PDF (PhD Thesis Susan Chipchase) - Nottingham eTheses ...

years, SD = 3.07). Participants received an inconvenience allowance of £3 for
their voluntary participation. Informed consent was obtained from all
participants.
Materials
Seventy-two scenes were created using the stimuli from Experiment 5
(photographs of objects) and additional pairs of photographs for neutral
backgrounds of the scenes. The backgrounds were selected from internet
databases of images (Google Images) and from photographs taken specifically
for this experiment by the researcher. Scenes were created using one pair each
of negative, neutral and positive objects where it made contextual sense for all
the objects to be placed on the same background. 12 versions of each scene
were created using pairs of backgrounds that had the same verbal label and a
similar appearance (see Figure 4.3). Each version of the scene comprised one
background from a pair, and one item from one of the object pairs. For
example, one scene could have a background of a picket fence with a negative
object of a sheep skull, or a neutral object of a tool box or a positive object of a
lamb. By placing each object from the three object pairs (negative, neutral &
positive object pairs) with either background 12 versions could be created. At
test participants were shown the object and background components of a scene
separately. When components of a similar version of a scene were presented to
participants these could be of a similar object and/or background. Each version
of one scene had approximately the same amount of background covered by
the object.
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