Article Interrogation

Article 1: “Parenting Style and its Influence on the Personal and Moral Development of the Child”

Internal Validity

The research has high internal validity; therefore, the results should be trusted. It uses a systematic approach to study by using questionnaires and inventories to assess parenting methods and children’s reactions. The complex link between parenting and children’s growth has been studied extensively, but more work is needed to account for any confounding influences (Loudová & Lašek, 2015). The study does not seem to account for potential confounding variables, such as socioeconomic background, parental education level, or extraneous effects.

In addition, although the tools used to assess parenting styles and children’s perspectives are helpful, they have their own biases and limits. For instance, self-reported surveys may need to adequately capture the nuances of emotional reactions within different family situations or the complexity of parent-child interactions. A more profound comprehension of these concepts may be attained using additional methodologies, such as observational studies or interviews.

External Validity

The research has a fair amount of external validity. The results may be more applicable because of the large sample size (431 respondents), including boys and girls from various parenting approaches. However, a more varied participant pool, including people of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, might improve the research results. The demographics of the present sample may need to be revised to allow the generalizability of these results. The external validity of the study’s findings can be enhanced by increasing the diversity of the participant pool to include people from a wider variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Construct Validity

The research fares well in construct validity by using recognized measures like the “Neo Big Five personality test” and “The Moral Dilemma Questionnaire” to examine parenting methods and children’s development. However, utilizing several data collection techniques to triangulate results further enhances the robustness and dependability of the components under examination. Quantitative metrics alone may not capture the complexity of parent-child relationships and moral growth; adding qualitative methods may provide a more complete picture.

Statistical Validity

The study’s statistical validity is high because statistical analyses support the hypothesized links between parental practices and children’s emotional development. However, longitudinal studies may be conducted to demonstrate causal links between parenting styles and children’s development, which further reinforces the statistical conclusion validity of the research. More convincing evidence for causal inference might be obtained from longitudinal studies examining the relationship between parenting practices and children’s growth over time.

To what extent can inferences drawn from statistical data regarding the nature of relationships between variables hold up as valid or “reasonable” is the focus of the concept of statistical conclusion validity. It entails ensuring sufficient sample methods, relevant statistical tests, and accurate measurement techniques are used. Low statistical power, breaches of statistical test assumptions, and the error rate issue 4 5 are typical dangers to the reliability of statistical results. Researchers may protect themselves from these dangers by using sufficient sample sizes, doing sensitivity analyses, and using statistically sound tests suitable for the study’s setup and data.

Article 2: “An Empirical Study of Decline in Empathy in Medical School”

Internal Validity

The study’s internal validity is remarkable owing to its longitudinal design, providing a full investigation of empathy changes among medical students over time (Hojat et al., 2004). The research’s reliability and validity are enhanced by using the validated Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) to assess participants’ levels of empathy. However, improving the study’s internal validity might need more regulation of possible confounding factors that impact changes in empathy. However, the study does not adequately address potential confounding variables, such as personal experiences, exposure to challenging medical situations, or unique institutional characteristics within medical schools, all of which have the potential to influence medical students’ capacity for empathy profoundly.

The study’s internal validity could be strengthened. A more nuanced understanding of the influences on empathy fluctuations among medical students could be provided by implementing strategies to account for these variables, such as collecting detailed individual background information or employing additional assessment tools.

External Validity

The research has moderate external validity since it examines empathy changes within a select group of 125 medical students at Thomas Jefferson University. However, increasing the diversity of the participating medical schools, cultures, and socioeconomic status would strengthen the study’s external validity. This more significant sample might better explain how empathy changes appear across diverse educational institutions and social circumstances.

Increasing the results’ generalizability to a wider variety of medical education programs may require adopting a multi-institutional strategy that includes medical students from various locales, cultural backgrounds, and institutional structures.

Construct Validity

Notably, the JSPE was used to measure participants’ levels of empathy, making this research an excellent example of construct validity in medical education. However, qualitative methodologies, in addition to quantitative assessments, might be helpful for a more in-depth understanding of the complex processes leading to the drop in empathy among medical students. To supplement the quantitative data gathered from the JSPE, qualitative methods such as interviews or focus groups capture nuanced opinions and provide underlying causes for empathy shifts. The overall construct validity of the research might be improved by combining quantitative results with qualitative insights into the underlying processes and contextual effects driving the observed drop in empathy.

Statistical Validity

Using t-test analyses to compare pre-and post-test empathy scores gives good evidence of changes in empathy levels, supporting the statistical conclusion validity of the research on the fall in empathy among medical students. However, to further increase statistical conclusion validity, the study might do multivariate analyses to discover possible factors of empathy loss. A more in-depth knowledge of the causes of the loss of empathy among medical students may be attained via multivariate analysis, which would evaluate the combined impacts of various variables on empathy levels.

Validity in statistics refers to how well one can draw inferences from available data on the nature of relationships between variables. It ensures sufficient sample methods, relevant statistical tests, and accurate measurement techniques. The error rate issue 5 and insufficient statistical power are two common factors that undermine the reliability of statistical findings. Researchers may protect themselves from these dangers by using sufficient sample sizes, doing sensitivity analyses, and using statistically sound tests suitable for the study’s setup and data.

In conclusion, both publications excel in their respective sectors due to the superiority of their study methodologies and measuring techniques. However, the results might be strengthened by incorporating additional research methodologies, eliminating possible confounding factors, and expanding generalizability.

References

Hojat M., Mangione S., Nasca T.J., Rattner S., Erdmann J.B., Gonnella J.S., & Magee M. (2004). An empirical study of decline in empathy in medical school. Medical Education, 38(9), 934–941. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1365- 2929.2004.01911.x

Loudová, I., & Lašek, J. (2015). Parenting Style and its Influence on the Personal and Moral Development of the Child. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, 1247–1254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.744.