Discussion: The Logic of Inference: The Science of Uncertainty
Post a very brief description (1–3 sentences) of the article you found and address the following:
- Describe how you think the research in the article is useful (e.g., what population is it helping? What problem is it solving?).
- Using Y=f(X) +E notation, identify the independent and dependent variables.
- How might the research models presented be wrong? What types of error might be present in the reported research?
Be sure to support your Main Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.
ExampleWeek One Discussion and One Response
Research Article
Surani et al. (2017) assessed social media use by healthcare workers; they wanted to understand
how the healthcare workers used social media in their daily practice and if they recommended
the use of social media to their patients. It was a useful article that provided insight into how this
group of clinicians were using social media and how the groups of providers differed in their use.
Variables
Dietz and Kalof (2009) note that the dependent variable is represented by the Y in the Y= f(X) +
E notation and that X is the independent variable while E is the error. In this study, the
independent variables were age, profession, and gender. The dependent variables were the type
of social media used, time using social media, understanding of organizational policies and
recommendations made for patients to use social media.
Sources of Error
In the study cited, there are two potential sampling errors. The sample size was small with only
366 participants, and it was in one geographic region in the US Southwest. (Surani et al., 2017).
One sampling error is the small sample size, and the other is the limited region represented by
the sample (Dietz & Kalof, 2009). Both of these errors would limit the author’s ability to
generalize results outside the region. The authors do acknowledge these sampling limitations and
recommend that the study is repeated with a larger and more diverse audience (Surani et al.,
2017).
The Model
Thinking about how the model could be wrong for this study could relate to the potential errors
in the study. It was a small and local sample that lacked generalizability, but, did offer them
insights into the social media culture in their organization. So ultimately, they were able to better
understand how their clinicians were using social media. In that regard, the data helped them
understand their world (Dietz & Kalof, 2009).
Student Name
References
Dietz, T., & Kalof, L. (2009). Introduction to social statistics: The logic of statistical
reasoning. West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
Surani, Z., Hirani, R., Elias, A., Quisenberry, L., Varon, J., Surani, S., & Surani, S. (2017).
Social media usage among health care providers. BMC Research Notes,10(1), 1-5.
doi:10.1186/s13104-017-2993-y
Wk 1 response R8210
Hi Classmate,
As a social change agent, your work in understanding how emotional intelligence can impact
nursing students and student outcomes is important. The article you mentioned supports the
importance of incorporating emotional intelligence in school of nursing curricula (Benson et al.,
2009). Your research will lend more support to this important need and hopefully improve
nursing school student retention and retention of new graduate nurses.
You mentioned several errors related to sampling and randomization. The authors did limit the
sample to 25 students in each of the four years of an undergraduate program (Benson et al.,
2009). It is likely that the study is generalizable beyond the program or perhaps the region where
the school is located (Dietz & Kalof, 2009). However, the study still makes a positive
contribution to our understanding of the importance of integrating emotional intelligence in
curricula. It is also important because the results were significant across the four groups which
support repeating the study with a larger sample.
Student name
References
Benson, G., Ploeg, J., & Brown, B. (2009). A cross-sectional study of emotional intelligence in
baccalaureate nursing students. Nurse Education Today, 30(1), 49-53.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2009.06.006
Dietz, T., & Kalof, L. (2009). Introduction to social statistics: The logic of statistical
reasoning. Wiley-Blackwell.