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Experimentation

Bell ringer

Do you think listening to music while you read interferes with reading comprehension? Explain

Lets see how we would conduct an experiment on whether listening to music interferes with reading comprehension. Identify the variables and conditions

Experiment

A scientific method in which researchers manipulate, or change, a variable to observe the effect on some other variable

Proves cause and effect relationship

Independent Variable

The variable that is manipulated or changed.

The variable whose effect is being studied.

The Cause

What is the independent variable in our experiment?

Music

Dependent Variable

The experimental factor that is being measured. The constant

Variable may change in response to manipulations on the independent variable

The Effect

What is the dependent variable?

Reading Comprehension

Confounding variable

Confounding variables (aka third variables) are variables that the researcher failed to control, or eliminate, damaging the validity of the experiment

What is a possible confounding variable?

Volume of music

Level of reading

Experimental Condition (group)

The condition (group) of an experiment that exposes participants to the independent variable

What is the experimental condition?

Listening to music while reading

Control Condition (group)

Contrasts with the experimental condition and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

The constant or controlled condition

What is the control condition?

Reading without music

Random Assignment

Assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance

Placebo

Used in experiments with substances (active agents) such as drugs

Pseudotreatment that is administered instead of the active agent to see if it triggers the same results

Blind experiment: Participants don’t know if they receive the placebo

Think of an example of a placebo

Placebo effect

Effect on behavior caused by a placebo

Thinking you are receiving treatment or a drug will cause people to act a certain way

Double-Blind Procedure

Both the research participants and and the research staff do not know which group has received the placebo

Eliminates bias and enthusiasm