Contents - Index - Previous - Next

Study Design

The experimental design used here to study the effects of descriptive information on perceptions of photographs can be described using the following diagram:

            First Treatment Group            S        T1        M        S
            Second Treatment Group        S        T2        M        S
            Third Treatment Group            S        T3        M        S
            Fourth Treatment Group          S        T4        M        S
 
In this diagram, the "S's" stand for Support events (in this case, Welcome and End screens). T stands for treatment and M stands for measurement.  Each treatment is a combination of either an attractive or unattractive photograph along with a description of the person as average or high in intelligence.

Preview of Treatments 

This four treatment study design calls for the presentation of two different pictures (attractive and unattractive).  The first picture (attractive) is presented in the 1st and 3rd groups.  See below in green.  

See picture attractive person

The second picture (unattractive) is presented in the 2nd and 4th groups (See below in Blue).

See picture unattractive person

Treatment Group 1         Attractive Picture      -       Average Intelligence 
Treatment Group 2         Unattractive Picture   -       High Intelligence 
Treatment Group 3         Attractive Picture      -       High Intelligence 
Treatment Group 4         Unattractive Picture   -       Average Intelligence 

Two different verbal descriptions are presented (average intelligence and high intelligence).  The first description (Average Intelligence) is presented in the 1st and 4th group (See above in purple).  The wording of the first verbal description (Average IQ) is 

Intelligence test, SAT and other standardized tests, and grade point averages indicate that this person is of average intelligence.

The second description (High Intelligence) is presented in the 2nd and 3rd group (See above in red).

The wording of the second verbal description (High IQ) is 

Intelligence test, SAT and other standardized tests, and grade point averages indicate that this person is very intelligent.

*  For a popular reference on experimental designs, see Donald T. Campbell & Julian C. Stanley, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1963.