The observed value Essay Example

The observed value Essay Example The observed value Essay The observed value Essay As the observed value of rs = 0.416 is greater than the critical value of 0.317 (when N=28, P0.05, and is a one tailed test), the likelihood of these results occurring through chance is less than 5%. In this case, the null hypothesis can be rejected and in favour of the alternative hypothesis as the observed value is greater than the critical value.  This means that there is a positive correlation in my results and it shows that health is affected by number of hassles in most cases. Discussion What we have found is a positive correlation in the results taken from the experiment, which shows that the higher the hassles score the higher the health score. This is not a true statement in all cases, as everyone is individual proving that some people may be able to cope with stress better than others are. There was a few individual results that showed high hassles score but quite a low health score which shows that participant may be able to cope with stress easier than others as they may be able to control their arousal levels. The original hypothesis stated that, there will be a significant relationship between a participants score on the hassles scale and their physical health. Participants who score highly on the hassles scale will be more prone to illness. This hypothesis was accepted as results supported this argument. By accepting this hypothesis it proves that students/participants that have less stress and hassles in their lives are physically healthier due to the immune system and body working together to overcome the stressors. Marmot et al.s 1977 did a piece of research into workplace stressors. He took a sample of civil servants aged 35-55 and conducted a longitudinal study, they recorded the workplace state and the stressors within using questionnaires and observation. Job control was assessed which was then put into a correlational analysis with stress-related illness. This is similar to my experiment apart from the age range and setting is different. This study showed that participants that show low job control were four times more likely to die of a heart attack than those with high job control. This ties in with my experiment that if students have low control on their hassles then they are more likely to come across stress-related illnesses than students with more control do. If I were to repeat this study in the future, I would use a different type of sampling than opportunity. By using an opportunity sample it cannot be generalised to a wider population as it is unrepresentative and can be biased by the type of people who the researcher ask. I would use a systematic sample where not every person has an equal chance of being selected but is an unbiased selection method. I would also give each participant the hassle questionnaire first then the health questionnaire second, as it was a slightly unfair and was not properly sorted out. I would take each participant into a silent room instead of just a quiet room so the participant had no distractions and was fully concentrating on the questionnaires. On the questionnaires  Follow up research could include looking at different gender types, to see if female cope better with stress than men or the other way round. Also research into time of the year for students, for example do research when they are in a not so crucial time, then do the same experiment at time of the exam period.