1. PUT YOUR NAME AT THE TOP OF THIS DOCUMENT: Debora Meinn
2. What is the independent variable in the study? The degree of beauty and attractiveness of the speakers. In a scientific study, the independent variable is the one that influences a result to happen, in this case, the beauty of the speakers was what influenced the degree of acceptance of the students, around the lecture.
3. What is the dependent variable in the study: The degree of acceptance of students in relation to the lecture. The dependent variable is one that needs to be influenced by the dependent variable in order to be able to evaluate a result. As we can see in the question above, the degree of beauty of the speakers influenced the degree of acceptance of the students in relation to the intelligence and competence of the speakers about the lecture.
4. How did the researchers "operationally define" attractiveness? They made this definition by evaluating the photos of the speakers, taken by other volunteers, who classified the photos as beautiful or ugly.
5. The results were said to be "statistically significant." What does that mean? It means that the acceptance of listeners to a lecture changes in relation to the beauty of the speakers.
6. Give one possible confounding variable in the study: a possible confounding variable would be the content of the lectures. Confounding variables are elements that can influence both the independent and the dependent variable. Thus, a complex or simple subject addressed as content of the lecture could influence both the perception of the beauty of the speakers and the acceptance of the lecture.
7. If the researchers stated that the results had generalizability ", what would that mean? It means that the results can be adopted as correct in any lectures.
8. In the context of the study, how would the researchers "debrief" the participants? They could ask whether they understood the lecture, whether the subject was spoken clearly, whether the speaker shows confidence, whether the speaker looks smart, whether the speaker looks healthy and whether the speaker dominates the subject matter.
9. Give one ethical consideration that would fit this study. (Refer to APA Ethical Guidelines on Blackboard): The confidentiality of volunteers' responses must be maintained. This is an ethical issue that must be respected in this study, according to APA's ethical guidelines.
10 How would another research check the reliability of this study? Reproducing it with the same variables. This should be done, because a reliable study must allow it to be repeated and will be considered true if the same results are observed.
11. If Hawthorne Effect affected the results of the study, what happened? If the Hawthorne Effect happened, the environment in which the volunteers were subjected interfered with the results. This is because the Hawthorne effect relates the physical conditions of an environment to the productivity of volunteers in relation to some factor. In this case, a more or less comfortable environment may have influenced the volunteers' acceptance of the lecture and the speakers.
