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Individual Assignment # 2 – Confound It All!
PSY3211 – Research Methods and Data Analysis in Psychology
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Scenario A. A professor is interested in studying how sleep influences exam performance. She instructs her students to sleep for 8 hours before exam 1, to sleep for 4 hours before exam 2, and to not sleep at all before exam 3.
What is the independent variable for this study?
Scenario A. A professor is interested in studying how sleep influences exam performance. She instructs her students to sleep for 8 hours before exam 1, to sleep for 4 hours before exam 2, and to not sleep at all before exam 3.
How many levels are there for the independent variable?
Scenario A. A professor is interested in studying how sleep influences exam performance. She instructs her students to sleep for 8 hours before exam 1, to sleep for 4 hours before exam 2, and to not sleep at all before exam 3.
What is the dependent variable?
Scenario A. A professor is interested in studying how sleep influences exam performance. She instructs her students to sleep for 8 hours before exam 1, to sleep for 4 hours before exam 2, and to not sleep at all before exam 3.
What is the confound?
In this case scenario, the confounding variable is the amount of knowledge a student has on the subject. This will determine whether the student will pass or not irrespective of the amount of time they will sleep.
Scenario A: A professor is interested in studying how sleep influences exam performance. She instructs her students to sleep for 8 hours before exam 1, to sleep for 4 hours before exam 2, and to not sleep at all before exam 3.
How could the confound be fixed?
The confound can be fixed through matching students who have slept for the same time into the same group and comparing them.
Scenario B. A researcher is interested in studying how alcohol consumption influences memory. She goes into a local bar and asks bar patrons who have had at least two alcoholic drinks in the past hour to complete a memory test. She then compares their memory scores to a control group, who came into her laboratory at the university to complete the memory test (while sober).
What is the independent variable?
Scenario B. A researcher is interested in studying how alcohol consumption influences memory. She goes into a local bar and asks bar patrons who have had at least two alcoholic drinks in the past hour to complete a memory test. She then compares their memory scores to a control group, who came into her laboratory at the university to complete the memory test (while sober).
How many levels are there for the independent variable?
Scenario B. A researcher is interested in studying how alcohol consumption influences memory. She goes into a local bar and asks bar patrons who have had at least two alcoholic drinks in the past hour to complete a memory test. She then compares their memory scores to a control group, who came into her laboratory at the university to complete the memory test (while sober).
What is the dependent variable?
Scenario B. A researcher is interested in studying how alcohol consumption influences memory. She goes into a local bar and asks bar patrons who have had at least two alcoholic drinks in the past hour to complete a memory test. She then compares their memory scores to a control group, who came into her laboratory at the university to complete the memory test (while sober).
What is the confound?
The cofound in the scenario is the level of alcohol consumption which will both affect the memory and also the amount of time the person drunk.
Scenario B. A researcher is interested in studying how alcohol consumption influences memory. She goes into a local bar and asks bar patrons who have had at least two alcoholic drinks in the past hour to complete a memory test. She then compares their memory scores to a control group, who came into her laboratory at the university to complete the memory test (while sober).
How could the confound be fixed?
The cofound can be fixed through randomization where the links between exposure, or alcohol consumption will be broken from confounders.
Scenario C. A researcher is interested in whether living in a city where the major sports team is currently doing well makes residents feel happier and more connected to their city than if their sports team is doing poorly. He asks residents of Washington, D.C. to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during game 3 of the World Series, when their baseball team, The Nationals, are currently winning the series (2-0). He then asks residents of Pittsburgh, PA to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during fifth week of the football season, when their football team, the Steelers, have yet to win a game all season (when their record is 0 wins and 5 losses).
What is the independent variable?
Scenario C. A researcher is interested in whether living in a city where the major sports team is currently doing well makes residents feel happier and more connected to their city than if their sports team is doing poorly. He asks residents of Washington, D.C. to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during game 3 of the World Series, when their baseball team, The Nationals, are currently winning the series (2-0). He then asks residents of Pittsburgh, PA to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during fifth week of the football season, when their football team, the Steelers, have yet to win a game all season (when their record is 0 wins and 5 losses).
