Deck 8: Experiments

Question 1

The double-blind experiment is one in which

A)the experimenters do not know which is the experimental group and which is the control group.
B)the experimental subjects do not know that they are in the experimental group, and the control group subjects know that they are in the control group.
C)neither the subjects in the experimental or control groups nor the experimenters know which are the experimental and control groups.
D)the control group subjects do not know that they are in the control group, and the experimental group subjects know that they are in the experimental group.
E)the experimental and control groups are given placebos.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A friend of yours,a senior,took the Graduate Record Exam in September and scored in the 99th percentile.In February,your friend took the same exam over again.This time your friend scored in the 84th percentile.As a research methods student,you told your friend that his/her lowered score was most likely due to

A)testing.
B)differential selection.
C)statistical regression.
D)demoralization.
E)compensation rivalry.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A researcher is conducting an experiment over a school year to determine if a drug prevention program is working amongst high school juniors and seniors.They ask students about their drug use habits at the beginning of the school year,and then again after the program ends.Additionally,another demographically similar school that is not using the program is given the same surveys to compare.All of the students had to voluntarily participate in the program.What is not being controlled for/

A) selection biases.
B) testing.
C) history.
D) maturation.
E) causal time-order

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The classical experimental design

A)helps guard against the sources of internal and external validity.
B)helps guard against the sources of external invalidity.
C)helps guard against the sources of internal invalidity.
D)cannot guard against the sources of either internal or external invalidity.
E)what it helps guard against depends upon the particular experiment.

Question 5

Kyo is looking to perform a quick research study to determine the effects of a documentary about domestic violence on people's perceptions of violence.His experiment consists of administering a brief survey to a group,having them watch a movie,then surveying them as they leave to determine if any change occurred.What kind of design is Kyo utilizing?

A)static-group comparison
B)classical experiment
C)one-shot case study.
D)"natural" experiment.
E)one group pretest-posttest.

Question 6

An instrumentation effect occurs when

A)the instrument employed for the pretest has an effect that shows up on the posttest.
B)the measurement instrument is changed from the pretest to the posttest.
C)there is a change on the dependent variable from the pretest score to the posttest score.
D)there is a change on the independent variable from the pretest score to the posttest score.
E)the instrument was not an appropriate one.

Question 7

A research study that features both an experimental and control group,as well as pre-and post-tests for each,is an example of a(n)

A) classical experiment.
B) one-shot case study.
C) static-group comparison.
D) Solomon four-group design.
E) pre-test only design.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a strategy experimental researchers use to designate who goes into experimental and who goes into control groups

A)pair subjects who are identical on relevant variables and assign one to the control group and one to the experimental group.
B)create groups that are equivalent in terms of their averages on some relevant variables.
C)assign subjects randomly to the experimental and control groups.
D)match subjects on relevant variables.
E)have participants from the experimental group switch places with the control group after the experiment

Question 9

The problem of an interaction between the testing and the experimental stimulus is handled by

A)the Solomon four-group design.
B)the posttest-only control group design.
C)the classical experimental design.
D)the Solomon four-group design, the posttest-only control group design, and the classical experimental design.
E)the Solomon four-group design and the posttest-only control group design.

Question 10

Which of the following does NOT exemplify a natural experiment?

A)exploring the behavioral consequences on families when the breadwinner is killed on the job
B)doing a comparative analysis of families that choose to stay and those who choose to move out of an ethnically changing neighborhood to find out the underlying causes for the difference in their choices
C)determining the effects of the preferential hiring of people with disabilities on the morale of people without disabilities
D)comparing the results of standardized test scores after the school year
E)recruiting participants to watch a documentary and then measuring their opinions

Question 11

The Solomon four-group design

A)combines the classical experimental design with the posttest-only control group design.
B)combines the classical experimental design with the pretest-only control group design.
C)combines the classical experimental design with the static-group comparison design.
D)combines the static-group comparison design with the one-group pretest-posttest design.
E)combines one-shot case design with the one-group pretest-posttest.

Question 12

Which of the following is LEAST suited to providing clear evidence about a causal relationship between the independent and dependent variables?

