Fall, 2007 (Roos, Soc. 311)


Assignment 3: Elaboration Exercise (due Monday, October 8th)

We'll collect this assignment at the beginning of the class. Because we will talk about this assignment in class on October 8th, LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!

Presented below are data describing a sample of whites and blacks in the U.S. in 2006. The variables are (1) race, (2) right to detain, and (3) educational degree.

Note; the "right to detain" question is as follows: "Suppose the government suspected that a terrorist act was about to happen. Do you think the authorities should have the right to detain people for as long as they want without putting them on trial?"

Your assignment is to use the elaboration model to test fully the following hypothesis:

Hypothesis: whites are more likely than blacks to believe that government authorities have the right to detain people for as long as they want.

 

Race
Right to Detain?

Degree
N
Whites Should have right Less than high school 76
Whites Should not have right Less than high school 37
Whites Should have right High school/junior college 413
Whites Should not have right High school/junior college 266
Whites Should have right BA or more 120
Whites Should not have right BA or more 162
Blacks Should have right Less than high school 16
Blacks Should not have right Less than high school 16
Blacks Should have right High school/junior college 62
Blacks Should not have right High school/junior college 68
Blacks Should have right BA or more 16
Blacks Should not have right BA or more 22

Note: only whites and blacks are included in this analysis; "other races" are omitted to simplify table construction.

 

To test this hypothesis using the elaboration model, follow these steps (show all your work and don't forget to title and label each table):

1. Which of the variables is the independent variable? the dependent variable? the test variable?

2. Is the test variable antecedent or intervening?

3. Make a bivariate percentage table showing the "original relationship" (round your percentages to the nearest 1/10th of a decimal place, title, and label).

4. Make the trivariate percentage table illustrating the elaboration of the original relationship (rounding as above).

5. Summarize in several paragraphs the results of your analyses, indicating how they reflect on the original hypothesis. Focus in your discussion on the original and trivariate tables (you can also make the other bivariate tables to understand what is going on, but don't interpret them for this assignment). Which elaboration model best describes your findings? Explain your answer.


ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED, including tables (12 Font)