CONTEXT ON MEMORY EXPERIMENT

Question 1

what type of experiment was this?

Answer 1

natural experiment

Question 2

methodology

Answer 2

yr 12 students placed into two groups:

GROUP A: will take the exam room they are usually taught in

GROUP B: will take the exam in a very different room from the one they were taught in

Question 3

what was this study based off?

Answer 3

Abernathy (1940)- found that students performed better in tests if the tests took place in the same room as the learning of the material had taken place and were administered by the same teacher who had taught them information

Question 4

IV

Answer 4

whether the exam was in the same room where learning took place or a different room

Question 5

DV

Answer 5

exam score out of 100

Question 6

alternative hypothesis

Answer 6

exam scores will be significantly higher when the exam is taken in the same room than in a different room to where the learning took place

Question 7

is the alternative hypothesis directional or non directional?

Answer 7

directional

Question 8

what was the null hypothesis?

Answer 8

there will be no significant difference in exam scores if the exam in the same room than in a different room to where the learning took place

Question 9

sampling method used:

Answer 9

opportunity sampling
- after participants had sat the exam, those that were available were asked if they were willing to have their scores used as data in a study

Question 10

what were the advantages of using opportunity sampling?

Answer 10

(+) not time consuming
(+) easiest to use- only option available to us

Question 11

what were the limitations of opportunity sampling?

Answer 11

(-) the sample is restricted because only psychology students were used

Question 12

what extraneous variable were present?

Answer 12

• Two different teachers taught the students the content they were tested on in the test.
• Two different teachers marked the tests, to combat any bias that may have occurred, the mark scheme was strictly applied and moderation occurred
• Situational variables, morning vs afternoon, hotter room vs cooler room, comfy chairs vs uncomfortable chairs, room swaps

Question 13

procedure

Answer 13

1. Every group were all given the same instructions about completing the exam- eduquas exam instructions:
2. Participants arrive at the exam venue and enter the room.
3. Participants take their seats where they will find the exam paper closed on the desk.
4. Exam conditions are read out by the invigilator/ teacher, then participants were told to begin.
5. After 2 hours, their papers were collected, and they remained silent
6. Teachers take in papers and mark and moderate them.

Question 14

what were the results of the descriptive statistics?

Answer 14

measures of central tendency and dispersion:

mean: A= 51.85 B= 50.50

median: A= 54 B= 54.5

range: A= 20 B=46

Question 15

what inferential test was used?

Answer 15

Mann Whitney- U = due to ordinal data and an independent groups design

Question 16

what probability was applied and why?

Answer 16

0.05 is the standard accepted level of probability to apply to psychological research findings

Question 17

what were the OV and CV scores?

Answer 17

OV= 40.5

CV=21

Mann Whitney-U = OV<CV

Question 18

did you retain or reject the null hypothesis?

Answer 18

retain

as the OV is more than the CV for a one-tailed hypothesis at a 5% level of probability the null hypothesis should be retained as the difference is not significant

Question 19

what ethical issues were present and how were they dealt with?

Answer 19

Confidentiality – only the teachers/markers knew the names of the participants, the names private and only scores were revealed to the participants.

Stress and discomfort – there should have been no extra stress than the normal stress the participants may have when sitting an examination and they were unaware that their scores would be used in psychological research