Recent cognitive psychology papers suggest that certain environmental scents can modulate physiological arousal and cognitive performance. A group of researchers wanted to investigate whether exposure to an ambient peppermint scent affects a person's spatial memory and problem-solving speed when navigating a complex virtual environment.
An opportunity sample of 30 undergraduate engineering students (18 males, 12 females, aged 19–25 years) was recruited from a university IT lab. The participants were randomly allocated to either the 'aromatic' condition or the 'neutral' condition, with 15 participants in each group.
In the 'aromatic' condition, 15 participants were individually led to an experimental cubicle where an active ultrasonic diffuser dispersed a mild peppermint essential oil mist. Each participant was seated at a workstation equipped with a custom-built ergonomic trackball. They were given 8 minutes to navigate a highly complex 3D virtual maze displayed on a monitor. At the end of the 8 minutes, the software recorded their completion time and error rate (number of dead-ends entered).
In the 'neutral' condition, 15 participants were tested in an identical cubicle with an identical diffuser that dispersed only plain water mist (neutral/unscented). They used the same workstation and trackball to complete the same 3D virtual maze over an 8-minute period.
Before starting, the researchers informed all participants that they were testing a prototype ergonomic trackball designed to minimise wrist tendon strain during continuous computer use, and that sensors in the trackball would monitor their micro-movements. The participants were not told about the diffusers or the investigation into ambient scents. All participants were fully debriefed at the end of their session.
The mean completion time for the 'aromatic' condition was 242 seconds (standard deviation = 34 seconds), while the mean completion time for the 'neutral' condition was 315 seconds (standard deviation = 45 seconds).
As part of the procedure for this experiment, participants were given a set of standardised instructions and were fully debriefed at the end of their participation.
Write:
A set of standardised instructions that could have been read out to participants in the 'aromatic' condition of this experiment.
A debriefing that could have been read out to all the participants at the end of this experiment.
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.
