In a memory experiment, the subjects are asked to learn three lists of words. Each of the word lists is of equivalent difficulty. The first list contains university names, the second list is of dog breeds, and the third list contains kitchen appliances. After running 20 participants, the researchers notice that recall of university names, the first list that the participants learn, is much higher than recall for either of the other two lists. How can the researchers make sure that one list is actually easier to recall and not just a result of the way the test is set up?
A)confound one of the variables
B)take a random sample of the participants' answers
C)change all of the university names to non-American proper names
D)counterbalance the word lists
E)attempt to replicate the results

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Counterbalancing the order of the word lists for different participants helps to ensure that the observed effect is due to the content of the lists themselves and not their position in the sequence. This method controls for order effects, such as primacy or recency effects, that could skew the results.

In a Memory Experiment, the Subjects Are Asked to Learn