In an experiment investigating the effect of acoustic distraction on working memory, 40 participants were tasked with memorizing a list of 25 abstract nouns. Half of the participants (Condition X) memorized the list while listening to high-tempo instrumental electronic music through headphones, while the other half (Condition Y) completed the task in near-total silence. The researcher recorded the number of words correctly recalled by each participant.
Since different participants were allocated to each condition, individual differences in natural working memory capacity or linguistic ability may have confounded the results.
Explain how this experiment could be redesigned to control for the problem of participant variables.
Practise AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 689 questions, matched to the AQA A Level Psychology (7182) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
