Deck 9: True Experiments

Question 1

Describe the defining characteristics of a true experiment.

Answer 1

No Answer

Question 2

When conducting a true experiment, how can you ensure that all participants are equivalent with respect to the dependent variable before they take part in the study?

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

What are parametric statistics? Give an example.

Answer 3

No Answer

Question 4

When inferential statistics are used, into what categories is the variance on a dependent variable partitioned? How are these categories compared statistically?

Question 5

According to your text, conducting a true experiment can rule out the possibility that differences between the experimental and control group were due to factors other than the independent variable. Describe the two of these factors.

Question 6

What are nonspecific treatment effects? Give an example.

Question 7

Describe how a manipulation check can be used to demonstrate the convergent validity of the manipulation of an independent variable.

Question 8

Describe two types of information that researchers can collect and examine as part of a manipulation check.

Question 9

Describe four possible reasons why an experimental manipulation might fail.

Question 10

What is satisficing? What procedures can a researcher use to test whether this factor is influencing participants' responses?

Question 11

Name and define three characteristics of a good manipulation of an independent variable.

Question 12

Describe a study, based on your own interests, that uses a good experimental manipulation. What factors does your manipulation have that suggest it would be effective?

Question 13

What is simple random assignment to conditions of an independent variable? Why is it a central aspect of a true experiment?

Question 14

What is quasi-random assignment to conditions of an independent variable? Why is it a questionable procedure?

Question 15

What is matched random assignment to conditions of an independent variable? Under what conditions is it most likely to be useful in controlling extraneous variance?

Question 16

What is extraneous variance? Describe two ways it can be reduced in a true experiment.

Question 17

Distinguish between within- and between-subjects designs. Describe two advantages and two disadvantages of each type of design.

Question 18

Distinguish between practice effects and carry over effects in within-subjects designs.

Question 19

Name and define the three types of order effects that can influence participants' responses in a within-subjects design.

Question 20

What are sensitization effects and how might they result in experimental demand?

Question 21

Explain why counterbalancing can be an effective way to control for order effects in a within-subjects design.

Question 22

What is a washout period and why would it be important to use one when you use a within-subjects design?

Question 23

Think of a hypothesis you would like to test using an experimental design. For your study, would a within- or a between-subjects design be better? Explain your reasoning.

Question 24

What is a Latin Square design? How would you determine the number of orders it should have?

Question 25

What are differential order effects? When would it be important to test for them?

Question 26

What are multiple-groups designs? For what purposes are they used?

Question 27

Describe the characteristics of an independent variable that would allow you to test whether there is a nonlinear relationship between it and the dependent variable.

Question 28

Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative independent variables. Give an example of each.

Question 29

Describe a multiple-groups design that uses a quantitative independent variable. What are the two general categories of relationships between the independent and the dependent variable in this type of design?

Question 30

You conduct a study with one independent variable with three levels. Your analysis of variance (ANOVA) produced a significant F value. What should you do next and why? Be sure to discuss why your answer would differ if you did or did not have an a priori hypothesis.

Question 31

Name and define the two types of information that a researcher can obtain from a factorial design.

Question 32

Explain how a factorial design can be used to test for moderator effects.

Question 33

Explain how order effects can be tested in a factorial design.

Question 34

Explain how blocking can be used to control for extraneous variables in a factorial design.

Question 35

Explain why most experimental research uses no more than three independent variables.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a defining characteristic of a true experiment?

A) measurement of the dependent variable
B) ensuring that participants in the experimental and control conditions have equivalent personal characteristics
C) manipulation of the independent variable
D) holding all variables other than the independent variable constant

Question 37

From a statistical point of view, all variance in the dependent variable that is NOT caused by manipulation of the independent variable is called ________ variance.

A) treatment
B) true
C) systematic
D) error

Question 38

From a statistical point of view, two goals of experimental design are to

A) increase both treatment and error variance.
B) increase treatment variance and reduce error variance.
C) increase error variance and reduce treatment variance.
D) reduce both treatment and error variance.

Question 39

__________ divide the variance in the dependent variable into variance caused by the independent variable and variance caused by everything else.

