hopes to fund a research project to demonstrate this so he can increase the number of pets adopted at the local animal shelter he runs. he is proposing a correlational study to examine this belief. describe the predicted relationship between the variables of this study. identify the population dr. keyes is studying. provide an example of a valid operational definition of "happiness. " provide a specific example of how the "third variable problem" could affect this study. explain why an experimental version of this study might not be ethical. explain how people may face an approach-approach conflict when adopting a pet at an animal shelter

Answer 1

Dr. Keyes's correlational study predicts a positive relationship between pet ownership and happiness. A third variable, such as income, could confound the results. An experimental study may not be ethical, and individuals may experience approach-approach conflict when choosing pets to adopt.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dr. Keyes is proposing a correlational study to examine the belief that owning more pets leads to greater happiness. The predicted relationship between the variables in this study suggests that as the number of pets (independent variable) increases, the level of happiness (dependent variable) will also increase. The population Dr. Keyes is studying would likely include individuals or households that have the potential to adopt pets from the local shelter.

A valid operational definition of "happiness" could be the frequency of positive emotional expressions or self-reported life satisfaction scores on a standardized scale. An example of how the third variable problem could affect this study is if individuals with higher income are both more likely to own more pets and have greater overall life satisfaction, thus confounding the relationship between pet ownership and happiness.

Conducting an experimental version of this study, where individuals are randomly assigned pets, may not be ethical as it involves obligating individuals to take on pet ownership responsibilities without their full consent or consideration of the pets' wellbeing. People may face an approach-approach conflict when adopting a pet at an animal shelter because they may be attracted to multiple animals and have to make a choice between equally desirable options.

Answer 2

Dr. Keyes is proposing a correlational study to examine the belief that people are happier if they own more pets. In this study, the predicted relationship between the variables is that there will be a positive correlation between the number of pets owned and self-reported happiness levels. That is, people who own more pets are predicted to report higher levels of happiness.

The population that Dr. Keyes is studying is likely to be pet owners in the local community. He may also want to include non-pet owners in the study for comparison.

An example of a valid operational definition of "happiness" might be a self-reported measure of life satisfaction or a rating of current mood on a scale of 1-10.

The "third variable problem" could affect this study if there is a variable that affects both the number of pets owned and happiness levels. For example, people who own more pets may also be more likely to have higher incomes, which could be the true cause of their higher happiness levels. In this case, income would be the third variable affecting both pet ownership and happiness, making it difficult to determine the true cause and effect relationship.

An experimental version of this study might not be ethical because it would involve randomly assigning people to different conditions (e.g., owning different numbers of pets) and then measuring their happiness levels. This could be considered unethical because it would involve manipulating people's lives in a way that could potentially harm them.

When people adopt a pet at an animal shelter, they may face an approach-approach conflict. On one hand, they may be excited about the prospect of bringing a new pet into their lives and experiencing the joy of pet ownership. On the other hand, they may feel sad about leaving other animals behind and worry about the responsibility and cost of pet ownership. This conflict arises when both options have positive qualities and the individual must choose between them.