Question

A researcher is interested in whether children’s memory of a witnessed event can be changed through false information. Participants (10-12 years old) watch a recorded video of a car accident and then take part in a discussion regarding what they remember. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three conditions: experimenter-delivered false information, confederate-delivered false information, or control. In the experimenter-delivered condition, the experimenter introduces the incorrect information during the discussion. In the confederate-delivered condition, the incorrect information is introduced by an individual behaving as a participant. In the control condition, no incorrect information is presented during the discussion. After the discussion, participants’ memory for events are tested. Participants are fully debriefed as to the deception and purpose of the study.

Is this study correlational or experimental? If it is experimental, identify the independent and dependent variables. Using only the information provided, identify possible confounds and discuss how they can be addressed. Are there any ethical concerns that the researcher should take into account? What can the researcher do to address those concerns? Answer as thoughtfully and completely as you can.

Answer 1

This is an experimental Study. In this study we are dividing our subjects into two groups say, A and B. A is the intervention group and B is the control group. Intervention group cab further be divided into two sub-groups, Aa, in which the false information is given by the experimenter and Ab where the false information is given by confederate. Then the impact of the intervention among these groups are observed.

The Independent Variables are: Video recording, False information,

The Dependent Variables are: Children's memory

Possible confounds: The experimenter knows the problem of study but it is not clear that what would be the age group of the the confederate. If Confederate's age is same as the participants' then false information given by him may have lesser impact than the false information provided by the experimenter. To address this problem, the confederate should be trained by the experimenter before delivering the false information.

Ethical Concerns: Ethical considerations are at two levels. One, witnessing an even and then providing the false information by the experimenter and the confederate may create conflict in the participants's approach. And two, since no false information is provided to the controlled group hence, thier memory of the events would simply be of memory retention category, it wouldn't be influenced by any other source.

To address the issue of Ethical consideration, it would be better if only two groups are made, A and B. In group A experimenter should do the intervention. In group B the participants should be allowed to discuss the event among themselves with different perspectives.