Question

A research team told one group of people that they would hear a set of jokes that were very funny and a second group that they would hear jokes that were not very funny. A third group was not told anything about the jokes. The jokes in all conditions were actually the same, and the researchers measured how long participants smiled after each joke. Which type of research design was used?

a) Experimental design
b) Correlational design
c) Quasi-experimental design
d) Deceptive design

Answer 1

The research design in question is an experimental design, as it involved manipulation of participants' expectations and measurement of their responses in contrast to a control group.

Step-by-step explanation:

The research design used in this scenario is an experimental design. In this design, the research team actively manipulated the expectations of the participants by informing them differently about the humor level of the jokes they would hear. There were three groups: one was told the jokes were very funny (the experimental group with a treatment of high expectations), another was told the jokes were not very funny (the experimental group with a treatment of low expectations), and the third group was not given any expectation (the control group). By measuring the duration of smiles, researchers aimed to determine the effect of the treatment (expectation set by the researchers) on the response variable (length of smiles). This corresponds to the basic principles of an experimental design, where one group receives an experimental manipulation and the other serves as a control.

An experimental design generally includes a random assignment of participants to treatment or control groups and a clear definition of treatment and response variables. This ensures that any difference in the response variable can be attributed to the treatment provided.