Theme 4: Quantitative research

Marino et al. (2016) - "Modeling the contribution of personality, social identity and social norms to problematic Facebook use in adolescents"

Marino et al.'s paper in Addictive Behaviors (2016, Volume 63) investigates the role of personality and social influence processes in Italian adolescents' Facebook use and the possible problems connected to it. The journal has an impact factor of 2.795.

1. The paper uses the quantitative analysis method of Stuctural Equation Modeling (SEM). The method is suitable for the study since it allows the researchers to impute relationships between unobserved constructs from observable variables; i.e, Marino et al. was enabled to identify patterns and links between unobserved constructs (e.g., emotional stability, extraversion, conscientiousness and norms) and observable variables (e.g. perceived Facebook use).  

The researchers specified the patterns through the theoretical model below. The model was designed to assess the contribution of personality, social identity and social norms to perceived frequency of Facebook use, and it was later examined through SEM. 

By using scales, the researchers were able to turn abstract notions like emotions into measurable constructs. E.g., by asking the respondents to scale their own cognitive preoccupation or preferences regarding Facebook-use, they were able to identify behavioural relationships later on in the research process. This is the foremost benefit of using the quantitive, SEM method; the statistical data and analysis presented in the study allowed for general conclusions to be drawn.

2. The main aim of Marino et al.'s study was to examine the contribution of various personality traits and social influence processes in the adolescents' Facebook use. Through reading their paper I learned how doing so by quantitative methods can help identify behavioural patterns. In my own research, I have had a tendency to turn to qualitative methods when looking at human behaviour. Through this particular study, I learned that perhaps using statistical tools may offer greater proof and generalizability. 

3. The use of quantitative methods can be complicated for unexperienced readers to understand. Statistical equations and advanced patterns require years of studies to fully understand, and hence the amount of readers that will fully understand the methodology of the paper is limited. Readers may understand the results, but the way in which the authors reached them are just as important for research reliability. 

A methodological implication of the study is the insurance of whether the data obtained by the adolescents is valid. Sensitive topics are difficult to obtain through structured data collection instruments like the above mentioned scales. 

Self-reporting of information always risk to be inaccurate or incomplete, and perhaps especially when the participants of the study are young. One way of solving or complementing this issue could have been qualitative observations made by e.g. teachers or parents.

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Ilias Bergström et al. (2012): Drumming in Immersive Virtual Reality: The Body Shapes the Way We Play

Bergström et al.'s paper studies how our physical behavioural patterns are affected by our perceived body shape. By letting subjects enter a Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR), the researchers looked at how their movements were changed as the subjects played a West-African Djembe hand drum while "wearing" IVR-bodies which differed from their bodies In Real Life (IRL). The psychological, behavioural and attitudinal consequences of these body transformations is the key study theme of the essay. The participants were thirty six Caucasian people, and the method for examination was based on the eventual body ownership they would experiences while drumming with a new body in IVR. 

The biggest problematics of the essay, in my opinion, is the way dark skin and light skin is stereotypically portrayed. I believe that the way the authors moulded the two groups (dark skinned bodies were given causal clothing, light skin bodies were given formal wear) can possibly contribute to enhanced prejudges and stereotypes. An example can be found in how the authors refer to perceived "appropriateness for the drumming task" without any comments on the societal issues regarding profiling and stereotyping by skin colour.

However problematic, the results showed that participants experienced strong body ownership illusions towards their virtual body, and that the movement patterns among participants with dark skinned IVR-bodies showed significantly increased. The conclusions are drawn on a modest sample, but they are still interesting as further researchers explore the notion.

Perhaps the researchers could have given notes for further research on if this result (i.e. that our body patterns depend on what we perceive our body to be supposed or expected to do) would be the same among other sample groups - either among other demographics of adults, or among children. 

1. The quantitative method used for examination allowed for a path analysis to show that the observed changes in body behaviour depended on how strong the illusion of the body ownership in IVR was. Without quantitative measures of how the participants acted, it would have been hard to track their behaviour further.

This is the core benefit of quantitative methods; they allow for bigger relationships to be identified and for generalizations to be made, all by looking with an overhead perspective. A major limitation of the methods are their inability to closely examine nuances and underlying cognition. Lack of information on contextual factors can often lead to inadequate interpretations and/or explanations of results. 

2. As the authors themselves write, their findings may be important for applications like learning, education, training, psychotherapy and rehabilitation using IVR. But in order for such to be successful and societally helpful, I believe that further qualitative methods must be used in the examination. 

The substantial benefit of qualitative research is its ability to go deeper; to understand the core of a studied object. However limited by their inability to generalize and create patterns, qualitative measures are beneficial while researching the uniqueness of each studied object.