A) Parametric statistics
B) Non-parametric statistics
C) Bayesian statistics
D) Euclidian statistics

Question 40

Professor Bosch asks one group of participants to memorize a list of nonsense syllables while distracted. Another group memorizes the list without distractions. He compares number of syllables recalled between the two groups. Which of the following is NOT represented statistically in his error variance?

A) unintentional variations in experimental procedures
B) individual differences in working memory
C) differences due to being distracted or not
D) participants' evaluation apprehension

Question 41

In an experimental design, the control condition

A) is used to create nonspecific treatment effects for the independent variable.
B) consists of an experience or treatment that the researcher thinks will affect participants' behavior.
C) establishes a baseline against which the researcher can assess the effects of a treatment.
D) creates error variance which is offset by the experimental condition.

Question 42

Nonspecific treatment effects are

A) the effects the independent variable has on participants' behavior.
B) changes in the independent variable brought about by measuring the dependent variable.
C) the effects that volunteer bias has on the outcomes of experiments.
D) changes brought about in participants' behavior by all their experiences in the research setting other than the treatment.

Question 43

Placebo effects are

A) the effects that volunteer bias has on the outcomes of experiments.
B) the effects the independent variable has on participants' behavior.
C) changes in the dependent variable brought about by manipulating the independent variable.
D) changes brought about in participants' behavior when they think they are receiving a treatment but they are actually are in a non-treatment condition.

Question 44

In an experiment, more than one control condition is sometimes included so that the researcher can

A) rule out plausible alternatives to the hypothesized explanation for the effect of the independent variable.
B) completely test all components of a hypothesis.
C) create nonspecific treatment effects to supplement the effect of the independent variable.
D) do either a and b.

Question 45

A researcher wanted to determine if the presence of blue light, such as that emitted from a cell phone, interrupted sleep. Participants were asked either to sleep with their cell phone nearby or to sleep with their cell phone in another room. A device recorded their sleep cycles for one week. Results showed sleep quality was poorer in the cell phone present group. What design change needs to be made to rule out alterative explanations for the result?

A) use a within-subjects design rather than a between-subjects design.
B) measure sleep quality for longer than one week.
C) add a condition where blue light is emitted from a device other than a cell phone.
D) Any of the above can rule out alternative explanations

Question 46

Manipulation checks are used to assess the

A) construct validity of the procedures used to operationally define an independent variable.
B) reliability of the procedures used to operationally define an independent variable.
C) construct validity of a measure used to operationally define a dependent variable.
D) reliability of procedures used to create nonspecific treatment effects for an experiment.

Question 47

Manipulation checks can take the form of

A) interviews with research participants after the data have been collected.
B) dependent measures that assess the impact of the independent variable on participants.
C) expert judgments of the validity of the manipulation used to operationally define the independent variable.
D) a and b but not c

Question 48

Manipulation checks can be conducted

A) as part of the informed consent process.
B) as part of a pilot study of the experiment.
C) during the conduct of the research as part of the data collection process.
D) b and c but not a

Question 49

A manipulation check might fail because

A) the manipulation is not valid as an operational definition of the independent variable.
B) the manipulation was valid but not strong enough to affect participants' behavior.
C) participants were not paying attention to the manipulation.
D) of any of the above.

Question 50

Instructional manipulation checks are used to

A) tell participants what they will do during the experiment.
B) assess the extent to which participants were paying attention to the manipulation.
C) ensure that experimenters are giving the correct instructions to research participants.
D) assess the construct validity of the procedures used to manipulate the independent variable.

Question 51

A manipulation is reliable when

A) the conditions of the independent variable are found to differentially affect behavior.
B) the manipulation is sufficiently clear that participants notice it.
C) every participant in a given condition experiences the condition in essentially the same way.
D) the content of the manipulation is an accurate reflection of the hypothetical construct being manipulated.

Question 52

A manipulation is strong when

A) the conditions of the independent variable are found to differentially affect behavior.
B) the manipulation is sufficiently clear that participants notice it.
C) every participant in a given condition experiences the condition in essentially the same way.
D) the content of the manipulation is an accurate reflection of the hypothetical construct being manipulated.

