Inferential Statistics Article Critique

Inferential Statistics Article Critique

Introduction

Mental health is a concern, just like physical health. This surge in this illness has prompted many individuals to engage in different forms of research that can shed light on mental health issues. Some studies focus on the causes of mental illnesses, others focus on treatment for mental illness, and others also focus on natural approaches to mental illness. This study by Taniuja and Ahmed (2015) is one example of those studies that seek natural ways of preventing or alleviating mental illnesses. An analysis of the methodology and results reaffirm medical findings that these physical exercises can prevent mental illnesses, as seen among athletes in the study. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.

Research question, hypothesis and concept

To examine the relationship between mental health and physical exercise, these researchers wanted to understand if the mental health levels of athletes are better than those of non-athletes. As such, the research question was; is the mental well-being of a player (athlete) better than that of nonplayers? This research question was meant to create a comparison of the mental health of people who participate in sports with the mental health of those who do not. Therefore, the hypotheses being tested are two. The first one is that people who join in marks are healthier mentally. The second hypothesis is that people who do not participate in sports have a poorer state of mental health.

Article evaluation and analysis critique

The test that was used in this study was a T-test. According to Woodrow (2014), a T-test is used when comparing the means of groups of groups (teams). It is also primarily used in hypothesis testing to determine whether a process or a treatment impacts the population of interest, even if the two groups are similar or different. Based on the T-test, it is evident that it was the most appropriate test to use when measuring the means of mental states like anxiety, depression, loss of behaviour, and positivity (Woodrow, 2014). These mental health states also formed the variables used in this research study. Inferential statistics are based on assumptions or generalizations (Woodrow, 2014). Therefore, since the data collected showed that nonplayers were leading in the mean of their mental illnesses, it was correct to infer that they were at a higher risk of mental illness. Therefore, the inferential statistics of the article were that the nonplayers had higher levels of mental illnesses than the players.

Results assumption, interpretation, and limitations

From the description given in the research study, there are indicators that the researcher followed the right steps when testing the hypothesis. Fanelli et al. (2019) have provided the following five steps needed when properly testing the hypothesis. The first step is to state the null and alternate hypotheses. From the beginning of the study, the researchers made it clear that there was a possibility that the non-sports players would have lower mental health or higher mental health issues. The researchers also made it clear that there were signs that this would not be true (Taniuja & Ahmad 2015). Therefore, this first step was adhered to. The second step is collecting data since one cannot test a hypothesis without collecting data from a population (Fanelli et al., 2019). This second step was also properly followed because the researchers collected data from two groups. One group was made up of 20 players, and another group was made up of 20 nonplayers. This data was then recorded in terms of mean, standard deviation, and median (Taniuja & Ahmad 2015). This step was therefore followed appropriately. The third step, according to Fanelli et al. (2019), when testing a hypothesis is to perform a statistical test, and in this case, a T-test was performed as the statistical test. Once again, this step was also followed appropriately. From there, the researchers showed that the data supported their null hypothesis that players are more likely to have better mental health than nonplayers (Taniuja & Ahmad 2015). The last thing proposed by Fanelli et al. (2019) is to present the findings. The findings were then presented in a table and also in the form of a graph (Taniuja & Ahmad 2015). In the end, the hypothesis was adequately tested in this study.

If I were doing this study, I would have excluded some variables and added others that I feel are very important. One of the variables that would have been added would have been mood disorder. Mood disorder is common among people who are nonplayers, as indicated by Belvedere (2019). This researcher clarifies that mood disorders are shared among the working population, especially those who do not take time out to relax. Hence, mood disorder and depression walk hand in hand. I believe this variable would have been an important indicator of the mental state. Further, I would have eliminated variables like loss of behaviour, emotional ties, and life satisfaction (Belvedere, 2019). These are mental illness symptoms; in some cases, they may not be directly demonstrated or perceived. For instance, a single mother struggling to feed her children may sometimes feel overwhelmed by the children, which might mean she has lower ties with her children. This may, however, not be true. Therefore, I would limit my variables to the various mental illnesses that are prevalent among people who do not take time to exercise their bodies.

