Question

There is an experiment. Amy wants to find out if reading a book that outlines teaching strategies helps one teach better. She will have all of the subjects read a book and then give a lecture to a class. The independent variable is the type of book read. The book is either a teaching guide or a visitor’s guide to Scotland. The dependent variable is how well the class does on a test given right after the lecture. It is a related samples design. Group A will read the teaching guide first, give a lecture, read the travel guide second, and give another lecture. Group B will read the travel guide first, give a lecture, read the teaching guide second, and give another lecture. Describe what the most likely carry-over effect would be for this experiment. Be precise in describing it and explaining what it would do (its ramifications).

Answer 1

THE HYPOTHESIS TO BE TESTED HERE IS  if reading a book that outlines teaching strategies helps one teach better.

The dependent variable is how well the class does on a test given right after the lecture. their performance will be tested on how well they can deliver a lecture to a class.

This is a related sample design/within-subjects experiment, hence each participant is tested under all conditions so Amy test the two groups A and B under two conditions underlying below  

Conditions

A1= READING THE TEACHING GUIDE (and then give a lecture)
A2= READING THE TRAVEL GUIDE (and then give a lecture)

Order             A1          A2
A1 given first     score
A2 given first                 score
 
A1 given second    score
A2 given second                score

She than score them on the basis of their performance and perform an appropriate statistical test to accept or reject her hypothesis. Since its a related sample design experiment , it might lead to some carryover effect.

A carryover effect is an effect of being tested in one condition on participants’ behaviour in later conditions.

In this experiment the possible carryover effect and its ramnification are-

1) Participants receive instructions on one level that can help (or hinder) them on another level.

One type of carryover effect that is most likely to come up in thi sexperiment is a practice effect, where participants perform a task better in later conditions because they have had a chance to practice it.

This effect is most prominent in this case since Group A gets to learn the teaching guidelines (by reading a book on how to teach) and then give a lecture, hence getting some prior help in the art of teaching.

2)Participants can become aware of the purpose of the experiment during the first treatment, and this may influence their behavior in subsequent lecture they will giv ethe second time.