A)classical experimental design
B)Solomon four-group design
C)posttest-only control group design
D)one-shot case study
E)pretest-only control group design.

Question 13

The question of internal validity refers to

A)the comparison of the results obtained for the experimental group with those obtained for the control group.
B)whether the experimental stimulus really affected the dependent variable.
C)the determination of the proper time to do the posttest.
D)the determination of the proper time to do the pretest.
E)generalizability.

Question 14

Without randomly assigning subjects,a researcher administers the experimental stimulus to the experimental group and then measures the dependent variable in both the experimental and comparison groups.This design is known as the

A)one-group pretest-posttest design.
B)one-shot case study.
C)static-group design.
D)classical experimental design.
E)posttest-only control group design.

Question 15

Among the requirements for the classical experimental design is a posttest measurement of the

A)dependent variable for both the experimental and control groups.
B)independent variable for both the experimental and control groups.
C)independent variable for the control group only.
D)dependent variable for the experimental group only.
E)independent variable for the experimental group only.

Question 16

Experiments are least appropriate for research projects that involve

A)small-group interaction.
B)hypothesis testing.
C)testing relatively limited and well-defined concepts and propositions.
D)descriptive purposes.
E)explanatory purposes.

Question 17

You were asked to participate in an experiment to test the effectiveness of review sessions on exam grades.As a research methods student,you concluded that you had been assigned to the control group because you simply took the scheduled exams.Since you did not want the students in the experimental group to get higher grades than you did on the exams,you organized a review session with other control group subjects.This illustrates

A)compensation.
B)the testing effect.
C)demoralization.
D)maturation.
E)compensatory rivalry.

Question 18

The experimental and control groups should be comparable on

A)variables that are likely to be related to the independent variable under study.
B)variables that are likely to be related to the dependent variable under study.
C)age, education, and ethnicity.
D)variables that are likely to affect the pretest.
E)level of interest in the study.

Question 19

During a longitudinal self-esteem study conducted at a high school,the experimental group learns that they have to spend an extra half-hour each day reviewing self-esteem building activities while their counterparts in the control group have an extended lunch.Angry about the difference,many students opt to leave the experimental group.This is an example of what form of invalidity?

A)maturation
B)compensatory rivalry
C)instrumentation
D)causal time order
E)testing

Question 20

Assume that you have developed a study technique that you believe will result in students scoring higher on research methods exams.You test your study technique with the design diagramed below.

Using the diagramed design,what are your predictions?

A)O2 should be greater than O1
B)the (O2-O1) change should be greater than the (O4-O3) change.
C)O4 must equal O3
D)O2 should be greater than O1, the (O2-O1) change should be greater than the (O4-O3) change and O4 must equal O3
E)O2 should be greater than O1, and the (O2-O1) change should be greater than the (O4-O3) change

Question 21

Michael performed an experiment on police officers to determine the relationship between exercise and stress.One police department's officers performed 30 minutes of exercise at the beginning of their shift,while another department's officers did not.The department who did not take part in an exercise program is known as the

A)independent variable.
B)experimental group.
C)pretest.
D)control group.
E)posttest

Question 22

The posttest-only control group most closely represents which preexperimental design?

A)one-shot case study
B)Solomon four-group design
C)one-group pretest-posttest design
D)static-group comparison design
E)classical design

Question 23

Kenny performed an experiment on the effects of after-school educational activities on students' academic performance.His experimental group involved after-school educational activities and his control group involved after-school non-educational activities.The children in the control group felt left out and gave up on the experiment.Which source of internal invalidity is reflected?

A)instrumentation
B)testing
C)statistical regression
D)demoralization
E)history

Question 24

An experiment examines the effect of the

A)dependent variable on the independent variable.
B)posttest on the pretest.
C)control group on the experimental group.
D)independent variable on the dependent variable.
E)independent variable on the stimulus.

Question 25

Lee selected people with only the highest self-esteem scores for her experiment on the effects of divorce on self-esteem.She should be particularly alert to which potential source of internal invalidity?

A)history
B)maturation
C)testing
D)statistical regression
E)mortality

Question 26

Which design addresses the problem of testing interaction with the stimulus?

