Population groups

A list of different populations to include in different RPG Research tests

(From example in book for Ramey & Campbell test on IQ)

Children born to mothers who had less than a high school education with an average IQ score of 85 and no income.  Take baseline IQ of the children around 7-9 years old. Then have them  attend a special day care like facility daily or weekly until they are 12-14, with periodic batteries of tests including IQ. Compare them to the control group that does not attend these facilities, and see if those who attended have a high IQ (and other) score(s). Then check on them every 5-10 years after the program has ended to see if lasting differences. See page 234, figure 6.5 of Kail & Cavanaugh Human Dev book for comparable example).

PTSD sufferers.

As mentioned in a post elsewhere, there is a great need to develop coping and therapeutic mechanisms for the many soldiers returning from Iraq & Afghanistan who are ending up with PTSD. It has been suggested that I contact the local V.A. hospital for testing candidates.

I am not yet ready to take on such a group though, I need a little (lot) more experience putting together an experiment, but this is something I hope to test on in coming years.

I have heard anecdotes of people with PTSD who have found it cathardic to participate in RPG's as a pressure relief valve, and there were those two schizophrenia studies, with one being successful due to it's structure (versus the other one that had to be terminated, but was very unstructured).