Deck 9: Conducting Studies

Question 1

Rachel is interested in math skills of boys versus girls in the sixth grade.She administers a series of math problems to both groups and asks them to solve as many problems as they can within a 15-minute period.She finds that both groups were only able to answer only 2% of the problems.Rachel's results may be due to a _____ effect.

A) performance
B) maximum
C) ceiling
D) floor

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true regarding the use of staged manipulations? Staged manipulations

A) are easier to replicate than straightforward manipulations.
B) are easier to interpret than straightforward manipulations.
C) are used to involve participants in an ongoing social situation that is perceived as real.
D) allow for less subtle interpersonal communication that can easily be put into words.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In an experimental study on gender bias in hiring,after being presented with the stimulus materials,participants were able to determine the purpose of the study.This problem is due to

A) experimenter expectancy.
B) a floor effect.
C) deception.
D) a demand characteristic.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The electroencephalogram (EEG)is used as a measure of

A) brain activity.
B) muscle tension.
C) anxiety.
D) sexual arousal.

Question 5

A criminal investigator measures a suspect's change in perspiration in response to questions regarding a burglary.The investigator is using which type of physiological measure?

A) GSR (galvanic skin response)
B) EMG (electromyogram)
C) EEG (electroencephalogram)
D) fMRI (functional MRI)

Question 6

Which physiological measure is frequently used to measure muscle tension?

A) GSR (galvanic skin response)
B) EMG (electromyogram)
C) EEG (electroencephalogram)
D) fMRI (functional MRI)

Question 7

If all participants received the minimum score for their performance,the results may be due to a _____ effect.

A) minimum
B) performance
C) ceiling
D) floor

Question 8

Dr.Columbo measures the tension in a participant's neck muscles as she completes a strenuous physical task.Dr.Columbo has most likely used a(n)

A) EMG (electromyogram).
B) EEG (electroencephalogram).
C) EKG (electrocardiogram).
D) GSR (galvanic skin response).

Question 9

A confederate is a person who

A) poses as a participant.
B) is responsible for compliance with ethical guidelines.
C) attempts to dissuade participants from succumbing to the demand characteristics of the experiment.
D) decides to stop his/her participation in a study on the basis of moral objections.

Question 10

Bob is conducting research on high school students' motivation.He believes one group of students is more motivated than another simply because they are in an honors class.This belief illustrates a(n)

A) single-blind.
B) placebo effect.
C) ceiling effect.
D) experimenter bias.

Question 11

A psychologist is interested in the effect of physical attractiveness on ratings of punishment assigned to a driver in an automobile accident.Participants read an account of the accident and received a written description of a physically attractive or unattractive defendant.The manipulation of attractiveness would be an example of a _____ manipulation.

A) staged
B) straightforward
C) conjunctive
D) dependent

Question 12

A researcher wants to examine the effect of noise level on reading comprehension.He finds that regardless of the noise level,all participants tested received the maximum scores for their performance.The results may be due to a _____ effect.

A) maximum
B) performance
C) ceiling
D) floor

Question 13

An important reason NOT to use the strongest manipulation possible is that it may

A) result in nonsignificant findings.
B) cause a ceiling effect.
C) create a situation grossly different from a real world situation.
D) invalidate previous research already published in scientific journals.

Question 14

Which one of the following is a common reason for using a staged manipulation? The researcher desires to

A) avoid order effects.
B) incorporate practice effects into the study.
C) eliminate demand characteristics.
D) simulate a real-world situation.

Question 15

A researcher who measures the speed of helping in an emergency is using a ________ measure.

A) self-report
B) physiological
C) behavioural
D) reactive

Question 16

A researcher is interested in examining the effect of caffeine on driving performance.In order to rule out a change in behaviour brought about because of participants' expectations about the effect of caffeine,the researcher should include

A) a demand characteristic.
B) a balanced placebo design.
C) a manipulation check.
D) experimenter bias.

Question 17

A researcher has a confederate drop a stack of papers in front of one person or a group of people.She then measures the amount of time it takes for the confederate to receive help in picking up the papers.The manipulation employed in this experiment would be an example of a _________ manipulation.

A) staged
B) straightforward
C) conjunctive
D) dependent

Question 18

After the data have been collected,the researcher tells participants the purpose of the study,the results expected,and the practical implications of the research.This process is referred to as a

A) manipulation check.
B) pilot study.
C) demand characteristic.
D) debriefing.

