Mundt et al (2012) - Contemporary Study Flashcards
What does a stochastic actor-based model (SABM) help researchers understand?
Helps researchers understand the dynamics within social networks such as friendship groups
What does SABM assume about small gradual changes and data collection?
Assumes small gradual changes occur between the data collection points, and so the behaviour gathered at each point can give us insight into the gradual changes which we may not have otherwise seen
What led Mundt et al to carry out the research?
Mundt wanted to understand what motivates and influences adolescent to start drinking at a young age in order to minimise future risks and develop suitable interventions
What were the aims of Mundt et al research?
Do adolescents select friends with similar alcohol is? (selective explanation)
Do adolescents adjust their alcohol consumption to fit with the alcohol consumption levels of their friends (influence explanation )
What was the selective explanation in Mundt et al research?
Whereby similar alcohol use among friends is the result of a tendency for adolescents to choose friends with similar alcohol use behaviour and attitudes
What was the influence explanation in Mundt et al research?
Whereby teens influence each others drinking
Who were the sample in Mundt et al research?
analysed data previously collected from the National Longitudinal study of Adolescent Health (add health study) 1995-1996
How was the sample in Mundt et al research selected?
A stratified sample of 7th-12th graders at the 132 participating schools were invited to complete an in-school survey
90,118 US students completed the in-school survey and were eligible for the longitudinal portion of the study which began with an in-home interview and parent study
How many students were used in Wave 1 of Mundt et al research?
A total of 2563 students were used in wave 1 of the study
51% were boys 49% girls
What did students and parents complete in Wave 1 of Mundt et al research?
Students and parents completed an in-home survey which included questionnaires
What did researchers collect in wave 1 of Mundt et al research?
Collected data, including expectations for the future, self-esteem, and risk behaviours such as alcohol use
What was one of the questions in Mundt et al research regarding alcohol consumption?
Asked questions about the frequency of alcohol consumptions over the past year:
‘How often did you consume alcohol in the past year?’
What happened in wave 2 of Mundt et al research?
One year later, 14,738 participants from wave 1 completed the wave 2 in-home study
Content of wave 2 survey was similar to data collected in wave 1 in ordwe for comparisons to be made
What were students in Mundt et al research asked to name?
Given a complete school roster and asked to name their five best male and five best female friends
How did Mundt et al measure ‘family bonding’?
Measured ‘family bonding’ by asking:
‘How often do you and your family have fun together?’
Who were the analysis sample for Mundt et al reported study?
The study sample for the analysis came from 2563 students from 14 schools
Mean age of 15.8 years
51% boys and 49% girls
What were the results of Mundt et al research?
The majority of children either don’t drnk at all or only drank 1-2 times during the year
Slight increase in the number of children reporting they never drank alcohol between the first and second wave of the study
Slight increase in those children reporting drinking on a weekly basis or more often
What were the results of evolution of friendship networks in Mundt et al research?
Friendship selection associated with similar alcohol assumption
Adolescents named as their friends, students who drank similarly to them
More likely to choose as friends, students of similar age, gender and ethnicity
No significant correlation between outgoing friendship nominations and alcohol consumption
Significant correlation between the number of incoming friendship nominations and increased consumption
What were the results of evolution of alcohol-use behaviours in Mundt et al research?
More frequent drinking by immediate friends was not associated with increased alcohol consumption
Friends didn’t influence each others alcohol intake
Parental use wasn’t associated with adolescent use
Family bonding was a significant protective factor against alcohol use
What were the conclusions of Mundt et al research?
Friends have similar drinking behaviours because they select friends who have similar drinking behaviours not because they influence each other once they are friends
Selection explanation for alcohol use is supported by these findings
What are the implications of Mundt et al research?
When working with adolescents to change their alcohol use, consideration needs to be given to their social network
What are the strengths of Mundt et al research?
Reliability
Psychological knowledge in society
Quantitative data
Secondary data use
Sample size
Ethical
What are the weaknesses of Mundt et al research?
Social desirability
Secondary data
Ethnocentric sample
Socially sensitive research
Correlational data
Out of date data
Why is reliability a strength of Mundt et al research?
The questionnaires used were standardised allowing replication across many participants and also across two waves of the study
Increases reliability of the findings
Why is psychological knowledge in society a strength of Mundt et al research?
Understanding the influences that contribute to drinking behaviour of an adolescent is important to considering how to prevent underage or excessive drinking in the future
Alcohol intervention strategies can be designed, which include encouraging the person to select friendships carefully
Why is quantitative data a strength of Mundt et al research?
The use of closed questions on the questionnaire produced quantitative data which was analysed statistically to establish any trends in alcohol use
Comparisons were possible between different year groups and data from Wave 1 and 2 were also compared
Why is secondary data use a strength of Mundt et al research?
Using secondary data meant they had access to large amounts of data quickly
Furthermore, they were able to use the raw data from the original study rather than having to look at data that had already been interpreted minimising any bias effects
Why is sample size a strength of Mundt et al research?
A large number of students were used and were selected due to being considered representative of the wider American population of this age
This makes the findings more representative to the wide population
Why is ethics a strength of Mundt et al research?
Parental consent was obtained prior to the students completing the in-school questionnaire
Furthermore, any sensitive questions during the in-home interview were recorded directly onto a laptop by the student, therefore maintaining confidentiality
Why is socially desirability a weakness of Mundt et al research?
Data was derived from self-reports
Possibility that the students may have answered differently from their actual alcohol use to provide socially desirable answers
Participants may have had reservations about disclosing any engagement in such behaviour and as a result, misrepresented their alcohol use
Why is secondary data a weakness of Mundt et al research?
Current study didn’t collect their own data, instead used secondary data which can pose questions about the validity of the data being used
Why is ethnocentric sample a weakness of Mundt et al research?
May be argued the sample is ethnocentric as it only relates to alcohol consumption in American adolescents thus the findings may not be generalised to alcohol consumption of other cultures
Why is socially sensitive research a weakness of Mundt et al research?
Adolescents may feel concerned with how the findings may be used and whether disclosing their drinking habit will lead to problems
Carless generalisations can ultimately lead to a form of social discrimination against adolescents
Why is correlational data a weakness of Mundt et al research?
The data presented is correlational
Study only looked at alcohol use as a factor influencing friendship selection, to detriment of any other possible explanation
There are many other reasons why someone may choose a friend, which aren’t captured in this research
Other explanation may have a greater influence on friendship selection than alcohol use
Correlational research, cannot account for other variables that aren’t directly investigated
