Researchers wanted to investigate how long household energy consumers spent looking at a newly designed in-home smart meter display before turning off a high-energy appliance. They wanted to test whether consumers make rapid conservation decisions (in under 3 seconds), as suggested by recent environmental design theories.
They collected data from 90 participants who were observed interacting with a mock kitchen setup containing the smart meter. Immediately after they turned off an appliance, researchers asked the participants to estimate how long, in seconds, they spent looking specifically at the eco-feedback screen.
The estimated time spent looking at the screen was split into four categories:
The participants were fully debriefed immediately after the study and gave consent for their anonymous data to be used.
Explain one way the researchers could make sure the eco-feedback screen study was reliable.
638 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Methods. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.