Marie M.

Diaz
Bs Psychology 2-A
PSYC104
CHAPTER 5: BASIC BETWEEN-SUBJECT DESIGNS

1. What do we mean when we say that the experimental design is like the floor plan of
a building?
-When we say that the experimental design is like the floor plan of a building, we mean that it
provides a structured outline or blueprint for how the experiment will be conducted, including
the arrangement of conditions, the distribution of subjects, and the sequence of events

2. What guidelines are used to determine the number of subjects to use in an

experiment?
-Guidelines to determine the number of subjects to use in an experiment often depend on
the nature of the experiment, the effect size expected, the variability of the population, and
the level of statistical power desired. A power analysis is often conducted to determine an
appropriate sample size.

3. In a between-subjects design, why is it important to assign subjects to each

treatment condition at random?
-In a between-subjects design, it is important to assign subjects to each treatment condition
at random to ensure that any differences between groups can be attributed to the treatment
rather than to pre-existing differences among the subjects.

4. A researcher wanted to test the effect that riding the subway has on mental health.
She formed two groups of subjects, an experimental group and a control group. The
experimental group rode the subway for 60 minutes every morning. The control group
jogged for an equal period of time. At the end of one month, both groups were
measured on a scale of adjustment and well-being. The control group was found to be
better adjusted than the experimental group. Do you accept the conclusion that riding
the subway damages mental health? Why or why not?
-While the control group was found to be better adjusted than the experimental group, we
cannot conclusively accept the conclusion that riding the subway damages mental health.
The control group was engaged in physical activity (jogging), which is known to improve
mental health, thus the difference could be due to the positive effect of jogging rather than
the negative effect of subway riding.

5. A skeptical student tells you that it's silly to bother with a control group. After all,
you're really only interested in what the experimental group does. How would you
convince the student otherwise?
-A control group is crucial in experimental design as it provides a baseline against which the
effects of the experimental manipulation can be measured. Without a control group, it would
be difficult to determine whether changes in the experimental group were due to the
treatment or other factors.

6. If people stand closer together, they will communicate better. How would you test
this hypothesis? How many treatment conditions would you need? Would it be
possible to test this hypothesis with more than one design?
-To test the hypothesis that people standing closer together communicate better, you could
design an experiment with at least two treatment conditions: one where people stand close
together and one where they stand further apart. Observations or measurements of
communication effectiveness could then be compared between the two groups. This
hypothesis could be tested with a variety of designs, including between-subjects,
within-subjects, or matched-groups designs.

7. People who have known each other for a long time may communicate better than
people who have known each other for a short time. Imagine you are carrying out the
study suggested in question 6. All your subjects know each other, but for varying
lengths of time. How can you make sure that the length of time that subjects have
known each other will not be a confounding variable in your study?
-To control for the potential confounding variable of how long subjects have known each
other, you could either stratify your subjects based on this variable and ensure equal
representation in each treatment condition, or statistically control for this variable in your
analysis.

8. Describe a two-matched-groups design. How is the matching done?

-A two-matched-groups design involves pairing subjects based on similar characteristics or
scores on a relevant variable, and then randomly assigning one member of each pair to
each treatment condition. The matching is done to control for potential confounding
variables.

9. A watched pot never boils. What design can you use to test this notion? How many
treatment conditions do you need?
-To test the notion "A watched pot never boils", you could use a between-subjects design
with two treatment conditions: one where subjects watch the pot and one where they do not.
The dependent variable could be the perceived time it takes for the pot to boil.

10. Explain the advantages of using a multiple- groups design rather than a two-group
design.
-Using a multiple-groups design offers several advantages over a two-group design. It allows
for the testing of multiple levels of an independent variable, which can provide more detailed
information about the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. It also
allows for the testing of interactions between different independent variables