Can visualization of positive results help basketball players be better free-throw shooters? To investigate, before a practice session Coach Electra will randomly assign 12 of her players to
watch a two-minute video of top WNBA players successfully shooting free-throws and the
remaining 11 players to a control group that watches a two-minute video about nutrition at
the same time in a different room than the players shown the shooting free-throws video. The
change in the players’ free-throw success rate compared to all previous practice sessions will
be recorded. The players will not be told that their coach is testing the effect of visualization.

(a) Identify the explanatory and response variables in this experiment.

(b) Explain why it was necessary to have some players not watch the free-throw video.

(c) Explain how the coach could carry out the random assignment of players into the two
groups.

(d) Explain the purpose of random assignment in this experiment.

(e) What variables did the coach plan to keep the same? Why is this important?

(f) Were the players in the experiment blind? Explain your reasoning. Why does it matter?