Question

Simon, a psychologist, studies whether people who watch a greater amount of TV are more likely to be good at memorizing visual information than those who watch less TV. To investigate this testable the number of remembered visually presented words as the \(\quad\) of amount of TV watching. a. theory; independent variable b. hypothesis; dependent variable c. theory; dependent variable d. hypothesis; independent variable

Short answer

(d) hypothesis; independent variable

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Independent Variable

When Simon studies the impact of different amounts of TV watching, he is manipulating this attribute. Hence, TV watching time per person is the independent variable, as it is the factor presumed to cause changes.

Identify the Dependent Variable

Simon attempts to monitor the ability to memorize visually presented words. Therefore, the quantity of visually presented words remembered is the dependent variable, i.e., the outcome or variable that Simon wants to measure / test.

Identify the Research Hypothesis

The research hypothesis is that people who watch more TV are more likely to have better memory for visual information. This is what Simon is trying to confirm or deny by conducting his study.

Apply the Identifications to the Given Answers

After identifying the independent variable (amount of TV watching) and the dependent variable (number of visually presented words remembered) along with confirming that this forms a research hypothesis, it is clear that option (d) hypothesis; independent variable matches with the formulated identifications. So the answer should be (d) hypothesis; independent variable.

Key concepts

Independent Variable

In the realm of psychological research, understanding the independent variable is crucial. This is the factor or condition that a researcher manipulates to examine its effects on the dependent variable. Think of it as the cause in a cause-and-effect relationship. In this example, Simon hypothesizes that watching TV can influence one's ability to memorize visual information. Therefore, the amount of TV watched is the independent variable because it's what Simon changes deliberately to see if there is a change in memorization ability.

When setting up an experiment, it is important for the independent variable to be measurable and controllable. In Simon's experiment, the time spent watching TV per person can be easily recorded in hours or minutes and can be assigned to participants accordingly.

Dependent Variable

The dependent variable is essentially what you measure in an experiment. It's the effect that occurs as a result of manipulating the independent variable. In the context of our example, the dependent variable is the quantity of visually presented words remembered by the participants after watching TV. This is the effect Simon is interested in measuring.

The value of the dependent variable may change as a result of different conditions set by the independent variable. In research, being able to reliably measure the dependent variable is paramount; for Simon's study, this would involve creating a standardized test to quantify memorization of visual information.

Research Hypothesis

A research hypothesis is an educated guess or prediction about the relationship between two variables. It's a specific, testable statement that guides an experiment. For Simon's study, the research hypothesis posits that there is a positive relationship between the amount of TV watching and the ability to memorize visual information.

The hypothesis acts as a bridge between theory and experimentation—it reflects the underlying theory that exposure to visual media could enhance visual memory. In testing this hypothesis, researchers like Simon gather evidence to either support or refute it. The hypothesis must be clearly defined and measurable to ensure the experiment's validity.

Experimental Design

Experimental design refers to the framework or strategy employed to test a hypothesis. It encompasses the selection and assignment of participants, the treatment or manipulation of the independent variable, and the measurement of the dependent variable. Good experimental design ensures that the results are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not other factors, which is crucial for establishing cause-and-effect relationships.

In Simon's case, a proper experimental design would include a control group that doesn't watch TV and random allocation of subjects to control or different amounts of TV watching. This would help minimize the impact of extraneous variables and biases. Moreover, Simon would need to predefine criteria for measuring the dependent variable, in order to accurately assess the outcome of his manipulation on participants' memory.