In a study examining whether restrictions on cell phone use result in differences in performance on a memory test, participants who couldn't check their vibrating phones scored approximately a letter grade lower than participants who could check their vibrating phones. It was not assessed, however, if participants who could check their phones would score lower on the test than students who could check their phones but never actually received messages. Moreover, it is unknown how the level of difficulty of the memory test affected the results. These types of research questions are often answered by the use of:

A psychologist studying obedience conducted the following experiment.

A confederate (stooge) approached people in the street and instructed them to pick up a piece of

litter and put it in a nearby bin. None of the people approached had dropped the litter.

There were two groups in the experiment.

Group A The confederate (stooge) was dressed in everyday clothing.

Group B The confederate (stooge) was dressed in a uniform.

The psychologist recorded how many people in each group obeyed the instruction of the

confederate (stooge).

(a) Identify the experimental design that was used in this study. Briefly explain one advantage

of using this experimental design in this study.

(3)

1

(b) Identify the independent variable and the dependent variable in this experiment.

(2)

(c) Use your knowledge of research into obedience to explain the likely outcome of this

experiment.

(3)

(d) Briefly outline one ethical issue that might have arisen in this experiment.

(2)

(Total 10 marks)

A case study was carried out on Peter whose brain was damaged in a motorcycle accident.

Psychologists tested how many numbers he could hold in his short-term memory. They did this

by reading him lists of numbers and asking him to recall the numbers immediately in the right

order. He could recall a maximum of two items. The psychologists found that his long-term

memory was normal.

(a) How was Peter’s short-term memo

Explanation:

answer; archaeologists;

answer; involves both the element of performance and interpersonal interactions;