Suppose a Researcher Is Interested in Determining Whether Playing Violent

question 17

Essay

Suppose a researcher is interested in determining whether playing violent video games causes aggression in children. She obtains a sample of children and brings them individually to a laboratory setting. Half of the children play a violent video game and half play a nonviolent video game. After playing the game for 30 minutes, the children then play with toys in a separate room and an observer records the number of aggressive acts displayed by each child.
a. What is the independent variable in this study? How many levels does this independent variable have? What are those levels?
b. What is the dependent variable in this study?
c. What extraneous variables should the researcher control?

---

Definitions:

Dual Processing

The principle that our mind operates on two levels: a conscious, deliberate level and an unconscious, automatic level, affecting thinking and behavior.

Inattentional Blindness

A psychological phenomenon where an individual fails to perceive an unexpected stimulus in plain sight due to their focus on a different task or aspect of their environment.

Change Blindness

A phenomenon where an observer does not notice a significant change in a visual scene, indicating limitations in attention and perception.

Change Blindness

A phenomenon where a person does not notice some significant change in the visual field, indicating limitations in attention and perception.