Supersize Me

Summary

Experimental design is a process by which a researcher takes a hypothesis, designs an experiment to test for the hypothesis, collects the data from the experiment, analyzes it and draws conclusions about the results. It is used to determine cause and effect and is used in all forms of science from physics and biology to psychology and sociology.

In the documentary film SuperSize Me, Morgan Spurlock’s objective is to see what happens to his health after thirty days of eating only food from McDonald’s.

Parts of Experiment

Spurlock’s independent variable is the change in his eating habits to be exclusive to McDonald’s items. As a second independent variable, Spurlock reduces the amount of walking he does from 4-5 miles a day to approximately 1.5 miles to be more typical of the average corporate worker.

The dependent variable in Spurlock’s experiment is his health. Because the experiment is designed to answer whether fast food can be healthy, his overall physical and mental health are what will be monitored and measured.

Spurlock meets with three independent doctors to measure his health for the pretest. He also consults with a nutritionist and an exercise physiologist for more information. The results were recorded by each specialist before he applied the treatment. He returns to each doctor during the test and at the end of the thirty days to have his final measurements taken. This is the posttest.

Researchers utilize control in order to increase the probability that findings accurately reflect the reality of the situation being studied. Typically studies are designed in such a way as to maximize the amount of control over the research situation and variables. To introduce control, Spurlock establishes 4 rules:

1. He can only Super Size when asked.

2. He can only eat food from McDonald’s that is available over the counter.

3. He has to eat everything on the menu at least once during the 30 days.

4. He must eat three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

It is also worth noting that in a traditional experiment, the researcher would have two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Because of the nature of Spurlock’s experiment, he can not have two groups. Spurlock is the lone subject in the experimental group because he is the one receiving the treatment. There is no one else to be in the control group.

Triangulation

Spurlock uses Triangulation of Observers to present views on the crisis of obesity in the United States by presenting varied sources that all agree fast food is a major contributor to this “epidemic”. 1) John F. Banzhaf III, Law Professor at George Washington University has determined that something new to American culture must be causing this phenomenon. Eating patterns were relatively unchanged for hundreds of years before the advent of fast food. Now Americans eat out approximately 40% of the time. 2) David Satcher, MD, Former US Surgeon General calls fast food a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. 3) In his random sampling of nutritionists from all over America, 95% agreed that fast food is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic sweeping America.

The first theoretical framework that Spurlock approaches his hypothesis with is Conflict Theory. He presents information showing that McDonald’s targets kids and Banzhaf describes a process that McDonald’s uses to get kids in the door. Through the use of Playgrounds, Happy Meals, Birthday Parties and Ronald McDonald kids associate “fun” and “good times” with McDonald’s. The company’s belief is that this will make them customers for life.

As the movie progresses, Spurlock presents the problem through a Structural Functionalist perspective. Fast food becomes part of a greater imbalance in a larger societal illness. Students are not educated about good nutrition and physical education and recess have been reduced or completely cut in the wake of the No Child Left Behind act. School cafeterias are providing food that is not healthier than what the kids would get at a fast food restaurant. This evaluation is Triangulation of Theory.

One example of Spurlock’s use of Triangulation of Method is his presentation of facts on how much fast food people eat in America. Quantitatively he states that 1 in 4 Americans eat fast food once per week and that 77% of McDonald’s customers eat there once per week while another 22% of customers eat there 2-3 times per week. Qualitatively, he conducts random interviews with people on the street about their fast food habits. The details of the interviews he presents to us are very similar