Question

Styles Researchers asked 131 college students to listen to a recording of a 20-minute introductory physics lecture. The students were randomly assigned to a male or female lecturer, each of whom read an identical text. While the lecture was playing, a computer displayed what the volunteers were told was a photo of the lecturer—who was highly attractive in some cases and not as fetching in others. (Earlier volunteers had rated some photos of possible “lecturers” for attractiveness, enabling the researchers to pick the best- and worst-looking.) Taking notes was barred.

After the lecture, participants got a 25-item quiz on the material. For those with the attractive instructor, the average score was 18.27; for those with an unattractive one, the average was 16.68. That gap isn't huge, but it is statistically significant, the researchers said.

After being quizzed on the material, participants were asked to evaluate the lecturers. Sure enough, students found the attractive instructors more motivating, easier to follow and possessed of greater health, intelligence and competence. They also generally agreed about the attractiveness of the lecturers.

1. PUT YOUR NAME AT THE TOP OF THIS DOCUMENT

2. What is the independent variable in the study?

3. What is the dependent variable in the study

4. How did the researchers "operationally define" attractiveness?

5. The results were said to be "statistically significant”. What does that mean?

6. Give one possible confounding variable in the study.

7. If the researchers stated that the results had generalizability", what would that mean?

8. In the context of the study, how would the researchers "debrief" the participants?

9. Give one ethical consideration that would fit this study. (Refer to APA Ethical Guidelines on Blackboard)

10 How would another research check the reliability of this study?

11. If Hawthorne Effect affected the results of the study, what happened?​

Answer 1

1. PUT YOUR NAME AT THE TOP OF THIS DOCUMENT: Debora Meinn

2. What is the independent variable in the study? The degree of beauty and attractiveness of the speakers. In a scientific study, the independent variable is the one that influences a result to happen, in this case, the beauty of the speakers was what influenced the degree of acceptance of the students, around the lecture.

3. What is the dependent variable in the study: The degree of acceptance of students in relation to the lecture. The dependent variable is one that needs to be influenced by the dependent variable in order to be able to evaluate a result. As we can see in the question above, the degree of beauty of the speakers influenced the degree of acceptance of the students in relation to the intelligence and competence of the speakers about the lecture.

4. How did the researchers "operationally define" attractiveness? They made this definition by evaluating the photos of the speakers, taken by other volunteers, who classified the photos as beautiful or ugly.

5. The results were said to be "statistically significant." What does that mean? It means that the acceptance of listeners to a lecture changes in relation to the beauty of the speakers.

6. Give one possible confounding variable in the study: a possible confounding variable would be the content of the lectures. Confounding variables are elements that can influence both the independent and the dependent variable. Thus, a complex or simple subject addressed as content of the lecture could influence both the perception of the beauty of the speakers and the acceptance of the lecture.

7. If the researchers stated that the results had generalizability ", what would that mean? It means that the results can be adopted as correct in any lectures.

8. In the context of the study, how would the researchers "debrief" the participants? They could ask whether they understood the lecture, whether the subject was spoken clearly, whether the speaker shows confidence, whether the speaker looks smart, whether the speaker looks healthy and whether the speaker dominates the subject matter.

9. Give one ethical consideration that would fit this study. (Refer to APA Ethical Guidelines on Blackboard): The confidentiality of volunteers' responses must be maintained. This is an ethical issue that must be respected in this study, according to APA's ethical guidelines.

10 How would another research check the reliability of this study? Reproducing it with the same variables. This should be done, because a reliable study must allow it to be repeated and will be considered true if the same results are observed.

11. If Hawthorne Effect affected the results of the study, what happened? If the Hawthorne Effect happened, the environment in which the volunteers were subjected interfered with the results. This is because the Hawthorne effect relates the physical conditions of an environment to the productivity of volunteers in relation to some factor. In this case, a more or less comfortable environment may have influenced the volunteers' acceptance of the lecture and the speakers.