Question 1

Dr. Wegner conducts a study to investigate the careers young adults are interested in pursuing using a sample of 100 Harvard honors students. What is the major problem with her sample?

Accepted Answer

The major problem with Dr. Wegner's sample is that it is not representative of all young adults, as it only includes Harvard honors students. This makes it difficult to generalize the findings across a broader population of young adults with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Question 2

Using which of the following designs will increase the external validity of an experiment?

Accepted Answer

A field experiment takes place in a real-world setting, which increases its external validity by allowing researchers to observe how the manipulated variable operates in a natural environment, making it the best choice for increasing external validity.

Question 3

In reading descriptions of the behaviors of the New York University students who participated in Latané and Darley's (1968) experiment on bystander intervention, you wonder whether a similar study conducted in Tokyo in 1968 would have yielded the same results as those participants from NYU. In essence, your question is, "Will these results generalize across __________?"

Accepted Answer

Generalization refers to the extent to which research findings and conclusions from one context or group can be applied to other contexts or groups. In this case, the question is whether the findings from the NYU students can be applied to a different group of people, specifically those in Tokyo. Therefore, the answer is B, people.

Question 4

A credible cover story helps to ensure __________.

Accepted Answer

A credible cover story helps to ensure psychological realism by making the experimental situation more believable and engaging for the participants, thereby enhancing the naturalness of their behavior within the experiment.

Question 5

__________ is defined by the authors of your text as an experiment conducted in natural settings rather than in the laboratory.

Accepted Answer

The definition given in the question matches the description of a field experiment, which is conducted in a natural setting rather than in a laboratory. The other options are related but do not specifically match the given definition.

Question 6

According to the authors of your text, the ultimate test of an experiment's external validity is __________.

Accepted Answer

The ultimate test of an experiment's external validity, according to the authors, is replications. Replications ensure that the findings are consistent across different settings, times, and with different populations, thereby confirming the external validity of the experiment.

Question 7

Many times in social psychological research, it is often the case that when internal validity is high, there is a trade-off, and __________ is low.

Accepted Answer

When internal validity is high, it means that the researcher has control over the variables and has eliminated confounding factors that could affect the results. However, to achieve high internal validity, experiments often take place in very controlled settings with very specific samples, which does not translate to the real world. Therefore, the external validity or the generalization of findings to the real world may be low.

Question 8

When Latané and Darley replicated their experiment on helping behaviors as a field experiment, they had two burly men steal a case of beer from a convenience store, and then measured the number of customers who reported the robbery. Why would they replicate their laboratory study in a field setting?

Accepted Answer

Replicating the laboratory study in a field setting enhances external validity, as it allows for the study's results to be generalized to a real-world setting.

Question 9

Replications are designed to ensure that __________.

Accepted Answer

Replications are conducted to check if the original results can be obtained in different populations and different settings. This increases the generalizability and reliability of the findings. The other options (A, C, and D) do not fully capture the purpose of replications.

Question 10

According to your text, a perfect study would involve __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to your text, a perfect study...

Question 11

A psychologist first conducted a study on helping behavior with a sample of college undergraduates. This psychologist then replicated the study using the same procedure with a different participant sample. If similar results were obtained with both samples, this experimenter has demonstrated __________.

Accepted Answer

The experimenter has demonstrated external validity, which refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to other populations or settings. By replicating the study with a different participant sample and obtaining similar results, the experimenter has shown that the findings are not limited to just one specific group of individuals, but can be applied more broadly. Internal validity (A) refers to the extent to which a study is free from confounds or alternative explanations for the results. Population consistency (C) is not a commonly used term in psychological research, and chronological consistency (D) is not relevant to this scenario.

Question 12

Mario conducts a study on what Caucasians perceive as physically attractive, then conducts the same study with African Americans, and then with Asian Americans as the sample. Mario is using __________ to determine the external validity of his findings.

Accepted Answer

Mario is using replication to determine the external validity of his findings because he is conducting the same study with different samples to see if the results hold true across different groups. Meta-analysis involves combining the results of multiple studies, a cover story involves providing a false explanation for a study to prevent demand characteristics, and surveys involve collecting data via questionnaires or interviews.

Question 13

The notion of "the basic dilemma of the social psychologist" refers to __________.

Accepted Answer

The basic dilemma of the social psychologist refers to the trade-off between internal and external validity in conducting experiments. Internal validity refers to the degree to which an experiment is able to establish cause and effect relationships, while external validity refers to the degree to which the results of an experiment can be generalized to the real world. Social psychologists often have to prioritize one over the other, as maximizing internal validity may require highly controlled laboratory settings that limit the generalizability of the findings, while maximizing external validity may require sacrificing control over extraneous variables.

Question 14

Which of the following is important to replication across different situations and people?

Accepted Answer

Testing if results are externally valid across people and situations is important for replication across different situations and people. This involves testing whether the findings can be generalized to other populations and settings beyond the original study. Testing different independent variables or enhancing internal validity through random selection and assignment may improve the rigor of the study, but they do not necessarily guarantee replication across different situations and people. Replicating with a different dependent variable or research design may also be important, but it is not as essential as testing external validity.

Question 15

Why do researchers go to great lengths to create cover stories and devise elaborate situations in their studies to cover up the true purpose of the study?

Accepted Answer

Researchers go to great lengths to create cover stories and elaborate situations to cover up the true purpose of the study to reduce the likelihood that participants will change their behavior because they know too much about the study. This helps to ensure that the data collected is more accurate and reliable.

Question 16

__________ would increase the external validity of experiments, but social psychologists must weigh the practicality of doing it.

Accepted Answer

Random sampling would increase the external validity of experiments by allowing researchers to generalize their findings to a larger population. However, it may not always be practical or feasible for social psychologists to use random sampling, especially if the population of interest is very large or difficult to access.

Question 17

Given that field experiments are high in external validity, why is it that social psychologists still rely on laboratory studies?

Accepted Answer

Laboratory studies help to control for extraneous variables, which can confound the results of field experiments.

Question 18

Dr. Lim conducts a study in which he places either an expensive or a cheap purse on a park bench. He then counts how many people try to return the purse to its owner. What kind of study is this?

Accepted Answer

This is a field experiment because Dr. Lim manipulates an independent variable (the value of the purse) in a natural setting to see its effect on a dependent variable (how many people try to return the purse).

Question 19

How is a field experiment similar to a lab experiment? Both involve __________.

Accepted Answer

Field and lab experiments both involve the manipulation of an independent variable to observe its effect on a dependent variable.

Question 20

Relative to laboratory-based experiments, field experiments tend to be high in __________.

Accepted Answer

Field experiments have high external validity as they are conducted in real-world settings and are more likely to generalize to real-world situations compared to laboratory-based experiments. Internal validity may be lower in field experiments due to the difficulty of controlling all variables in a natural environment. The p-value and reliability are not inherently related to the type of experiment.

Quiz 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research