PERSONAL INVESTIGATION (STROOP)

Question 1

Co-variable 1
(state and operationalise)

Answer 1

driving experience (measured in years to the nearest full year)

Question 2

co-variable 2
(state and operationalise)

Answer 2

cognitive processing abilities (measured as scores on a troop test)

Question 3

operationalised experimental hypothesis

Answer 3

there will be a negative correlation between driving experience (in years) and cognitive processing abilities (scores on a troop test)

Question 4

hypothesis directional or non-directional

Answer 4

directional

Question 5

state a null hypothesis

Answer 5

there will be no correlation between driving experience (in years) and cognitive processing abilities (scores on a stroop test)

Question 6

methodology?

Answer 6

correlational study

Question 7

what does a correlational study involve

Answer 7

investigates relationship between variables without the researcher controlling or manipulation any of them, a correlation reflects the strength and/or direction of the relationship between 2 or more variables.

Question 8

why have i chose to do a correlational study

Answer 8

allows us to establish if there is a relationship between the 2 co-variables under consideration.
this is necessary to justify further investigation through methods that can be more costly and time consuming than correlational studies.

correlational study is a more ethical way to conduct research compared to experiments as there is no need to manipulate variables.

Question 9

location of research

Answer 9

online

Question 10

what does research being online mean

Answer 10

allows researchers to be able to access pps via the internet or on social networking tools

Question 11

why have you chosen online

Answer 11

convenient and cost effective

efficient and convenient method of data collection (a larger number of responses, from pps with a greater range of driving experience, can be collected quickly without the need for the researcher to be present.

reduced social desirability bias- as pps will complete the stroop test online, can remain wholly anonymous to the researcher, may encourage them to report their times honestly (increasing reliability and validity)

Question 12

ethical issues

Answer 12

confidentiality
risk of harm
valid consent

Question 13

how to deal with confidentiality

Answer 13

people who score poorly on the test may not want their score published next to their names. anonymity will be offered, pps numbers will be used. the online location will allow for greater anonymity

Question 14

how to deal with risk of harm

Answer 14

debrief will be used to assess whether undue harm or distress has been caused, necessary support offered to those who encounter distress through completing the stroop test. informed right to withdraw

Question 15

how did i deal with consent

Answer 15

pps will be asked to formally indicate their agreement to participate in the study and this agreement should be based on information about the purpose of the research and their role in it

Question 16

target population

Answer 16

Drivers in the UK

Question 17

sampling method

Answer 17

opportunity sampling

Question 18

what does opportunity sampling involve

Answer 18

a sampling technique where pps are selected at the researchers convenience without knowing any details about the sample in advance e.g. picking people who were there at the time in your specific location

Question 19

reason for choosing opportunity sampling

Answer 19

it efficient. far mor quick and convenient than other sampling methods (e.g. a random sampling)

researchers have convenient and easy access to the target population of individuals who can drive in members of staff and students via their school

some other methods (self-selected and snowball sampling) methods would result in highly biased samples as all pps share the particular characteristics (results wouldn’t be able to be generalised)

Question 20

main characteristics of sample

Answer 20

20 pps
male and female
mixed gender
all teachers who work in a secondary school in wales
all must be able to drive and drive regularly

Question 21

what are extraneous/confounding variables

Answer 21

E- variables in the study that aren’t being measured or manipulated by the researcher but they affect the results (DV) of ALL PPS behaviour in a particular condition equally

C- variables in the study that aren’t being measured or manipulated by the researcher, that affect SOME PPS behaviour but not others, having negative consequences on the validity

Question 22

potential extraneous variables

Answer 22

time of day- some pps may be more alert depending when they completed the stroop test, may alter their time/score on the stroop test e.g. pps may be more alert and better able to cope with the stroop test in the morning, putting some pps at an advantage

demand characteristics- pps may attempt to guess the aims of the research and alter their stroop test performance and outcomes to try and give the researchers the results they are hoping for

