Sample interview questions: How would you design a study to examine the impact of environmental noise on individuals’ ability to concentrate and focus?
Sample answer:
Design of Study to Examine the Impact of Environmental Noise on Concentration and Focus
Participants:
* Recruit a large sample of participants (e.g., 200+) from a diverse range of demographics and backgrounds.
Procedure:
Baseline Assessment:
* Collect baseline measures of participants’ cognitive abilities, such as working memory capacity, attention span, and task switching.
Experimental Manipulation:
* Randomly assign participants to one of three experimental groups:
* Low noise (e.g., 50 dB)
* Moderate noise (e.g., 70 dB)
* High noise (e.g., 90 dB)
* Expose participants to the assigned noise level for a predetermined duration (e.g., 2 hours).
Task Performance:
* During the exposure period, administer a series of cognitive tasks that require concentration and focus, such as:
* Working memory span test
* Stroop task
* Flanker task
Post-Exposure Assessment:
* After the exposure period, administer another round of cognitive assessments to measure any changes in performance.
Control Variables:
- Control for potential confounding variables, such as:
- Age
- Education
- Sleep quality
- Stress levels
Measures:
- Cognitive performance (acc… Read full answer
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