Not only does this past research lay out the basic format of my research but it also provides critical insight to my present research. The previous research discusses and attempts to identify relationships between the same principle correlations covered within my research (i.e. affect of alcohol on memory). My present experiment like Parker, Birnbaum & Noble is focussed on the “learning” phase of memory. However, the new design contains the addition of a psychological aspect which may play a roll in the effects on memory.
Experimental Design
My particular experimental research will not only try to provide further evidence and support to previous findings, but also attempt to distinguish between the presence of psychological effects of intoxication and the chemical effects of alcohol or a mixture of the two. The independent variable, as in previous research, will be whether or not alcohol is ingested. However, a second independent variable, being told you are either given alcohol or not given alcohol, will broaden the causality within the experimental results. By introducing this second independent variable of manipulation, four different independent variable conditions become apparent. The first condition would be to expect alcohol and to receive alcohol. This would replicate real life situations where people who are drinking expect to receive alcohol. Any results obtained from this group could reflect both psychological expectancy and true chemical effects of alcohol on memory. The second possible condition would be to expect to receive alcohol but receive no alcohol. This particular condition would provide incite regarding the effects of participator expectancies on their performance on a memory test. The third condition (not expecting to receive alcohol and receiving alcohol) would provide evidence of only the chemical effects of alcohol on the learning phase of memory. The last independent variable condition, the control group, would be that in which participants believed they were not receiving alcohol and did not receive alcohol. After receiving the independent variable treatment, each subject from each independent variable group will then be given identical study material from which they will be responsible for remembering information. Results from administered tests on the study material will then provide critical incite to the effects of different variations of the independent variable on the dependent variable of memory. The measure of memory efficiency will be recorded, as previously explained, by calculating the scores from administered tests of the study material.
In general, from past experimental data (Kirchner & Sayette, 2003; Parker, Birnbaum, & Noble, 1976; Passer & Smith, 2001; Tracy & Bates, 1999) it is expected that as a result of alcohol consumption, performance on the given memory test will suffer. I expect that group one (expect alcohol/receive alcohol) will exhibit the greatest degradation in performance. The group which expects to receive alcohol but does not, should not exhibit any loss in performance since memory, I believe, should not be affected by psychological stimuli. The group which is told they are not receiving alcohol but is administered a dose, will show losses in performance comparable to those in group one. Group four should theoretically have highest average scores for the memory test since past experimental data has shown a negative correlation between alcohol consumption and memory.
I wish to have a representative sample for a typical university campus; therefore random sampling from within different university campuses around British Columbia would provide an accurate representation of a university population. Random informational pamphlet dispersion throughout these different campuses would be used to attract a random sample of the population in question. Once gathered, this sample would then by a random process i.e., names out of a hat, be assigned to one of the four independent variable groups. The random assignment attempts to balance many of the differences which may be apparent between individuals in the sample.
With such a large variation in population, there is likely going to be differences among the participants for the sample. Some major variables which could affect the external validity of the experiment could be: differences in age, differences in state of mind (depression etc.), alcoholism and tolerance to alcohol. With this particular design ethical issues are also going to be apparent. The subjects will be asked to consume alcohol, a generally tabooed substance. Furthermore, possible age restrictions may be violated since an accurate sample requires the participation of ‘all’ university students (some underage). Putting the consumption of alcohol out of the way, deceit is another issue within the confines of the experiment. Lying to subjects is another aspect within this design, which may stir up some ethical concerns.
This specific experimental design specifically allows the distinction between possible psychological effects of believing one is intoxicated and the ‘real’ chemical effects of intoxication, on memory. If, as predicted, the control group with no active level of the independent variables outperforms the active levels, then it will be possible to conclude that alcohol consumption does negatively affect the storage phase of memory. According to results, the extent to which, if any, psychological influence plays a roll in performance on “storage” of memory will also be determined.
Non-Experimental Design/Correlational Design
The correlational design for my experiment will investigate any relationship between the amount of alcohol consumed and performance in university. By administering a survey which asks participants to identify themselves by the average number of drinks they consume per night and their average grades for exams within their last completed semester, I hope to come across a correlation between the effects of drinking on memory. The independent variable in this case will be the amount of alcohol consumed by each participant of the survey. This independent variable will vary by the fact that all surveys will then be divided into levels of intoxication (i.e. low, medium, and high). The independent variable results will then be compared with the dependent variable which in this case, will indirectly be linked to memory. Specifically a measure of memory will be obtained from respondents’ performance on exams within their last university semester. An analysis of these data will hopefully provide some type of correlation.
From past research, I expect that as levels of intoxication increase the performance on exams will decrease. Even if proven by the results of the surveys, such information cannot be recognized as proof for a causal effect for one variable on another. Since there are many experimental flaws with such a design, causality cannot be established. The possibility of a third variable creeps in within this design. The extra consumption of alcohol may not directly be responsible for decreases in test scores. For example, a subject who may consume more alcohol may do so as a result of depression, which may also be a contributing factor for low scores. Stress may also be another contributing factor which induces alcohol consumption.
The population of interest would remain that of a university setting. Random sampling from different universities throughout British Columbia would provide a broad base for the sample. An attempt to distribute a large number of surveys would balance some of the differences among the test subjects creating a sample which was more representative of the overall population being considered.
Drawbacks and ethical concerns from such a design may arise. A major drawback of this correlational design would be the cost involved. To obtain a ‘proper’ sample, the number of surveys distributed needs to be very high. This proves costly. Also, the validity of responses from participators remains questionable. The lack of controlled conditions will limit the causality achievable from such a design.
The lack of controlled laboratory conditions where empirical measurements can be made makes causality impossible; however, different relationships between the independent and dependent variables may be uncovered. This design uncovers any relationships which may be evident, so that they then can be recreated in the laboratory setting to be further investigated.
Conclusion
The experimental design proposed previously, specifically looks at the psychological and chemical effects of alcohol consumption on the “learning” phase of memory. By using two independent variables, effects (psychological or chemical or a combination) of intoxication can be uncovered. With the correlational design, a relationship between alcohol consumption and memory may be uncovered, however due to a lack of controlled environment and conditions this procedure is very susceptible to error and inconsistencies. This specific research takes into account another aspect which may be contribute to the cause of detrimental effects on memory by alcohol. Previous experiment had not included the psychological aspect of influence; the proposed experimental design incorporates this factor to possibly provide more sound evidence that alcohol is responsible for decreases in memory or oppositely provide evidence which may disprove previous findings that alcohol’s chemical properties are the cause of decreases in memory. Not only does the proposed design provide important incite on the specific effects on memory, but it may also serve as a window which helps uncover other mysteries of psychological influences affecting other various aspects of our daily lives.
References
Kirchner, T.R., & Sayette, M.A. (2003). Effects of Alcohol on Controlled and Automatic Memory Processes. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 11(2), 167-175.
Parker, E.S., Birnbaum, I.M., & Noble, E.P. (1976). Alcohol and Memory: Storage and State Dependency. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 15(6), 691-702.
Passer, M.W., & Smith, R.E. (2001). Psychology: Frontiers and applications. Toronto, ON; McGraw-Hill.
Tracy, J.I., & Bates, M.E. (1999). The Selective Effects of Alcohol on Automatic and Effortful Memory Processes. Neuropsychology, 13(2), 282-290.