By defining the foot length to be measured, discrepancies between measurements should have been minimised giving rise to more accurate and reliable results.
Apparatus.
The apparatus required for this investigation were a standard metre long tape measure, a clipboard and writing implements.
Procedures.
One hundred people (fifty male and fifty female) were sampled in this investigation considering and controlling the variables as listed under 'Variables'. I have increased the number of people sampled from eighty, as stated in the design, to one hundred; a larger sample will give a better representation of the population and reduce the extent of any anomalies when averages are taken. Each individual was selected by random sampling. This involved numbering people and using a random number generator to select the people to be measured. A random sampling technique was used to increase the accuracy of the investigation by removing individual bias. By incorporating a random sampling technique, variables such as race, socio-economic groupings and underlying medical conditions, that may have some effect on an individuals foot length or hand span, were taken into account. Each person had their right foot length and right hand span measured (using a tape measure according to the defined lengths) and recorded in a table. Each measurement was carried out in a consistent and methodical manner so that accurate readings could be obtained.
Results.
By measuring the length of the foot and the hand span, quantitative rather than qualitative data has been obtained and recorded in tables, charts and graphs. This way the results have been displayed in forms in which any correlation is clearly visible. To determine whether there is correlation between hand span and foot length in humans, several statistical techniques have been applied. For example, Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient has been used to determine whether correlation is present, positive or negative and its associated strength.