Verified Document

Use Of Humor To Improve Cognition And Memory Research Paper

Related Topics:

¶ … Manipulating Variables in an Experimental Study A variable is a factor that can be changed and generally can be measured. A dependent variable is the factor that is being measured in an experiment and it is the variable that the investigators expect will be changed by the independent variables. The independent variables are those factors that are manipulated or introduced in a study in order to explore how they impact the dependent variable (Weiten, 2013). The independent variable is considered to be independent since the researcher is free to manipulate, introduce, or remove the independent variable over the course of an experiment (Weiten, 2013). Accordingly, the dependent variable is considered to be at least partly dependent on the changes that occur in the independent variable (Weiten, 2013).

Extraneous variables may have an impact on the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables. Two types of extraneous variables need to be considered during an experiment: 1) Extraneous variables that are related to the participants in a research study; and, 2) extraneous variables that are related to the circumstances of the study (Weiten, 2013). In many cases, the researcher is able to control the extraneous variables...

However, confounding variables cannot be controlled and have the potential to change the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables (Weiten, 2013).
Operational definitions of independent and dependent variables describe the way the variables are measured in a research study and also how they are defined in the research. The factor that is being measured must be operationally described in a manner that adds clarity to the discussion and the experiment, and the instrumentation used to test the attributes of the dependent variable and the independent variable must be clearly, and operationally defined.

Schmidt (1994) conducted an experiment to explore the effects of humor on memory. Given the research question -- What are the effects of humor on memory? -- the dependent variable in this study is memory, and the independent variable in this research is humor. Schmidt could present the study participants with a list of words that they are to attempt to memorize. One third of the words could be part of a jingle, one third of the words could be part of a joke, and one third of the words could be presented only as a disjointed list of terms. The words would all be evaluated for commensurate…

Sources used in this document:
References

Schmidt, S.R. (1994). Effects of Humor on Sentence Memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20(4), 953-967.

Weiten, W. (2013). Psychology: Themes and variations, 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Improving Reading Skills Reading and
Words: 8772 Length: 30 Document Type: Case Study

Students then move to advisory to discuss what they learned from the principal, then begins first period science class. Science is tutorial based, but often broken up into groups of four for lab and experimentation work. Math lab includes a number of different activities that change out regularly. Following math, the students meet for Art class, which varies daily in activities, social and spatial development. Lunch and a brief recess follows. First class after

History of Development of Blues
Words: 4267 Length: 14 Document Type: Seminar Paper

Out of about 40 million slaves that were transported from African to the United States, only 15 million of them could survive, however they ended up in pure hell. It was expected of the African-Americans to meet the demands of two ideas, both of which met the needs of the rich white Americans. Thus, where slaves had a disguise to serve their masters and please them, they were just

Treatment of Women Diagnosed With
Words: 13264 Length: 48 Document Type: Term Paper

At one point or another in our lives, we are all beginners. We begin college, a first job, a first love affair, and perhaps a first dissertation project. We bring a great deal to these new situations, including our temperament, previous education, and family situations. Yet, as adults, we also learn. In romantic relationships, couples report having to learn how to interact successfully with their partners. College students routinely report

Emotional Intelligence: Issues in Theoretical
Words: 9097 Length: 33 Document Type: Term Paper

In other words Emotional Intelligence means that the individual is capable of: (1) Accurately perceiving emotions in oneself and others; (2) Uses emotions to facilitate thinking; (3) Understands emotional meanings; and (4) Manages emotions well. This model is referred to as the 'ability' model of emotional intelligence. (Mayer & Salovey, 1997) DANIEL GOLEMAN-PERSONAL & SOCIAL COMPETENCE Daniel Goleman proposed the model of emotional intelligence based on the Personal and Social competencies

Grief and Mourning in Schizophrenia
Words: 1059 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Grief Schiz Precautions and Procedures for the Prevention of Suicide and the Treatment of Depression in Recently Diagnosed Schizophrenics Any major chronic medical diagnosis can have psychological and emotional reverberations for the patient, as chronic conditions can often be perceived as a "life sentence" of sorts. The inescapability of symptoms and the long-term prognosis of many chronic disorders can cause patients to seriously question their future quality of life, the impact that

Motivation Two Cases Examined the
Words: 1827 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

In this case one may imagine the student who attending class in school and cannot concentrate on what is being taught because their stomach is rumbling from lack of having eaten and they also have a headache from a general lack of nutrition. Furthermore, this student has no sense of security or safety and is nervous and anxious. Example 2: The individual in this example is not hungry and they

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now