If I had a nickel for every time a student cussed in the hallway, I could probably retire at this (ahem) young age. But a study completed by British psychologists suggests swearing may have a purpose -- it can help ease pain. Though I doubt that people in the hallway are relieving pain when they swear, the thought is intriguing from a psychological standpoint. Does swearing have an adaptive function?
Read the article from Time Magazine and see if you can pick out the experimental elements. Did the researchers have a control group? What was the independent variable and the dependent variable? How conclusive are the results?
Assignment: In the comments section for this post, briefly describe an experiment you would like to conduct. In your comment, answer the following:
1. State your hypothesis.
2. How will you collect data?
3. What is your experimental group and your control group?
4. What is the independent variable in your experiment?
5. What is the dependent variable?
6. What other factors might confound your results?
7. Comment on at least two other students' ideas. Do you think their experiment could be replicated?
This assignment is NOT optional and will meet online requirements.
Read the article from Time Magazine and see if you can pick out the experimental elements. Did the researchers have a control group? What was the independent variable and the dependent variable? How conclusive are the results?
Assignment: In the comments section for this post, briefly describe an experiment you would like to conduct. In your comment, answer the following:
1. State your hypothesis.
2. How will you collect data?
3. What is your experimental group and your control group?
4. What is the independent variable in your experiment?
5. What is the dependent variable?
6. What other factors might confound your results?
7. Comment on at least two other students' ideas. Do you think their experiment could be replicated?
This assignment is NOT optional and will meet online requirements.