Perry et al.

Which Psychology approach did Perry et al. use for this study?

• The cognitive approach

• The social approach

• The learning approach

• The biological approach

What was the placebo in this study?

• Distilled water

• The saline solution

• Hydrogen Peroxide

• The oxytocin solution

Describe the sample in the Perry et al. study.

• The participants were undergraduates from the University of Haifa in Israel.

• The participants were postgraduates from Reichman University in Israel.

• There were 56 males aged from 19 to 32.

• None had a history of psychiatric/neurological conditions, and all had normal/ corrected to normal eyesight.

• There were 58 males aged from 23 to 46.

What was the setting of this experiment?

• This was done at their own homes.

• The Fabiano Cafe

• Avdat National Park

• A laboratory

What were the strengths of this study?

• There was high ecological validity as it was set in a real-life setting (the Fabiano Cafe).

• There were high levels of standardization as the researchers used computer animations and images.

• There was mundane realism.

• There was high validity due to the double-blind procedure to administer the oxytocin and saline solutions.

What is the primary purpose of using a double-blind procedure in an experiment?

• To prevent both the participants and the researchers from knowing who is in the control or experimental group, reducing bias.

• To allow the researchers to manipulate the variables more freely.

• To ensure that the results are statistically significant.

• To ensure that all participants receive the same treatment.

State one conclusion of this study.

• Those in the empathy group chose closer chair distances in the oxytocin condition compared to the placebo condition while the opposite effect was found for the low empathy group. The effect of oxytocin on preferred chair distance was only approaching significance  for the high empathy group, however.

• • In the high empathy group, placebo condition, there were significant differences between the preferred distances for friend and authority, as well as friend and stranger , as expected. However, not between the ball and all other conditions. When oxytocin was administered, participants were willing to be significantly closer to the ball than the stranger or authority figure.

• Oxytocin did not have an effect on preferred chair angle for either the high or low empathy groups.

• Oxytocin affects preferred interpersonal distance (personal space), dependent on empathy levels. Those with high empathy preferred closer interpersonal distances after oxytocin administration compared to a placebo. In contrast oxytocin increased the preferred interpersonal distance for those with low empathy compared to a placebo.

Which variable is manipulated by the researcher in an experiment?

• Dependent variable

• Independent variable

• Control variable

• Confounding variable

What were the independent variables?

• The mean average of preferred distance.

• The age of the participants.

• Whether oxytocin affected people in different ways depending on their level of empathy.

• The duration of interaction between the protagonist and the ball.

• Whether the participants received nasal drops containing oxytocin or a placebo.

What is the purpose of a control variable in an experiment?

• To add more variability to the experiment.

• To be manipulated as part of the experimental design.

• To ensure that any changes in the dependent variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable.

• To serve as a comparison for the experimental group.