A researcher investigated whether people with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are quicker to detect angry facial expressions than people who do not have SAD. A matched pairs design was used. This involved 12 people with SAD and 12 people without SAD. The researcher measured each participant's reaction time (in milliseconds) when identifying an angry face displayed on a computer screen among neutral distractors. It was found that people with SAD had significantly faster reaction times for detecting angry faces than those without SAD.
The researcher used a matched pairs design. Identify one relevant participant variable that could have been used to match participants in this study.
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.
