Psychology 110
Neil Lutsky, Carleton College:
September 26, 2003

Your assignment for Friday, October 3, is to complete and submit a short (no longer than one-page) report on our first research module. To do so, follow these simple instructions:

• Review the article by DeNeve (1999), which summarizes the results of a meta-analysis of the relationship between personality and subjective well-being, and review the text reading on personality traits.
  
  
• Identify a single question that can be asked of the data collected for this project. That question should take the form "Is X related to Y?" or "Do these two groups differ in Y?" Our research is looking primarily at the relationship of personality and happiness, although it also includes helping behavior judgments and background variables (gender, class year). Respondents completed scales measuring four personality variables, seven aspects of happiness, and four helping behavior questions. The variables included in our data base are listed below.
  
  
  • SM = Self-Monitoring [see Gleitman et al., pp. 602-603]
  • E = Extraversion
  • N = Neuroticism
  • C = Conscientiousness
  • Happy = Happiness Face Rating
  • AU = Autonomy [self-determination and independence]
  • EM = Environmental Mastery [sense of control and competence]
  • PG = Personal Growth [feeling of continued development]
  • PR = Positive Relations with Others [warm, trusting relationships]
  • PiL = Purpose in Life [goals in life and directedness]
  • SA = Self-Acceptance [positive attitude toward self]
  • Class Year = 2004 or 2005 or 2006 or 2007
  • Gender = Male (1) or Female (2) Research Participant
  • Self Prob = Rated Probability of Self Helping Person in Need
  • Carl Prob = Rated Probability of Average Carleton Student Helping
  • Males Help = Percentage of Males Expect to Stop and Help
  • Females Help = Percentage of Females Expect to Stop and Help
    

  All of the variables are scored in a trait-positive way. Thus high scores equal more SM, N, PG, and so on. The E, N, and C variables come from the Five Factor Model; the Happy variable from the sad-to-happy face measure (rated 1-7), and the last six psychological well-being variables from Ryff and Keyes's measure of well-being. The specific items constituting each of the Ryff and Keyes's well-being scales (AU to SA) are given on the web through the course site.

• Most of the questions you will be asking should be able to be addressed by a correlational analysis. We conducted a correlational study, and most of you will be using a statistic assessing correlation for your data analysis (see Gleitman, Fridlund, and Reisberg, pp. A12-A15). A correlation indicates whether there is a relationship between scores on two variables. Note, as the text indicates, that a correlation does not demonstrate causality.
  
  
• Go to the Psychology Computer Laboratory in Olin 104 some evening next week and find the file rmi.03.gb in the Psychology110-Lutsky folder. Double click on that file. Using the program you are in (GB-Stat), complete the statistical analysis you need to address your question. To obtain a correlation, highlight Statistics on the top of the page, then Descriptive Statistics, then Simple Correlation, and finally Go. The report that you get will indicate the size of the correlation as well as whether it is statistically significant.
  
  
• Some of you may pose a question that compares two groups. Find the same file specified above. To compare two groups on some variable statistically, conduct a t-test. Highlight Statistics on the top of the page, then Student t-tests, then two sample pooled, and subsets of one column. You will then be asked to specify the dependent variable--the variable on which the groups may differ--and the group codes--the categories of the two groups (e.g., for the grouping variable gender, the group codes are 1 and 2. The report that you get will indicate the mean values on the dependent variable of the two groups as well as whether the difference between those groups is statistically significant.
  
  
• Write up your report of your findings. This report should (a) specify the question you are attempting to address, (b) indicate the importance of this question in light your reading on personality traits and happiness, (c) report the result(s) of your analysis, and (d) suggest some issues your results now raise for further inquiry and reflection in this literature. Please be certain to include all of the above in your report.
  
  
• Even though your paper is only one page long, I urge you to invest in your writing. Your writing should be clear and concise; it should show definite signs of organization and careful, well-grounded thinking. Feel free to contact the instructor or the course assistant for help with this assignment.