Study 1 - Speed Reading

A group of college students were given a short course in speed-reading. The instructor was

curious if paying students would influence performance on a reading test taken at the end of the

course. During testing, students were given fifteen minutes to complete the required readings. In

confidence, half of the students were offered $ 20 for obtaining a certain level of performance on

the test. The other half of the students were not offered any incentive for performance.

What is the independent variable?

What is the dependent variable?

Which group is the control group?

What is a constant in this study?

In an experiment, the independent variable is the variable that an experimenter manipulates or changes in order to effect a response. In this case the independent variable is the AMOUNT OF MONEY ($20) OFFERED TO STUDENTS

The dependent variable is the variable that responds to the changes made to the independent variable, hence, it is the measured variable. In this case, the dependent variable is the LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE

The control group in an experiment is the group that receives no experimental treatment or independent variable. In this case, the control group is the GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WERE NOT OFFERED ANY INCENTIVE.

The constant or control variable is the variable that the experimenter keeps constant or unchanged for all the groups in order not to influence the outcome. In this experiment, the constants are SAME TIME GIVEN (15 minutes), SAME READING MATERIAL