Question 23

confounding variables

Answer 23

caffeine levels- some pps may have consumed caffeine prior to completing the stroop test, may make them more cognitively alert and increase their outcomes compared to others

age- driving experience and stroop scores are correlated. those with more driving experience are also likely to be older, it may actually be age that correlated with cognitive ability (not driving experience)

Question 24

how to eliminate some variables

like time of day/location/demand characteristics/vision impairments

Answer 24

controlled via the strandardised instructions given to pps before completing the stroop test. told to complete the test in the morningm without distraction, withdraw from the study if they have a visual impairment

Question 25

what variables have not been possible to control for

Answer 25

caffeine levels- some pps may have consumed caffeine prior to completing the stroop test (may be more alert so score higher)

Question 26

internal reliability?

Answer 26

the extent to which a test or measure is consistent within itself

Question 27

external reliability

Answer 27

the extent to which a test produces consistent results over several occasions

Question 28

2 issues of reliability

Answer 28

fluke outcome: PPS results were recored after just one trial on the Stroop style task. this could've been a fluke result/chance happening effort applied: pps may differ substantially in the extent to which they try when doing the stroop test, this could alter the final Stroop scores and therefore compromise the investigation

Question 29

how could we asses reliability in this research

Answer 29

test-retest reliability

Question 30

how could i implement test-retest in my research

Answer 30

PPS would complete the stroop style task, a carefully selected period of time would be left (long enough the students can't remember how to perform the test, but not so long that they could have changed in some way e.g. taken a course in how to enhance cognitive performance) and then the same PPS would be re-tested in the exact same way. 2 stroop test from the different occasions are correlated a significant positive correlation=high external validity

Question 31

how to improve the reliability of the investigation

Answer 31

fluke outcome; PPS could complete three trials on the stroop style task and take an average score to avoid fluke or chance results standardised procedures and instructions for all pps effort applied: as part of the standardised instructions, pps will be asked to put as much effort into their completion of the stroop test as possible

Question 32

internal validity

Answer 32

the findings are accurate and the effects on the DV are caused by the IV, study measures what it intends to measure (confounding/extraneous variables have been controlled and will not affect the results)

Question 33

external validity

Answer 33

whether the study paints a true picture of real life behaviours and whether the findings would apply to different places, different times or different people

Question 34

potential validity issues

Answer 34

demand characteristics social desirability bias (pps may not submit truthful data reflecting their stroop scores or driving experience in order to come across in a better light in the eyes of the researcher)

Question 35

why is driving experience a potential validity issue

Answer 35

driving experience will be measured in years driving. however 2 individuals who have had the same number of years driving experience may have completed different levels of time driving.

Question 36

why is mundane realism a potential validity issue

Answer 36

completing a stroop test is an artificial way of assessing cognitive processing abilities. we do not have to identify the colour that words are written in at speed on a day to day basis

Question 37

why does it lack population validity

Answer 37

sample bias exists as an opportunity sample was used, only teachers from cardiff high so we are very limited as to who we can generalise our findings to

Question 38

how to assess to the validity of this research

Answer 38

face validity concurrent validity

Question 39

what is face validity

Answer 39

the least sophisticated measure of validity, this is simply whether the test appears to measure what it claims to, it is subjective. tests where the purpose is clear are said to have this validity

Question 40

what is concurrent validity

Answer 40

validating a measurement by comparing it with an established measurement that has known validity. if similar results occur on both tests, then this new test is valid. fd not the the new test would have to be redesigned and tested.

Question 41

how to implement face validity in this research

Answer 41

carry out an 'eyeball test' to see if it looks as though the stroop test chosen for use will be an appropriate measure of cognitive performance

Question 42

how to implement concurrent validity in this research

Answer 42

compare the results produced on the stroop style task with a previously validated test of cognitive ability. if the results of both test come to the same conclusion then the stroop test outcome is valid

Question 43

how to improve the validity of this research

Answer 43

turn extraneous/confounding variables into controlled variables e.g. ask pps to complete the stroop test under silent conditions, during the morning and whilst not feeling tired or run down. (increase the internal validity) social desirability bias: pps will be assured of the anonymity of their stroop test data which will hopefully encourage them to complete their tests accurately and record their results honestly.

