Phil 12 Winter 2008 Second Writing Assignment Write a short paper 1 2 pages double spaced typed on the question assigned for your section These are to be turned in before class on Thursday March 6 Do not disrupt the class to turn your paper in there will be a penalty of one full letter grade for papers turned in during the lecture If turned in after class or later that day the penalty is 1 3 of a letter grade Present your answers totally in your own words do not quote material either from the website the lecture powerpoints or anyone else A 01 Use one of the following drug company press releases as a source or find one of your own for any drug you re interested in reading about perhaps something that someone you know is taking you can find these on company websites under news from the last few years If you are using an original source provide a hard copy of the press release stapled to your paper http mediaroom pfizer com portal site pfizer index jsp ndmViewId news view ndmConfigId 1006533 n ewsId 20071106006080 newsLang en http investors amylin com phoenix zhtml c 101911 p irol newsArticle ID 1084689 highlight http newsroom lilly com ReleaseDetail cfm ReleaseID 273033 For this study briefly identify what the primary research hypothesis was what the dependent and independent variables were whether the study used a within subjects or between subjects design and what sort of control group was used e g placebo or a competing treatment How did the researchers try to control for possible subject variable confounds Discuss what specific sorts of confounds might have been controlled for by virtue of blinding the study What would it mean for someone to object to the external validity of the study and what specific sorts of features of the study might make this a reasonable objection Identify where the company uses the term significant in describing a particular result Discuss what you think they intend to convey by that term in the context in which they used it A 02 Use one of the following science magazine articles as a source or find a similar one of your own for any experiment you re interested in reading about such as Science magazine Science News Online Nature Scientific American or any similar source If you are using an original source provide a hard copy stapled to your paper http www nature com news 2008 080225 full news 2008 619 html http www nature com news 2008 080226 full news 2008 625 html http science community sciam com blog entry Mind Matters Stress Poverty Changes Brain 300009584 http www sciam com article cfm id stem cells fix stroke afflicted rats What were the main theoretical constructs being studied and what were the operational definitions of these constructs used in the study Briefly state what the research hypothesis was what the primary dependent and independent variables were whether the study used a within subjects or between subjects design and what sort of control group was used Do you think any procedural variables were likely to be potential confounds Why or why not Do you think any subject variables were likely to be potential confounds Why or why not Discuss which if any features of the study design or the specific operational definitions chosen might limit the external validity of the study If you don t think there are any such features explain why not A 03 Design an experimental study to determine whether eating chocolate is a cause of migraine headaches What are the main theoretical constructs being studied and what are the operational definitions of these constructs you will use in the study Briefly state what the research hypothesis is as well as what the primary dependent and independent variables are Discuss all of the critical factors that should be considered in designing such an experiment and defend the choices you make in designing the study Be sure to discuss what confounds could arise and how they are to be controlled for Discuss which if any features of the study design or the specific operational definitions chosen might limit the external validity of the study If you don t think there are any such features explain why not Identify under what conditions you will be able to conclude that eating chocolate is a cause of migraine headaches A 04 Design your own retrospective study to determine whether earning a law degree is a causal factor in becoming a successful politician What are the main theoretical constructs being studied and what are the operational definitions of these constructs you will use in the study Briefly state what the research hypothesis is as well as what the primary dependent and independent variables are Discuss the critical factors that need to be considered in developing the best possible retroactive study Discuss what can be concluded from the study depending on its outcome and the limitations of such a study Be sure to discuss possible confounds that might be involved