Deck 7: Validity

Question 1

An experiment in which extraneous variables are controlled is said to be

A) internally reliable
B) internally valid
C) externally valid
D) externally reliable

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When subjects are selected because of the presence or absence of a condition,rather than having a condition assigned to them,the experimenter is testing

A) subject variables
B) construct validity
C) face validity
D) confounding variables

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The basic idea of validity is that conclusions based on research (are)

A) statistically reliable
B) free of experimenter bias
C) correspond to the actual conditions of the world
D) support the researchers hypothesis(es)

Answer 3

C

Question 4

If you wanted to make sure that fingernail biting was a good way to classify your participants regarding their anxiety level by also testing them with the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale,you would have used a(n)

A) validity verification
B) generalization evaluation
C) manipulation check
D) extraneous variable

Question 5

The threat of confounding is particularly serious in research using

A) randomization
B) true experiments
C) subject variables
D) assignment of subjects to conditions

Question 6

External validity refers to the extent to which

A) research results can be generalized to other situations
B) the experimenter unintentionally communicates his or her expectations to the participants
C) historical events occurred that accompanied one or more of the experimental treatments
D) the observed relationship is a true cause-effect relationship

Question 7

Two independent variables are confounded when

A) they both vary in the study
B) one varies and one does not
C) their separate effects cannot be tested
D) None of these are true

Question 8

The extent to which data are shown to be the result of a cause-effect relationship rather than accident reflects the level of

A) ecological validity
B) external validity
C) statistical validity
D) manipulation check

Question 9

Any factor that is associated with the independent variable and that is not purposely introduced by the researcher is considered a ____ error

A) subject
B) random
C) testing
D) confounding

Question 10

The extent to which data from a study are shown to be the result of a true cause-effect relationship rather than chance is a matter of

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

Question 11

If a researcher finds a result in a laboratory setting but not in a real world setting,the finding

A) lacks statistical validity
B) lacks ecological validity
C) lacks internal validity
D) cannot be published

Question 12

When a researcher asks the question,"Have subjects been pre-selected so as to represent the extremes on the variable of interest?",she is concerned with which one of the following potential threats to internal validity?

A) testing effect
B) maturation
C) subject selection
D) regression effect

Question 13

Which one of the following questions is concerned with construct validity?

A) Do the results support the researcher's hypothesis?
B) Do the results support the theory behind the research?
C) Are there alternative variables that can be ruled out as potential causes of the behavior or interest?
D) Are the measuring instruments free of error?

Question 14

Ruling out alternative theoretical explanations of results is the concern of ____ validity.

A) internal
B) construct
C) external
D) statistical

Question 15

Regression to the mean can occur when

A) performance on two measures is not completely correlated
B) there is selection on the basis of a measure correlated with the measure of interest
C) a person who scores on the extremes on one test scores closer to the middle on a later test
D) All of these are true.

Question 16

A researcher that is exploring gender differences is testing

A) construct validity
B) subject variables
C) outliers
D) confounding variables

Question 17

If a researcher asks,"Can we be sure that the observed relationship between the independent and dependent variables represents a true cause-effect relationship?" then the researcher is concerned about ____ validity

A) internal
B) construct
C) external
D) statistical

Question 18

When a researcher asks the question,"Have changes in some developmental process within the subjects paralleled the treatment effects?",she is concerned with which one of the following potential threats to internal validity?

A) maturation
B) subject selection
C) regression effect
D) testing effect

Question 19

Confounding is a threat to ____ validity

A) internal
B) external
C) construct
D) statistical

Question 20

If you were studying the effects of success and failure on feelings of depression and all of the participants experienced the failure condition on a rainy Monday and the success condition on a sunny Wednesday,____ might be a threat to internal validity.

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

Question 21

Which one of the following questions does not concern a threat to external validity? Would the same experiment ____

A) conducted at another time produce the same results?
B) conducted in another place produce the same results?
C) produce the same results if other subjects were used?
D) produce the same results if the independent variable were operationalized differently?

Question 22

Which one of the following is not a threat to the internal validity of an experiment?

A) maturation
B) regression effect
C) random error
D) mortality

Question 23

Marie is a participant in an experiment on food preferences.She has a habit of eating her fish sandwiches with coleslaw,cocktail sauce,and peanut butter on them on them.When asked about her preferences in eating fish,she doesn't mention all of the condiments that she uses.Marie is showing

A) evaluation apprehension
B) maturation
C) selection bias
D) good-subject tendency

Question 24

Any bias in selecting subjects for an experiment threatens the ____ of the experiment.

