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188 PART III: Experimental MethodsKey ConceptsIn an independent groups design, each group of subjects participates in a differentcondition of the independent variable. 1 The most effective independentgroups design is one that uses random assignment of subjects to conditions inorder to form comparable groups prior to implementing the independent variable.When random assignment to conditions is used, the independent groups designis called a random groups design. The logic of the design is straightforward. Thegroups are formed so as to be similar on all important characteristics at the startof the experiment. Next, in the experiment itself, the groups are treated the sameexcept for the level of the independent variable. Thus, any difference between thegroups on the dependent variable must be caused by the independent variable.An Example of a Random Groups DesignThe logic of the experimental method and the application of control techniquesthat produce internal validity can be illustrated in an experiment investigatinggirls’ dissatisfaction with their body, conducted in the United Kingdom byDittmar, Halliwell, and Ive (2006). Their goal was to determine whetherexposure to very thin body images causes young girls to experience negativefeelings about their own body. Many experiments conducted with adolescentand adult participants demonstrate that women report greater dissatisfactionabout themselves after exposure to a thin female model compared to othertypes of images. Dittmar and her colleagues sought to determine whethersimilar effects are observed for girls as young as 5 years old. The very thin bodyimage they tested was the Barbie doll. Anthropological studies that comparethe body proportions of Barbie to actual women reveal that the Barbie doll hasvery unrealistic body proportions, yet Barbie has become a sociocultural idealfor female beauty (see Figure 6.1).In the experiment small groups of young girls (5 1 ⁄2–6 1 ⁄2 years old) were reada story about “Mira” as she went shopping for clothes and prepared to go to abirthday party. As they heard the story, the girls looked at picture books withsix scenes related to the story. In one condition of the experiment, the picturebooks had images of Barbie in the scenes of the story (e.g., shopping for a partyoutfit, getting ready for the party). In a second condition the picture books hadsimilar scenes but the figure pictured was the “Emme” doll. The Emme fashiondoll is an attractive doll with more realistic body proportions, representinga U.S. dress size 16 (see Figure 6.2). Finally, in the third condition of theexperiment the picture books did not depict Barbie or Emme (or any body) but,instead, showed neutral images related to the story (e.g., windows of clothesshops, colorful balloons). These three versions of the picture books (Barbie,Emme, neutral) represent three levels of the independent variable that was manipulatedin the experiment. Because different groups of girls participated ineach level of the independent variable, the experiment is described as an independentgroups design.1Another term for independent groups design is between-subjects design. Both terms are used todescribe studies in which groups of participants are compared and there is no overlap of participantsin the groups of the study (i.e., each participant is in only one condition).