In a study of the effects of humor on memory, Schmidt (1994) had participants read either humorous sentences or non-humorous sentences and then later tested participants' memory for the sentences.The experimental group in this experiment was:
A) the group of participants assigned non-humorous sentences.
B) the group of participants assigned humorous sentences.
C) a third group of participants who were not asked to read any sentences.
D) irrelevant because there was no experimental group in this experiment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The experimental group in this study was the group of participants assigned humorous sentences, as this group was the one being exposed to the independent variable (humorous sentences) being tested. The non-humorous sentence group would then serve as the control group. Option C is not relevant to the experiment as it does not involve reading sentences and is not being tested for the effect of humor on memory. Option D is incorrect as there is indeed an experimental group in this study.

In a Study of the Effects of Humor on Memory