Critical Review of a Psychology Research Paper Analysis

This report provides a critical review of a psychology research paper focusing on the correlation between marital satisfaction and weight gain. The review analyzes the paper's introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusions. The paper's introduction clearly states the research problem, referencing prior studies and the mating market model. The literature review demonstrates knowledge of existing research, citing relevant studies. The methodology section outlines the use of interviews with 169 participants, employing scales to measure marital satisfaction and stress. The findings, presented in a table, support the mating market model, indicating a positive correlation between marital satisfaction and weight gain. The review identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, offering a comprehensive analysis of the research's components and outcomes. The paper's argument for the research problem is strengthened based on the health perspective, and the research is based on an empirical study.

Running head: CRITICAL REVIEW
Critical review
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CRITICAL REVIEW
Table of Contents
Provision of overview of the problem.............................................................................................2
Evidence of knowledge of the research through literature review..................................................2
Reference to major current theoretical perspective.........................................................................2
Justification of importance of the research question.......................................................................3
Coherent argument for the research problem..................................................................................3
Ending of the introductory paragraph..............................................................................................3
Logical sense of the introductory paragraph...................................................................................3
Justification of the methods and designs used.................................................................................4
Results and findings of the study.....................................................................................................4
Conclusion drawn based on research findings.................................................................................4
References:......................................................................................................................................5

2CRITICAL REVIEW
Provision of overview of the problem
The authors have been able to make a clear understanding of what the research paper
constitutes in the beginning portion of the paper. They stated that prior researches conducted
have made certain predictions between the aspects of marriage and weight gain and the
correlation that exists between them (Meltzer et al., 2013).
Evidence of knowledge of the research through literature review
A section on literature review can be observed within the research paper. Mention has
been made of the papers written by Eng, Kawachi, Fitzmaurice and Rimm, 2005 and Jeffery and
Rick, 2002. These papers have tried to establish the fact that compared to the unmarried
individuals, the married individuals are at a higher risk of making a significant weight gain.
Furthermore, the paper published by Kiecolt–Glaser and Newton, 2001 has tried to provide that
an existing theory is observed which tries to understand the important role played by the spouses
and their satisfaction within the marriages which leads to weight gain.
Thus, the section of literature review is comprehensive and holistic as it makes a mention
of the various earlier literature belonging to the same field of study.
Reference to major current theoretical perspective
The authors have made a mention about the current theoretical perspective by stating the
mating market model. This perspective states that the maintenance of the weight by an individual
stems from the desire to attract their partner. In the event that marriage occurs, this desire
diminishes as it is no longer valid.

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Justification of importance of the research question
The importance of the research question lies in the fact that it helps the researchers to
make both a social understanding as well as a health observation. In the society, the married
couples are seen to have more weight than the unmarried couples. This leads to an issue in the
health of the individuals since obesity is a rising problem as observed within the society.
Coherent argument for the research problem
The argument for the research problem is further strengthened based on the health
perspective which is sought to be noted by the researchers. The authors make the assumption that
when the married couples significant weight, then they form a part of the health regulation
model. This implies that their weight gain is associated by the rise in marital stress.
This is the literature gap which has been identified by the authors. No other or negligible
research papers have sought to find a relation between the eight gain of the married couples and
the level of stress which they are facing.
Ending of the introductory paragraph
The ending of the introduction is not comprehensive in the paper. The section of
introduction has been intermingled with the section of literature review. An introduction should
consist of the research problem, the research objectives and the research questions. However, it
can be seen that in this paper, there is only the mention of the aim of the research.
Logical sense of the introductory paragraph
Due to the missing elements of the introductory paragraph, there is a gap which is
observed. The research objectives help to give a framework to the entire research paper by

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providing a guideline to the researcher on the various signposts which would be considered in
the course of the work. However, the introductory paragraph has made a mention of the research
aim and the various sources of literature which have been considered for having a comprehensive
understanding of the research problem identified.
Justification of the methods and designs used
The research follows an empirical study where the method of interview was utilized. 169
participants took part in the process. The marital satisfaction of the spouses was considered with
the aid of 15-item semantic differential and the 6-quality marriage index. The stress experienced
by the spouses was then indexed on an objective scale. This helped to give a logical angle to the
study conducted.
Results and findings of the study
The findings of the research study has been shown in a tabulated form. This table is
essential as it helps the readers to find a link amongst the extent of marital satisfaction, the steps
taken for divorce and that of the body mass index of the couples.
Conclusion drawn based on research findings
He results are found to support the mating marketing model. When the couples were
satisfied in the marriage, they gained weight, as opposed to their dissatisfaction and that of losing
their weight. No other alternative conclusion could be drawn from the given set of data.

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References:
Meltzer, A. L., Novak, S. A., McNulty, J. K., Butler, E. A., & Karney, B. R. (2013). Marital
satisfaction predicts weight gain in early marriage. Health Psychology, 32(7), 824.