Post your explanation about what should come first—the development of a research question or a thorough literature review.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Chapter 9 in your course text, Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. Pay attention to the descriptions and examples of linear and nonlinear relationships, positive and negative linear relationships, and curvilinear relationships.
• Consider how these relationships are determined and what impact each type of relationship may have on a researcher’s ability to make predictions.
• Using the Walden Library, select and review two or three articles on criminal recidivism, violent crime, or domestic violence in which the variables have positive and negative linear relationships.
• Consider the implications if the variables had a curvilinear relationship instead.

Post  a description of two variables that have a positive linear relationship and two variables that have a negative linear relationship in the research articles you reviewed. Then, explain the implications on the studies if each of those variables had a curvilinear relationship instead.

Stangor, C. (2015). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (5th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Chapter 9, “Correlational Research Designs”

https://web-a-ebscohost-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=fb8d94cc-1c2f-4abf-a991-5926597932d9%40sessionmgr4008&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl

In this week’s video, you meet Eboni Logan, a teenager who reveals that she is pregnant. Eboni explains to her social worker that no one at her school talks about methods of birth control, as their only focus is on abstinence. Imagine that you are a social worker in Eboni’s school and you begin to notice an increase in teen pregnancy. This causes you to wonder about the effectiveness of abstinence-only education. This curiosity propels you to investigate further, but you are not sure what you should do first—develop a research question or conduct a literature review.

For this Discussion, review the literature on abstinence education. View the Sessions episode on the Eboni Logan case.

By Day 3

Post your explanation about what should come first—the development of a research question or a thorough literature review. Justify your answer by adding your thoughts about which process you believe to be more realistic and/or appropriate, and why. Finally, describe potential consequences of deciding on a research question without conducting a review of the literature. Please use the resources to support your answer.