A)Solomon four-group design
B)double-blind design
C)one-shot case study
D)static group comparison
E)classical design

Question 27

The difference between the experimental and control groups should be that the

A)experimental group receives the dependent variable and the control group does not.
B)experimental group receives the independent variable and the control group does not.
C)control group receives the dependent variable and the experimental group does not.
D)control group receives the independent variable and the experimental does not.
E)both the experimental and control group receive the dependent variable

Question 28

The classical experiment includes all of the following EXCEPT

A)independent and dependent variables.
B)pretesting and posttesting.
C)laboratory and natural settings.
D)experimental and control groups.
E)with or without double-blind

Question 29

Izzie performed a study in which she introduced a stimulus-longer coffee breaks-and then measured how often employees left early-the dependent variable.No pretests were done.Which design did she use?

A)Solomon four-group design
B)double-blind design
C)one-shot case study
D)static-group comparison
E)classical design

Question 30

Manuello did an experiment on workers in an insurance company to examine the effect of a new computer system on workers' attitudes and productivity.He had no control group.He noticed that as he simplified the computer system,worker productivity and positive attitude went up.He then complicated the computer system and monitored the workers closely,only to discover that their productivity and positive attitude again increased.What was probably at work?

A)the Rosenthal effect
B)a badly measured independent variable
C)a badly measured dependent variable
D)the Hawthorne effect
E)the psychological effect

Question 31

Sammy did an experiment on children in a classroom.He measured their social anxiety on Monday,randomly assigned half of them to be taught yoga on Wednesday,and measured their social anxiety again on Friday.Measuring the children's social anxiety on Monday is the

A)independent variable.
B)pretest.
C)control group.
D)posttest.
E)dependent variable

Question 32

Ryan wanted to study the effect of adult play with preschoolers on the children's noisiness.So,he went to one preschool for a week and played with the children during breaks.At the end of the week,he measured their noisiness.For comparison purposes,he found another preschool across town and measured their noisiness as well to see the effect of playing with the children.The group of preschool children who got to play with Ryan was the

A)the pretest.
B)the posttest.
C)the independent variable.
D)the experimental group.
E)the control group.

Question 33

Igor wanted to do an experiment testing the effects of a new classroom strategy for teaching reading on the reading skills of elementary school students.He used random assignment and wanted to make sure that neither the subjects nor the experimenters knew which was the experimental group and which was the control group.It would be best to use the

A)ex post facto design.
B)static-group comparison.
C)one-group pretest-posttest design.
D)double-blind design.
E)Solomon 4-group design

Question 34

Cornelia used the student directory at her school to select a random sample of 100 students for her laboratory experiment on decision making.She then used a quota matrix containing the variables she felt would most likely influence decision making,and assigned people within each matrix cell alternately to the experimental and control groups.What method of selecting subjects was used?

A)nonprobability sampling
B)probability sampling
C)randomization
D)matching
E)simple random selection

Question 35

Martin performed an experiment at the local university.Students were measured on their views towards stem cell research,then shown a documentary on the topic.After the film,the students were given a survey to measure their opinion.This survey after the movie is an example of a(n):

A)independent variable.
B)posttest.
C)pretest.
D)experimental group.
E)control variable

Question 36

Ryan wanted to study the effect of adult play with preschoolers on the children's noisiness.So,he went to one preschool for a week and played with the children during breaks.At the end of the week,he measured their noisiness.For comparison purposes,he found another preschool across town and measured their noisiness as well to see the effect of playing with the children.Which design does this example reflect?

A)one-shot case study
B)classical
C)one-group pretest-posttest
D)static-group comparison
E)Solomon 4-group design

Question 37

Chip used the local yellow pages to compile a random sample of 100 small businesses to take part in his experiment about hiring decisions.He then used a quota matrix containing the variables she felt would most likely influence the decision to hire,and assigned businesses within each matrix cell alternately to the experimental and control groups.What method of assigning subjects to the experimental and control groups was used?

