A food psychologist wanted to investigate how serving vessel and branding expectations influence our sensory perception of beverages. To do this, she conducted an experiment where she presented one group of participants with a cup of coffee labeled as 'Single-Origin Ethiopian Geisha: Artisanal Roast' served in a heavy, handcrafted ceramic mug. A different group of participants was presented with the exact same coffee but labeled as 'Instant Roast Blend: Value Pack' in a thin, disposable polystyrene cup. After tasting the coffee, participants were asked to rate its richness and flavor complexity on a scale of 1 ('extremely flat/watery') to 15 ('intensely rich/complex').
| Ratings of coffee richness (1–15) | |
|---|---|
| Ceramic / Single-Origin | Polystyrene / Value Pack |
| 13 | 8 |
| 14 | 4 |
| 15 | 9 |
| 8 | 5 |
| 13 | 11 |
| 11 | 10 |
| 9 | 6 |
| 14 | 3 |
| 12 | 7 |
| 11 | 7 |
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.