Method :: essays research papers

Method Participants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were 32 (22 female and 10 male) participants in this word recall experiment. Participants were of traditional and nontraditional college-age. The participants were from various academic majors; however, all participants were currently enrolled in one of three sections of an experimental psychology course. All of the experimental psychology students taking part in this experiment had previously completed a course in general psychology and psychological statistics earning a grade of â€Å"C† or better. The participants took part in the experiment as a learning experience for the class. Materials   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The experiment took place in a traditional classroom setting. Participants sat at one of three long tables, positioned in a u-shape, facing the front of the room. There was also a row of smaller desks behind the tables in which participants could sit. The experimenter used a series of 24 PowerPoint slides, which informed the participants of their role in the experiment. Consent forms were passed out to each participant. The consent form described how the experiment was not mandatory; therefore anyone wishing not to participate could simply return their consent form and exit the room. Additionally, number â€Å"2† pencils were given to any participant who did not have one of their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Gateway 2000 (E-1000) computer equipped with Microsoft PowerPoint was used to generate the slides. The slides were displayed on a Gateway 2000 35’ diagonal color computer monitor. The monitor was placed on top of a portable TV stand, positioned in the front of the room. Thirty words were used on the presentation slide. Fifteen of the words used were concrete words such as cat, string, and butter. The other fifteen words used were abstract words like pride, honor, and truth. The words on the presentation slide were set up into 3 columns of 10 words, each alternating between concrete and abstract. The words on the slides were white with a black background to ensure that all participants could easily view the slides. Arial font with a 32-point size was used. All text was in upper case letters, also for easier viewing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concrete and abstract words were chosen from a list of 925 words featured in Pavio, Yuille & Madigan (1968). The concreteness of all 925 words had been determined by asking subjects to rate the words on a likert scale of (1-7) (1= not very concrete, 7 = very concrete). The concrete words were composed of words with a concreteness value â€Å"C† of 6.