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PSYC 2019: Experimental and Applied Psychology
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES
- AUGUSTINE
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES
| PSYC 2019: Experimental and Applied Psychology |
| Semester II – 2020/2021 |
Workshop 9: Between-subjects Factorial Designs
Directions: Please answer the following questions. Refer to this article as necessary:
St. Louis, G. R., & Liem, J. H. (2005). Ego identity, ethnic identity, and the psychosocial well-being of ethnic minority and majority college students. Identity, 5, 227–246. http://doi.org/10.1207/s1532706xid0503_1.
- Distinguish a between subjects design from a between-subjects factorial
- How many independent variables are in a 2 x 3 between-subjects factorial design? For each independent variable/s how many levels are there?
- Is an experiment with the following factorial notation possible: 1 x 2 x 3?
- Please write the notation for the factorial design used in the study by St. Louis and Liem (2005). Include the variables and their levels.
Hint: One of the independent variables was ego identity (i.e., not ethnic identity).
- Imagine that for your final year research project you want to explore strength of ethnic identity in a sample of students at a university in Trinidad.
In reviewing the literature, you note that both silently reminiscing about and sharing autobiographical memories (AM) about celebrating ethnic public holidays seem to increase strength of ethnic identity.
You therefore propose a study to compare the effects of silently reminiscing about ethnicity-related public holiday AMs and non-ethnicity related public holiday AMs with the effects of sharing ethnicity-related public holiday AMs and non-ethnicity related public holiday AMs.
You create two lists of public holidays – ethnic: Spiritual Baptist Day, Indian Arrival Day, Emancipation Day, Divali; and non-ethnic: New Year’s Day, Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Independence Day, Republic Day.
There are two experimental conditions.
In the silent reminiscing condition, half the students are given a list of ethnic holidays, the other half are given a list of non-ethnic holidays. You ask students to choose one from the list of holidays that is most meaningful to them. You then ask them to reminisce for a minute about their favourite memory of celebrating that holiday. Finally, they are asked to complete the MEIM.
In the sharing AM condition, half the students are given a list of ethnic holidays, the other half are given a list of non-ethnic holidays. You ask students to choose one from the list of holidays that is most meaningful to them. You then ask them to write a paragraph describing their favourite memory of celebrating that holiday. Finally, they are asked to complete the MEIM.
Please answer the following question:
- Complete the following 2 x 2 between-subjects factorial design table to show the independent variables and their levels.
| IV – | ||
| IV – | Level – | Level – |
| Level – | ||
| Level – | ||
- What are the four conditions for the cells of the factorial design?
- How many main effects are possible for this study? What are they?
- Imagine that the average score on the MEIM for those who reminisced silently about an ethnic public holiday was 34/48 and for those who reminisced silently about a non-ethnic public holiday was 24/48. Would you say there was a significant difference between the two groups that reminisced silently?
- Imagine that the average score on the MEIM for those who shared an AM about an ethnic public holiday was 44/48 and for those who shared an AM about a non-ethnic public holiday was 24/48. Would you say there was a significant difference between the two groups that shared an AM?
- How many, and what are the possible interactions for this study?
- Use the line graph below to say which of the four conditions was associated with the strongest sense of ethnic identity. Please note that the y-axis is the mean MEIM score.
- Does the line graph depict an interaction effect?

