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4. Lei investigated the effect of word length on short-term memory capacity - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 4 - 2022 - Paper 1
Question 4
4. Lei investigated the effect of word length on short-term memory capacity. She used a volunteer sampling technique to gather 20 participants. Lei allocated her par... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:4. Lei investigated the effect of word length on short-term memory capacity - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 4 - 2022 - Paper 1
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Complete Table 2 and calculate the Mann-Whitney U
Answer
To calculate Mann-Whitney U:
- Rank the scores from both conditions:
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Condition A: Monosyllabic Words
Number of Words Recalled Rank 9 16.5 8 13.5 9 16.5 10 19.5 10 19.5 11 20.5 9 16.5 9 16.5 Total 145.5 -
Condition B: Polysyllabic Words
Number of Words Recalled Rank 5 5 7 11 6 8 7 11 9 16.5 16 17 6 8 1 1 Total 64.5
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- Calculate U values:
- For Condition A: U_A = R_A - rac{n_A(n_A + 1)}{2} = 145.5 - rac{8(8 + 1)}{2} = 145.5 - 36 = 109.5
- For Condition B: U_B = R_B - rac{n_B(n_B + 1)}{2} = 64.5 - rac{8(8 + 1)}{2} = 64.5 - 36 = 28.5
- Use the smaller U value:
Step 4
Determine whether Lei's data were significant
Answer
Using the calculated U value (28.5), we compare it to the critical value for a one-tailed Mann-Whitney test with 8 participants in each condition. The critical value at p ≤ 0.05 is 27. Since 28.5 is greater than 27, we conclude that Lei's data are not significant at p ≤ 0.05.