Transcript Class Experiment - the Department of Psychology at Illinois State

Class Experiment
Psych 231: Research
Methods in Psychology
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Today going to go over the design and procedures
for the class experiment.
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Make sure that you download the experiment packet and
test your participants this weekend
Class experiment
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Instructions (1/2 the class):
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I’m going to read a list of words.
Please listen to each word on the list. After each
word I’d like you to respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ whether
the word has a letter ‘a’ in it
After I’m done, please count backwards (aloud) by
threes from the number that I give you.
Then I’ll tell you to write down as many of the
words as you can. Any questions?
Read list
 683
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Memory Demonstration
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Instructions (the other 1/2 of the class):
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I’m going to read a list of words.
Please LISTEN to each word on the list. After each
word I’d like you to respond ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ whether
the word is something that you associate with your
experience at Illinois State University
After I’m done, please count backwards by threes from the
number that I give you.
Then I’ll tell you to write down as many of the words as you
can.
Read list
537
Memory Demonstration
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Please recall as many of the items now (write
them down).
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Check:
apple
interest
theory
ocean
pencil
Recall
moral
microscope
anger
chance
baby
car
hammer
fate
happiness
book
effort
bird
money
hope
knowledge
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What variables might influence performance
on a memory task like this?
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We’ll select two things:
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Type of word - abstract or concrete
Level of processing - how “deeply” the words are
processed
The issues
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What variables might influence performance
on a memory task like this?
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We’ll select two things:
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Type of word - abstract or concrete
Level of processing - how “deeply” the words are
processed
The issues
apple
interest
theory
ocean
pencil
moral
microscope
anger
chance
baby
Word type
car
hammer
fate
happiness
book
effort
bird
money
hope
knowledge
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Go ahead and count up how many abstract and
how many concrete words you remembered.
apple
interest
theory
ocean
pencil
moral
microscope
anger
chance
baby
Concrete words
Abstract words
Word type
car
hammer
fate
happiness
book
effort
bird
money
hope
knowledge
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What variables might influence performance
on a memory task like this?
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We’ll select two things:
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Type of word - abstract or concrete
Level of processing - how “deeply” the words are
processed
The issues
Two levels of processing:
Shallow:
Is there an “a”
Deep:
Related to ISU
BOOK
CAR
DESK
DRESSER
FLOWER
MAGAZINE
happiness
Levels of processing
happiness
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What are the issues that we’re looking at?
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What is the Dependent variable?
• Construct? memory
• Operationalized? accurate recall of words from list
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What is/are the Independent variable(s)?
• Word type
• Op: words rated as abstract or concrete
• Level of processing
• Op: Shallow processing: “does word have an ‘a’ in it?”
Deep processing: “is the word related to ISU
experience?”
The issues
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How many conditions do we have?
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What is the design of the study?
• 2 factors
Level of
processing
“a” in it
Word type
Abstract
Concrete
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What are your predictions?
The design
ISU related
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I have put the materials together and posted them on
the syllabus (click on “class experiment”)
Your homework is to
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I will compile and analyze the results
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Download “Exp packet”
Find two volunteers
Collect some data
Bring the data back to class on Monday (or Tuesday)
You will go over the summarized results in labs
Based on this experiment and these results you will
produce an APA style research report
Class experiment
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In the packet you’ll find:
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Instructions
• To create the stimuli
• To read to your participants
• For compiling the data (data sheet provided)
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Two consent forms
Debriefing sheet
Class experiment
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Find 2 volunteers
Test each participant (one-at-a-time, in one of the
conditions)
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Following presentation of the word list
Have them count backwards by 3s for 15 sec.
Ask them to recall as many of the words as they can (have
them write them down)
Shuffle the word order (the cards) before each
participant
Count up the number of correctly recalled abstract
and concrete words and enter this information into
the data summary sheet
Bring the data back to class on Monday (or Tues)
The Procedure
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What do we need to control?
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1 second per item
Presentation rate
90 seconds
Amount of time for recall
Number of items on the list 20 items
Same concrete and
Actual items on the list
abstract words
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Any other things we need to think about?
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Ethics
• Consent form, debriefing
• I have create these and they are part of the experiment
packet that you download
The design
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Complete APA style research report
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Intro
• There are 3 required readings which you must include
these in your introduction
• Kroll & Merves (1986)
• Craik & Tulving (1975)
• Groninger & Groninger (1982)
• Additionally, you must find at least 1 additional article to
include in your introduction
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Methods, Results, Discussion, References, etc.
Two drafts (see web pages for specific details)
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1st: due week 9
Final: due week 14
The class paper