Soda And Violence: David Hemingway's Study

“Soda and Violence”, published in 2012, recounts the findings of David Hemingway’s study into the frequency of violent behavior amongst high school students. Using a self-report survey, Hemingway measured the amount of soda the subjects consumed per week and the frequency of their violent behavior. The study found a strong correlation between soda consumption and the regularity of violent behavior against peers, family members and other loved ones. Due to the reliance solely on measurement, Hemingway’s study is classified as a correlation study and therefore does not justify causation. At the end of the article, the author presents the hypothesis proposed by the researchers if they were to continue on to a cause and effect experiment. They
hypothesize that the consumption excess of sugar and caffeine and the blood-sugar crash that it causes result in soda drinkers being more irritable and more inclined to aggression. In order to test if a causal relationship exists, a researcher should set up an experimental study, between subjects, where the independent variable is soda consumption and the dependent variable is the frequency of violent behavior.
With a random sample of high school students, randomly assign each student one of two colors in order to split them into two groups. Each group will be placed in one of two life skills classes that will meet every day throughout the semester to discuss high school life. In order to prevent The Rosenthal Effect, the teacher of this class will not be a member of the research team. The experiment will be presented to the students as a study on the high school experience looking at levels such as stress, happiness and aggression in order to prevent research biases that may arise if they subjects know the true purpose of the study. In the control group, each participant will be given a cup of water every day. In the experimental group, each participant will be given a cup of soda. They will be asked to finish their drink by the end of the life skills period. At the end of each week, both groups will fill out the same survey that will be used to operationalize the frequency of violence. The survey should feature questions on stress, anxiety, happiness and violent behavior. The subjects will rate these feelings on a one to five scale: one being they did not experience the specific feeling in the last week and five being that they experienced the
specific feeling more than once a day in the last week. Two through four represent various levels in between. At the end of the semester, the data will be complied to see if a causal relationship exists between excess sugar and caffeine consumption and violence. Using a manipulation allows the researcher to control, and therefore better see, if one variable is causing another. By ensuring a daily dose of sugar and caffeine to those in the experimental group, later comparison of both groups will provide information on a potential causal relationship.