Question 1

Melvin and Leigh are interviewing students at their campus to determine if the students agree or disagree with a proposed policy change. Melvin believes the proposed policy change is a good idea, but Leigh believes the change will be bad for students. Nearly all the students who Melvin interviewed supported the policy change, but nearly all the students who Leigh interviewed disapproved of the change. Which of the following research problems could account for the different results?

Accepted Answer

Melvin and Leigh have different beliefs about the proposed policy change, which could lead to experimenter bias. Melvin's interview style may have unintentionally influenced students to support the change, while Leigh's interview style may have unintentionally influenced students to disapprove of the change.

Question 2

What is the typical consequence of experimenter bias?

Accepted Answer

Experimenter bias occurs when the experimenter's expectations influence the results of the study. This can lead to the effects of the bias confirming the experimenter's expectations.

Question 3

Reinhold is filling out a psychological test, and as he reads each question he thinks about the way most other people would probably respond. When he answers, he selects the alternative that he thinks will present the most favourable impression. What tendency will Reinhold's answers reflect?

Accepted Answer

Reinhold's answers reflect social desirability bias, as he is selecting the alternative that he thinks will present the most favourable impression, rather than answering truthfully.

Question 4

How do subjects tend to answer questions about themselves when they are being influenced by the social desirability bias?

Accepted Answer

When subjects are influenced by social desirability bias, they tend to answer questions in a socially approved manner, meaning they will provide answers that they believe are more socially acceptable or desirable, rather than true or accurate. This can lead to response bias and inaccuracy in research findings.

Question 5

Dr. Limmex is trying to get government approval for a new drug to treat anxiety. Dr. Limmex claims that 14 percent of the people who took this new drug reported reduced anxiety; however, other researchers claim that 14 percent of patients who receive no treatment also report reductions in their anxiety levels. What could explain patient improvement in Dr. Limmex's study?

Accepted Answer

The fact that 14 percent of patients who receive no treatment also report reductions in their anxiety levels suggests that placebo effects may be at play. In Dr. Limmex's study, it is possible that the patients who received the new drug experienced a placebo effect, believing that the drug would help reduce their anxiety and therefore feeling a reduction in anxiety.

Question 6

Darla has sent out a survey in which she is asking people to provide information about their attitudes on a number of sensitive subjects. Why might Darla expect responses to the survey to be somewhat distorted?

Accepted Answer

People may provide answers that they believe are socially desirable rather than their true beliefs, in order to avoid being judged in a negative way or to conform to social norms. This bias could affect the accuracy of the survey results. None of the other answer choices are relevant to this question.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of experimenter bias?

Accepted Answer

Experimenter bias refers to the influence that the experimenter's beliefs or expectations can have on the study results. In this case, the experimenter's hypothesis has affected either the subjects' behaviour or his observations of the subjects, leading to experimenter bias.

Question 8

Subjects' self-reports often indicate that they are healthier, happier, and less prejudiced than other types of evidence would suggest. What is the most likely explanation for these sorts of results?

Accepted Answer

Social desirability bias is the tendency for participants to respond in ways that they believe will make them look good or socially acceptable. This can lead to over-reporting positive characteristics like health, happiness, and lack of prejudice, even if the reality is not as positive.

Question 9

Dr. Voegeli is testing the effects of a new diet supplement on the endurance levels of several groups of athletes. One group receives 50 ml per day of the supplement. A second group receives 50 ml per day of a substance that has no active component, but looks and tastes just like the supplement. A third group receives nothing at all. In this case, what would we call the second group?

Accepted Answer

The second group is called the placebo control group, as they are receiving a substance (placebo) that does not have any active component but is used as a control to compare the results of the group receiving the actual supplement.

Question 10

When is a researcher most likely to encounter problems with the social desirability bias?

Accepted Answer

Social desirability bias occurs when individuals give responses that they believe will be viewed favorably by others or the researcher. This is most likely to happen when collecting self-reports, as individuals may alter their answers to present themselves in a positive light.

Question 11

Scarlett is a graduate student who is observing children playing together after watching a film. She knows that some children saw a film that contained graphic scenes of violence and some children saw a non-violent film, but she doesn't know which film each child she is observing watched. What would we call this type of procedure?

Accepted Answer

This procedure is called "blind" because Scarlett does not know which film each child watched, preventing her biases from influencing her observations.

Question 12

What do we call the experimental procedure in which both the experimenter and subject are unaware of who is in the experimental group and who is in the control group?

Accepted Answer

This experimental procedure is known as double-blind, where neither the experimenter nor the subject knows who is in the experimental group and who is in the control group. This helps to eliminate experimenter bias or subject bias, leading to more accurate and reliable results.

Question 13

Dr. Hugo designs an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new antidepressant. Half of the participants will receive the drug and half will receive a sugar pill, but neither the participants nor the researchers who administer the drug will know who is receiving the drug and who is receiving the sugar pill. What has Dr. Hugo designed?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Hugo has designed a double-blind research study, which is a commonly used method to test the effectiveness of new drugs. The double-blind design helps to minimize bias by ensuring that neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the drug and who is receiving the sugar pill, which helps to eliminate the potential for placebo effects or experimenter bias.

Question 14

Konrad dislikes completing questionnaires, so each time he fills one out he always circles the same answer, such as "strongly agree" or "strongly disagree." What tendency does Konrad's behaviour reflect?

Accepted Answer

Konrad's behavior reflects the response set tendency, which is a tendency to consistently answer all questions with the same response, regardless of the content of the question. This can be due to laziness, trying to appear consistent, or simply being unsure of how to answer the question.

Question 15

Malinda is filling out a survey for a marketing agency in order to be eligible for a grand prize drawing. She doesn't actually read many of the questions, and simply answers "yes" to everything. What do we call this tendency?

Accepted Answer

This tendency is called "response set" where a person tends to answer all the questions in one particular way without actually considering the question.

Question 16

What do we call the tendency to respond to questions in a manner unrelated to the content of a question?

Accepted Answer

Response set refers to the tendency to respond to questions in a certain way regardless of the actual content of the question. This can be due to factors such as social desirability or acquiescence bias. Counter placebo effect and counter confound are not established psychological concepts. Cognitive confabulation refers to the creation of false memories or beliefs, which is not relevant to the given scenario.

Question 17

Sometimes a subject's expectations may lead to behaviour change in the absence of any effective treatment. What do we call this tendency?

Accepted Answer

This tendency is called the placebo effect. It occurs when a subject's belief or expectation about a treatment's effectiveness leads to the subject experiencing a perceived improvement in their condition, even if the treatment itself is not effective.

Question 18

What method is often used to control for experimenter bias effects in research?

Accepted Answer

The double-blind procedure is often used to control for experimenter bias effects in research. This involves both the researcher and the participants being unaware of the experimental conditions, which helps reduce any potential for bias in the results.

Question 19

When do placebo effects occur?

Accepted Answer

Placebo effects occur when subjects experience some change from a nonexistent or ineffective treatment due to their expectations.

Question 20

In an investigation of the effects of caffeine on concentration, half the participants were given colas that contained caffeine and half were given decaffeinated colas. In this study, what is decaffeinated cola?

Accepted Answer

Decaffeinated cola is a type of placebo in this study because it is an inactive substance that is given to the control group to mimic the experience of consuming caffeine, but without the active ingredient.

Quiz 2: A: The Research Enterprise in Psychology