UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION
HMPYC80
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATE: 2016-10-05
TIME: 09:00 – 12:00
SUBMIT: Assignment 8
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
This examination paper consists of scenario information and 80 questions. Complete the
paper and submit your answers online as Assignment 08, in the same way you would
normally submit a MCQ assignment. Note that your answers have to be submitted online.
You cannot submit a hardcopy of the examination.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.
Note that you are not allowed to receive help from anybody or assist anybody else when you
complete this examination. Also note that when you are logged in all activities are recorded
on a server at Unisa. This means we can see exactly when you log in and off, the questions
you respond to, the time you use per question etc. During and after the examination students’
response patterns and responses may be subjected to integrity testing. If any irregularities are
found your examination paper may be nullified. Examination fraud is viewed in an extremely
serious light, and may result in your being refused reregistration as a student.
YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION
Question 1
I declare that I am not receiving help form anybody, nor am I assisting anybody else in
completing this examination. I understand that my submitted responses may be subjected to
integrity testing and that my paper may be nullified should any irregularities be found.
1. True
2. False
NOTE: If your paper does not contain a “True” response to this question, your examination
will be nullified.
1 TURN OVER
,The research consultation company …
You own a consultation company specialising in psychological research. The company
is called PsyConsult. You employ a number of social scientists and professional
psychologists, but there are also students (psychological interns) who do their practical
at the company.
Meeting the client …
Mbali Lukele contacted you to ask whether your company would be prepared to assist
them with a new project. Mbali heads Wellbeing Services for Descar Health, an
organisation that manages several hospitals throughout South Africa.
In the first meeting Mbali explains that due to the high cost of health services medical
funds and medical insurance companies are beginning to cap payments made to
hospitals. Therefore patients have to be discharged earlier. The problem is that early
discharge often lead to re-hospitalisation because patients fail to cope after being
discharged early. Descar Health realised that getting patients to change their life styles
may be good idea because several studies indicated that patients whose life styles
included healthy habits required less days in hospital following major illness or surgery.
Older patients are a particular concern because they are less likely than younger
patients to cope well after early discharge from hospital. This is not simply a matter of
physical ability, but also of mental capacity. People with good cognitive skills tend to
cope better after early discharge regardless of age and the seriousness of illness or
surgery, and are therefore less likely to be readmitted to hospital.
The health care professionals working in the Wellbeing Services sections of Descar
Health hospitals researched the matter and agreed to implement a programme that in
North America seemed to have been very successful in changing life styles. The
programme, called Programme for Improved Cognition (PIC) was trialed the previous
year in Descar hospitals. The programme had to be adjusted to fit the South African
context and circumstances. The adjusted programme is called the SA-PIC. It seems to
be working, but the directors of Descar Health needs scientific proof to make sure the
programme is worth the money spent on it. Mbali wants PsyConsult to design and
conduct research to determine whether or not the programme works.
Mbali provides you with the relevant course material as well research articles concerning
the programme and the theory it is based on.
At the research consultation company …
At PsyConsult each day begins with a morning meeting to discuss the business of the
day. The meeting is attended by the social scientists and psychologists working for the
2 TURN OVER
,company as well as psychology interns. At this morning’s meeting you inform everybody
about your meeting with Mbali, and Descar Health project, and open the matter for
discussion.
You pay close attention to what everybody says because the purpose of the discussion
is to sort out the details of the project. In order to guide the discussion, you have to
indicate who you agree with most, who you agree with second most and who you agree
with least.
Thus suppose Jack, Ann and Piet respond to a point under discussion. If you agree
most with Ann’s response, second most with Jack’s response and least with Piet your
choice is: Ann, Jack, Piet.
You select your choice from a list of five potential responses. For example, if the list is:
1. Piet, Jack, Ann
2. Piet, Ann, Jack
3. Jack, Piet, Ann
4. Ann, Jack, Piet
5. Ann, Piet, Jack
You select 4.
If your choice does not appear in the list, you have to reconsider your choice.
Discussing the client’s problem ….
You conclude your introduction of the project as follows: The crux of the matter is we
have to assess the validity and impact of the PIC. I asked Ann to formulate a broad
outline of what we need to do. Over to you Ann.
Ann: There are several issues we have to pay attention to. We want to see whether the
PIC has any impact on patients’ life styles and whether holistic life style changes actually
relate to better coping behaviour. Another matter that we have to consider is the fact
that Mbali’s health care workers adjusted the original programme to fit South African
circumstances. Let’s call this the SA-PIC. Such changes may influence the validity and
reliability of the programme. So, we have to look at this.
You: The programme consists of a series of four weekly workshops. Each workshop
takes two hours. The workshops are informed by the model and theory that the
programme is based on. The model underpinning the programme is called the Holistic
cognitive improvement model. This model, in turn, is based on Embodied mind theory.