A) internal validity
B) internal reliability
C) statistical validity
D) statistical reliability

Question 25

Students as a group tend to perform better on the second exam.This is similar to ____,which is a threat to validity

A) the regression effect
B) effects of testing
C) history
D) mortality

Question 26

Participants exhibiting evaluation apprehension will

A) perceive one alternative as more socially acceptable than the other
B) have a tendency to agree to any statement on the inventory, regardless of its content
C) adopt a "wait and see" attitude
D) work harder if they know that they're being watched.

Question 27

In the early stages of an experiment,several participants discover that they are being deceived.Since the deception is harmless,they decide to play along so as not to embarrass the researcher.Which one of the following terms best describes this scenario?

A) good subject
B) deception
C) coercion
D) sabotage

Question 28

A source of invalidity that occurs as a result of participants behaving in the manner they think the experimenter expects them to behave is referred to as

A) experimenter bias
B) maturation
C) selection bias
D) good-subject tendency

Question 29

Using a convenience sample instead of a random sample of subjects is a threat to which kind of validity?

A) internal
B) external
C) construct
D) statistical

Question 30

Jolene just got a 17 out of 100 on a psychology test.Her friend Melba tries to cheer her up by pointing out that she should perform better on the next test,simply due to ____

A) the regression effect
B) maturation
C) history
D) mortality

Question 31

A loose connection between theory and method threatens ____ validity.

A) internal
B) external
C) construct
D) statistical

Question 32

Role demands are a source of

A) selection bias
B) experimenter bias
C) subject bias
D) evaluation bias

Question 33

Loss of subjects during the course of a research project usually introduces bias because

A) the resulting sample is too small
B) subjects are not lost on a random basis
C) descriptive statistics cannot be used on the resulting data
D) inferential statistics cannot be used on the resulting data

Question 34

A participant who interprets the instructions differently than the researcher intended most threatens the

A) external validity of the experiment
B) replicability of the experiment
C) theoretical interpretation of the results
D) validity of the statistics

Question 35

When a researcher asks the question,"Was the subject dropout rate during the course of the study equal over the various conditions or more pronounced in certain treatment groups?",she is concerned with which one of the following potential confounds

A) regression
B) random error
C) mortality
D) events outside the laboratory (history)

Question 36

A change in behavior simply as a result of earlier experience in the study is a threat to ____ validity.

A) internal
B) external
C) construct
D) statistical

Question 37

If people who drop out of study are systematically different from those who stay,we have which threat to validity?

A) selection
B) mortality
C) regression to the mean
D) maturation

Question 38

People tend to deviate from their true score on a test due to

A) random error
B) maturation
C) regression effect
D) mortality

Question 39

A participant's ideas and expectations about an experiment give rise to

A) evaluation apprehension
B) role demands
C) experimenter bias
D) selection bias

Question 40

An experimental finding that is easily demonstrated in the laboratory but not in the real world suffers from a problem with ____ validity.

A) internal
B) external
C) construct
D) statistical

Question 41

In a study of social interaction in mixed-gender groups,a researcher unconsciously treats women participants differently from the men participants when he reads them the instructions for the experiment.This is an example of

A) evaluation apprehension
B) role demands
C) experimenter bias
D) selection bias

Question 42

List at least 4 threats to internal validity and explain what they mean.

Question 43

A researcher designs a study to assess the effects of individual versus group practice on problem-solving achievement of fifth-grade children.Two teachers in an inner city elementary school volunteer to participate in the study and they decide between themselves which method,either the individual or group method,their students will use.After a 10 week period,a problem solving test is administered to the children.Discuss the threats to internal and external validity in this study.

Question 44

Milgram's famous study (1963)in which people were led to believe that they were administering shocks to other people illustrates the power of obedience and

A) evaluation apprehension
B) role demands
C) experimenter bias
D) selection bias

Question 45

To ascertain the effect of wilderness survival training,a researcher measures a group of 14-year-old Boy Scouts and a group of 8-year-old Boy Scouts who have not yet had wilderness survival training.The boys are measured at the same time on proficiency in various skills.Discuss the weaknesses related to experimental validity.

Question 46

Define the concepts internal and external validity.Discuss why we say that for some experiments an attempt at increasing one type tends to jeopardize the other type.

Question 47

Suppose that a researcher is interested in studying the effects of Teletubbies on children.Describe the potential threats to internal validity that might be encountered in constructing a design for this study.

Question 48

When an experimenter knows what the results of an experiment "should" be,it is possible for the results to be unintentionally influenced.This is an example of

A) evaluation apprehension
B) role demands
C) experimenter bias
D) selection bias