Operational Definitions:
4. A group of scientists believe that women find men without earrings more attractive than men with earrings.
a. What is the independent variable?
b. What is the dependent variable?
c. Propose an operational definition for the dependent variable.
Name
5. A team of scientists is testing the hypothesis that young women look in the mirror more than older women.
a. What is the independent variable?
b. What is the dependent variable?
c. Propose an operational definition for the dependent variable.
Confounding Variables:
For each selection, identify the one serious confounding factor that threatens the experiment's validity. Then, suggest how the confounded factor could be controlled.
6. Fred Rogers wanted to test a new sing-along method to teach math to fourth graders, e.g., "I Love to Multiply" to the tune of "God Bless America." He used the sing-along method in his first-period class. His sixth-period students continued solving math problems with the old method. At the end of the term, Mr. Rogers found that the first-period class scored significantly lower than the sixth-period class on a mathematics achievement test. He concluded that his sing-along method was a total failure.