Running Head: THE CARD SORT
Comparing The Time Difference in Sorting Fifty-Two Cards by Color Versus Suit.
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the difference in the amount of time that it took a subject to separate a deck of fifty-two cards into two distinct piles based on their color (black and red), compared to separating a deck of fifty-two cards into four distinct piles based on their suit (spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds).
Method
Subjects
The subjects consisted of nineteen students enrolled in an undergraduate experimental psychology class at Queens College. The class used in the experiment was composed of six males and thirteen females.
Apparatus
One standard fifty-two-card deck of cards was used along with one watch equipped with a second hand. The deck of cards was prepared by the experimenter taking a standard fifty-four-card deck and removing the two jokers. The data were compiled using a pen and paper.
Experimental Design
The experiment used a repeated measures design with two conditions. To minimize practice effects the ABBA counterbalancing method was used. ABBA counterbalancing involves presenting the conditions in one sequence followed by the opposite order of that same sequence. In condition A, subjects were instructed to sort the deck into two piles based on color, in condition B, subjects were instructed to sort the cards into four piles based on suit, then again into four piles based on suit (B), and then into two piles based on color (A).
Procedure
The subjects were divided into nine groups of two and one group of three based upon their location within the room. Prior to each condition the cards were shuffled by the experimenter to ensure a random assignment of color and suit within the deck. The experimenter was responsible for removing the two joker-cards from the...