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Explain why Dr. Miller's pilot test was successful in its function, what specific methodological problem he identified, and what he must do next according to the principles of pilot testing.
Case context: Dr. Miller is designing an experiment to investigate if listening to classical music enhances task performance. Before launching the full study, he runs a pilot test with a small group of participants. During the sessions, he notices that the task instructions and setting make it very easy for the participants to guess his hypothesis. Consequently, Dr. Miller worries that this will affect his experiment.
Question: Explain why Dr. Miller's pilot test was successful in its function, what specific methodological problem he identified, and what he must do next according to the principles of pilot testing.
Sample answer: Dr. Miller's pilot test was successful because it fulfilled a key function of identifying whether his study design contained demand characteristics. The specific problem he identified was that participants could easily guess the study's hypothesis. According to the principles of pilot testing, he must now adjust the study procedure to eliminate these cues before running the actual experiment so they do not skew the results.
Key points:
- Explain that the pilot test successfully identified demand characteristics.
- State that the participants could easily guess the research hypothesis.
- Indicate that the procedure needs to be adjusted/modified.
- Emphasize doing this before the actual experiment to avoid skewing the results.
Rubric: The answer must demonstrate comprehension by identifying that the pilot test successfully detected demand characteristics (participants guessing the hypothesis). It must state the specific problem (participants easily guessing the hypothesis) and explain the next step (adjusting/modifying the study procedure before the actual experiment to prevent skewed results).
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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