McMaster University researchers Margo Wilson and Martin Daly showed 209 male and female students pictures of attractive and not-so-attractive people of the opposite sex. Each was then offered a chance to win a prize. They could accept a check for between $15 and $35 tomorrow or one for $50 to $75 at some point in the future. The results for men: After a man views pictures of women who were of average attractiveness, they made a rational decision about accepting a larger prize amount some time in the future. But when they had just seen pictures of beautiful women, they discounted the future value of the reward in an irrational way and opted instead for the immediate and smaller cash outlay. In other words, after seeing a very attractive woman, the men were more likely to make dumb choices. the results for women: Viewing the photographs of men- whether they were average or above average attractiveness- had no effect on women's ability to make rational decisions.
What is the Explanatory variable(s)/Factor(s) Quantitative vs. Categorical?
What are the Treatment(s) or Factor Levels?
What are the response variable(s) Quantitative vs. Categorical?
Describe the experiment design.
Explain how experimental design principles apply in this study: Control, Randomization, Replication
Is Blocking used? If so describe the blocking and why it was used?
Is Blinding used? If so, describe the blinding in context.
What concerns do you have with this study?
What conclusions can be drawn?
Explanatory variable(s)/Factor(s) Quantitative vs. Categorical:
- The explanatory variable is the attractiveness level of the people shown to the participants.
- The attractiveness level is a categorical variable, as it is divided into two levels: average attractiveness and beautiful/attractive.
Treatment(s) or Factor Levels:
- The treatment levels are the different levels of attractiveness: average attractiveness and beautiful/attractive.
Response variable(s) Quantitative vs. Categorical:
- The response variable is the decision made by the participants regarding accepting a larger prize amount in the future or a smaller immediate cash outlay.
- The response variable is categorical, as it involves the participants categorizing their decision into one of the two options.
Experiment Design:
- The experiment design involved showing 209 male and female students pictures of attractive and not-so-attractive people of the opposite sex.
- Each participant was offered a chance to win a prize, either a check for between $15 and $35 tomorrow or one for $50 to $75 at some point in the future.
- The attractiveness level of the people shown to the participants was manipulated as the treatment variable.
- The participants' decision regarding the prize option they chose was recorded.
Experimental Design Principles:
1. Control: The experiment had control over the exposure of participants to different levels of attractiveness by showing them pictures of people categorized as average attractiveness or beautiful/attractive.
2. Randomization: The participants were likely randomized into two groups to ensure that the treatment (attractiveness levels) was assigned randomly and did not introduce bias.
3. Replication: The study involved 209 male and female students, which allowed for replication of the experiment on a larger sample.
Blocking:
- It does not appear that blocking was used in this study. Blocking involves grouping participants based on specific characteristics and then randomly assigning treatments within each group. There is no mention of grouping or blocking participants in this study.
Blinding:
- Blinding does not seem to be used in this study. Blinding refers to keeping the participants or researchers unaware of the treatment levels to prevent bias. Since participants were directly exposed to the pictures of people, blinding would not have been possible.
Concerns with the study:
- One concern is the generalizability of the findings, as the study only involved college students. The results might not be applicable to a broader population.
- Another concern is the potential influence of demand characteristics, where participants might have altered their decisions based on the expectations they perceived from the experiment.
Conclusions:
- Based on the study, it can be concluded that for men, viewing pictures of beautiful women led to a biased decision-making process when choosing between immediate smaller rewards or larger rewards in the future.
- However, for women, viewing pictures of men of different attractiveness levels did not affect their rational decision-making abilities.
- It is important to note that these conclusions are specific to the participants involved in this study and may not be generalized to the entire population.