Question 1

According to the text, the first step in the scientific method is:

Accepted Answer

The first step in the scientific method is observation, where researchers gather information about a phenomenon of interest. After observation, researchers formulate a hypothesis and then specify the independent and dependent variables, and assign subjects randomly to groups (if applicable) in order to test the hypothesis. It is also important to answer ethical questions before conducting research, but this is not typically the first step in the scientific method.

Question 2

Aronson believes that the study of social psychology is:

Accepted Answer

Aronson believes that the study of social psychology is both an art and a science, as it involves both objective research methods and subjective interpretation of human behavior and experiences.

Question 3

In the Aronson and Mills experiment, the ________ was (were) the independent variable(s) and the ________ was (were) the dependent variable(s):

Accepted Answer

In the Aronson and Mills experiment, the independent variable was the severity of initiation (either mild or severe) and the dependent variable was women's liking for the discussion group.

Question 4

Suppose you conducted an experiment to study the effect of violence in television shows on aggressiveness in children. The dependent variable would be:

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured and affected by the independent variable, which in this case is violence in television shows. Therefore, the dependent variable is how aggressive the children were, as this is what is being measured to see if it is affected by the violence in the television shows.

Question 5

Which of the following word pairs corresponds most closely to "cause-effect"?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is manipulated to observe its effect on the dependent variable, representing a cause-effect relationship.

Question 6

In an experiment, two groups of college students were shown the same pictures of 25 women from a different campus. However, for one group, the photos were altered to make the faces in the photographs appear more symmetrical. Participates rated the attractiveness of the women on a one-to-ten scale with ten being very attractive and one be very unattractive. In this experiment, what was the dependent variable?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or observed in an experiment, and in this case it is the attractiveness rating given by the participants. The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated or changed by the experimenter, which in this case is whether or not the pictures were altered to appear more symmetrical. The sex of the persons in the pictures and whether or not the participants were college students are not related to the dependent variable and therefore not the correct choices.

Question 7

In an experiment, two groups of college students were shown the same pictures of 25 women from a different campus. However, for one group, the photos were altered to make the faces in the photographs appear more symmetrical. Participates rated the attractiveness of the women on a one-to-ten scale with ten being very attractive and one be very unattractive. In this experiment, what was the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this experiment is whether or not the photographs were symmetrical. This is because this variable was deliberately manipulated by the researchers to see if it had an effect on the attractiveness ratings given by the participants. The other options, such as the attractiveness rating scales, sex of the people in the pictures, and the fact that they were college students, are all examples of variables that were not manipulated by the researchers and would therefore be considered dependent variables or control variables.

Question 8

In an experiment, extraneous (nonmanipulated) variables are controlled by:

Accepted Answer

Controlling extraneous variables is accomplished by making all aspects of the procedure identical for all conditions, except for the independent variable manipulation. This ensures that any observed differences in the dependent variable are due to the independent variable manipulation and not due to other factors. A and D do not address controlling extraneous variables, and B only addresses controlling one specific extraneous variable (similarity between subjects) and not others.

Question 9

The factor systematically varied by the experimenter is usually termed:

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated by the experimenter, and its effects on the dependent variable are measured. The extraneous variable is a factor that may unintentionally affect the dependent variable, but it is not manipulated by the experimenter. The dependent variable is the outcome that is measured in response to the manipulation of the independent variable. The control variable is a factor that is kept constant throughout the experiment to ensure that any observed effects are due to the manipulation of the independent variable.

Question 10

In conducting an experiment, the researcher's goal is to:

Accepted Answer

The goal of conducting an experiment is to determine whether manipulations of the independent variable cause systematic differences in subjects' behavior. This is accomplished by manipulating the independent variable and observing the resulting changes in the dependent variable. The other options are either not the primary goal of conducting experiments or not applicable in all situations.

Question 11

The dependent variable in Miller et al.'s second study concerning math testing was:

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in Miller et al.'s second study concerning math testing was the change in self-esteem scores from pretest to posttest. The study aimed to investigate the impact of reward and punishment on students' self-esteem and how that influenced their performance on a subsequent math test. The change in self-esteem scores from pretest to posttest was measured as the dependent variable.

Question 12

In discussing their results on the relative effectiveness of persuasion and attribution techniques in producing behavioral change, Miller et al. advance which of the following explanations for their findings?

Accepted Answer

Attribution techniques are more successful because they positively reinforce the subject's self-concept, making them more receptive to change.

Question 13

According to Aronson, which type of research study would be much simpler to conduct on the topic of college fraternities and conformity?

Accepted Answer

A field study that used members of actual fraternities would be much simpler to conduct on the topic of college fraternities and conformity because the researcher would not have to recruit participants or create a laboratory setting. The researcher could simply observe the behavior of fraternity members in their natural environment.

Question 14

Miller et al. gave subjects a pretest before conducting Study 1 in their research on the relative effects of attribution versus persuasion in producing behavioral change. The importance of conducting this pretest was:

Accepted Answer

The pretest was conducted to discover existing differences among the classrooms in how much they littered. This information was crucial in the design and implementation of Study 1, which aimed to examine the relative effects of attribution versus persuasion in producing behavioral change with regards to littering. The other options are not relevant to the purpose of the pretest in this study.

Question 15

Miller et al. warn against seeing their findings either as the basis for specific educational reforms or as an effective step toward ending social inequalities. They cite several reasons why they hold this less-than-optimistic view. Which of the following is not one of those reasons?

