Deck 9: Validity and Realism in Research

Question 1

Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) predicted that after performing a boring task and then being paid $1 for telling a lie about it to a waiting participant ("this study is really interesting"), the actual participants in the study would:

A) demonstrate high dissonance by reporting they did not enjoy the study
B) demonstrate high dissonance by reporting they did enjoy the study
C) demonstrate low dissonance by reporting they did not enjoy the study
D) demonstrate low dissonance by reporting they did enjoy the study

Answer 1

demonstrate high dissonance by reporting they did enjoy the study

Question 2

Cognitive dissonance is a:

A) self-report bias
B) a serious validity problem
C) a state of psychological tension
D) a form of mundane realism

Answer 2

a state of psychological tension

Question 3

When a change in a dependent variable is causally related to the intended influence of an independent variable, an experiment is said to have:

A) internal validity
B) external validity
C) construct validity
D) reliability

Answer 3

internal validity

Question 4

When a set of findings can be used to describe the behavior of other people in other places at other times, an experiment is said to have:

A) internal validity
B) external validity
C) construct validity
D) reliability

Question 5

When the operationalizations of some variables can be shown to represent the theoretical constructs on which they are based, a social psychologist is demonstrating:

A) internal validity
B) external validity
C) construct validity
D) reliability

Question 6

A group of research participants takes part in an experiment after eating a heavy meal, which lowers their responsiveness to some stimuli. Which threat to internal validity might be affecting their responses?

A) history
B) mortality
C) selection
D) maturation

Question 7

When 15% of the people in a longitudinal study on dating behavior quit, the investigator needs to worry about _____ as a threat to internal validity.

A) history
B) mortality
C) selection
D) maturation

Question 8

Which of the following is not a method for increasing a study's level of internal validity?

A) run a true experiment
B) pilot test the experiment
C) make the research procedure involving
D) increase the study's level of generalizability

Question 9

When the psychological processes people rely on when taking part in an experiment as similar to those they use in daily living, the study is said to have:

A) mundane realism
B) experimental realism
C) psychological realism
D) none of the above

Question 10

The mundane realism of a study can be increased by:

A) have the experimenter look and act professional
B) make the research space neat, orderly, and well-lit
C) add comfortable seating and ambient noise
D) all of the above

Question 11

What is cognitive dissonance? Define this term and provide an everyday example.

Question 12

Describe the now classic study of insufficient justification and cognitive dissonance conducted by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959). Be sure to discuss how the control condition differed from the other conditions in the study.

Question 13

Why is cognitive dissonance sometimes refereed to as an example of a consistency theory? How does dissonance impact people's perceptions of consistency?

Question 14

What is internal validity? Why is it an essential component of any true experiment?

Question 15

Why is external validity a desirable quality for any piece of research, especially one in social psychology?

Question 16

Describe the "give-and-take" relationship between internal and external validity. Can you have one without the other? Why or why not? Use an example to illustrate your arguments.

Question 17

Why is construct validity an important quality for research efforts in social psychology?

Question 18

Consider the common threats to internal validity: How does history differ from maturation? Use an example of each threat to illustrate the difference(s).

Question 19

List and define at least four of the common threats to internal validity.

Question 20

List and discuss three ways to enhance the internal validity of a research study.

Question 21

Discuss some approaches for enhancing the external validity of an experiment.

Question 22

What is basic research? How does it differ from applied research? Which type of research is more focused on internal validity?

Question 23

Mook (1983) wrote a noteworthy article wherein he defended what he called "external invalidity". Practically speaking, what did he mean? Isn't all research meant to be generalized from one population to other populations?

Question 24

How do mundane realism, experimental realism, and psychological realism relate to one another conceptually? Which is most important for research in social psychology? Explain your choice.

Question 25

Suggest some techniques a budding social psychologist can use to enhance the mundane realism and the experimental realism of an experiment.