Study Two; Forewarning

Student’s Name

Institution

Study Two; Forewarning

Method

Participants

In the study two research, the participants were the students of the Florida International University and other members of the community who are not students in this college. A hundred people participated in the research, and all their responses to the survey were put into consideration. With regards to gender, there were thirty-nine males (39% of all population and 39.8% of the valid percent) and fifty-nine female (59% of the total population and 60.2% of the valid percent. All the respondents revealed about their first language where sixty-one (61%) had English as their first language, and thirty-nine (39%) said that English is not their first language. Forty-four (44%) respondents were students of the Florida International University and the rest fifty-six (56%) people were not students in this University.

The respondents of the survey belong to different ethnicity which includes Caucasian, Hispanic American, Native Indian, Africa American and Asian American where the ethnicity of one person was missing on the system. Eleven (11.0% of the total population and 11.1% of the valid percent) belonged to Caucasian ethnicity. Fifty-eight (58.0% of the total percent and 58.6% of the valid percent) were Hispanic American. One (1.0%) person was a Native Indian, fourteen (14.0% of the total population and 14.1% of the valid percent) were African-American. Six (6% of the total population and 6.1% of the valid percent) were Asian American, and nine (9% of the total population and 9.1% of the valid percent) people belonged to another ethnicity which they did not identify. Age was the only continuous variable used during the research in collecting data where participants ranged from twelve to sixty-four years (mean 24.38 and standard deviation 9.528).

Materials and Procedure

Both qualitative and quantitative research was applied in conducting the survey. When collecting data, the participants walked along the surrounding college environment interviewing the people in the region. The quantitative research techniques used during this study was a personal interview and use of questionnaires. While on the other side the qualitative research method used in the survey was a focus group. A panel of participants met and discussed terror management theory about both the independent and dependent variables, and the results were tabulated. Regarding the prior study, one mortality salience and dental pain were the two independent variables that were put into consideration. In this study Forewarning is the added independent variable where the participants have to consider whether the respondents were either forewarned or not forewarned about both mortality salience and dental pain.

The dependent variables used for collecting the data include age, gender, ethnicity, English as the first language and whether the respondent is a student of the Florida International University. Regarding the gender, the respondent could record whether one is male or female while they could respond yes or no considering English as the first language as well whether one is a student of Florida International University. Regarding the age as a variable, the respondent could choose the age scale bracket where one belongs to which ranged from twelve to sixty-four years. Also, at the end of the interview, the participants had to react to the question whether being warned before death could have influenced their decision where they were supposed to respond yes or no. The materials used in collecting the data from the respondents include questionnaire and interviews as illustrated above.

Results

Using forewarning (warned versus not warned) and condition (MS versus DP) as our IVs and the number of death-related words partiicpants found as our DV, there was no main effect for forewarning, F(1, 189) = 1.97, p > .05. Participants did not differ in the number of death-related words they found in the warned (M = 2.35, SD = 1.21) versus not warned (M = 2.21, SD = 0.87) conditions. There was, however, a significant condition main effect, F( 1, 189) = 3.42, p < .05. Participants found more death-related words in the MS condition (M = 5.56, SD = 1.21) than in the DP condition (M = 3.24, SD = 0.89). The main effects were qualified by a Warning X Condition interaction, F(1, 187) = 6.61, p < .05. First, simple effects showed that MS participants found more death-words in the unwarned condition (M = 5.76, SD = 1.27) than the warned condition (M = 2.21, SD = 1.90), F(2, 95) = 6.24, p < .05. Second, simple effects showed that DP participants did not differ in the number of death-words they found in the warning condition (M = 2.78, SD = 3.45) and no warning condition (M = 2.72, SD = 2.87), F(2, 93) = 1.13, p > .05. Third, for participants who were warned, simple effect tests showed that participants did not differ in the number of death-words they found in the MS condition (M = 2.76, SD = 1.27) and DP conditions (M = 2.78, SD = 3.45), F(2, 95) = 1.31, p > .05. Fourth, for participants in the no warning condition, simple effect tests showed that participants found more death-words in the MS condition (M = 5.21, SD = 1.90) than in the DP condition (M = 2.72, SD = 2.87), F(2, 95) = 3.11, p < .05. In general, this shows that participants found more death words when primed with Mortality Salience open-ended questions and not warned about the effects of death-awareness than in all other conditions.

Discussion

The hypothesis of the study two regards the fact that warning people before learning about death according to the mortality salience as well as dental pain reduce the number of death related words they use. It is true that people who were not warned about death awareness mentioned many death-related words in mortality salience than in dental pain. This condition outfitted all the others with regards to the above results as they used only a few death-related words when warned about mortality salience as well as dental pain. The research depicts that theory of terror management theory to a profound extent curbs the fear and anxiety of death. The cultural beliefs and self-confidence are strengthened by mortality salience as people get prepared and get to accept that demise is a natural force that is inevitable.