The results that these researchers recorded were in line with the statistical analysis. Therefore, the results were an indication that there is a need for physical exercises. It is also a result supported by medical findings like the one researched by Woodrow (2014). The assumptions of the study are also valid to a large extent because they are medically supported. Woodrow (2014) says that a lack of physical exercise can translate to mental illnesses. The results were also interpreted accordingly. For instance, since the mean showed higher averages of mental illness among the nonplayers, it was clear that the nonplayers suffered from mental illnesses due to a lack of physical exercise.

Application of the study

From the statistical tests, it is uncovered that exercises are needed for better mental health. A look at the statistics revealed that anxiety was recorded at an average of 40.65 for players and 46.35 for nonplayers. Then depression was recorded at 15.32 for players and 18.95 for nonplayers. These findings show a higher mean for anxiety and depression among nonplayers. This can be interpreted to mean a need for physical exercise. These findings are beneficial for encouraging physical exercises among people. Mental illnesses are high in the present-day population, yet the remedy can be found by engaging in games or physical activities. In my future career, I can use these findings to encourage team-building activities in the workplace to encourage a healthy mental state among workers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this study has evaluated the average cases of mental illnesses among players and nonplayers. Players, in this case, are people who engage in exercises or athletes. Nonplayers are those who do not engage in physical exercises. The collected data showed that variables like depression, anxiety and all the variables used to measure the levels of mental health were higher among those who did not engage in physical exercises (nonplayers). For the players (those who exercised often), mental illness was lower. Such a study that aligns with other medical studies can thus be trusted and used in research.

References

Belvederi Murri, M., Ekkekakis, P., Magagnoli, M., Zampogna, D., Cattedra, S., Capobianco, L., Serafini, G., Calcagno, P., Zanetidou, S., & Amore, M. (2019). Physical Exercise in Major Depression: Reducing the Mortality Gap While Improving Clinical Outcomes. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 762. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00762

Fanelli, D., Costas, R., Fang, F. C., Casadevall, A., & Bik, E. M. (2018). Testing hypotheses on risk factors for scientific misconduct via matched-control analysis of papers containing problematic image duplications. Science and Engineering Ethics, 25(3), 771–789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-018-0023-7

Tanuja, R. S. and Ahmad, B. T. (2015). A Comparative Study Of Mental Health Status Between Players And Non-Players. International Journal of Sports Sciences and Fitness, 5(1), pp. 109–115.

Woodrow, L. (2014). Writing about T-tests. Writing about Quantitative Research in Applied Linguistics, 63–72. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230369955_6

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Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the assigned readings and the instructor guidance for the week, complete the learning activity, read the Writing Center resource Writing an Article CritiqueLinks to an external site., and view the University of Arizona Global Campus Library tutorial How to Read a Scholarly ArticleLinks to an external site., and review the required video Test statistics: Crash Course statistics #26Links to an external site… Your instructor will post an announcement with the reference for the article to be critiqued in this assignment. Read the article assigned by your instructor and identify the research questions and/or hypotheses as they are stated. Consider the following questions: What are the variables (sample sizes, population, treatments, etc.)? What are the inferential statistics used in this article? Were the proper steps of hypothesis testing followed?

Inferential Statistics Article Critique

Your article critique paper must

Determine what question(s) the authors are trying to answer by doing this research, the hypothesis being tested, and the concepts that were applied in this process.
Evaluate the article and critique the statistical analysis employed in the study.
Identify the specific statistical tests used. Were the tests appropriate for the situation and type of data?
Would you have included more and/or different variables? Explain your answer.
Examine the results, assumptions, interpretations, and limitations of the statistical study.
Interpret the findings of the author(s) using statistical concepts.
What would you have done differently? Why?
Discuss how either the statistical test(s) used in this study or the findings of this research might be useful in your future career.
The Inferential Statistics Article Critique assignment

Must be three to four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA StyleLinks to an external site. resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
University Name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site.

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice links to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear statement that indicates the purpose of your paper, to critique the assigned research study article.
For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
Must use the assigned article in addition to the course text. Additional sources are optional. You may choose to include a peer-reviewed journal article about the research design or the data analysis method used in the study.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view the University of Arizona Global Campus Library Quick ‘n’ DirtyLinks to an external site. tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your PaperLinks to an external site. guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References ListLinks to an external site. resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the Grading RubricLinks to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.