Case Study #1: Observational research: What are parents doing?

Case Study #1: Observational research: What are parents doing? (taken from the Everyday Research blog)

Several press sources are covering a research article published in the journal Pediatrics, which observed parenting behaviors in naturalistic settings.

Here's how the story was covered by ABCnews. The researchers visited a sample of fast food restaurants in the Boston area, found tables in which parents were sitting with kids, and made notes of the parents' and children's behavior. One of the major findings was the degree to which the parents were engaged by their mobile devices:

Parents in 40 of the 55 families observed were absorbed in their mobile devices, according to the study.

a) What kind of claim is the journalist apparently making above? What is/are the variable(s) in the claim? 


b) How would you ask about the external validity of the study? 


The researchers observed both parents and children:

... almost a third of the parents used their devices continuously throughout their meal....Some children appeared unaffected and ate their meals in silence. Other children were more provocative, with one set of siblings singing “Jingle bells, Batman smells” to get their dad’s attention.

c) How would you ask about the construct validity of these measures of parental and child behavior?

There is an inconsistency in the journalist's story. Although the headline of the study makes an association claim, "Parents on smartphones ignore their kids, study finds," the body of the story reports that:

The degree to which the device was used, however, did not necessarily directly relate to the way in which the child reacted, according to the study.

Indeed, if you read the original journal article in Pediatrics, you'll see that the real study did not report much evidence of associations between parental behavior and child behavior.

d) Share a magazine or Facebook tests and critique their questions construction.