PYC2606 Semester 1, Assignment 1 and 2 with answers.

PYC2606 Semester 1, Assignment 1 and 2 with answers. Basic Measurement And Questionnaire Design. You have recently been appointed as the psychologist at a school. The school board and the parent association are becoming increasingly concerned about illegal drug use amongst learners at the school. Your predecessor began a preventative program, but the programme was aimed mainly at disseminating information. You realise that you also have to identify and target learners who are at risk for illegal drug use. You decide that the easiest and most economical way of doing this is to use a questionnaire to identify learners at risk. This will allow you to tailor prevention programmes to accommodate the needs and circumstances of these learners. You consult academic literature on the issue of drug abuse and the use of illegal drugs. In the literature you come across an interesting fact, namely that there is a correlation between alcohol abuse and the tendency to abuse other drugs or to use illegal drugs. Thus information about learners’ use of alcohol could indicate whether they should be considered at risk for drug abuse in general. You also notice that many of the publications refer to a particular theory that explains how behaviour can be predicted. You think the theory could be important because it could help to predict whether somebody would actually begin to abuse drugs or use illegal drugs. You search the literature for papers on this theory, and come across two articles explaining what the authors refer to as ‘the theory of planned behaviour’. According to the theory of planned behaviour there are psychological factors that predict whether or not a person will execute a particular form of behaviour. Behaviour is preceded by the intention to execute the behaviour. The stronger the intention to execute the behaviour the more likely a person is to actually execute the behaviour in question. Three factors underlie the intention to execute behaviour. These factors are the person’s attitude towards the behaviour, his/her subjective norm concerning the behaviour and his/her perceived control with regard to the behaviour. Thus a person will form a strong intention to act (execute a particular form of behaviour) if he/she feels positive about the behaviour (positive attitude), thinks the behaviour is socially acceptable (positive subjective norm) and that nothing stops him/her from executing the behaviour (positive control). You contact several test publishers and finally come across a questionnaire called the Alcohol use Intention Questionnaire (AIQ). You order the questionnaire from the test publisher. When the AIQ arrives you decide to conduct a thorough analysis to determine whether the questionnaire is a scientifically valid and reliable instrument. There are four psychology students undergoing practical training at the school under your guidance. You ask them to study the questionnaire (B) and its mini manual (C) and you schedule two meetings (D and E) to discuss the instrument. Downloaded by: louiseolivier4 | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace 16 Questionnaire B Alcohol use Intention Questionnaire (AIQ) Instructions Please read the following questions carefully and indicate your response to each question by ticking the answer that best describes how you feel about the issues raised by these questions. Please answer all questions. Do not spend too much time thinking about your answers. The questionnaire should not take long to complete. Section 1: Personal experience 1.1 One of my parents was an alcoholic Yes / No If ‘No’ go to Question 2.1 1.2 My parent’s’ alcoholism had a devastating effect on our family (a) True [ … ] (b) False [ … ] 1.3 I think my parent’s alcoholism may genetically predisposition me to become an alcoholic (a) True [ … ] (b) False [ … ] 1.4 I already see signs of alcoholism in my drinking behaviour (a) True [ … ] (b) False [ … ] Section 2: Attitude towards alcohol consumption Please indicate how you feel about the following statements: Agree strongly Agree Unsure Disagree Disagree Strongly 2.1 I think drinking is relaxing [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.2 Getting drunk is undesirable [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.3 Drinking gives me confidence [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.4 Drinking keeps you from achieving your goals in life [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.5 I think drinking is stressful and destroys your health [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.6 I think drinking could destroy me [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] Downloaded by: louiseolivier4 | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace PYC2606/101 17 2.7 If I drink too often I may become dependent on it [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.8 I think drinking is a waste of time [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.9 I think beer should be banned and only wine should be allowed [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.10 I prefer not to drink too much because it gives me a hangover [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.11 I think drinking is bad [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.12 The world will be a better place if everybody gets drunk every night [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.13 I think drinking is good [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.14 One should neither drink nor not drink [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.15 You should not drink as drinking keeps you from realising your responsibilities [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.16 People can dehydrate if they do not take enough fluids [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.17 People who drink too much are disliked by others [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] 2.18 My attitude towards drinking can be described as positive or negative [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] [ ... ] Section 3: Subjective norm concerning the use of alcohol Mark the answer that applies to you: 3.1 Most of my friends like to drink