Under what conditions will consumers dispose of recyclable paper in the garbage? This was the question of interest in an article published in the Journal of Consumer Research (December, 2013). In one of the studies conducted, the researchers instructed 78 college students to cut an 8.5-×11-inch sheet of paper into eight smaller pieces. Half the students were randomly assigned to list five uses for the cut paper (usefulness is salient condition). The students in the other half were asked to list their five favorite TV shows (control condition).
After completing an unrelated task, all students were asked to dispose of the paper upon leaving. There was a trash bin and a recycling bin outside the door. The researchers kept track of which students recycled and which students disposed of their paper in the garbage. This information was used to test the theory that students in the usefulness is salient condition will recycle at a higher rate than students in the control condition.
a. Explain why the data-collection method used in this study is a designed experiment.
b. Identify the experimental unit in this study.
c. Identify the variables measured in this study. What type of data (quantitative or qualitative) is produced from each variable? (Hint: Two variables are measured.)
d. About 68% of the students in the usefulness is salient condition recycled, as compared to 37% of students in the control condition. Use this information to make an inference about the population of interest.