Question

The future-alone participants made fewer cooperative moves than did participants in other conditions, F(2, 28) = 5.87, p < .01. Tukey’s HSD tests showed that the future-alone condition was significantly different from the other two conditions at p < .05 and that the future-belonging and no-feedback-control conditions were not significantly different from each other. Comparing the future-alone group with the other two groups yielded d = 1.31, a large effect. These results suggest that socially excluded individuals are still less prosocial than are others, even when their ostensible partner starts off by cooperating.

What kind of study design is this (experimental or correlational)?

If experimental, what is the independent variable?

If experimental, what is the dependent variable?

What kind of statistical test did the author run, and how do you know the used this test?

What do you think the null and alternative hypotheses are in this study? You might have to guess, but make it an educated guesses!

Answer 1

1. This is an experimental study design. There is a presence of distinct group that are exposed to different conditions of the study.

2. The independent variable is social exclusion.

3. The depedendent variable is pro social behaviour.

4. The statistical test that the author used here is ANOVA. This is because differences of scores are being compared across two or more study groups. It is also stated that Tukey HSD was conducted. This is a post hoc analysis that is usually carried out after an ANOVA.

5. The null hypothesis: Social exclusion has no significant effect on pro social behaviour.

The alternative hypotheses: Social exclusion has a significant effect on pro social behaviour.