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Imagine you are designing a psychological experiment to test the core claim of Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink. Formulate an operational definition for the independent variable 'decision-making style' to represent the two contrasting styles described in the book.

Question: Imagine you are designing a psychological experiment to test the core claim of Malcolm Gladwell's book Blink. Formulate an operational definition for the independent variable 'decision-making style' to represent the two contrasting styles described in the book.

Sample answer: To test the claims in 'Blink', the independent variable 'decision-making style' can be operationally defined by assigning participants to either a 'Rapid Intuition' condition (where they must make a choice within 2 seconds based on their immediate gut feeling) or an 'Over-Analytical' condition (where they are required to write down and weigh at least ten pros and cons before deciding).

Key points:

  • Identify 'decision-making style' as the independent variable in a research design.
  • Operationalize the intuitive style as rapid, immediate, or gut-feeling-based (e.g., a 2-second limit).
  • Operationalize the analytical style as structured, exhaustive, or over-analytical (e.g., listing pros/cons or analyzing for a set time).

Rubric: Evaluate the student's ability to apply the concepts by creating two distinct operationalized conditions: one requiring rapid, intuitive decision-making (e.g., immediate response, short time limit) and one requiring over-analytical reasoning (e.g., listing alternatives, extended time limit).

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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