Institute for Social

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Institute for Social Behavioral Research
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Topics

• Institute Mission
• Administrative Home
• Organizational Overview
• Support Services Provided
• Grant preparation administration
• Data collection
• Observational assessment
• Research methods consultation
• For more information . . .

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INSTITUTE MISSION
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Institute mission statement

• ISBRs mission is to support, promote and
  facilitate state-of-the-art interdisciplinary
  social science research that will increase our
  understanding of important social problems and
  improve the quality of peoples lives.

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Institute goals

• Increase understanding of social and behavioral
  processes related to family well-being
• Disseminate high-quality research results
• Mentor future researchers

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ADMINISTRATIVE HOME
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ISBR administrative home

• Vice Provost for Research
• Associated with . . .
• College of Liberal Arts Sciences
• College of Family Consumer Sciences
• College of Agriculture
• Carolyn Cutrona, ISBR Director

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ISBR location

• 2625 North Loop Drive, Bldg 2
• Research Park Complex
• (south of the main campus)

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ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
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ISBR organizational structure
Institute for Social and Behavioral
Research Carolyn Cutrona, Director
Data Acquisition Unit
Observation Unit
Research Methods Group
Grant Preparation and Administrative Group
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ISBR funding sources

• Casey Foundation
• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
• Iowa Department of Human Services
• Iowa Agricultural Home Economics Experiment
  Station
• National Institute of Mental Health
• National Institute of Drug Abuse
• National Institute of Child Health Human
  Development
• Maternal Child Health
• MacArthur Foundation
• Substance Abuse Mental Health Services
  Administration
• Searle Foundation

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ISBR strengths

• Staff
• Interdisciplinary
• Technical support
• Skilled researchers
• Colleagues consultants

• Research
• Longitudinal
• Multiple informants
• Multi-method
• Basic prevention

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Scientific process components
Conceptualize study Obtain funding
Recruit participants Interview
participants Code videotapes
Enter data in computer Analyze
data Prepare reports
Disseminate results
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ISBR projects

• A Social-Cognitive Model of Adolescent Substance
  Use (Rick Gibbons, PI)
• Family and Community Health Study (FACHS)
  (Carolyn Cutrona, Ron Simons, Rick Gibbons, PIs)
• ISU Rock-in-Prevention (Jerry Stubben, PI)
• Reconnecting Youth in Iowa (Jerry Stubben, PI)
• Third Generation Study (Rand Conger, PI)
• Three Cities Teacher Survey (Brenda Lohman, PI)
• Transitions (Rand Conger, PI)

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Projects for groups contracting with ISBR for
services

• Capable Families Youth (CaFaY) (Richard Spoth,
  PI)
• Families in it Together (FIIT) (Gene Brody, PI)
• Project Family (Richard Spoth, PI)
• PROSPER (Richard Spoth, PI)
• Rochester Youth Development Study (Terry
  Thornberry, PI)

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Collaborating institutions

• Pennsylvania State University
• University of California-Davis
• University of Georgia
• University of Iowa
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

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Institutions receiving consultation

• Arizona State University
• Emory University
• Oregon Research Institute
• State University of New York-Buffalo
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois-Chicago
• University of Tennessee-Knoxville
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• University of Vermont
• Vanderbilt University

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SERVICES AVAILABLEGrant preparation
administrationData collectionObservational
assessmentResearch methods consultation
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Grant Preparation Administration Nancy
Norman, Assistant to DirectorKim Vo,
AccountantJohn Clark, Computer SupportYolanda
Gamboa, Clerical Support
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ISBR administrative support for grant preparation
management

• Identify funding sources
• Develop grant budgets
• Format grant proposals
• Edit grant proposals
• Administer grant accounts
• Provide computer assistance
• Facilitate IRB approval process

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Data Collection

• Shirley Huck
• Data Acquisition Unit Director

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Information collected
Feelings
Behaviors
Facts
Thoughts
Study participants report on facts, behaviors,
thoughts feelings
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Data Acquisition Unit services

• Questionnaire preparation
• Training and supervision of interviewers
• Prepare equipment programs for CAPI
• Collect data Field, CATI, Mail, Web
• Quality control
• Data entry and initial data cleaning
• Codebook preparation
• Maintain databases of study participants
• Maintain secure server for CAPI/CATI data

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Types of data collected

• CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews)
• CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviews)
• In-home pencil paper interviews
• Mail pencil paper interviews
• Observational data (Video DV)
• In-school student surveys
• Teacher data/school archival data
• Focus groups
• Web surveys

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Study participants

• Children
• Adolescents and their parents
• Young adults / midlife adults
• Older adults
• Teachers / schools
• Middle high school students
• Business organization members

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Data collection activities

• Work with investigators to develop prepare
  interview materials
• Hire, train, supervise interviewers
• Prepare training materials manuals
• Prepare equipment (cameras/laptops)

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Quality control assurances

• Training protocol
• Editing in-home
• Post interview editing
• Quality control at check-in
• Quality control feedback
• Data entry verification

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Observational Assessment

• Jan Melby
• Observation Unit Director

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Information types
Feelings
Behaviors
Facts
Thoughts
Observers specialize in documenting behaviors
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Observation Unit mission statement

• Trained observers, working across time, multiple
  projects, and varied populations, apply
  standardized rating scales to structured
  video-recorded interactions in order to provide
  reliable and valid assessments of human behavior
  for use in understanding family processes and
  interpersonal relationships.

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Observation staff requirements

• Confidentiality
• Human subjects training
• Objectivity
• Learn apply observational system
• Attention to detail
• Code at criterion level
• Respect for research process

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Types of observers

• Family Interaction Analysts
• Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales
• Child Behavior Coders
• Home Temperament Assessment Battery
• Body Image Raters
• Body Mass Index

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Observational task types examples

• Discussion-based tasks
• Parent-child discussion
• Family problem-solving
• Couple discussion
• Activity-based tasks
• Puzzle
• Clean-up
• Temperament tasks
• Perfect circles
• Snack delay
• Strange mask

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Questions observers help answer

• What did people say?
• What did people do?
• What happened after someone spoke?
• How were people physically oriented?
• How did people respond verbally to each other?
• What were people like together?
• What were the patterns of interaction?

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Role of trained observers
Can
Cannot

• Document behavior
• Identify interaction processes
• Identify what occurred
• Record categorize
• evidence

• Determine thoughts
• Measure feelings
• Identify why a behavior occurred
• Draw inferences from evidence

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Value of observational data

• Outsider perspective
• Standard frame of reference
• Assess individual behaviors family
  interaction processes
• Attend to multiple cues (verbal, vocal,
  nonverbal)
• Numerous was to evaluate data

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Process of observational coding

• View interaction
• Take notes
• Evaluate evidence
• Record scores

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Use of observer ratings in data analysis

• Single behavior
• Composite scale
• Construct indicator
• Predictor variable
• Moderator / mediator variable
• Outcome variable

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Research Methods Group

• Research Methods Consultants
• Fred Lorenz
• Dan Russell
• K.A.S. Wickrama

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Study design consultation

• Define study objectives
• Identify study populations
• Develop study designs
• Evaluate appropriate methodology
• Interpret findings

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Data analytic consultation

• Structural equation modeling
• Hierarchal linear modeling
• Growth curve analyses
• Power analysis
• Factor analysis
• Missing data imputation

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Summary

• Institute Goals
• Increase understanding of social and behavioral
  processes related to family well-being
• Disseminate high-quality research results
• Mentor future researchers

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• For more information . . .

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• 515-294-8599
• www.isbr.iastate.edu

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Thanks!