Research Methods Assignment
Social Psychology (PSYC 2012)
Article Analysis and Critique
Worth 17 Points
Due: By midnight on Monday, September 11th
The following is a shortened and adapted version of:
Litt, D. M., & Stock, M. L. (2011). Adolescent alcohol-related risk cognitions: The roles of social
norms and social networking sites. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 25(4), 708-713.
Research Objective
The present study examined how descriptive norms about alcohol use, conveyed via Facebook,
impacts adolescents’ alcohol-related risk cognitions, including their perceived vulnerability to the
negative consequences of drinking, descriptive norms of use, and willingness to drink. To examine
the casual effects of descriptive norms (defined as perceptions of how people behave in given
situations), participants were assigned to one of two conditions: they either viewed Facebook
profiles that portrayed alcohol use as normative (i.e., profiles that contained more alcohol content),
or viewed Facebook profiles that did not portray alcohol use as normative (i.e., profiles that
contained less alcohol content).
Background Information
Research has shown that younger adolescents often consider the normative behavior of older
peers when making risk decisions (Kinsman, Romer, Furstenberg, & Schwarz, 1998). Descriptive
normative perceptions are defined as people’s perceptions of how most people behave in given
situations (Borsari & Carey, 2001; Lapinski & Rimal, 2005). Previous research has indicated that
media exposure has an impact on the normative perceptions of substance use among adolescents
(Wills, Sargent, Gibbons, Gerrard, & Stoolmiller, 2009). One popular form of media are social
networking sites, such as Facebook. Research has indicated that 25–37% of older adolescents
post information related to alcohol use on their profile (Moreno, Parks, Zimmerman, Brito, &
Christakis, 2009). Based on the content of these photos and comments, adolescents may develop
a perception of how normative or common alcohol use is among peers of varying ages, including
older peers. Given that having older friends is associated with substance use among adolescents
(e.g., Leatherdale, Cameron, Brown, Jolin, & Kroeker, 2006), it is important to determine how
viewing profiles of older peers who use alcohol influences adolescents’ normative perceptions and
other alcohol-related risk cognitions (i.e., willingness to drink).
Hypotheses
It was hypothesized that after viewing the Facebook profiles participants in the “alcohol user
condition” (those who viewed profiles displaying more alcohol content) would report: greater
descriptive norms (perceptions of peer use) and willingness to use alcohol, and lower perceived
vulnerability (perceptions of risks for negative outcomes associated with the behavior) compared to
participants in the “control condition” (those who viewed profiles displaying less alcohol content).
Method
Participants. One hundred eighty-nine adolescents, ages 13–15 (average age=14.5 years; majority
were White) completed the study (49% males). Participants were from five private high schools, a
swim team, and a church youth group. The majority of participants (73%) reported drinking alcohol at some point in their life and 88% reported having a Facebook account. The modal response (i.e.,
the response that appeared most often) for time spent on Facebook was at least one hour/week.
Materials and procedure. Participants were randomly assigned (on an individual basis) to one of
two Facebook conditions: (1) alcohol user condition or (2) control condition. The experimenter and
participant were unaware to which condition they were being assigned. They were told that they
would have 40 minutes to view Facebook profiles of high school students and that they would rate
them on a series of personality traits. Participants assigned to the alcohol user condition viewed
Facebook profiles (fabricated by the researcher) of three high school students who were shown
drinking alcohol and one profile of a high school student who was not shown drinking alcohol
(depicting alcohol use as normative). The adolescents assigned to the control condition viewed the
profiles of three high school students who were not shown drinking alcohol and one alcohol user
(depicting alcohol use as non-normative). The same four students were used in each condition, but
whether or not they were drinking was manipulated. Prior to the study, all profiles were viewed by
adolescents familiar with Facebook to determine if the content was realistic and appropriate.
