In a follow-up study, a cognitive psychologist obtained a self-selecting sample of 10 students from a college. Using a repeated measures design, participants were asked to complete two word-recall tests.
Condition X was to recall a list of 20 words presented on a blue screen background.
Condition Y was to recall a different list of 20 words of equal difficulty presented on a red screen background.
The order of conditions was counterbalanced, and the number of words correctly recalled was recorded for each student.
Table 2: Number of words correctly recalled in Condition X (blue background) and Condition Y (red background)
| Participant | Condition X (blue background) | Condition Y (red background) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 | 14 | 16 |
| 3 | 9 | 11 |
| 4 | 15 | 14 |
| 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 6 | 16 | 18 |
| 7 | 13 | 12 |
| 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 9 | 10 | 14 |
| 10 | 14 | 17 |
The researcher used counterbalancing in this follow-up study.
Discuss the purpose of counterbalancing.
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