Short Answer

Imagine you are designing a new psychological study to address the practical uncertainty parents face regarding children's allowance. Applying the principle that this is an 'empirically testable question,' propose a brief research design (identifying the independent and dependent variables) that could help resolve this uncertainty.

Question: Imagine you are designing a new psychological study to address the practical uncertainty parents face regarding children's allowance. Applying the principle that this is an 'empirically testable question,' propose a brief research design (identifying the independent and dependent variables) that could help resolve this uncertainty.

Sample answer: To address this uncertainty, I would conduct a longitudinal study where the independent variable is whether children receive a weekly allowance (allowance group vs. no-allowance control group) and the dependent variable is their level of financial responsibility measured after one year (e.g., savings behavior or budgeting skills). This design directly tests the empirical question of whether allowance causes financial responsibility.

Key points:

  • Apply empirical testability by proposing a concrete research design (e.g., experimental or correlational).
  • Identify the independent variable (e.g., receiving a weekly allowance).
  • Identify the dependent variable (e.g., children's financial responsibility).

Rubric: The student must propose a research design that applies the concept of empirical testability to the allowance question. The answer must identify the independent variable (receiving or not receiving a weekly allowance) and the dependent variable (financial responsibility or a related behavioral measure).

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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