RMIT University Psychology: Inductive Reasoning and HIV Case Studies

This assignment analyzes six case studies to identify common themes using inductive reasoning. The student identifies that socially and economically degraded conditions led individuals to become HIV positive, supported by direct quotes from the vignettes. The assignment proposes a quantitative research methodology, including sample size selection (80-100 HIV positive teenagers), questionnaire design focusing on intentionality and transmission, and statistical analysis using ANOVA to test hypotheses. The assignment demonstrates an understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and their application in analyzing social trends related to HIV.

Running head: INDUCTIVE REASONING
INDUCTIVE REASONING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1INDUCTIVE REASONING
All the six case studies highlight one commonality of themes – socially and
economically degraded conditions have forced these individuals to purposively become HIV
positive. The commonality is also highlighted by the fact that all the young individual
identified in each of the vignettes are teenage/adolescent/young adult black individuals who
are socially deprived and the only way for them to sustain their lives if through a federally
provided medical grant (Cohen, 1999, p. ix).
The thematic assumption highlighted above can be evidenced by direct quotes from
the case studies highlighted as follows:
1. “Maybe now I’se sick I’ll be maybe able to get the things I needed before, you know
the counseling and the assistance and the money I’se asked for all these times and
nobody could get me” (Belinda, page 2, paragraph 6, line 31)
2. “I looked around at my sister and she got everybody seeing to her hand and foot and
she ain’t even sick. This AIDS things don’t need make you sick at all, but people sure
listen up when you talk.” (Brendon, page 3, paragraph 2, line 12).
3. “They’se [the government] gonna pay for everything like they done for my mom”
(Azure, page 5, paragraph 5, line 25).
4. “I made the choice not to be left anymore. I am not the one who will wear dark veils
all the years of a long life” (Luen, page 5, paragraph 4, line 33).
5. “We can’t do shit without medicine, without government, and now they’se setting
limits on healthcare, on what we can do, on how much food we can get. But if you got
AIDS, you get more … like a good house nigger” (Chuckle-dog, page 7, paragraph 5,
line 23).
6. “In August 1992, she had reflected, “I don’t know if they’ll let me hang around much
longer without jumping me in.” When a friend insisted the jump –in (initiation) be

2INDUCTIVE REASONING
particularly tough, SueAnn felt challenged to prove herself, and she did” (just one
more? SueAnn, page 8, paragraph5, line 30).
Context
The two widely implemented types of research methodologies are qualitative and
quantitative. While the former is built upon data that has been gathered via spoken or written
narratives (Patton, 1990), the latter utilises logical and statistical tools and techniques to draw
empirical conclusions to real life observable data (Clemence, Doise & Lorenzi-Cioldi, 2014).
The theme that has been identified in light of the aforementioned evidences can be
highlighted by a designed quantitative research with the proper statistical tools. Firstly
selecting the sample size (preferably between 80-100 HIV positive teenagers) should be
given priority. Since the target of the research is to identify a social trend, the age group limit
should be put, in this case particularly, as between 10-19. The data should be gathered using a
simple questionnaire which would ask directed questions like the reasons behind their
positive test results. The questionnaire should focus on finding if the participants tested HIV
positive out of accident or it was intentional, whether they acquired it through intercourse or
use of syringe infused drugs, etc. The findings should be tested using proper statistical
techniques like ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) (Keselman et al., 1998). The results of the
test would be mostly in numerical values and would signify a strong or a weak correlation
between the hypotheses which should be generated at the beginning of the test (preferably
two hypotheses and a null hypothesis).

3INDUCTIVE REASONING
References
Clemence, A., Doise, W., & Lorenzi-Cioldi, F. (2014). The quantitative analysis of social
representations. Routledge.
Cohen, C. J. (1999). The boundaries of blackness: AIDS and the breakdown of black politics.
University of Chicago Press.
Keselman, H. J., Huberty, C. J., Lix, L. M., Olejnik, S., Cribbie, R. A., Donahue, B., ... &
Levin, J. R. (1998). Statistical practices of educational researchers: An analysis of
their ANOVA, MANOVA, and ANCOVA analyses. Review of educational
research, 68(3), 350-386.
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. SAGE Publications, inc.