Question 19

In drug research,a(n)_____ has occurred when it is unclear whether improvement is due to properties of the drug or the expectation about the effect of the drug.

A) order effect
B) placebo effect
C) ceiling effect
D) demand characteristic

Question 20

Dr.Mills measures participants' brain-wave activity in order to study the brain's response to sounds of varying frequencies.Dr.Mills is likely to be using which type of physiological measure?

A) GSR (galvanic skin response)
B) EMG (electromyogram)
C) EEG (electroencephalogram)
D) EKG (electrocardiogram)

Question 21

The galvanic skin response (GSR)is used as a measure of

A) brain activity.
B) anxiety.
C) muscle tension.
D) body temperature.

Question 22

While Leo is performing a cognitive task,a researcher uses a physiological measure that scans various areas of his brain.The researcher is most likely using a

A) electrocardiogram.
B) galvanic skin response.
C) functional MRI.
D) cognitive task inventory.

Question 23

When a researcher submits a paper to a journal for publication,other researchers knowledgeable in the area of research carefully scrutinize the paper and recommend acceptance or rejection.This process is known as

A) a manipulation check.
B) correspondence analysis.
C) peer review.
D) debriefing.

Question 24

Which of the following physiological measures would you recommend a researcher use to compare brain images between individuals with and without Alzheimer's disease?

A) EMG (electromyogram)
B) EEG (electroencephalogram)
C) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
D) GSR (galvanic skin response)

Question 25

While in a shopping mall,a marketing researcher stops and asks you which you prefer: cola in a bottle or cola in a can.Your response would be an example of a _____ measure.

A) behavioural
B) psychological
C) multiple
D) self-report

Question 26

Experiments conducted in field settings generally minimize which one of the following?

A) Demand characteristics
B) Floor effects
C) Measure insensitivity
D) Order effects

Question 27

Professor Smith surveys her students in order to examine their preference for an individual or a group research project.The responses Professor Smith collects would be an example of what type of measures?

A) Behavioural
B) Self-report
C) Physiological
D) Event

Question 28

Why would an investigator use more than one dependent measure?

A) It is useful to know if the independent variable affects some measures but not others.
B) It increases the complexity of the design and looks more impressive.
C) It eliminates the problem of demand characteristics.
D) It makes the research study more obviously ethical.

Question 29

Staged manipulations often involve the use of

A) children as participants.
B) confederates.
C) learning material.
D) boredom.

Question 30

Strong manipulations are used to ________ the effect of the ________ variable.

A) minimize;independent
B) maximize;independent
C) minimize;dependent
D) maximize;dependent

Question 31

A researcher designed an experiment to test the effects of a top-secret vitamin supplement on the strength of weight-lifters.Thimble lifting would not be a useful measure of strength because thimble lifting

A) cannot be measured.
B) is not a sensitive measure of strength.
C) is not a reliable measure.
D) is a behavioural measure.

Question 32

Investigators will sometimes use deception in the procedures to address the problem of

A) third variables.
B) demand characteristics.
C) floor effects.
D) ceiling effects.

Question 33

The strongest possible manipulation should not be used if it results in

A) extreme,unrealistic situations.
B) statistically nonsignificant data.
C) floor effects.
D) ceiling effects.

Question 34

A(n)_____ provides evidence to indicate what brain processes are involved while an individual works on a cognitive task.

A) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
B) ECG (electrocardiogram)
C) fMRI (functional MRI)
D) EMG (electromyogram)

Question 35

A manipulation in which participants are run individually versus as a group is an important consideration regarding the _____ the manipulation.

A) ethicality of
B) strength of
C) generality of
D) time to complete

Question 36

A researcher conducts his study with a small number of participants in order to reveal whether the instructions and procedures are clearly understood.This procedure is an example of a

A) manipulation check.
B) double blind study.
C) pilot study.
D) demand characteristic.

Question 37

You conduct an experiment on the effect of low and high anxiety on test performance.The results turn out nonsignificant.Now you don't know if anxiety truly has no effect on performance or whether you had faulty procedures.How could this have been avoided? You could have conducted a(n)

A) ethics evaluation.
B) manipulation check.
C) factorial study using better controls.
D) double-blind study.