Question 44

step by step description of the procedures

Answer 44

1. pps identified using opportunity sampling. pps being members who can drive from a high school in South Wales. same school as researchers, 2. pps were emailed a link to an online form; the form provided some standardised instructions to read in order to brief them about the investigation (assured anonymity) 3. before completing the online stroop test, pps were asked to consent for the involvement in the research 4. if consenting, pps completed a carefully selected and tested stroop task online. it was made clear in the standardised instructions that this task had to be done in the morning with no distraction 5. as the stroop task was completed online, this could be done in a suitable area of their own homes/places of work using their own personal devices 6.on completion of the stroop task pps needed to submit their stroop score via a google form (time taken to complete) 7. the google form also asked pps to state the number of years driving experience they had (nearest full year) 8. on completion, pps submitted their responses and information by way of debrief was provided 9. scores on the stroop test were correlated with years of driving experience for each pps and analysed to determine if a correlation existed

Question 45

median of stroop test scores

Answer 45

96.5

Question 46

median of driving experience

Answer 46

18

Question 47

range of stroop test scores

Answer 47

327

Question 48

range of driving experience

Answer 48

37

Question 49

strength& weakness of using median

Answer 49

S: it isn't affected by annomalies (328/1) W: doesn't take every value into account

Question 50

S&W of using the range

Answer 50

S: very easy to calculate compared to the standard deviation W: doesn't take all of the results into account

Question 51

what type of graph is best

Answer 51

scatter diagram because it is the graph best used to plot co-variable data

Question 52

what level of measurement is this data

Answer 52

ratio: the level of measurement that has equal intervals between scores and has an absolute or true zero point e.g. speed

Question 53

appropriate inferential statistic (why?)

Answer 53

spearman's Rho test -data was at least ordinal as each pp produced 2 numerical scores relating to stroop performance (ms) and driving experience) -repeated measures/related data-2 scores produced for each pp as if they've performed in 2 conditions (Stroop performance and driving experience) -test of correlation was required as a relationship was predicted between cognitive processing abilities and driving exerience

Question 54

observed value

Answer 54

0.292

Question 55

are the results statistically significant

Answer 55

the result is insignificant as the observed value (0,292) is less than the critical value of (0.380) where N=20, Tails=1 and level of significance =0.05. the experimental hypothesis is rejected and null hypothesis is accepted. there is no correlation between driving experience and cognitive abilities as measured using the stroop test

Question 56

summarise your findings

Answer 56

median stroop=96.5 median d experience=18 range, stroop score= 327ms range, d experience= 37 years correlation co-efficient was -0.292

Question 57

conclusions from findings

Answer 57

-small but insignificant negative relationship between the variables. null hypothesis=accepted, 2 co-variables, not related therefore driving experience/multi-tasking does not relate to how someone performs on the stroop test. driving influence cannot influence this natural cognitive reflex. may also be that stroop performance is a product of many individual differences. too many confounding factors that could influence stroop performance

Question 58

practical applications of research findings

Answer 58

student revision/education-current study said no relationship between driving experience and outcome on stroop, seems there is a deeply ingrained response which informs us as to the way in which the human mind functions

Question 59

a way to improve your research

Answer 59

online to lab= location was selected for increased efficiency over other locations, pps could complete stroop online at their own convenience. but, use of online location may have contributed to the confounding variables present in the investigation as there was far less control for the researchers e.g. social desirability in reporting of results, several trials taken etc. lab setting would allow far higher levels of control over extraneous/confounding variables. research able to monitor levels of effort etc..