Consciousness-Based Education - Maharishi University of ...

the maharishi effect and governmentproject similar to the Demonstration Project was conducted in NorthAmerica in either 1992 or 1994. Data for the controls were aggregatedand analyzed following the same rules and procedures as for the experimentaldata.The hypothesis for the control periods stated that: During the controlperiod (the same time of year as the experimental period, but inother years) the data will not change significantly in the same predicteddirection as the direction of the experimental period during theNational Demonstration Project.Time Series Structural Break AnalysisIn this study, time series structural break analysis was used withApproval Ratings, Media, and with the “D. C. Quality of Life ” variables,individually and as an index. It was apparent that a time-seriesanalysis was necessary, as approval ratings and other dependent variableshad autocorrelations. Time series was possible because the datacould be aggregated on an equal-interval basis.The time series structural break analysis used in this study can beseen as a special case of interrupted time series analysis in which thenull hypothesis is used to determine if the intervention in question hashad an impact on the dependent variable (McDowell, McCleary, Meidinger,and Hay 1980). Liu and Hudak (1992) indicate that plottingthe data and visually inspecting the data is crucially important: “Thefirst aspect of a time series analysis, and almost all statistical analyses,is to plot the data” (p. 5.3). When the data were examined visually, itwas noted that the trend change (consistent across variables) lasted wellbeyond the experimental period. This was true of crime data as well asthe data analyzed in this study. Therefore, it was important that theissue of trend change be addressed. Use of structural break analysiswould indicate if the trend during and after the experimental periodwas statistically different than the baseline trend. In an example of asimilar type of inquiry to those in the studies presented in this paper,McDowell, McCleary, Meidinger, and Hay noted that “The impactwas visually obvious. Impact assessment analysis nonetheless provideda precise estimate of the form and magnitude of the effect” (p. 74).Structural-break analysis allows one to depict the significance of thetrend through the time-frame specified by the equation, in this case,239