Question

A researcher hypothesizes that high doses of caffeine can produce context-dependent learning. To confirm this hypothesis, the researcher would need to show that

a. participants learn more effectively if they drink several cups of coffee before studying the material learned
b. participants' recall performance is improved if they are tested soon after drinking several cups of coffee
c. participants who drink a lot of coffee are, in general, likely to do better on memory tests
d. if participants study the material while drinking a great deal of coffee, they will remember the material better if they drink a great deal of coffee while taking the memory test

Answer 1

To confirm the hypothesis that caffeine causes context-dependent learning, the researcher must show that memory recall is better when the study and testing conditions both involve high caffeine intake.

Step-by-step explanation:

To confirm the hypothesis that high doses of caffeine can produce context-dependent learning, the researcher would need to demonstrate option d: if participants study the material while drinking a great deal of coffee, they will remember the material better if they drink a great deal of coffee while taking the memory test.

This outcome would suggest that the environmental context (presence of caffeine) during learning is linked to better recall when the same context is recreated during the testing phase.

If such a study were conducted with proper controls and measures, and a statistically significant effect was observed, it would support the hypothesis of context-dependent memory facilitated by caffeine consumption.