Ms. Ortega is a high school psychology teacher who is concerned about her student’s mental health. She believes that students who use her coping and stress management strategies will have improved mental health. She is proposing an experimental study to examine this belief. Identify the independent variable in this study. Identify the control group in this study. Provide a valid operational definition for “mental health” in this study.

Question

Ms. Ortega is a high school psychology teacher who is concerned about her student’s mental health. She believes that students who use her coping and stress management strategies will have improved mental health. She is proposing an experimental study to examine this belief.

Identify the independent variable in this study.
Identify the control group in this study.
Provide a valid operational definition for “mental health” in this study.
Explain how random assignment would help establish cause and effect in this study.
Explain why it would be difficult to use a double-blind procedure for this study.
Explain how a high level of the personality trait of openness might relate to a student’s response to the coping and stress management strategies being offered by Ms. Ortega.