Subj: Inferential Statistics

Case Scenario

Step 1: Inquiry.

Kendyl is interested in investigating the efficacy of counseling programs that are associated with enhanced relationship satisfaction. She wants to know which is the best program to refer her clients to for additional support for those presenting for relationship counseling.

Step Two: She began reviewing literature and programs.

She heard that John Gottman is the foremost counseling expert for couples, he has written prolifically on the topic and has several New York Times Bestsellers. He also conducts research on the topic. She read more about his retreat at the following website: https://www.gottman.com/couples/private-couples-retreats/. However, while she was reading over this she noticed that the retreat and the workshops were very expensive. So, she was wondering if there was a statistically significant difference in the marital satisfaction outcomes of those participating in the retreat when comparing their scores before and after.

She knows several students who became certified in the Prepare/Enrich marriage mentoring program and she knows that it is lower cost and may be conducive to a faith based approach. She read more about the Prepare/Enrich programs at the following website: https://www.prepare-enrich.com/webapp/pe/couples/template/DisplaySecureContent.vm;pc=1490974778325;jsessionid=9129257A6FE8F15C0A625DB4AE0CD1C8?id=pe*couples*for_couples.html&xlat=Y&emb_org_id=0&emb_sch_id=0&emb_lng_code=ENGLISH. However, she has read that the Gottman sources have a very large number of research studies supporting them, and his research has been performed on a large and very diverse population. As Kendyl was reviewing the literature she also came across an article that discussed Olson and colleagues work indicated that many couples completing the PREPARE program did so at a clergy members suggestion as part of a premarital program, this was associated with a primarily Caucasian and Christian sample. Kendyl noticed Gottman's work tended to use more diverse samples, so she wanted to look at the efficacy of a weekend workshop on marital satisfaction scores of couples (Fowers, Montel, & Olson, 1996).

Step 3: Kendyl identified a gap and crafted a purpose statement and a research question (see below).

She crafted the research question below to investigate this further and to conduct a research study, as she would like to give the most up to date information to her clients, she would also like to have evidence to guide her referrals if possible.

Step 4: Kendyl identified a valid and reliable assessment to use.

Kendyl decided to use the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale, because she read, "The scale was found to be reliable and to have strong correlations with other measures of marital satisfaction and moderate relationships with measures of family satisfaction and consideration of divorce" (Fowers & Olson, 1993)."

Kendyl's research question is:

Is there a statistically significant difference in couples satisfaction as measured by the "Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale" (Fowers & Olson, 1993) before participating in the Gottman retreat and one week after participating in the retreat?

References

Fowers, B. J., Montel, K. H., & Olson, D. H. (1996). Predicting marital success for premarital couple types based on PREPARE. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 22(1), 103. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/220975271?accountid=12085

Fowers, B. J. & Olson, D. H.(1993). ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale: A brief research and clinical tool. Journal of Family Psychology, 7(2), 176-185. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.7.2.176

Step 5: Kendyl found the actual assessment.

Kendyl went to a 1993 article written by one of the developers of Prepare/Enrich David Olson and one of his colleagues and found the assessment itself in the article.

See: http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/fam/7/2/176

She found the items listed there and typed them into a word document. Please review the link to the article and see Appendix A for the assessment.

Step 6: Kendyl read the scoring instructions found in Appendix B of the Fowers & Olson (1993) article.

The scoring instructions indicated which items should be reverse scored and other instructions (see Appendix B of the article).

Step 7: Kendyl scored the EMS scales.

See Appendix A of the article for her scoring procedures for two sample participants. She reverse scored the items, calculated the percentile scores, corrected for idealization, and also tabulated scores for Percentage Couple Agreement (PCA).

Step 8: Kendyl put her scores into SPSS.

She estimated how she thought others would answer the assessments and simulated (meaning she estimated and plugged in scores in her hypothesized range) for couples before Gottman's retreat and after, and for couples participating in the Prepare/Enrich curriculum.

Step 9: Kendyl contemplated her research question and identified the correct statistical test.

Kendyl used a decision tree to identify the correct statistical test to be used. She labeled the variables "EMS_PreGottman" and "EMS_PostGottman" to represent Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scores before the Gottman workshop and after the Gottman workshop.

Step 10: Kendyl analyzed her SPSS output

Kendyl was then finished with her class assignment! However, Kendyl found the results and research procedure fascinating and decided to collaborate with Dr. Knight to conduct the study. They sought IRB approval and began work on a single case design study (this was beyond the scope of the class).

After reviewing the case scenario, answer the following questions:

Questions to Answer:

Which statistical test should Kendyl use to analyze her data and answer the research question?

Based on the SPSS output that you see below, did Kendyl use the correct statistical test?

Please provide a rationale and references to the course textbook, presentations, and/or outside sources to explain your reasoning as well as a current APA results section.

(SPSS Output below)