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WorksheetsFlawed much - a hunt for flaws in experiments
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 15mins
A teacher wants to know if chewing gum helps students focus. She gives gum to only the top-performing students and observes their attention during class.
The flaw is that she didn't test enough types of gum.
She should have told the students the purpose of the study before observing them.
She should have randomly selected students instead of choosing only top performers.
She should have used a survey instead of observing them.
A researcher tests whether a new memory app improves recall. She asks her friends to try the app for a week and then take a memory test.
The study fails because she didn’t test memory on a weekend.
The app should have been deleted after the study.
She should have used a random sample instead of just her friends.
She should have used a different brand of phone for each participant.
A psychologist wants to test if loud music affects problem-solving. She tests one group in the morning in a quiet room, and another group in the afternoon with loud music.
Participants should have been allowed to choose the music they liked.
The flaw is that the same music wasn’t played in both sessions.
She should have tested both groups at the same time of day.
The psychologist should have worn headphones during the experiment.
A student wants to know if boys are better than girls at math. She gives a difficult math test to the girls and an easier one to the boys.
The girls should have been given more time.
She should have allowed calculators for both groups.
She should have used the same test for both groups to ensure fairness.
She should have marked leniently to avoid hurt feelings.
A teacher compares reaction times of students who play video games with those who don’t.
She should have randomly assigned participants to groups to eliminate pre-existing differences.
She should have tested the same students twice.
She should have told them which games to play.
The teacher should have asked students to stop gaming for a week.
A scientist lets participants choose whether to sleep 4 or 8 hours before a memory test.
Participants should have been randomly assigned to sleep conditions.
Only visual puzzles should have been used.
Participants should have eaten breakfast.
The test should have been done at night.
A counselor tests if meditation reduces stress by asking students if they feel less stressed after 5 minutes, but has no control group.
She should have used a control group and measured stress levels before and after.
She should have used yoga poses.
Students should have sat in the dark.
She should have played classical music.
A nutritionist gives fruit daily to 10 students to test its effect on memory, but doesn’t test memory before or after.
She should have used tropical fruits.
She should have measured memory both before and after the week.
She should have checked if students liked fruit.
She should have given juice instead of fruit.
A coach tests a new drill on only his best athletes without comparing to others.
The athletes should have had protein shakes.
He should have tested athletes from different ability levels and included a comparison group.
He should have posted videos on social media.
The athletes should have worn favourite shoes.
A psychologist makes one group anxious but doesn’t measure their stress before a test.
She should have said it was a relaxation study.
She should have measured stress levels before testing to confirm the manipulation worked.
Participants should have smiled before starting.
She should have provided snacks.
Students are tested before breakfast and after lunch to see if breakfast affects performance.
The test should’ve been on cereal preferences.
Test scores should have counted in their final grades.
Room temperature should have been adjusted.
Both groups should have been tested at the same time of day to avoid confounding variables.
Participants choose whether to study with or without music.
A memory app should’ve been used.
The music shouldn’t have been louder.
They should have worn headphones.
They should have been randomly assigned to groups to avoid bias.
Students take different quizzes under different lighting conditions.
The room should’ve had coloured lights.
Lighting preference should’ve been recorded.
Students should have worn sunglasses.
Both groups should’ve taken the same quiz for a fair comparison.
One group watches a violent film and is tested for aggression. Another group watches a comedy but is not tested.
Both groups should’ve been tested to allow comparison.
A warning label should’ve been shown.
Popcorn should’ve been provided.
The comedy group should’ve watched two movies.
Gum group is tested in the morning, no-gum group in the evening.
Both groups should’ve been tested at the same time to control for time-of-day effects.
Attention span should’ve been measured instead.
Students should’ve chewed louder.
Different flavours of gum should’ve been used.
Standing group chooses when to stand, sitting group sits throughout.
Standing group should’ve been allowed to walk.
A standing desk app should’ve been used.
Both groups should’ve followed the same procedure to avoid variability.
The chairs should’ve been more comfortable.
Chocolate is given and students are asked if they feel better, with no control group.
The test should’ve been on Valentine’s Day.
A control group and objective stress measure should’ve been included.
Chocolate should’ve been eaten blindfolded.
Only dark chocolate should’ve been used.
Five students are interviewed after gaming to check for aggression.
Interviews should’ve been filmed.
The game should’ve had puzzles.
A larger sample and control group should’ve been used for reliable results.
They should’ve worn headsets.
Multitasking group texts and listens to music, while both groups choose what to study.
Answer options:
A.
B.
C.
✅ D.
Multitaskers should’ve had snacks too.
Both groups should’ve studied the same material to avoid topic bias.
Breaks every 5 minutes should’ve been given.
Silent group shouldn't have been able to choose what to study
Meditation is done for a month but no stress levels are measured.
Stress levels should’ve been measured before and after meditation to assess change.
Calming music should’ve played during math class.
A scent diffuser should’ve been used.
Meditation should’ve been during lunch.
