Deck 11: True Experiments, part 1: Single-Factor Designs

Question 1

The Latin-square design controls for

A) order but not sequence
B) sequence but not order
C) both order and sequence
D) neither order nor sequence

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Random allocation of subjects to groups

A) Insures that the groups will be equal before the experimental manipulation
B) Improves experimental reliability
C) Occurs in a within-subjects design
D) Interferes with a comparison between the experimental and the control group

Answer 2

A

Question 3

An experiment always has at least

A) One independent variable
B) Two independent variables
C) Three levels
D) Three conditions

Answer 3

A

Question 4

If counterbalancing within subjects does not seem possible in a within-subjects experiment,the you may consider controlling for order and sequence effects

A) By giving everyone the same sequence in the same order
B) With a Latin-square design
C) Through reverse reliability
D) Within the group

Question 5

A research procedure in which the scientist has complete control over all aspects of the study is called:

A) A quasi-experiment
B) A survey
C) A true experiment
D) An archival study

Question 6

The way in which subjects are treated in an experiment is referred to as the

A) factor
B) condition
C) treatment
D) both b and c

Question 7

Reverse counterbalancing cannot control for ____ effects

A) nonlinear
B) order
C) sequence
D) within-subjects

Question 8

A well-designed experiment will

A) rule out all possible threats to validity
B) provide the result that corresponds to reality
C) adequately control for threats to validity
D) None of these are true

Question 9

Which one of the following variables is most experimentally manipulable?

A) athletic ability
B) student ability
C) socioeconomic level
D) teaching method

Question 10

Reverse counterbalancing involves which one of the following procedures?

A) randomly assigning subjects to treatment blocks
B) presenting each condition once before any condition is repeated
C) presenting the condition in order the first time and then in reverse order
D) presenting the conditions in reverse order the first time and then in order the next time.

Question 11

In which one of the following situations would the Latin square technique be appropriate? When it

A) is not possible to control for order and sequence effects within subjects
B) is possible to control for order and sequence effects within subjects
C) is not possible to do a within-subjects experiment
D) is not possible to present subjects with each condition in a different order from other subjects

Question 12

Block randomization involves which one of the following procedures?

A) Randomly assigning subjects to treatment blocks
B) Presenting the conditions in order the first time and then in reverse order
C) Presenting subjects with each condition in a different order from other subjects
D) Presenting each condition once before any condition is repeated

Question 13

In a well-designed between-subjects experiment,the participants would

A) Be assigned to conditions depending upon their gender
B) Be randomly allocated to conditions
C) Experience each condition at least once
D) Take a pre-test prior to allocation to groups

Question 14

An independent variable is also referred to as a

A) level
B) condition
C) factor
D) treatment

Question 15

An independent variable always has at least two

A) levels
B) conditions
C) factors
D) all of these

Question 16

Order effects result from

A) which condition follows which
B) the ordinal position of the condition
C) between subjects designs
D) control group designs

Question 17

The two basic elements of a true experimental design are

A) a control group and random allocation of subjects to conditions
B) a control group or a control condition and random allocation of subjects to groups
C) random selection of subjects and random allocation of subjects to conditions
D) random selection of subjects and each subject experiences every condition

Question 18

Which one of the following procedures is an appropriate way to control for sequence effects in a within-subjects experiment? Arrange so that each condition

A) follows every other condition an equal number of times
B) occurs equally often in each ordinal position
C) is presented once before any condition is repeated
D) occurs only once

Question 19

Which one of the following is the simplest true experimental design?

A) two-conditions, within-subjects design
B) two-conditions, between subjects design
C) one-group pretest-posttest design
D) multiple conditions, within-subjects design

Question 20

Which of the following is a true experimental design?

A) one group posttest-only
B) posttest-only with nonequivalent control groups
C) one group pretest-posttest
D) two conditions, tested within subjects

Question 21

A doctor prescribes a new drug for a sick patient.The patient gets well.Should the doctor believe that the drug made the patient well?

