Is the design sound? Is sequence of photos a confound? If so, how would you cont

Question

Is the design sound? Is sequence of photos a confound? If so, how would you control for its effects on the study? Is experimenter a confound? If so, how would you correct it in order to make the study methodologically sound? As part of a class research project, a group of three student-researchers (Ed, Ted, and Fred) decide to study the effects of physical attractiveness on ratings of success. Participants look at a set of five photos of highly attractive people, then five more photos of moderately attractive people. Finally, they see photos of five unattractive people. Previous research identified appropriate photos for each condition. To get a good cross-section of students, the researchers decide to test three types of students: psychology majors, business majors, and chemistry majors. By a random process, it is determined that the psychology majors will be tested by Ed, that Ted will test the business majors, and that Fred will test the chemistry majors

Explanation / Answer

Is the design sound? : No, there is no proper experiment design, since the second stage of the process is not defined at all,. All the three have been prandomly assigned the people with majors. There are no strict set of rules to determine who will be ugly or attractive, just the basis of perception for the second stage.

Is sequence of photos a confound? : yes, because the sequence is not randomised and hence there have not been any identifications. There is already a causal association, that the first five photos are attractive, the next five are moderate and the next five are ugly.

If so, how would you control for its effects on the study?: in order to control the effects of the study, the order has to be jumbled, so that photos do not occur in one particular order and photos being randomised would allow the researchers in gaining their own insight that on which basis the photos were named attractive, moderate and ugly in the previous research. Unless the researchers establish these standards appropriately, they would not be able to identify for the next stage of the research.

Is experimenter a confound? Yes. The experimenter wants to check if looks define success, but in this case, he is already studying psychology majors and the cause is mixed.

If so, how would you correct it in order to make the study methodologically sound?

In order to make the study methodological and sound, it is important that the study gets randomised. First of all it is important that identification of photos and setting a standard for attractiveness is brought into practice. Secondly, in order to establish proper standards about the attractiveness and the ugliness , it is important to check and test more number of pictures, such that the researchers are absolutely sure in their criteria of measuring the physical attractiveness of the person.

Moreover, there is no criteria for rating of success. Even if the researchers are able to assign the physical attractiveness to the various subject majors, they wouldn’t be able to identify which person is more successful, as all are majors. Hence, this experiment cannot be made sound, as there are no available standards.

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