How many levels are there for the independent variable?
Scenario C. A researcher is interested in whether living in a city where the major sports team is currently doing well makes residents feel happier and more connected to their city than if their sports team is doing poorly. He asks residents of Washington, D.C. to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during game 3 of the World Series, when their baseball team, The Nationals, are currently winning the series (2-0). He then asks residents of Pittsburgh, PA to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during fifth week of the football season, when their football team, the Steelers, have yet to win a game all season (when their record is 0 wins and 5 losses).
What is the dependent variable?
Scenario C. A researcher is interested in whether living in a city where the major sports team is currently doing well makes residents feel happier and more connected to their city than if their sports team is doing poorly. He asks residents of Washington, D.C. to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during game 3 of the World Series, when their baseball team, The Nationals, are currently winning the series (2-0). He then asks residents of Pittsburgh, PA to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during fifth week of the football season, when their football team, the Steelers, have yet to win a game all season (when their record is 0 wins and 5 losses).
What is the confound?
In my opinion, the confounding variable can be the type of the sport each team is playing. It would be maybe the fixture of The Nationals is much easier and that is why they are performing better as compared to the Steelers who might be having a hard time with their fixture.
Scenario C. A researcher is interested in whether living in a city where the major sports team is currently doing well makes residents feel happier and more connected to their city than if their sports team is doing poorly. He asks residents of Washington, D.C. to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during game 3 of the World Series, when their baseball team, The Nationals, are currently winning the series (2-0). He then asks residents of Pittsburgh, PA to rate their feelings of connectedness to their city (on a scale of 1-10) during fifth week of the football season, when their football team, the Steelers, have yet to win a game all season (when their record is 0 wins and 5 losses).
How could the confound be fixed?
This can be fixed through comparing two teams that play the same sport. It would be effective if the researcher analyzed two football teams from the two cities and the amount of happiness supporters have on their teams, maybe playing in the baseball or the football league.
Scenario D. A researcher wants to see if a new phone app can help to treat anxiety better than in-person therapy or medication. She has participants in her study complete two weeks of treatment with the app, two weeks of treatment with medication, and then two weeks of treatment in-person with a therapist. She compares anxiety scores after each round of treatment.
What is the independent variable?
Scenario D. A researcher wants to see if a new phone app can help to treat anxiety better than in-person therapy or medication. She has participants in her study complete two weeks of treatment with the app, two weeks of treatment with medication, and then two weeks of treatment in-person with a therapist. She compares anxiety scores after each round of treatment.
How many levels are there for the independent variable?
Scenario D. A researcher wants to see if a new phone app can help to treat anxiety better than in-person therapy or medication. She has participants in her study complete two weeks of treatment with the app, two weeks of treatment with medication, and then two weeks of treatment in-person with a therapist. She compares anxiety scores after each round of treatment.
What is the dependent variable?
Scenario D. A researcher wants to see if a new phone app can help to treat anxiety better than in-person therapy or medication. She has participants in her study complete two weeks of treatment with the app, two weeks of treatment with medication, and then two weeks of treatment in-person with a therapist. She compares anxiety scores after each round of treatment.
What is the confound?
The participants in the study can be the confound of the scenario. It is possible to find that there are some participants that are not conversant with the app, others might find meditation or in-person therapy more helpful. As such it would influence both the results of the therapy and the time for the therapy.
Scenario D. A researcher wants to see if a new phone app can help to treat anxiety better than in-person therapy or medication. She has participants in her study complete two weeks of treatment with the app, two weeks of treatment with medication, and then two weeks of treatment in-person with a therapist. She compares anxiety scores after each round of treatment.
How can the confound be fixed?
The best way to fix this would be matching people who find the use of the app, in-person therapy or meditation as their preferred mode of therapy.