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Based on the concept of physiological measurement, explain what Dr. Ramirez is doing in terms of an operational definition, and identify two specific biological variables she could measure to quantify the students' stress response.
Case context: Dr. Ramirez is designing a study to investigate the stress response of students during final exams. Instead of asking students to fill out a self-report questionnaire about how stressed they feel, Dr. Ramirez decides to quantify their stress by taking biological readings from their bodies before and after the exam.
Question: Based on the concept of physiological measurement, explain what Dr. Ramirez is doing in terms of an operational definition, and identify two specific biological variables she could measure to quantify the students' stress response.
Sample answer: Dr. Ramirez is operationally defining stress using physiological measures rather than self-report questionnaires. To quantify the students' stress response, she could record specific biological variables within their bodies, such as elevated blood pressure levels or increased concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol.
Key points:
- Explains that Dr. Ramirez is creating an operational definition of stress.
- Notes that this operational definition relies on physiological measures rather than self-report questionnaires.
- Identifies that the method involves quantifying the stress response via biological variables within the body.
- Suggests measuring elevated blood pressure levels.
- Suggests measuring increased concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol.
Rubric: A correct response must explain that the researcher is using an operational definition based on physiological measurement to quantify stress, and must accurately list blood pressure and cortisol as the two examples of biological variables provided in the text.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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