A)nonprobability sampling
B)probability sampling
C)randomization
D)matching
E)simple random selection

Question 38

The easiest of the true experimental designs to conduct is the

A)one-shot case study.
B)posttest-only control group design.
C)one-group pretest-posttest design.
D)Solomon four-group design.
E)classical design

Question 39

Sharon wanted to determine if the juvenile boot camp program her county had initiated had a noticeable impact on recidivism.She compared similar juveniles who had taken part in the boot camp and those who received a more traditional sentence.Twelve months after their release,she compared their re-arrest rates.In this experiment,the boot camp was the:

A)the pretest.
B)the posttest.
C)the independent variable.
D)the dependent variable.
E)the control group.

Question 40

Chloe did an experiment on children in a classroom.She measured their attitude towards learning on Monday,randomly assigned half of them to be taught yoga on Wednesday,and measured their attitude again on Friday.Teaching half of the children yoga on Wednesday is the

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)control group.
D)posttest.
E)pretest

Question 41

Bill conducted an experiment to determine the effectiveness of a drug prevention program in high school.This group was compared to students at another high school that did not take part in the program.The students were given an exam before and after taking part in the program.As the students completed the posttest,many realized that it was the same test they took before the program and put in random answers,as teenagers would.This is a case of what invalidity problem?

A)history
B)maturation
C)instrumentation
D)testing
E)mortality

Question 42

Joelle was conducting a six-month experiment in which she was interviewing members of the community to determine if a new police-community outreach program increased positive perception of police officers amongst the community.Four months into the experiment,a scandal regarding police brutality hit the news in a neighboring city,which had an effect upon this community's perception of police.Which source of internal invalidity does this example reflect?

A) maturation.
B) instrumentation.
C) compensation.
D) selection biases.
E) history.

Question 43

When we are concerned that because of media coverage of violence in schools that research participants' ideas and attitudes about the topic of gun control have changed between the time we first measured them and the second time we measured them after the treatment was administered,we are dealing with the threat to internal validity known as

A)selection bias.
B)history.
C)maturation.
D)testing effect.
E)mortality.

Question 44

Subjects who leave an experiment before it is completed is an example of _______.

A)maturation
B)testing
C)history
D)statistical regression
E)mortality

Question 45

To match experimental and control group preferences,a researcher needs:

A)double-blind study
B)pretest
C)posttest
D)quota matrix
E)compensation

Question 46

In evaluating how effective an anti-bullying program in a school is,Iori asks students how many times they have been bullied in the past four months at the beginning and middle of the semester.However,since he did not use a control group,what form of invalidity may be a problem?

A) compensation.
B) maturation.
C) statistical regression.
D) experimental mortality.
E) causal time order.

Question 47

As a longitudinal experiment,Juan worked with two different groups,one who was receiving a special stress-reduction training,and another who was not.These two groups were matched together on important variables,and a pretest and posttest were both performed.However,he noticed that after sessions the individuals in the stress-reduction training were telling those in the control group about what they did each day.What form of internal invalidity is this?

A)compensation
B)compensatory rivalry
C)diffusion or imitation of treatments
D)demoralization
E)history

Question 48

Misty did an experiment in which half of her subjects were told that they had extrasensory perception and half were not.In reality,there was no difference.Interestingly,at the end of the three-month experiment,those subjects who were told that they had extrasensory perception actually outscored the control group on the ability to accurately describe video scenes with the sound turned off.This example reflects

A)the Hawthorne effect.
B)demoralization.
C)the Pygmalion effect.
D)selection biases.
E)the psychological effect

Question 49

From a scientific perspective,the preexperimental design that provides the weakest evidence of a relationship between dependent and independent variables is the

A) posttest-only control group design.
B) Solomon four-group design.
C) pretest-only control group design.
D) classical experimental design.
E) one-shot case study

Question 50

A new program designed to boost math scores based on different teaching strategies is enacted in a classroom.Neither the teacher,nor the students know specifically that they are the experimental group in this research project.This would be an example of

A) true experiment.
B) post-hoc experiment
C) double-blind experiment.
D) secure experiment.
E) secret experiment.

Question 51

The problem of external validity refers to the generalizability of results.

