A food scientist wanted to investigate how branding and product packaging influence our sensory perception of plant-based milk. To do this, she conducted an experiment where she presented one group of participants with a sample of oat milk poured from a carton labeled 'Barista Reserve: Organic Swedish Oat' featuring a stylish, minimalist design. A different group of participants were presented with the exact same oat milk but poured from a carton labeled 'Basic Oats: Everyday Dairy-Free Blend' in a plain white carton. After tasting the sample, participants were asked to rate the creaminess of the milk on a scale of 1 ('very thin/watery') to 15 ('exceptionally rich/creamy').
| Ratings of creaminess (1–15) | |
|---|---|
| Barista Reserve Brand | Basic Oats Brand |
| 12 | 7 |
| 14 | 3 |
| 15 | 9 |
| 8 | 6 |
| 13 | 13 |
| 11 | 11 |
| 10 | 7 |
| 15 | 4 |
| 12 | 6 |
| 13 | 8 |
| 14 | 7 |
| 9 | 2 |
Explain how the use of the independent measures design in this study could have affected the validity of the data collected.
644 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Research methods and techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.