which method should a psychology researcher use if she is interested in testing whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better?
which method should a psychology researcher use if she is interested in testing whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better?
Answer: To test whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better, a psychology researcher should consider using an experimental research design. Specifically, a randomized controlled experiment would be an appropriate method to investigate this hypothesis. Here’s how the researcher could structure the study:
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Random Assignment: The researcher should randomly assign students to two groups: the experimental group and the control group. Random assignment helps ensure that any differences in behavior between the two groups are not due to pre-existing differences among the students.
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Experimental Group: In the experimental group, the researcher introduces the specific reward for good behavior. This reward could be anything the researcher wants to test, such as stickers, tokens, or extra free time. The key is that it’s a reward intended to encourage better behavior.
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Control Group: The control group should not receive the specific reward. Instead, they may continue with the regular classroom routine or receive an alternative intervention, such as praise or a different type of reward.
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Data Collection: The researcher should carefully observe and record the behavior of both groups over a specified period. This could involve tracking instances of good behavior, disruptions, or other relevant behaviors.
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Data Analysis: After data collection, the researcher should compare the behavior of the experimental group (those receiving the reward) with the behavior of the control group (those not receiving the reward). Statistical analysis can determine if there is a significant difference in behavior between the two groups.
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Conclusion: Based on the analysis, the researcher can draw conclusions about whether the specific reward had a significant impact on student behavior. If the experimental group shows better behavior compared to the control group, this suggests that the reward is effective in encouraging better behavior.
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Replication: To increase the reliability of the findings, it’s important for other researchers to replicate the study using similar methods and conditions.
Using an experimental research design allows the researcher to make causal inferences about whether the specific reward caused improvements in student behavior.