Approximate reading time: 4 minutes

Observing and Taking Notes

Following his observations from Part 1, Siddharth decides to focus on one idea at a time. He’s got this hunch: maybe chocolate chip cookies, compared to cinnamon buns, not only attract more dorm mates but also keep them around longer for chats. He’s curious and ready to test this out.

Forming the Hypothesis

Siddharth comes up with a hypothesis that’s easy to test: “chocolate chip cookies will bring more dorm mates to the kitchen and keep them there longer for conversation than cinnamon buns”.

Ethics: Seeking Permission from His Dorm Mates

Before starting his experiment, Siddharth explains to his dorm mates that he has received approval from his psychology professor to study the effects of baking on social gatherings. He seeks and receives their consent to participate in his weekend baking experiments, ensuring ethical standards are met. To avoid influencing the results, Siddharth does not disclose that this is a chocolate chip cookie versus cinnamon bun comparison.

Designing the Experiment

Siddharth has a simple plan. He’ll bake chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns on alternate weekends, keeping everything else the same. He arranges the kitchen/lounge area to be super inviting for a casual hangout. While everyone’s munching away, Siddharth keeps an eye on the clock, noting how quickly his friends show up and how long they stick around.

He’s careful to make sure the cookies and buns are equally yummy and bakes them on different days over two weekends to see if there’s a pattern.

Conducting the Experiment

For the next two weekends, Siddharth is in full baking mode. His dorm mates, lured by the delicious smells, become part of this fun experiment. Siddharth notes their arrival times and how long they hang out, while keeping the vibe light and engaging in the usual friendly conversation.

Reporting the Results

After his two-week baking marathon, Siddharth gathers all his notes. It turns out that, while the chocolate chip cookies get everyone to the kitchen quickly, it’s the cinnamon buns that keep them chatting longer. He shares these surprising findings with his dorm mates, explaining how he set up the experiment and what he discovered. They’re all amazed at how a bit of baking can actually reveal so much about their social habits.

Conclusion: The Baking Party and Learning Experience

The whole thing wraps up with a big baking party. Siddharth shares his secret recipes, and as they all bake together, he talks about why the empirical method is such a big deal in psychology. It’s all about experimenting and observing to figure stuff out. Everyone leaves not just with tasty treats but also a new appreciation for how science can be part of everyday life.

Siddharth’s baking experiment turns out to be more than just fun in the kitchen; it gave us an example of how asking questions and testing them out can lead to some great — and yummy — insights.