A) Yes. This is a single-factor experiment.
B) No. This represents a single-factor experiment
C) No. There are too many threats to reliability to draw that conclusion
D) No. There are too many threats to validity to draw that conclusion

Question 22

If productivity increased in a factory after all of its employees were switched to a work schedule consisting of four 10-hour days,should management really credit the schedule switch with the improvement?

A) Yes
B) Yes, but only if no workers had left the factory
C) No. There are too many threats to validity to draw that conclusion
D) No. You would need to conduct a survey to be sure.

Question 23

Craik and Tulving (1975)designed a study to examine methods of processing words on memory.In the first part of the experiment,they asked a question regarding the visual processing,acoustic processing,or semantic processing of the word before the subject was presented with the word.Each subject in their study experienced all three types of questions.In the second part of the study,the researchers asked people to recognize the words that had been presented from a list containing the original words and many distractor words.What is the best description of the design of Craik and Tuliving's experiment?

A) pre-test, post-test
B) multiple conditions, between subjects
C) single condition, between subjects
D) multiple-conditions, within subjects

Question 24

Exhibit 11-2 Refer to the following key:
R = random Assignment
X = experimental treatment
O = pretest or posttest observation
Refer to Exhibit 11-2.X O represents the

A) one-group pretest-posttest design
B) one-shot case study
C) posttest control group design
D) one-group posttest only design

Question 25

Three experimental conditions are to be compared in a within-subjects experiment.Each condition requires 15 minutes,and a total of one hour is available for testing each subject.Which of the following procedures can be used to control for order and sequence effects?

A) counterbalancing
B) reverse counterbalancing
C) block randomization
D) none of these

Question 26

You survey a group of people who have just finished college,most of whom say that the experience was worthwhile and that they learned a lot.What experimental design does this represent?

A) Archival
B) Single-factor within-subjects
C) One-group posttest-only design
D) Posttest-only with nonequivalent control groups

Question 27

To determine the effect of counseling on the self-esteem of divorced women,a researcher measures the self-esteem of a group of women before and after they have received counseling and compares the before and after measurements.What type of design does this study represent?

A) pretest-posttest control group design
B) posttest only control group design
C) one-group pretest-posttest design
D) nonequivalent control group design

Question 28

The one-group posttest-only design should be avoided because

A) All experimental designs have to have more than one group
B) There are many uncontrolled threats to validity
C) It produces unreliable results
D) It will not be possible to code the data

Question 29

Exhibit 11-2 Refer to the following key:
R = random Assignment
X = experimental treatment
O = pretest or posttest observation
Refer to Exhibit 11-2.O X O represents the

A) pretest-posttest control group design
B) one-shot case study
C) posttest-only control group design
D) one-group pretest-posttest design

Question 30

Exhibit 11-1 A drug and a placebo are compared for treating diabetes.A random half of the subjects receive the drug,while the other half receives the placebo.Blood glucose level is tested in all of the subjects several times a day.
Refer to Exhibit 11-1.The independent variable in the experiment described is

A) the drug
B) the placebo
C) blood glucose level
D) not present

Question 31

Exhibit 11-1 A drug and a placebo are compared for treating diabetes.A random half of the subjects receive the drug,while the other half receives the placebo.Blood glucose level is tested in all of the subjects several times a day.
Refer to Exhibit 11-1.What type of design does this study represent?

A) Single-factor within-subjects
B) Single-factor between subjects
C) One-group pretest-posttest
D) Posttest-only design with nonequivalent control groups

Question 32

In a study of preference for four different clothing styles,each participant is asked to evaluate all four styles in a reverse counterbalanced order.What type of design does this study represent?

A) Multiple conditions within-subjects design
B) Multiple conditions between subjects design
C) Between-subjects factorial design
D) Mixed factorial design

Question 33

The experiment by Pinel on exploration as a function of Electroconvulsive Shock-learning interval used a multiple-condition design to

A) rule out alternative hypotheses
B) determine the shape of a function
C) determine the effect of repeated ECS on the same rats
D) None of these is true.