According to embodied mind theory intellectual functioning cannot be considered in
isolation from the physical body. One cannot expect a well-functioning mind in an ill-
nourished and unfit body. Lebone studied the model and the theory. So, he can tell us
more about it.
3 TURN OVER
, Lebone: Yes, I had a look at the manual and documentation that we got from Mbali. The
model operationalises the theory in terms of three factors. The first factor concerns
dietary consumption, the second intellectual functioning, and the third physical activity.
Each workshop incorporates all three factors. Thus, in each workshop participants
receive dietary information about food, play games that involve thinking and memory
skills, and perform light physical exercises. They are encouraged to apply what they
have learned in their daily lives.
You: We will have to design a method to measure the impact of the programme. I
suggest we do this in the form of a questionnaire. We can call the questionnaire the
Holistic Lifestyle Questionnaire (HLQ). The HLQ should incorporate three scales,
corresponding to the three factors of the model that the programme is based on. The
first scale can be the Daily Dietary Scale (DDS), the second the Cognitive Tasks
Engagement Scale (CTES), and the third the Level of Physical Activity Scale (LPAS).
Lebone: This sounds good. Then participants can complete the HLQ at the beginning of
each workshop. We can require them to return a month after the fourth workshop for a
short debriefing. At this occasion they complete the HLQ again.
Ann: We have to keep in mind that there is a difference between the outcome produced
by the SA-PIC and the reason for using the SA-PIC as an intervention. The outcome
produced by the SA-PIC is a holistic change in lifestyle, but the reason why the SA-PIC
is used as an intervention is to improve patients’ coping behaviour after early discharge
from hospital. In other words, the intervention is based on the assumption that holistic
changes in lifestyle result in better coping behaviour. We also have to think about how
we will measure improved coping behaviour.
Lebone: According the manual we got form Mbali intellectual functioning is a good
indicator of coping behaviour. I think we can use the Reasoning Skills Test (RST) to
assess intellectual functioning in order to get an indication of the level of coping
behaviour.
After this the floor was opened for general discussion, and the conversation continued
….
Question 2
Jack: It seems to me the primary focus of Descar Health is to determine whether the
Programme for Improved Cognition (PIC) works, but what is the purpose of the PIC?
Piet: Well the purpose of the PIC clearly is to improve lifestyle
Keit: Actually, the purpose of the PIC is to improve cognitive functioning
Ann: No, the PIC’s purpose is to improve reasoning skills
4 TURN OVER
HMPYC80
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
DATE: 2016-10-05
TIME: 09:00 – 12:00
SUBMIT: Assignment 8
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
This examination paper consists of scenario information and 80 questions. Complete the
paper and submit your answers online as Assignment 08, in the same way you would
normally submit a MCQ assignment. Note that your answers have to be submitted online.
You cannot submit a hardcopy of the examination.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.
Note that you are not allowed to receive help from anybody or assist anybody else when you
complete this examination. Also note that when you are logged in all activities are recorded
on a server at Unisa. This means we can see exactly when you log in and off, the questions
you respond to, the time you use per question etc. During and after the examination students’
response patterns and responses may be subjected to integrity testing. If any irregularities are
found your examination paper may be nullified. Examination fraud is viewed in an extremely
serious light, and may result in your being refused reregistration as a student.
YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION
Question 1
I declare that I am not receiving help form anybody, nor am I assisting anybody else in
completing this examination. I understand that my submitted responses may be subjected to
integrity testing and that my paper may be nullified should any irregularities be found.
1. True
2. False
NOTE: If your paper does not contain a “True” response to this question, your examination
will be nullified.
1 TURN OVER
,The research consultation company …
You own a consultation company specialising in psychological research. The company
is called PsyConsult. You employ a number of social scientists and professional
psychologists, but there are also students (psychological interns) who do their practical
at the company.
Meeting the client …
Mbali Lukele contacted you to ask whether your company would be prepared to assist
them with a new project. Mbali heads Wellbeing Services for Descar Health, an
organisation that manages several hospitals throughout South Africa.
In the first meeting Mbali explains that due to the high cost of health services medical
funds and medical insurance companies are beginning to cap payments made to
hospitals. Therefore patients have to be discharged earlier. The problem is that early
discharge often lead to re-hospitalisation because patients fail to cope after being
discharged early. Descar Health realised that getting patients to change their life styles
may be good idea because several studies indicated that patients whose life styles
included healthy habits required less days in hospital following major illness or surgery.
Older patients are a particular concern because they are less likely than younger
patients to cope well after early discharge from hospital. This is not simply a matter of
physical ability, but also of mental capacity. People with good cognitive skills tend to
cope better after early discharge regardless of age and the seriousness of illness or
surgery, and are therefore less likely to be readmitted to hospital.
