%0 Journal Article
%T Using the Movies to Illustrate the Principles of Experimental Design
%A Peter Strelan
%J Teaching of Psychology
%@ 1532-8023
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0098628318762908
%X This article presents an innovative technique for teaching the principles of experimental design in a way that is entertaining and engaging for students. Following a lecture on experimental design, students participate in an experiment in which the teacher uses a funny segment from a movie to test the influence of implicit social norms. Randomly allocated ¡°participants¡± receive either laughter cues from the class (experimenter confederates) or no cues. Condition ¡°hilarity¡± ratings are compared, and the class as a whole discusses issues relating to experimental design including internal validity, random assignment, and independent and dependent variables. Student feedback, including pre- and postactivity ratings, suggests that the exercise may be useful for enhancing students¡¯ understanding of experimental design. Most importantly, the exercise provides a fertile context for active learning, and the usefulness of the exercise does not rely on the ¡°success¡± of the experiment itself
%K experimental design
%K research methods
%K movies
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0098628318762908