Evaluation Of A Multi Model Experimental Design Using A...

Method Participants The ideal sample is 150 participants between the ages of 50-80 years old with both male and females equally represented, all of whom suffer from and have been diagnosed with Alzheimer s disease, other forms of dementia, or Parkinson s disease according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-5]. The selected participants will have volunteered for the study or were referred by physicians and caregivers, and come from multiple nursing homes. The probability sampling method, random sampling, will be used to ensure that the sample chosen represents the population and will be a method that will be easy to support and defend. Research Design A multi-centered†¦show more content†¦Mood will be operationalized by Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, scoring will range from 0 to 38 with higher scores indicating more severe depression. Quality of life will be operationalized by The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire 100 (WHOQOL-100, or the Quality of Life-Alzheimer s Disease assessment (QOL-AD) for those with Alzheimer s disease. Scoring will be from 13 to 52; higher scores will suggest better quality of life. Geriatric disorders are operationally defined by the diagnoses of either dementia, Alzheimer s disease, or Parkinson s disease and The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). DMT is operationally defined by the one hour sessions of dance/movement therapy with a DMT licensed therapist. Since the experiment will be conducted in a more natural conditions, there will be a stronger external validity. However, a potential threat to external validity could arise through the gen eralizability of the study; if the study will have similar results throughout the geriatric disorder population. Internal validity could be threatened due to not being conducted in a laboratory, which loses the direct control of the participants. The participants could be doing other activities or factors that are contributing to the results, in which case it would be difficult to measure if DMT is solely the cause of the results shown in the participants. Potential confounding