I am not sure it is that simple. The graph is giving the divorce rate for the population. The survey question is perhaps less than optimal: "How does being a child of divorce affect a person's own marriage?" The question does not tell us what the comparison group is. If the comparison group is people whose parents did not divorce, the poll results reflect reality. I think the graph and the survey question address different issues.
Joe Joseph J. Horton, Ph. D. Box 3077 Grove City College Grove City, PA 16127 724-458-2004 jjhor...@gcc.edu<mailto:jjhor...@gcc.edu> In God we trust, all others must bring data. From: Annette Taylor [mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu] Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 2:10 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE:[tips] conundrum I think I was thinking conundrum, or puzzle, for me was that here you have an article laying out clear cut statistics and text to support the notion that the children of the generation with the highest divorce rates now had one of the lowest divorce rates in decades Yet when asked to answer a survey item, despite having the data right there in front of them, responded with the opposite opinion. So I guess I see the implication being that even if the data are right there in front of their eyes people still keep their prior attitudes and opinions and respond with their gut feeling. So, why should our students give up their prior false preconceptions about everything psychology, that the bring into the classroom? Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Professor, Psychological Sciences University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 tay...@sandiego.edu<mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu> ________________________________ From: Horton, Joseph J. [jjhor...@gcc.edu] Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 10:25 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: RE:[tips] conundrum I may not completely understand the conundrum, but I will take a stab at it: Children of divorce go into marriage determined to make it work, but they have not magically acquired the skills for a successful marriage. Indeed the author of the piece, who was once determined to avoid divorce, eventually decided divorce was the best option. Yes, the overall divorce rate has declined. However children of divorce have a significantly higher rate of divorce than children whose parents did not divorce. (I do not think the article notes this.) The results of the poll fit with the author's experience rather than the picture painted by the graph. Joe Joseph J. Horton, Ph. D. Box 3077 Grove City College Grove City, PA 16127 724-458-2004 jjhor...@gcc.edu<mailto:jjhor...@gcc.edu> In God we trust, all others must bring data. From: Annette Taylor [mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu] Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 12:05 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] conundrum http://tinyurl.com/6kc7q8q presents an article in the wall street journal on divorce among gen-Xers. The article provides two things of interest to me: (1) an elaborate statistical exposition of data supporting the notion that divorce rates are at their lowest since 1970 including an elegant graph. The text clearly states that the 1970 figure reflected an all time high and would primarily include parents of gen-Xers. The current figures include the children of those people. (2) a poll of whether people think that individuals raised in families of divorce would be more likely or less likely to divorce. Ok, so on the context of the text and and data presented the conclusion is inescapable: those children whose parents divorced as frequently as not are more determined than ever to make their own marriages a success. How do people answer the poll: The exact opposite! I leave it to the wiser amongst us to explain this. Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. Professor, Psychological Sciences University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 tay...@sandiego.edu<mailto:tay...@sandiego.edu> --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: jjhor...@gcc.edu<mailto:jjhor...@gcc.edu>. 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