PSYCHOLOGY 2301
Assignments for Unit 1
1. DESIGN AN EXPERIMENT (3 points)
Read Chapter 1 and Appendix A and write a description of an experiment you might conduct
and what statistical test you would use. Keep your hypothesis and design simple. You must
establish two groups which differ with respect to ONLY one thing or variable (the
independent variable). Determine if the performance of the two groups differ as a result
(dependent variable). Upload your description in the format used in the example below. You
will not actually conduct the experiment, but you need to outline the following:
In your experiment:
1.
State a hypothesis. Remember the hypothesis is a statement, not a question.
2.
Describe your experimental group and control group.
3.
Identify the independent and dependent variables.
a.
The independent variable (IV) is what the experimenter manipulates.
b.
The dependent variable (DV) is the outcome that will be measured.
4.
Operationally define any vague terms. For example, if you are researching intelligence,
it is necessary to define how IQ will be measured (IQ tests, grades, etc.)
5.
Consider the influence of extraneous variables on the outcome of the experiment. An
extraneous (or confounding) variable is any factor which might have affected the research.
For example:
1.
Hypothesis: Students who eat prior to tests perform better.
2.
The control group will not eat prior to tests; the experimental group will eat prior to
tests.
3.
The IV is (what will vary between the two groups): eating before exams. The DV is
(the outcome that will be measured): performance on the test.
4.
The operational definition for "perform better" is... (You must explain what will be
considered better, e.g. a 10 point gain on the exam.)
5.
Extraneous variables, in this case, are other things which might have caused the
student to perform better other than eating (e.g. differences in basic abilities, motivation,
lighting conditions, amount of sleep the night before, and so on).
2. EXPLORE PSYCHOLOGY (2 points)
In a paragraph or two, share one interesting thing you learned from either the APA or APS
website. One place to look is APA’s “psychology topics.”
3. APHASIA (1 point)
The site for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
is your starting point to answer the following questions:
* What is aphasia?
* What is the difference between Broca's aphasia and Wernicke's aphasia?
* What else did you learn from this site? http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/
4. EXPLORE YOUR BRAIN (1 point)
Go to http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~Brainmd1/index.html
Share something interesting you've learned!
5. ILLUSIONS (2 points)
Find a website of optical illusions, such as http://viperlibnew.york.ac.uk/
Browse a bit. Find your favorite illusion; describe it and then describe what you have
learned about the perceptual system from that particular illusion.
6. DREAM ON! (3 points)
Keep a dream diary for a few days: keep a notebook by your bed and write down any
dreams you can remember when you wake up. You can talk about how you felt, whether
you were an observer or participant, noises, feelings, colors, etc. Then share your dreams
and your interpretations. Can you relate your dreams to things that are going on in your
life? Was the content fairly straight forward or do you think you need to interpret some of
the symbols? If you think interpretation is required, you can do a "google" search on "dream
interpretation" and try to see if conventional interpretations make sense to you.