Question

A researcher is interested in whether listening to different types of music or no music while taking a test affects test scores. Students are randomly assigned to one of three groups: The first group takes a test without listening to an iPod, the second group takes the same test while listening to classical music on an iPod, and the third group takes the test while listening to rock music on an iPod. The researcher compares the test scores across the three groups. Which is correct?1. Correlation2. Experimental

Answer 1

2. Experimental

This is an example of an experimental study design. The researcher is manipulating the independent variable (listening to different types of music or no music) and observing the effects on the dependent variable (test scores) while controlling for other variables that could influence the results. The students are randomly assigned to different groups, which helps to minimize the effects of individual differences or confounding variables.

In contrast, a correlation study design aims to examine the degree of association between two or more variables without manipulating or controlling them. In this case, the researcher is interested in causation (whether listening to different types of music affects test scores), which can only be established through experimental designs.