Experimentаl Design аnd Methоdоlоgy (25 points) Prompt: Below is а description of an experimental study investigating exercise intervention for individuals with depression. Read the study design carefully and provide a comprehensive critique. Your response must include: (a) identification of at least three major methodological limitations or design flaws, (b) specific suggestions for improving each identified limitation to enhance experimental rigor, and (c) discussion of potential alternative approaches that could strengthen the overall research design. Study Description: Dr. Smith conducted a study titled "Effects of Exercise on Depression in College Students." She recruited 45 undergraduate students from her Psychology 101 classes who scored above 14 on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), indicating mild to moderate depression. Participants were placed in a high-intensity interval training group (HIIT, n=15), a moderate-intensity continuous exercise group (MICE, n=15), or a wait-list control group (n=15). The HIIT group performed 20-minute sessions three times per week, consisting of 1-minute high-intensity intervals at 85-90% maximum heart rate alternating with 1-minute recovery periods at 50-60% maximum heart rate. The MICE group performed 30-minute continuous exercise sessions three times per week at 65-75% maximum heart rate. All exercise sessions took place in the university gym and were supervised by graduate students. The wait-list control group was told they would receive the intervention after the study concluded. Depression was measured using the BDI-II at baseline, 4 weeks (mid-intervention), and 8 weeks (post-intervention). Physical fitness was assessed using a submaximal step test at baseline and 8 weeks. Participants also completed a single-item question asking "How motivated are you to exercise?" on a 1-10 scale at each time point. The intervention lasted 8 weeks, with no follow-up period. Participants who missed more than 3 sessions were excluded from analysis (n=7 excluded). Dr. Smith used a repeated-measures ANOVA to compare BDI-II scores across the three groups over time, with Bonferroni post-hoc tests for pairwise comparisons. She found significant improvements in depression scores for both exercise groups compared to the control (p