Discussion 1: Introducing Psychology
Step 3 - Questions
1.
What was the research question that guided the work by Drews, et al.? What was their
hypothesis (specific prediction)?
a.
The research question that guided the work by Drews, et al., was based on the ef-
fects of talking on a cell phone while driving or holding a conversation with their
passengers. While their hypothesis was that talking on a cellphone or speaking to
your passenger is a major distraction for many drivers.
2.
The Independent Variables (IV) is/are:
a.
The independent variable were the cellphone and the conversation held with their
passenger.
3.
The Dependent Variable (DV) is/are:
a.
The dependent variable was whether or not the driver was able to complete the
navigational tasks, while simultaneously holding a conversation through a cell
phone or with a passenger.
4.
Were the participants randomly assigned to conditions? What is the purpose of random
assignment?
a.
The participants were indeed randomly assigned to conditions to avoid results be-
ing affected by selection and that the driver was not prepared for the experiment.