Question 53

A manipulation is salient when

A) the conditions of the independent variable are found to differentially affect behavior.
B) the manipulation is sufficiently clear that participants notice it.
C) every participant in a given condition experiences the condition in essentially the same way.
D) the content of the manipulation is an accurate reflection of the hypothetical construct being manipulated.

Question 54

Which of the following statements about a strong manipulation is FALSE?

A) One must be careful to ensure that a manipulation is not so strong that it raises ethical issues.
B) Strong manipulations are usually achieved by using extreme levels of the independent variable.
C) One must be careful that a manipulation is not so strong that it becomes unrealistic.
D) Strong manipulations are often low in salience.

Question 55

Which of the following statements about using multiple stimuli to represent a condition of an independent variable is FALSE?

A) The use of multiple stimuli can increase the validity of a manipulation.
B) Many hypothetical constructs can be represented by more than one stimulus.
C) Although the use of multiple stimuli is desirable in theory, it is impossible to carry out in practice.
D) If a construct could be represented by multiple stimuli but only one stimulus is used, there is no way to tell whether participants are responding to the construct the stimulus represents or to the characteristics of that particular stimulus.

Question 56

A manipulation that participants consistently notice

A) is high in construct validity.
B) is strong.
C) is salient.
D) elicits satisficing.

Question 57

Satisficing occurs when participants

A) give the response they think the experimenter is looking for.
B) choose the first reasonable response, rather than the best response, to a stimulus.
C) fail the manipulation check because they are not paying attention.
D) follow the directive given in an instructional manipulation check.

Question 58

Dr. Mills has participants rate the attractiveness of an older woman or an older man. She finds the older man is rated as more attractive. One limitation of her study is that

A) the results might be due to satisficing.
B) her manipulation was likely not salient.
C) the results could be due to the unique characteristics of two people who were rated.
D) all of the above are limitations

Question 59

Extraneous variables

A) are related to or can influence the dependent variable but are not a focus of the research.
B) represent a condition of the independent variable in studies that utilize multiple stimuli.
C) can be considered additional control or comparison conditions.
D) can assess the effectiveness of a manipulation but are not themselves a focus of the study.

Question 60

Holding extraneous variables constant as a means of controlling their effects may have the undesirable side effect of

A) limiting the internal validity of the experiment by creating treatment confounds.
B) increasing the complexity of the experiment.
C) creating order effects that then have to be controlled.
D) limiting the generalizability of the conclusions that one can draw from the experiment.

Question 61

In a between-subjects experimental design

A) participants work in pairs or small groups to complete the experimental task.
B) a participant takes part in either the experimental or control condition, but not both.
C) the researcher uses nonrandom assignment of participants to conditions of the independent variable.
D) each participant takes part in both the experimental and control condition.

Question 62

In a within-subjects experimental design

A) participants fill out questionnaires that assess their personalities and other individuating characteristics.
B) a participant takes part in either the experimental or control condition, but not both.
C) each participant takes part in both the experimental and control condition.
D) there is no chance that an artifact will affect the results.

Question 63

Which of the following pairs of terms is correctly matched?

A) between-subjects design; independent groups design
B) between-subjects design; repeated measures design
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 64

Which of the following pairs of terms is correctly matched?

A) within-subjects design; independent groups design
B) within-subjects design; repeated measures design
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 65

Which of the following statements about assigning participants to conditions of a between-subjects experiment is/are TRUE?

A) Simple random assignment to condition controls the effects of participant characteristics by balancing them across groups.
B) Simple random assignment of participants to conditions guarantees that the members of the experimental and control group will be equivalent.
C) Assigning participants alternately to the experimental and control conditions as they come to the laboratory is equivalent to simple random assignment to conditions.
D) both a and b.

Question 66

A researcher who first measures a characteristic and then balances group membership on that characteristic, has used

A) counterbalancing.
B) matched random assignment.
C) random selection.
D) simple random assignment.

Question 67

Which of the following statements about matched random assignment of participants to conditions of a between-subjects experiment is FALSE?

