Single-Subject Design Lab Report: Frogger Game Experiment

 Chapter 12 introduces you to single-subject or small-n designs, which include both the baseline designs pioneered by B. F. Skinner and the older, discrete trials type. A major goal of the chapter is to show how valid inferences about causal relationships can be drawn from single-subject data, even though group-based statistical analyses cannot be performed. Instead, techniques such as rigid control over extraneous variables, use of stability criteria, and replication provide the means to uncover causal relationships and assess their reliability.Instructions:

This week’s lab experience will place you in the role of the participant for a single-subject design. You will need to have someone available to text with for part of this experiment, so please plan accordingly.
This experiment may or may not have problems with the design. You will need to read the material in your textbook and apply what you read to this experiment.  Please read through the instructions carefully. This lab assignment report is due Sunday.
In this experiment, you are going to play a game of Frogger at the following link: Frogger ???? Play on CrazyGames
Feel free to play it for a bit before you get started so that you are familiar with how the game is played. Once you are ready to begin, make sure you have no distractions and are able to play continuously for as long as you are able to. When you are done, record your score.
After you recorded your score, start texting with someone who is available to text back and forth for a few minutes. Please make sure to ask them to be ready to respond to your texts immediately.  Once they are available, type “What did you do today” and send – and then start playing Frogger again.  Make sure that you keep responding to incoming texts while you are playing Frogger.  Continue to text and play until you completed the game. When you are done, record your score.
Frogger ???? Play on CrazyGames

Reporting Instructions:

Please follow the attached Lab Reporting Instructions to write your report.
All of the headers should be kept as such in your report.
Be as clear as possible and apply as much material as is appropriate to respond fully.
There is no need for the use of materials outside of your textbook.
This report should rely on your readings, your experience, and your ability to put the pieces together. Remember not to include the use of personage unless specified (as in the qualitative reflection at the end of this report). It is generally atypical to include personage in a research report and important to learn to write without personage.
The instructional content should not be included in the report you submit.

Click “Week 5 Lab Assignment” above to begin your assignment. The assignment is due by the end of the day on Sunday.

RSM802_Week5LabReportingInstructions20241.docx

 

 

Certainly! Below is a structured lab report based on your instructions for the single-subject design experiment using Frogger. This template follows the format described in your lab reporting instructions:

# Single-Subject Design Lab Report: Frogger Game Experiment

## Introduction

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effect of simultaneous texting on gameplay performance in the Frogger game. The single-subject design allows for examining the impact of an independent variable (texting) on a dependent variable (Frogger score) within a single participant. This design is particularly useful in exploring causal relationships in the absence of group-based statistical analyses.

## Methods

### Participant

The participant for this experiment is the author of this report.

### Materials

– **Game**: Frogger (accessible at CrazyGames)
– **Communication Tool**: Text messaging

### Procedure

1. **Baseline Phase**:
– The participant played the Frogger game without any external distractions and recorded the initial score.

2. **Texting Phase**:
– After recording the baseline score, the participant engaged in a text conversation with a person available to respond immediately.
– The participant began playing Frogger while simultaneously responding to text messages.
– The participant continued playing and texting until completing the game and then recorded the score.

## Results

### Baseline Score

– **Initial Score**: [Insert Baseline Score Here]

### Texting Score

– **Score While Texting**: [Insert Texting Score Here]

## Analysis

The results of the experiment provide insight into how multitasking with texting impacts game performance. By comparing the baseline score (when playing without distractions) with the score obtained while texting, the effect of the texting condition on gameplay can be assessed.

### Impact of Texting on Gameplay

From the collected data, if there is a significant decrease in the score during the texting phase compared to the baseline, it would suggest that texting impairs gameplay performance. This is consistent with research indicating that multitasking can negatively affect performance on tasks requiring focused attention (Rogers & Monsell, 1995).

### Evaluation of Design

**Single-Subject Design Strengths**:
– Allows for the observation of performance changes within the same individual, controlling for inter-subject variability.
– Provides a clear comparison between baseline and intervention conditions.

**Single-Subject Design Limitations**:
– Results are specific to the individual and may not be generalizable to others.
– The design does not account for external factors that may influence performance, such as mood or fatigue.

## Discussion

The results indicate whether multitasking with texting impacts the participant’s ability to perform in the Frogger game. If the score decreased during the texting phase, it would support the hypothesis that multitasking impairs task performance. This finding can be applied to real-world scenarios where multitasking is common and can help in understanding the limits of cognitive capacity.

### Implications

The findings highlight the importance of focusing on a single task to optimize performance. In contexts where high performance is critical, such as driving or complex problem-solving, minimizing distractions could be beneficial.

### Future Research

Future studies could explore different types of distractions or varying levels of task difficulty to generalize findings further. Additional research could also involve multiple participants to assess the impact of texting on a broader scale.

## Conclusion

This single-subject design experiment provided valuable insights into how texting affects gameplay performance in Frogger. By comparing scores from the baseline and texting conditions, the study demonstrated the potential impact of multitasking on task efficiency. The results underscore the importance of focused attention and have implications for environments where multitasking is prevalent.

## References

Rogers, R. D., & Monsell, S. (1995). Costs of a predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. *Journal of Experimental Psychology: General*, 124(2), 207-231.

Ensure to replace placeholder text (e.g., “[Insert Baseline Score Here]”) with actual data from your experiment. Adjust the analysis and results sections based on the real outcomes of your gameplay and texting experiment.

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