I have a lot to say here, so forgive me if my post seems like a scatterbrain.
First off, appanah, you changed your signature again. It's crazy. Back on topic, I found your test to be quite interesting indeed. I think that it's better you use people who studied the same thing as you and have the same type of education. In an experiment, there should only be on variable; in this case, you knew about the show, and your friends didn't. Very well conducted. As far as the conference room, that was obviously the best you can do, and I doubt you would have seen a substantial difference in the results, unless you placed the participants in separate rooms. Were they allowed to communicate with each other during the experiment?
Secondly, I don't know if I'm allowed to discuss the content of the episode yet, so stop reading if you haven't seen it yet. You mentioned the dysfunctional family and the concept of how they still have meals together. One thing I've always said about the Wilkersons is that no matter how dysfunctional they are, they are still united. There are certainly plenty of signs for this throughout the series, one of my favorite being Family Reunion. I think it is this same concept that causes the family to eat together. In fact, Lois talked about it wtih the Crazy Lady in Company Picnic. "You have to be home at 6:30 every night. Not 6:35, not 6:32. 6:30." I think that's a principle in the family.
Next, and this concerns Ekkostar's reply as well, the Dewey/Lois plot was fantastic. Certainly it was surreal, but in the current state of affairs at the house, I don't think it was too surreal. Jamie has been pushing Lois over the age lately, more than every baby since Reese, as we're led to believe, and she's feeling quite hopeless. In some ways, I think she wants a perfect cross of a baby that's somewhere between Malcolm and Dewey, but she can't figure out how to get Jamie to do that, and that is frustrating her. Hence her reaction to Dewey's "seeing another mother." I found that scene quite dramatic, ironic, and comical, and applaud the writers there.
There is in fact much more to the motivational seminar than your note-takers mentioned, and I find it interesting they didn't discuss to any degree the actual seminar. Hal ingeniusly became the leader of the group, placing himself in an uncomfortable situation which of course Bryan Cranston played brilliantly. The brilliant ending foreshadowed Hal losing his job again.
Finally, the Reese line was certainly the bottom part of this plot, but I still found it quite original and entertaining. It showed Reese's emotional side with animals; first the butterflies, now dogs. Maybe he could combine his two talents and cook for animals at a zoo after he graduates high school.
The scene where Reese and Malcolm were talking at the end was very emotional. I almost found myself wanting to reach out and assure Reese it was going to be ok, as he suddenly took ahold of himself. The acting in this scene by Frankie and Justin was very well done and natural.
Appanah, I am looking forward to reading your analysis after you view the episode yourself. This was an interesting twist, and I'm glad you did it.