In a memory experiment, participants are asked to learn a list of words and then are tested on the list and the number of words they recall is recorded. In total, participants will be learning three word lists. Each of the word lists is of equivalent difficulty, the first list contains proper nouns, the second list contains breeds of dogs, and the third is a list of kitchen appliances. After working with 20 participants, the researchers notice that these participants are better at recalling the proper nouns, the first list of the three that they learn. How can the researchers be certain that proper nouns are actually easier to recall and that they are not recalled better because they are the first words the participants learn?
A)Vary the dependent variable between conditions.
B)Take a random sample of the participants' answers.
C)Add a control group that only learns proper nouns.
D)Counterbalance the order of the word lists.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Counterbalancing the order of the word lists among participants helps to control for order effects, ensuring that any differences in recall are due to the type of words rather than their position in the sequence.

In a Memory Experiment, Participants Are Asked to Learn a List