Preston Hypothesizes That Although Children Are Unaware of It, They

question 118

Essay

Preston hypothesizes that although children are unaware of it, they secretly harbor feelings of jealousy toward their parents. He conducts a research study examining children's self-reported jealousy toward each of their parents. Just as he expected, results of the children's self-report measures reveal no explicit jealousy toward their parents. Identify what is wrong with Preston's research hypothesis and detail why it is unsuitable for empirical investigation.

---

Definitions:

Clinical Psychologists

Professionals specializing in diagnosing and treating mental illness, emotional disturbances, and dysfunctional behavior through psychotherapy and other therapeutic methods.

Big Five

A model that outlines five major dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Reciprocal Determinism

A concept in psychology that suggests an individual's behavior is both influenced by and influences their personal factors and the environment.

Social-Cognitive Interaction

The process by which individuals understand and respond to the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of others, influenced by the social context and cognitive processes.