Essay

Based on the study by Schnall and colleagues on disgust and moral judgments, identify the two independent variables (specifying which was manipulated and which was a measured participant variable) and the primary dependent variable (including how it was measured). Briefly explain why this experiment is classified as a factorial design.

Question: Based on the study by Schnall and colleagues on disgust and moral judgments, identify the two independent variables (specifying which was manipulated and which was a measured participant variable) and the primary dependent variable (including how it was measured). Briefly explain why this experiment is classified as a factorial design.

Sample answer: In the study by Schnall and colleagues, the two independent variables are: (1) the cleanliness of the testing room, which was manipulated (clean versus messy room containing dirty dishes, an overflowing wastebasket, and a chewed-up pen), and (2) private body consciousness, which was a measured participant variable reflecting the attention participants pay to their bodily sensations. The primary dependent variable was the harshness of participants' moral judgments, which was measured by having participants rate the moral acceptability of different behaviors on a scale of 1 to 7. This study is classified as a factorial design because it includes more than one independent variable to examine their combined impact on the dependent variable.

Key points:

  • Identifies room cleanliness as the manipulated independent variable.
  • Identifies private body consciousness as the measured participant independent variable.
  • Identifies the harshness of moral judgments (rated on a 1 to 7 scale) as the dependent variable.
  • Explains that a factorial design incorporates multiple independent variables.

Rubric: A complete response must accurately identify: 1) The manipulated independent variable (cleanliness of the testing room/clean vs. messy), 2) The measured participant independent variable (private body consciousness/attention to bodily sensations), 3) The dependent variable (harshness of moral judgments) and its scale (1 to 7 rating of behaviors), and 4) The explanation that factorial designs are characterized by having more than one independent variable.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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