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A cognitive psychologist runs an experiment to test the effect of background noise (classical music vs. silence) on memory recall. Participants in the music condition are tested in a warm, comfortable room with soft lighting, whereas participants in the silent condition are tested in a cold, uncomfortable room with harsh fluorescent lighting. Apply the concept of a confounding variable to this scenario to identify the confounder, explain how it systematically co-varies with the independent variable, and describe the threat it poses to the study's validity.
Question: A cognitive psychologist runs an experiment to test the effect of background noise (classical music vs. silence) on memory recall. Participants in the music condition are tested in a warm, comfortable room with soft lighting, whereas participants in the silent condition are tested in a cold, uncomfortable room with harsh fluorescent lighting. Apply the concept of a confounding variable to this scenario to identify the confounder, explain how it systematically co-varies with the independent variable, and describe the threat it poses to the study's validity.
Sample answer: The confounding variable is the physical testing environment (room comfort, temperature, and lighting). It systematically co-varies with the independent variable because all participants in the music condition experience the comfortable room while all participants in the silent condition experience the uncomfortable room. This threatens internal validity because any difference in memory recall could be caused by room comfort rather than the background music.
Key points:
- The physical testing environment (room comfort, temperature, and lighting) is the confounding variable.
- The testing environment varies systematically alongside the independent variable (music vs. silence conditions).
- The confounder provides a plausible alternative explanation for any observed differences in the dependent variable (memory recall), threatening internal validity.
Feedback: A correct response must identify the physical testing environment (room comfort, temperature, and lighting) as the confounding variable. It must explain that the environment co-varies systematically with the independent variable (music vs. silence) because the two conditions are tested in completely different environments. Finally, it must explain that the physical environment acts as a plausible alternative explanation, threatening the ability to establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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A cognitive psychologist runs an experiment to test the effect of background noise (classical music vs. silence) on memory recall. Participants in the music condition are tested in a warm, comfortable room with soft lighting, whereas participants in the silent condition are tested in a cold, uncomfortable room with harsh fluorescent lighting. Apply the concept of a confounding variable to this scenario to identify the confounder, explain how it systematically co-varies with the independent variable, and describe the threat it poses to the study's validity.