Participants only viewed same-sex profile pages, profiles of White students (chosen based on the
racial background of participating schools), and each profile page had the student’s birthday listed
and participants were informed that the profiles were of students who were 2 years older than
themselves. Each profile page included three photos of the student and a series of comments left
on their Facebook page by “friends” (also fabricated). Comments on the alcohol user pages
alluded to a past drinking incident or future desire to drink alcohol (e.g., “You were so drunk last
night”). The comments on the profile pages that did not include drinking were focused around
social activities (e.g., “Do you want to go to the movies tonight?”). After viewing the Facebook
profiles, alcohol-related cognitions were measured. Finally, all adolescents were debriefed and
given information on the dangers of alcohol use.
Measures. After the manipulation of viewing the Facebook profiles, participants filled out a survey
to assess the three alcohol-related risk cognitions: willingness to use alcohol, perceived
vulnerability to the negative consequences of use, and descriptive norms (normative perceptions of
alcohol use among older peers). All analyses controlled for: one item assessing whether they had
ever used alcohol and one item reporting how much time per week they spent on Facebook.
Results
Results revealed a significant main effect of Condition (p < .01), such that adolescents in the
alcohol user condition reported higher levels of all alcohol-related cognitions. The adolescents who
viewed Facebook profiles that portrayed alcohol use as normative (e.g., alcohol user condition)
reported: greater willingness to drink alcohol (p < .01), lower perceived vulnerability to the
consequences of alcohol use (p < .03), and greater levels of perceived norms for alcohol use
among older peers (p < .01).
Discussion
As hypothesized, adolescents who viewed Facebook profiles that portrayed alcohol use as
normative among older peers reported greater willingness to use alcohol, lower perceived
vulnerability to the consequences of drinking alcohol, and greater perceived descriptive norms of
alcohol use compared to adolescents who viewed profiles that did not portray alcohol use as
normative. The present study provides evidence that alcohol use descriptive norms, via the social
networking site Facebook, influence risk cognitions related to alcohol use. Refer to the article excerpt above to answer the following questions:
1) What are the results of the study (in your own words)? (Hint: state the findings based on what
was found when comparing the two groups)– 1 point
2) What is the IV? How was the IV operationalized (i.e., manipulated)? – 2 points
3) What are the DVs? (Note: There is more than 1 DV) – 1 point
4) Which method was used: Experimental, Quasi-experimental, or Correlational? - 1 point
5) What is the sample? Are there any issues you see with the sample that may decrease external
validity? What are they and why (you should be able to discuss 2). – 3 points
6) Does the study include a between or within subjects design? Why/how do you know? – 2 points
7) Does this study include a single-blind or double-blind design? – 1 point
8) Identify two strengths and one weakness of the study (not using the same examples in Question
5). Explain why they are a strength or weakness to internal or external validity. – 3 points
9) How could the findings be applied to a real-world situation/scenario or intervention? Give a
specific example. – 1 point
10) The authors might argue that their results support their theory (i.e., that descriptive norms have
an impact on other risky cognitions). However, a single study cannot prove a theory to be true.
What do you think the authors could do strengthen the support for their theory? What is one
potential future direction for this line of research? For example, if you were to design a follow-up
study, what is an important question that still needs to be answered? Is there anything you would
change about the current design (other than the sample used) to address any limitations or
additional questions you might have? – 2 points
This homework assignment should be typed, approximately 2-3 pages in length, double-spaced,
with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font. Include the question number
before each answer and answer in concise, but complete sentences. You must put your name on
the paper. The paper should be e-mailed as a Word or PDF document to the class TA
(zmacura@gwmail.gwu.edu). Each question is graded on clarity and your ability to correctly
interpret the study and apply the relevant research methods discussed in class and in the textbook.
It will also be graded based on your ability to think critically when analyzing the research. Domains
within thinking critically include clarity of ideas, accuracy, relevance, significance, and depth in
covering topic.
DO NOT copy parts of text from the articles, the textbook or other sources, and if you do copy any
text, you must cite the source (APA reference format). Please talk to the instructor or TA if you have
questions about plagiarism, paraphrasing, or using quotations.
Although not required, you may find the following article (available at the website below) helpful to
review before you read articles assigned for classes in Psychology:
How to Read a Journal Article in Social Psychology by Christian H. Jordan and Mark P. Zanna
http://www.uvm.edu/~dguber/POLS234/articles/read.htm

Attachments:

• 1505889498-Research Methods Assignment 1.docx