Answer the following questions for each headline...

Question

Headlines:

1. In an unequal society, feeling richer than others makes you a jerk
2. Instagram could predict depression, new research suggests
3. Workaholism is tied to psychiatric disorders

Questions for each headline:

1. State the variable or variables at the conceptual level
2. For each variable, state the variable at the operational level (speculate how it might be operationalized)
3. What kind of claim is this making? Frequency, association, or causal claim.

Answer 1

Hi Kim! I know I'm a bit late, but I figured an answer could be helpful for any other students searching the same topic.

1. In an unequal society, feeling richer than others makes you a jerk.
2. Variable(s) at the conceptual level:
3. Perception of personal wealth relative to others
4. Societal inequality
5. Being perceived as a jerk
6. Variable(s) at the operational level:
7. Perception of personal wealth: Can be operationalized by asking participants to rate their perceived economic status compared to their peers on a scale
8. Societal inequality: Can be measured via income distribution or economic disparity indices
9. Being perceived as a jerk: Can be measured using self-report surveys or behavioral observations where participants assess the likability/behavior of a person in a scenario
10. Type of claim: This is a causal claim, because the headline suggests that when you feel richer than other people, it *causes* you to be perceived as a jerk; I would say the inclusion of society would mean societal inequality moderates that relationship.
11. Instagram could predict depression, new research suggests.
12. Variable(s) at conceptual level:
13. Instagram usage and/or content
14. Presence or likelihood of depression
15. Variable(s) at operational level:
16. Instagram usage and/or content: Can be measured using frequency of use, interaction patterns, presence of frequent keywords/themes related to a topic (e.g., mood or mental state)
17. Presence or likelihood of depression: Can be assessed using clinical assessments and self-report measures
18. Type of claim: This would be as association claim; it does not explicitly claim causation, and the headline suggests using Instagram *could lead to* depression. It's important to note that a predictive relationship doesn't necessarily imply causation :)
19. Workaholism is tied to psychiatric disorders
20. Variable(s) at conceptual level:
21. Workaholism
22. Psychiatric disorders
23. Variable(s) at operational level:
24. Workaholism: Can be operationalized with a standardized scale that assesses work addiction traits, like the WART (Work Addiction Risk Test)
25. Psychiatric disorders: Can be similarly measured using clinical assessments or clinical interviews to diagnose disorders according to DSM-5 criteria
26. Type of claim: This would be another association claim because the two variables are *tied* and imply they are connected in some way, but not one explicitly causing the other

Since none of these headlines were a frequency claim, a good example would be "Surveys find that 75% of college students experience stress during finals." Here, you can see that a frequency claim just relates to the prevalence of a phenomenon. I hope this helps!