Question

An experiment on the effects of humor on memory involves assigning participants to read either humorous or non-humorous sentences, and then measuring memory for those sentences. It turns out that the participants presented with the humorous sentences are all males. The participants presented with the nonhumorous sentences are all females. What threat to internal validity is present in this study?

Answer 1

Non-randomized gender selection is a threat to the internal validity in this study.

Step-by-step explanation:

In research, randomization is fundamental because it prevents and minimizes any type of bias. In this study, participants should be allocated randomly, that is, both males and females to read either humorous or non-humorous sentences.

This way, the outcome of this research would be a result of the treatment, not a result of the differences in, for example, humor or memory capabilities between men and women.

Therefore, in this study, as gender selection is not randomized, it could significantly influence the results. Each trial should include both males and females to prevent bias.