The health care professionals working in the Wellbeing Services sections of Descar
Health hospitals researched the matter and agreed to implement a programme that in
North America seemed to have been very successful in changing life styles. The
programme, called Programme for Improved Cognition (PIC) was trialed the previous
year in Descar hospitals. The programme had to be adjusted to fit the South African
context and circumstances. The adjusted programme is called the SA-PIC. It seems to
be working, but the directors of Descar Health needs scientific proof to make sure the
programme is worth the money spent on it. Mbali wants PsyConsult to design and
conduct research to determine whether or not the programme works.
Mbali provides you with the relevant course material as well research articles concerning
the programme and the theory it is based on.
At the research consultation company …
At PsyConsult each day begins with a morning meeting to discuss the business of the
day. The meeting is attended by the social scientists and psychologists working for the
2 TURN OVER
,company as well as psychology interns. At this morning’s meeting you inform everybody
about your meeting with Mbali, and Descar Health project, and open the matter for
discussion.
You pay close attention to what everybody says because the purpose of the discussion
is to sort out the details of the project. In order to guide the discussion, you have to
indicate who you agree with most, who you agree with second most and who you agree
with least.
Thus suppose Jack, Ann and Piet respond to a point under discussion. If you agree
most with Ann’s response, second most with Jack’s response and least with Piet your
choice is: Ann, Jack, Piet.
You select your choice from a list of five potential responses. For example, if the list is:
1. Piet, Jack, Ann
2. Piet, Ann, Jack
3. Jack, Piet, Ann
4. Ann, Jack, Piet
5. Ann, Piet, Jack
You select 4.
If your choice does not appear in the list, you have to reconsider your choice.
Discussing the client’s problem ….
You conclude your introduction of the project as follows: The crux of the matter is we
have to assess the validity and impact of the PIC. I asked Ann to formulate a broad
outline of what we need to do. Over to you Ann.
Ann: There are several issues we have to pay attention to. We want to see whether the
PIC has any impact on patients’ life styles and whether holistic life style changes actually
relate to better coping behaviour. Another matter that we have to consider is the fact
that Mbali’s health care workers adjusted the original programme to fit South African
circumstances. Let’s call this the SA-PIC. Such changes may influence the validity and
reliability of the programme. So, we have to look at this.
You: The programme consists of a series of four weekly workshops. Each workshop
takes two hours. The workshops are informed by the model and theory that the
programme is based on. The model underpinning the programme is called the Holistic
cognitive improvement model. This model, in turn, is based on Embodied mind theory.
According to embodied mind theory intellectual functioning cannot be considered in
isolation from the physical body. One cannot expect a well-functioning mind in an ill-
nourished and unfit body. Lebone studied the model and the theory. So, he can tell us
more about it.
3 TURN OVER
, Lebone: Yes, I had a look at the manual and documentation that we got from Mbali. The
model operationalises the theory in terms of three factors. The first factor concerns
dietary consumption, the second intellectual functioning, and the third physical activity.
Each workshop incorporates all three factors. Thus, in each workshop participants
receive dietary information about food, play games that involve thinking and memory
skills, and perform light physical exercises. They are encouraged to apply what they
have learned in their daily lives.
You: We will have to design a method to measure the impact of the programme. I
suggest we do this in the form of a questionnaire. We can call the questionnaire the
Holistic Lifestyle Questionnaire (HLQ). The HLQ should incorporate three scales,
corresponding to the three factors of the model that the programme is based on. The
first scale can be the Daily Dietary Scale (DDS), the second the Cognitive Tasks
Engagement Scale (CTES), and the third the Level of Physical Activity Scale (LPAS).
Lebone: This sounds good. Then participants can complete the HLQ at the beginning of
each workshop. We can require them to return a month after the fourth workshop for a
short debriefing. At this occasion they complete the HLQ again.
Ann: We have to keep in mind that there is a difference between the outcome produced
by the SA-PIC and the reason for using the SA-PIC as an intervention. The outcome
produced by the SA-PIC is a holistic change in lifestyle, but the reason why the SA-PIC
is used as an intervention is to improve patients’ coping behaviour after early discharge
from hospital. In other words, the intervention is based on the assumption that holistic
changes in lifestyle result in better coping behaviour. We also have to think about how
we will measure improved coping behaviour.
Lebone: According the manual we got form Mbali intellectual functioning is a good
indicator of coping behaviour. I think we can use the Reasoning Skills Test (RST) to
assess intellectual functioning in order to get an indication of the level of coping
behaviour.
After this the floor was opened for general discussion, and the conversation continued
….
Question 2
Jack: It seems to me the primary focus of Descar Health is to determine whether the
Programme for Improved Cognition (PIC) works, but what is the purpose of the PIC?
Piet: Well the purpose of the PIC clearly is to improve lifestyle
Keit: Actually, the purpose of the PIC is to improve cognitive functioning
Ann: No, the PIC’s purpose is to improve reasoning skills
4 TURN OVER