A) A major drawback of using matched random assignment is the cost, in time, money, and resources, of pretesting.
B) Assigning participants alternately to the experimental and control conditions as they come to the laboratory is equivalent to matched random assignment to conditions.
C) The pretesting required for matched random assignment might induce a testing confound.
D) Matched random assignment is normally used only when the variable being controlled is known to have a strong effect on the dependent variable.

Question 68

Simple random assignment is most effective when

A) the sample size is large.
B) practice effects are not operating.
C) the participants to be assigned to the experimental group are chosen before those assigned to the control group.
D) a pretest is conducted to assess individual differences that are related to the dependent variable.

Question 69

Which of the following statements comparing within- and between-subjects designs is FALSE?

A) Within-subjects designs have more error variance than equivalent between-subjects designs.
B) Because participants in within-subjects designs take part in both the experimental and control conditions, there is perfect equivalence of participants in both conditions.
C) Within-subjects designs require fewer participants than equivalent between-subjects designs.
D) Because participants in within-subjects designs take part in both the experimental and control conditions, participants might deduce the hypothesis and alter their behavior accordingly.

Question 70

Which of the following can threaten the internal validity of a within subjects design?

A) practice effects
B) carry over effects
C) fatigue effects
D) any of the above

Question 71

Participants with high blood pressure first take a commonly-used medication for two weeks; their blood pressure is then assessed. For the following two weeks, they instead take a new medication and their blood pressure is again assessed. A possible problem with this study is a ________ effect.

A) practice
B) fatigue
C) carry-over effect
D) salience

Question 72

A researcher investigated experienced workers' ability to accurately install automobile parts on an assembly line. The workers first installed parts at 10 minute intervals. Later, the time interval was reduced to 9 minutes and then to 8 minutes. By the end of the study, the workers were installing a part every 5 minutes. The workers' accuracy decreased as the time allowed for installation time decreased. A possible problem with this study is a ________ effect.

A) practice
B) fatigue
C) carry-over effect
D) salience

Question 73

A researcher is studying the effects of reward on cognitive performance using a within-subjects design. All participants first completed a control condition in which they solved math problems with no reward. They then completed an experimental condition in which they were paid $1.00 for each problem solved correctly. Participants correctly solved more problems in the experimental condition than in the control condition. A possible problem with this study is a ________ effect.

A) practice
B) fatigue
C) carry-over effect
D) sensitization

Question 74

Sensitization effects in within-subjects designs can lead to ________ that threaten the internal validity of the study.

A) experimenter expectancies
B) history confounds
C) measurement confounds
D) demand characteristics

Question 75

A Latin squares design is a technique for

A) randomly assigning participants to conditions of an independent variable.
B) controlling for extraneous variables by adding independent variables to a design.
C) controlling order effects in a within-subjects design.
D) controlling experimenter expectancy effects in within-subjects designs.

Question 76

Carry-over effects in within-subjects designs are best controlled through the use of

A) a Latin squares design.
B) a wash-out period.
C) counterbalancing.
D) a low-salience manipulation.

Question 77

The possibility of sensitization effects can be dealt with by

A) counterbalancing treatment order.
B) using a Latin squares design.
C) using a between-subjects design.
D) a wash-out period.

Question 78

The use of counterbalancing in within-subjects designs assumes that order effects are equal regardless of the sequence in which participants experience the conditions. However, if one order (such as experimental before control) has a bigger impact than another order (such as control before experimental), a ________ effect has occurred.

A) differential order
B) counterbalancing failure
C) fatigue sensitization
D) condition malleability

Question 79

A researcher wants to know whether wearing sunglasses improves driving performance. In a properly designed WITHIN-subjects experiment, presence or absence of sunglasses would be varied by

A) randomly assigning half the drivers to a sunglasses condition and half to a no-sunglasses condition.
B) having all drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses.
C) having half the drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses and having the other half first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.
D) having all drivers first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.

Question 80

Multiple group designs

A) can have only quantitative independent variables.
B) compare social groups, such as women and men, on a dependent variable.
C) have more than two conditions of the independent variable.
D) can have only qualitative independent variables.