When people view videos in slow-motion, they attribute more intent and purpose to the actors in the video compared to when they watch the same scene at real-time, according to the results of a series of experiments. Slo-mo video might be especially important in how juries might interpret crime scene evidence, and even suggest that watching NFL replays in slow motion could make tackles seem more intentionally forceful.
As you read this paragraph from the Scientific American summary, see if you can identify at least two studies the authors conducted.
Researchers designed experiments based on a place where slow-motion video comes up a lot: the courtroom. They asked subjects to imagine themselves as jurors and watch a video of a convenience store robbery and shooting, either in slow motion or in real time. Those who watched the slow-motion video reported thinking the robber had more time to act and was acting with greater intent. The effect persisted even when the researchers displayed a timer on the screen to emphasize exactly how much time was passing, and it was reduced yet still present when subjects watched a combination of real-time and slow-motion videos of the crime (as they might in an actual courtroom). Participants also ascribed greater intent to a football player ramming an opponent when they viewed the play in slow motion.
a) What are the independent and dependent variables in the first experiment? Do you think the IV was manipulated as between groups or within groups? Assuming that the IV had three or four levels, what would they probably be?
b) What are the independent and dependent variables in the second (football) experiment? Do you think the IV was manipulated as between groups or within groups?
c) By conducting one study using a crime-scene situation and another using a football game, the researchers were able to build which of the four big validities?
d) The football player study could be seen as a replication of the crime-scene study. Is this a direct replication, a conceptual replication, or a replication-plus-extension study?
e) If you were an attorney or sportscaster, how might you use (or even exploit?) the results of this study?
You can read the full text of the original scientific paper here! You'll see that there were actually four studies in the published paper.