Question 38

Statistical analyses of the data is

A) required by professional associations.
B) used to decide whether a relationship was found.
C) only required for qualitative measures.
D) only important for when the data are published.

Question 39

A researcher presents his dog with a bowl of normal dog food and a bowl of vitamin enriched dog food.He then records the amount of each type of food the dog consumes as a measure of his dog's food preference.What kind of measure has the researcher used?

A) Behavioural
B) Self-report
C) Physiological
D) Reactive

Question 40

Adam measures the length of time two people spend gazing into one another's eyes as an indication of interpersonal attraction.Adam is using which type of measure?

A) Archival
B) Self-report
C) Physical
D) Behavioural

Question 41

Without informing them,a researcher assigns participants to either an experimental or a placebo group.The researcher's assistants who test the participants do not know who belongs in which group.The experiment has used a

A) single-blind technique.
B) double-blind technique.
C) strong experimental manipulation.
D) behavioural measure.

Question 42

In general,staged manipulations are _____ than straightforward manipulations.

A) less costly
B) more costly
C) weaker
D) stronger

Question 43

Responses by participants to interviews and questionnaires are _______ measures.

A) behavioural
B) valid
C) self-report
D) physiological

Question 44

Which type of manipulations of variables are operationally defined using instructions and stimulus presentations?

A) Staged
B) Straightforward
C) Stimulus
D) Physical

Question 45

Which one of the following offers a solution to the problem of experimenter bias?

A) Placebo groups
B) Automated procedures
C) Single-blind studies
D) Counterbalancing

Question 46

The electromyogram (EMG)is used as a measure of

A) brain activity.
B) muscle tension.
C) sweating.
D) learning ability.

Question 47

In a study examining the effect of appearance on judgments of criminal behaviour,a researcher asks questions about the surroundings and the victim in order to disguise the dependent measures in the study.These unrelated questions are referred to as

A) independent measures.
B) filler items.
C) task measures.
D) placebo measures.

Question 48

A manipulation check is used to determine whether

A) the results were statistically significant.
B) the independent variable had the intended effect.
C) the independent variable was ethical.
D) the dependent variable has face validity

Question 49

Any feature of an experiment that might inform participants of the purpose of the study is called a(n)

A) experimenter expectancy.
B) demand characteristic.
C) placebo group.
D) manipulation check.

Question 50

Ralph has a confederate cut in front of a person who is second or ninth in line at a grocery store checkout counter.He then records the number of verbal responses towards the confederate as a measure of aggression.The manipulation employed in this study is an example of a _____ manipulation.

A) sequential
B) staged
C) straightforward
D) dependent

Question 51

A researcher examined the effect of lighting on learning.Randomly assigned participants learned material while using a 100-watt or a 125-watt bulb.There were no differences between the two groups.The nonsignificant results may have occurred because of

A) a costly measure of learning.
B) insufficient strength of the manipulation.
C) selection differences.
D) random assignment of participants.

Question 52

A ceiling effect occurs when a measure results in too many

A) maximum scores.
B) minimum scores.
C) scores.
D) median scores.

Question 53

A manipulation check is especially important in studies

A) using double-blind procedures.
B) when nonsignificant results are obtained.
C) using independent groups.
D) where demand characteristics are minimal.

Question 54

Participants consume 8,16,24,or 32 ounces of alcohol and are then asked to recite the alphabet as quickly as possible.The amount of time it takes the participant to correctly recite the alphabet would be an example of a _____ measure.

A) self-report
B) physiological
C) reactive
D) behavioural

Question 55

When participants are not aware of whether they are in the experimental or control condition,the researcher has used a ________ technique.

A) single-blind
B) reliable
C) sensitive
D) double-blind

Question 56

In the early stages of a research project,the researcher would want as _____ as possible in order to demonstrate that a relationship between variables exists.

A) many manipulations
B) weak of a manipulation
C) strong of a manipulation
D) costly of a manipulation

Question 57

In general,_____ manipulations are less costly than _____ manipulations.

A) confederate;staged
B) staged;straightforward
C) straightforward;staged
D) staged;weak

Question 58

Presenting participants with different versions of a videotaped confession in order to study person perception is an example of a(n)_____ manipulation.

A) externally valid
B) learning
C) staged
D) straightforward