In this article what is the relationship betwen experimental design and the authors' hypothesis?"Cognitive costs of exposure to racial prejudice"...

In this study, the authors hypothesized the members of
minority groups would have their cognitive function impaired when they witnessed acts of
subtle racial bias.  This informed their research design.  In order to test this, the
authors:

• Exposed some subjects to overt
  racism


• Exposed other subjects to subtle
  racism


• Used subjects from minority groups and white
  subjects


• Then gave the subjects tests of cognitive
  function

By exposing the subjects to racism
that was both overt and subtle, the researchers were able to test their hypothesis.  If
they were correct, the minority group members should have had less cognitive function
(greater impairment) when faced with subtle racism than when faced with overt racism. 
This research design, in which subjects were exposed to both kinds of racism, was meant
to measure that hypothesis.