Question 34

Exhibit 11-2 Refer to the following key:
R = random Assignment
X = experimental treatment
O = pretest or posttest observation
Refer to Exhibit 11-2.O X O O represents the

A) pretest-posttest control group design
B) posttest-only control group design
C) multiple conditions design
D) nonequivalent control group design

Question 35

The experiment by Braun,Ellis,and Loftus (2002)on the effect of a Disney advertisement on memory for visiting a theme park was done between subjects because

A) it would have taken too much time to run the same subjects in both conditions
B) two condition experiments are always done between subjects
C) if they experienced both conditions of the study they would no longer naive about the independent variable
D) they were trying to rule out more than one alternative hypothesis

Question 36

Multiple-condition experiments are employed to

A) compare more than one variable
B) determine the shape of a function
C) rule out more than one rival hypothesis
D) All of these are true.

Question 37

Two types of psychotherapy are compared for treating depression.A random half of the subjects receive each of the treatments.What type of design does this study represent?

A) Single-factor within-subjects
B) Single-factor between subjects
C) One-group pretest-posttest
D) Posttest-only design with nonequivalent control groups

Question 38

Exhibit 11-1 A drug and a placebo are compared for treating diabetes.A random half of the subjects receive the drug,while the other half receives the placebo.Blood glucose level is tested in all of the subjects several times a day.
Refer to Exhibit 11-1.The control condition in the experiment described is

A) the drug
B) the placebo
C) blood glucose level
D) not present

Question 39

Exhibit 11-2 Refer to the following key:
R = random Assignment
X = experimental treatment
O = pretest or posttest observation
Refer to Exhibit 11-2.R O X O O represents the

A) nonequivalent control group design
B) multiple conditions design
C) pretest-posttest control group design
D) posttest only control group design

Question 40

A researcher would like to know whether his new dog training program is effective.He tests a group of dogs before they start the program,and then again afterwards.What research design has he used?

A) one-group pretest-posttest design
B) pretest-posttest control group design
C) posttest only control group design
D) nonequivalent control group design

Question 41

Researchers design a study to test the effects of marijuana and alcohol on verbal inhibition.Participants were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions.In condition A,participants smoke a placebo joint; in condition B,participants smoke one marijuana joint; in condition C,participants smoke two marijuana joints; and in condition D,participants smoke two marijuana joints and consume one ounce of alcohol.A word association test containing a number of socially taboo,or dirty,words is administered to each participant 15 minutes after each treatment is administered.Participant l receives condition A the first day,condition B the second day,condition C the third day,and condition D the fourth day.Participant 2 receives condition D the first day,A the second day,B the third day,and C the fourth day.Participant 3 receives condition C the first day,D the second day,A the third day,and B the fourth day.Participant 4 receives condition B the first day,C the second day,D the third day,and A the fourth day.Construct a table that illustrates the experimental design for this study.Identify the design.Discuss whether you think this design controls for sequence effects,order effects,or both.

Question 42

You have a hypothesis that sugar decreases the ability to remember lists of words,and that this impairment increases with the amount of sugar that is administered.Design a between groups single factor true experiment to test this idea.Be sure to define your independent and dependent variables.How will you recruit subjects? How will you allocate subjects and conditions?

Question 43

A researcher plans a study to test the effectiveness of the discussion method in an introductory research methods course at the college level.One instructor will use the discussion method in her class several times during the semester.Another instructor will teach the same content,but without using the discussion method.The researcher will collect the following data: student scores on mid-term and final exams and on a scale measuring attitudes toward instruction.Discuss at least three recommendations that you can provide to improve this experimental design.

Question 44

Consider the posttest-only design with nonequivalent control groups.Can you think of an experimental situation in which this design might be necessary? How could you potentially strengthen the experimental design?

Question 45

A psychology professor wants to test the effectiveness of providing students in his introductory experimental psychology class with an outline of his weekly lecture notes.He randomly forms two groups within his class,each containing 24 students.The experimental group receives an outline of the professor's weekly lectures,and the control group receives no outline.On the basis of this description,discuss what flaw is most evident in the design of the experiment.Identify and design and discuss an alternative procedure that might eliminate the flaws.