Accepted Answer

None of the other options are mentioned as reasons why Miller et al. hold a less-than-optimistic view about their findings. Option D is not mentioned either, but the other three options (A, B, and C) are explicitly stated as reasons why the authors caution against overinterpreting their results.

Question 16

In an experiment, two groups of college students were shown the same pictures of 25 women from a different campus. However, for one group, the photos were altered to make the faces in the photographs appear more symmetrical. Participates rated the attractiveness of the women on a one to ten scale with ten being very attractive and one be very unattractive. In this experiment, which variable is most likely a control variable?

Accepted Answer

The sex of the person in the pictures is most likely a control variable because it is not being manipulated in the experiment and is not expected to have an effect on the outcome of the experiment. The variables being manipulated are the symmetry of the photographs and the ratings of attractiveness. The rating scale is also not a control variable because it is a measurement tool being used to assess the outcome variable of attractiveness ratings. The fact that the subjects were college students is also not a control variable because it is not being manipulated and is not expected to have an effect on the outcome variable.

Question 17

Experimentation is used in social psychology primarily because:

Accepted Answer

Experimentation allows for greater control of the relevant variables, which is important in testing causal relationships. Other research techniques may not have the same level of control, making it more difficult to draw causal conclusions.

Question 18

The hypothesis of Miller et al.'s first experiment, which attempted to modify children's littering behavior, was that:

Accepted Answer

The hypothesis of Miller et al.'s first experiment was that both attribution and persuasion manipulations would lead to initial behavioral change, but only attribution would have a more long-lasting effect on behavior modification.

Question 19

Suppose you constructed an experiment to better understand the effect of the content of a speech on how persuaded people were by it. In this experiment, the independent variable would be:

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher, and in this case, the content of the speech is what is being manipulated. The dependent variable, on the other hand, is the variable that is being measured, which in this case, would be how persuaded the people were. The characteristics of the subjects and how the speech was delivered are not being directly manipulated, so they would not be the independent variable.

Question 20

The dependent variable in an experiment is used to measure:

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable in an experiment that is being measured or tested, and it is affected by changes in the independent variable. Therefore, it is used to measure the effects of the independent variable, which is the variable being manipulated in the experiment. Option A is incorrect because the effects of extraneous variables are controlled through the use of control variables in the experiment. Options C and D are not related to the dependent variable.

Quiz 9: Social Psychology As a Science

According to the text, the first step in the scientific method is:

Aronson believes that the study of social psychology is:

In the Aronson and Mills experiment, the was (were) the independent variable(s) and the was (were) the dependent variable(s) :

Suppose you conducted an experiment to study the effect of violence in television shows on aggressiveness in children. The dependent variable would be:

Which of the following word pairs corresponds most closely to "cause-effect"?

In an experiment, extraneous (nonmanipulated) variables are controlled by:

The factor systematically varied by the experimenter is usually termed:

In conducting an experiment, the researcher's goal is to:

The dependent variable in Miller et al.'s second study concerning math testing was:

In discussing their results on the relative effectiveness of persuasion and attribution techniques in producing behavioral change, Miller et al. advance which of the following explanations for their findings?

According to Aronson, which type of research study would be much simpler to conduct on the topic of college fraternities and conformity?

Miller et al. gave subjects a pretest before conducting Study 1 in their research on the relative effects of attribution versus persuasion in producing behavioral change. The importance of conducting this pretest was:

Miller et al. warn against seeing their findings either as the basis for specific educational reforms or as an effective step toward ending social inequalities. They cite several reasons why they hold this less-than-optimistic view. Which of the following is not one of those reasons?

Experimentation is used in social psychology primarily because:

The hypothesis of Miller et al.'s first experiment, which attempted to modify children's littering behavior, was that:

Suppose you constructed an experiment to better understand the effect of the content of a speech on how persuaded people were by it. In this experiment, the independent variable would be:

The dependent variable in an experiment is used to measure:

Quiz 9: Social Psychology As a Science

According to the text, the first step in the scientific method is:

Aronson believes that the study of social psychology is:

In the Aronson and Mills experiment, the ________ was (were) the independent variable(s) and the ________ was (were) the dependent variable(s) :

Suppose you conducted an experiment to study the effect of violence in television shows on aggressiveness in children. The dependent variable would be:

Which of the following word pairs corresponds most closely to "cause-effect"?

In an experiment, extraneous (nonmanipulated) variables are controlled by:

The factor systematically varied by the experimenter is usually termed:

In conducting an experiment, the researcher's goal is to:

The dependent variable in Miller et al.'s second study concerning math testing was:

In discussing their results on the relative effectiveness of persuasion and attribution techniques in producing behavioral change, Miller et al. advance which of the following explanations for their findings?

According to Aronson, which type of research study would be much simpler to conduct on the topic of college fraternities and conformity?

Miller et al. gave subjects a pretest before conducting Study 1 in their research on the relative effects of attribution versus persuasion in producing behavioral change. The importance of conducting this pretest was:

Miller et al. warn against seeing their findings either as the basis for specific educational reforms or as an effective step toward ending social inequalities. They cite several reasons why they hold this less-than-optimistic view. Which of the following is not one of those reasons?

Experimentation is used in social psychology primarily because:

The hypothesis of Miller et al.'s first experiment, which attempted to modify children's littering behavior, was that:

Suppose you constructed an experiment to better understand the effect of the content of a speech on how persuaded people were by it. In this experiment, the independent variable would be:

The dependent variable in an experiment is used to measure:

In the Aronson and Mills experiment, the was (were) the independent variable(s) and the was (were) the dependent variable(s) :