To evaluate this hypothesis, we need to ask:
Did the change in perception directly lead to more focused or motivated work behavior?
(A) Talks about retention, not performance or perception-to-performance link. Irrelevant.
(B) Whether those in the first group changed their time spent on personal distractions after receiving the message.
--This directly tests the mechanism behind the hypothesis. If the first group reduced distractions (e.g., less phone use), it supports the idea that increased perceived importance led to more engagement and productivity. And this helps link perception change to actual behavior change, which explains the performance gains.
(C) Random assignment implies equal distribution of experience across groups
. Not mentioned and not critical too for this hypothesis.
(D) Pay satisfaction is unrelated to the message or hypothesis about task perception. Not useful for evaluating this hypothesis.
(E) Interesting background, but doesn’t help evaluate whether the message changed behavior or caused performance gains. Not relevant to this hypothesis
Thus, Choice B directly evaluates the hypothesis.Bunuel
Researchers studying workplace productivity randomly assigned clerical workers to two equal groups. One group was told that their tasks, though routine, were cognitively demanding and vital to the company's operations. The other group received no such message. Over the following month, the first group showed a significant increase in typing speed and error reduction, despite working the same number of hours under identical conditions. The researchers hypothesized that the performance gains were caused by the workers' increased perception of their work as mentally engaging and important.
Which of the following would it be most useful to determine in evaluating the researchers’ hypothesis?
(A) Whether clerical workers who perceive their jobs as important are more likely to remain in their positions long term
(B) Whether those in the first group changed their time spent on personal distractions after receiving the message
(C) Whether both groups were equally likely to have prior experience in clerical tasks
(D) Whether the workers in the first group reported greater satisfaction with their pay after receiving the message
(E) Whether routine clerical tasks are commonly perceived as cognitively undemanding