An Educator Wishes to Study the Effects of Sleep Deprivation

question 36

Multiple Choice

An educator wishes to study the effects of sleep deprivation on the ability to concentrate. He decides to study the students in a calculus class. After consultation with a statistician, the educator decides to randomly allocate students to either a group that will sleep for 8 hours the night before class or 6 hours. The educator does not know which group a student belongs to when she or he comes to class. This study is:

• A)double blinded, because the educator does not know who belongs to the 6- or 8-hour group.
• B)double blinded, because the students have been told not to inform the educator about the treatment group they belong to.
• C)a placebo controlled study, because 8 hours is normal sleeping time.
• D)a single blinded randomized study, because the educator does not know the treatment groups students belong to but the students know.

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Definitions:

Dependent Variable

In research and experiments, it is the outcome factor that is measured to see if it changes as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable.

Experimental Research

A systematic and scientific approach to research in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables to determine their effect on a certain outcome.

Confounding Variables

Factors other than the independent variable that might influence the outcome of an experiment, making it difficult to isolate the effect of the independent variable.

Random Allocation

A method used in experiments where participants are assigned to different groups in a way that ensures each participant has an equal chance of being placed in any group.