Explain why this new study design fails to maintain the experimental control established in the original Darley and Latané experiment. In your answer, identify the two major control failures in the replication design compared to the original, and explain what extraneous variables are introduced as a result.
Case context: A researcher wants to replicate Darley and Latané's study. In their design, participants in the 'one other student' condition are tested in a small, quiet research cubicle. In the 'five other students' condition, participants are tested in a large classroom near a noisy hallway. Additionally, the researcher assigns the first 20 students who arrive to the 'one other student' condition, and the next 20 students to the 'five other students' condition.
Question: Explain why this new study design fails to maintain the experimental control established in the original Darley and Latané experiment. In your answer, identify the two major control failures in the replication design compared to the original, and explain what extraneous variables are introduced as a result.
Sample answer: This replication design fails to maintain experimental control in two major ways. First, it fails to hold extraneous environmental variables constant because participants are tested in different rooms (a small cubicle vs. a large classroom near a noisy hallway) rather than the exact same room with the identical simulated emergency. This introduces extraneous environmental variables like room size and ambient noise levels. Second, the researcher failed to use random assignment, assigning participants based on arrival order instead. This fails to control for extraneous participant variables, potentially introducing systematic differences in student characteristics between the two groups from the start.
Key points:
- Identifies the lack of environmental control (testing in different rooms with differing noise levels instead of the same room).
- Explains that different rooms introduce extraneous environmental variables (room size, hallway noise).
- Identifies the lack of random assignment (assigning participants based on arrival order).
- Explains that non-random assignment fails to control for extraneous participant variables, leading to non-equivalent groups.
Rubric: The student must show comprehension of the original experiment's controls by contrasting them with the replication failures. The student must identify the failure to hold the environment constant (different rooms with different noise levels vs. same room and emergency) and the failure to use random assignment (arrival order vs. random assignment). The student must also explain how these failures introduce extraneous environmental and participant variables.
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Explain why this new study design fails to maintain the experimental control established in the original Darley and Latané experiment. In your answer, identify the two major control failures in the replication design compared to the original, and explain what extraneous variables are introduced as a result.
Imagine you are designing a new experiment to test if the type of simulated emergency (e.g., a physical fall vs. a fire alarm) affects helping behavior. Applying the control methods from Darley and Latané's study, how should you implement random assignment and hold extraneous variables constant in this new design?