Describe the two conditions.
- Experimental condition: The experimental condition is where the participants listened to metallica whilst finding words in a word search
- Control condition: The control condition is where the participants were in a quiet environment whilst finding words in a word search.
Give details of the sample you used for you investigation.
There were twenty subjects involved in this controlled experiment, ten were male and ten female. The subjects were found using an opportunity sampling method, this was because of its ease to find subjects within the frame of Franklin 6th Form College, and the target being the 6th form students.
Outline the design/procedure
The design used for this experiment was independent measures, as there were two groups who undertook the word search, one in the control condition and the other in the experimental condition.
- Ten males and ten females were required and so picked at opportunity. Half of the males and half the females were in one condition and the remaining half in the other condition.
- Each of the participants were given a copy of the word search –face down.
- In the experimental condition the music was then put on.
- The participants were then instructed to begin the word search and a countdown time of five minutes commenced.
- Once the five minutes had finished the participants left and their results were recorded.
Name the statistical test used to analyse your data.
Mann Whitney – this was used because it was test of independent measures, using ordinal data.
What were the results of your analysis.
R = the total ranks in the smallest group
N1 = the number of participants in the smallest group. (There isn’t a smallest group so just
10)
N2 = the number of participants in the largest group. (There isn’t a largest group and so 10)
U1 = N1 * N2 + ( N1 ( N1 + N2 ) / 2 - R
U2 = N1 * N2 - N1
U1 = 51
U2 = 49
The critical number for a two-tailed test is 23.
State your conclusion including statements of significance relating to the hypothesis.
The critical value for a two-tailed hypothesis, with 20 participants, at the 0.05 level is 23, and with the calculated value being 49 the null hypothesis is proved. The null hypothesis states that any difference in the ability to find words in a word search between the experimental condition and the control condition is due to chance factors. Thus, any differences in the dependant variable are not due to the independent variable, of listening to metallica, and will be considered inconsequential, as they would be too small to take account of. Thus the experimental hypothesis was rejected.
Use this space to present data using tables, visual displays and verbal summaries.
The mean average of numbers of words found in the experimental condition was 2.9, whereas in the controlled condition it was 2.8, and the range in both was from one word through to six words found. This shows that there were more words found, averagely, in the experimental condition than in the controlled condition.
However, the standard deviation in the experimental condition was 1.9, as apposed to 1.6 in the controlled condition, this shows that the results were more consistent in the quiet environment than they were in the noisy environment.
