Oxford University Psychology study

[Penguin68]

Oxford University is undertaking a major study on psychological health (and lack of it) related to Covid 19. It will be in several stages to track progress and changes. They are looking to recruit volunteers. I have joined the study - the questionnaire is not difficult and it is quite interesting. I have no links with the study or its supporters.

https://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatryoxford.qualtrics.com%2Fjfe%2Fform%2FSV_8owcGAKKo1dL1vD&h=AT2T007Uzb3sEZS-3iWXJoro3quCTsLbXBIvN6eupXvofS9Ukp3nGiIGbF40IKqO2HIOpys-oJSJ021yEoiIZhRpF2eSswLodr0SDHOKdRSYdZiiOGn9gMUxzgK0Ripsru7bnntiaZFVVYJBEw&s=1&extid=6GR2NBZbATRxQypJ

[Sue]

I just did that survey.

I thought it was far too long, repetitive and poorly designed.

Even the very first part collecting demographic data assumes that if you are British you must be white. Surely they should have got advice on what ethnicity categories to use?

Nobody seems to have properly checked any of it over. Some of the questions insist you answer supplementary questions even though you then have no option but to give answers which are not true/do not make sense in the context of your answer to the original question.

If you don't, you can't move on to the next part.

And there is no way to comment on any issues you may have with the survey itself. Even YouGov surveys let you do that!

I'm not impressed. I assume a student has produced this and their supervisor has not properly looked at it.

[seenbeen]

I did it. Some of the questions seemed repetetive but isn't that how they do psychometric tests to elicit a consistent response no matter how the question is phrased? I did it because I wanted to convey my feelings about the pandemic as I have never felt those feelings before.

[JohnL]

I don't know much about questionnaires but repetitive questions are generally trying to pick out inconsistent or false answers in my knowledge.

Maybe the questionnaire isn't trying to find what it states it is. Claims to be inactive now so can't check it out :).

[Sue]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------Claims to be inactive now so

> can't check it out :).

Perhaps other people have pointed out the problems and they are belatedly sorting them.

As the survey stood, even apart from the other issues, they could never have broken down the results by ethnicity, which I would have thought was a pretty important thing to look at, particularly given the apparently disproportionate numbers of BAME people testing positive for Covid-19.

[JohnL]

The experiment where volunteers gave electric shocks to another volunteer always makes me think what an experiment is really measuring and what they're looking for - we probably aren't mean't to do that and should just do them without the 'metathought' :).

[Sue]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The experiment where volunteers gave electric

> shocks to another volunteer always makes me think

> what an experiment is really measuring and what

> they're looking for - we probably aren't mean't to

> do that and should just do them without the

> 'metathought' :).

I don't think you can fairly compare Milgram's experiment with a survey on the effects of a pandemic on people's mental health 🤣

[JohnL]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> JohnL Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The experiment where volunteers gave electric

> > shocks to another volunteer always makes me

> think

> > what an experiment is really measuring and what

> > they're looking for - we probably aren't mean't

> to

> > do that and should just do them without the

> > 'metathought' :).

>

>

> I don't think you can fairly compare Milgram's

> experiment with a survey on the effects of a

> pandemic on people's mental health 🤣

LOL see it's famous and agree it isn't comparable but it sticks in my mind.

[seenbeen]

Islington council used these psychometric tests about 15 years ago that I knew of ( don't know about now) but

https://blog.mettl.com/talent-hub/10-companies-using-psychometric-testing

it could be an insidious way of excluding candidates imo

[Sue]

seenbeen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Islington council used these psychometric tests

> about 15 years ago that I knew of ( don't know

> about now) but

> https://blog.mettl.com/talent-hub/10-companies-usi

> ng-psychometric-testing

>

> it could be an insidious way of excluding

> candidates imo

The Oxford University study has nothing to do with psychometric testing.

To the best of my (admittedly out of date) knowledge, psychometric tests are quite commonly used in recruitment and the results would normally be used in conjunction with other information about a candidate, though also possibly as a first stage of selection if there were a lot of candidates.

Nothing insidious about it.

Obviously you have to exclude candidates somehow, otherwise everybody who applied would get the job 🤣