Question 52

A researcher was conducting an experiment on a new method to reduce fear of flying and did not use a control group.During this experiment,a high-profile plane crash was reported in the media.What threat to internal validity is this?

A)history
B)experimental mortality
C)selection biases
D)testing
E)statistical regression

Question 53

Howard Schuman argues that experimental research can be specifically useful in helping with what other form of research?

A) existing data.
B) qualitative interviewing.
C) longitudinal designs.
D) survey design.
E) experimental research is not compatible with any other methods.

Question 54

When events (e.g.life stressors)outside of the researcher's control have the likelihood to affect a participant's response,especially in longitudinal studies,this threat to validity is

A)maturation.
B)mortality.
C)history.
D)statistical regression.
E)testing.

Question 55

The Hawthorne effect most clearly demonstrates the need for

A)a dependent variable.
B)a field setting for the study.
C)a control group.
D)an independent variable.
E)informed consent

Question 56

Latona did an experiment at a military barracks over the space of a few months to examine the effect of group size on group morale.He randomly assigned soldiers to the experimental and control groups and did a pretest and posttest.Midway through the experiment,some of the soldiers were re-assigned to different stations across the U.S.causing the sample size to drop.Which source of internal invalidity does this example reflect?

A)history
B)maturation
C)instrumentation
D)selection biases
E)mortality

Question 57

In an experiment where neither the physicians nor the subjects know who was receiving the experimental drug or placebo is an example of a

A)non-confounding experiment.
B)secure experiment.
C)true experiment.
D)double-blind experiment.
E)post hoc experiment.

Question 58

Lyle conducted a study to determine if a new class program could increase the test performance of students with high functioning autism.His experiment specifically included those students who already had high test scores.He should be concerned about which potential form of internal invalidity in his experiment?

A) mortality.
B) testing.
C) maturation.
D) statistical regression.
E) history.

Question 59

"Natural" experiments refers to experiments which

A)contain no artificial ingredients.
B)occur naturally in the laboratory.
C)encourage people to act naturally.
D)occur naturally without the experimenter's intervention.
E)have no manipulated dependent variable

Question 60

To ensure that all your participants have an equal opportunity to be in either experimental group (one receives a drug,the other group receives a placebo),you decide to toss a coin to determine who gets placed in which group.You have engaged in _______.

A)selective participation
B)random sampling
C)random assignment
D)random participation
E)matching

Question 61

The greatest advantage of a controlled experiment lies in its ability to explain causality.

Question 62

Studying the effects of a disaster,such as Hurricane Katrina,is considered a natural experiment.

Question 63

Questions about the generalizability of findings are more likely to be raised about explanatory studies using college students than on descriptive studies using college students.

Question 64

Conducting research on the world wide web helps to insure representative samples

Question 65

The use of an experimental group allows the researcher to detect any effects of the experiment itself.

Question 66

The double-blind experiment attempts to guard against experimenter bias.

Question 67

In a natural experiment,the researcher does NOT manipulate the independent variable.

Question 68

Web-based experiments are good because experimental designs are not as strict about representative samples.

Question 69

Instrumentation is NOT a threat to internal validity in the one-shot case study.

Question 70

Randomization is the preferred technique for assigning subjects to experimental and control groups when you CANNOT specify in advance the relevant matching variables.

Question 71

Campbell and Stanley suggest that,given proper randomization in the assignment of subjects to experimental and control groups,there is no need for pretesting.

Question 72

Experimental mortality effects only need to be controlled when your research focuses on the elderly.

Question 73

The change in subjects' behavior simply from being observed is known as the Pygmalion effect.

Question 74

Preexperimental designs do not have control groups.

Question 75

Researchers tend to use probability samples to recruit subjects for the experimental and control groups.

Question 76

The greatest weakness of a controlled laboratory experiment is its artificiality.

Question 77

Researchers are increasingly using the World Wide Web to conduct experiments

Question 78

Subject "mortality" is usually a greater problem in experiments that have a long duration than in experiments that have a short duration.

Question 79

The classical experimental design controls for an interaction between the testing and the stimulus.

Question 80

The effectiveness of randomization in experimentation is affected by the number of subjects involved.