AP Psych Unit 4 Essay 2011

A researcher designs a study to investigate the effect of feedback on perception of incomplete visual figures. Each participant stares at the center of a screen while the researcher briefly projects incomplete geometric figures one at a time at random positions on the screen. The participant's task is to identify each incomplete figure. One group of participants receives feedback on the accuracy of their responses. A second group does not. The researcher compares the mean number of figures correctly identified by the two groups. A. Identify the independent and dependent variables in the study. B. Identify the role of these terms in the context of the research (foveal vision, feature detectors, Gestalt principle of closure). C. Describe how each of the following terms relates to the conclusions that can be drawn based on the research (random assignment, statistical significance)

2011 Question

Gestalt principle of closure

Gestalt principle of closure: participants tend to fill in features of the incomplete figures or perceive incomplete figures as wholes

Feature detectors

feature detectors: feature detectors help participants identify the figures by recognizing their parts

Foveal vision

foveal vision: the central visual field allows participants to see figures more accurately

Dependent variable and Independent Variable

independent: feedback vs. no feedback dependent: number of figures identified

Random assignment

random assignment: random assignment allows cause-and-effect conclusions to be drawn & reduces the possibility that participant characteristics might bias the results

Statistical significance

statistical significance: statistical significance is a way of determining that the results are not likely to have occurred by chance (there is high probability that the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable)