The Chocolate Study

By: Cody Benson

The Problems

Nursing school is stressful.

Balancing school, work, while maintaining a family life is
extremely difficult.
Learning how to deal and manage stress factors is essential.
Identifying the best tasting chocolate for stress relief
Chocolate is considered to be a popular stress reliever
The Purpose

The purpose of the chocolate experiment is to identify the taste

differences and preferences between Chocolate A (Hersheys) and
Chocolate B (Dove) of Daemen college nursing students.
May help researchers decide which chocolate is recommended to
eat when feeling stressed out while trying to balance school,
work, and family life.
Research Questions

Quantitative Question:
Among RN-BSN nursing students which chocolate is preferred
between Chocolate A (Hersheys) or Chocolate B (Dove)?

Qualitative Question:
What is the lived experience among RN-BSN students of
Chocolate A (Hersheys) and Chocolate B (Dove)?
The Variables

Quantitative Method:
Independent Variable- Two different types of Chocolate
(Hersheys and Dove)
Dependent Variable- The Perception measured on a Likert scale
questionnaire

Qualitative Method:
The variables of interest is the perceptions of the participants who
experience Chocolate A and Chocolate B
The Framework

The Framework used in this study is Salyes General Adaptation

Syndrome: Stress Theory
Informed Consent
Quantitative Questionnaire

What is your age in years? 25 yrs. old

What is your gender? Male
Are you allergic to chocolate that does not contain nuts? No
Quantitative Questionnaire (cont.)

I am hungry- Disagree
I am concerned about cholesterol consumption and avoid
cholesterol in foods and desserts- Disagree
I avoid unhealthy foods- Neutral
I love chocolate- Neutral
I hate chocolate- Disagree
I love Hersheys brand chocolate- Neutral
I love Dove brand chocolate- Neutral
Chocolate A (Hersheys)

Texture 3
Moistness- 3
Flavor- 3
Appearance- 3
Overall rating- 3, I could take it or leave it.
Chocolate B (Dove)

Texture 3
Moistness 4
Flavor 4
Appearance 4
Overall rating 4, I would eat this if I had it
Qualitative response

Chocolate A (Hersheys)
The experience of eating chocolate A was neutral for me. I could
take it or leave it. I didn'tt experience any joy from eating this
chocolate but I cannot say I didn'tt like the chocolate either. It
has a decently smooth texture but nothing really stood out to me
about the flavor. I also thought the appearance of the chocolate
was bland and wasn'tt that appealing. Overall this is not a bad
chocolate to eat but I would not go out of my way to buy this
chocolate or would I highly recommend this to a friend.
Qualitative response

Chocolate B (Dove)
The experience of eating Chocolate B was better than I originally
expected. It has a smooth texture and appealing appearance. I
actually enjoyed eating this chocolate. The taste was better than
expected as well. Overall I would say that I do enjoy this
chocolate and I would eat it if I had it. I also would say that I
would recommend this chocolate to a friend.
Thank You!