Armand Conducts a Study for His Research Method Class

question 1

Essay

Armand conducts a study for his research method class. He is curious as to whether watching romantic movies makes people more committed to their romantic relationship. He collects a sample of men in dating relationships and divides them into two groups. One group watches a 5-minute clip of a movie in which the main characters are having a romantic first date. The second group watches a 5-minute clip from the same movie in which the main characters break up. After the participants watch the movie clip, they are then asked to write a sentence about their relationship. Armand counts the number of uses of the words we and us as a measure of commitment. After conducting the study, he finds that there is not a statistically significant difference between his two groups.
Armand's professor suggests that the null effect may be due to insufficient between-group variance. Describe two ways that Armand's study may have had poor between-group variance.

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Definitions:

Human Capital

The collective skills, knowledge, or other intangible assets of individuals that can be used to create economic value for the individuals, their employers, or their community.

Employee Talent

The skills, knowledge, or abilities possessed by an employee that contribute to their performance in the workplace.

Team Member Skills

Abilities and competencies that enhance the performance and integration of an individual within a team, such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Specialization

The process of focusing on and becoming an expert in a particular area of knowledge or skill, often to increase efficiency and effectiveness in professional roles.