Deck 9: Conducting Experiments

Question 1

Ralph has a confederate cut in front of a person who is second or ninth in line at a grocery store checkout counter. He then records the number of verbal responses toward the confederate as a measure of aggression. The manipulation employed in this study is an example of a _____ manipulation.

A)sequential
B)staged
C)straightforward
D)dependent

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In general, staged manipulations are _____ than straightforward manipulations.

A)less costly
B)more costly
C)weaker
D)stronger

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Matt, a researcher, has a confederate drop a stack of papers in front of one person or a group of people. She then measures the amount of time it takes for the confederate to receive help in picking up the papers. The manipulation employed in this experiment would be an example of a _____ manipulation.

A)staged
B)straightforward
C)conjunctive
D)dependent

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Responses by participants to interviews and questionnaires are _____ measures.

A)behavioral
B)indirect
C)self-report
D)physiological

Question 5

When is it adverse to use strongest possible manipulations?

A)If it creates extreme, unrealistic situations
B)If it provides statistically nonsignificant data
C)If it causes extreme ceiling or floor effects
D)If it is a double-blind experiment

Question 6

Which type of manipulation manipulates variables with instructions and stimulus presentations?

A)Staged
B)Straightforward
C)Stimulus
D)Physical

Question 7

Phillipe, a researcher, examined the effect of lighting on learning. Randomly assigned participants learned material while using a 100-watt or a 125-watt bulb. He found no differences between the two groups. The nonsignificant results may have occurred because of _____.

A)a costly measure of learning
B)insufficient strength of the manipulation
C)selection differences
D)the use of staged manipulation

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true of straightforward manipulations?

A)Educational programs are seldom straightforward.
B)They are otherwise known as event manipulations.
C)They are used to create some psychological state in the participants.
D)Most memory research relies on straightforward manipulations.

Question 9

Mr. Louise, a psychologist, is interested in the effect of physical attractiveness on ratings of punishment assigned to a driver in an automobile accident. Participants read an account of the accident and received a written description of a physically attractive or unattractive defendant. The manipulation of attractiveness would be an example of a _____ manipulation.

A)staged
B)straightforward
C)conjunctive
D)dependent

Question 10

In the context of staged manipulations, a confederate is a person who:

A)poses as a participant or an accomplice.
B)disrupts the experiment.
C)attempts to dissuade participants from participating in the experiment.
D)decides to stop his or her participation in a study on the basis of moral objections.

Question 11

Presenting participants with different versions of a videotaped confession in order to study a person's perception is an example of a(n) _____ manipulation.

A)externally valid
B)learning
C)staged
D)straightforward

Question 12

Which of the following is least likely to be considered when determining how to manipulate an independent variable?

A)The external validity of the study
B)The ethical considerations of a strong manipulation
C)The cost of the manipulation
D)The internal validity of the study

Question 13

What is a disadvantage of using the strongest manipulation possible in a research?

A)It can result in nonsignificant findings.
B)It can cause a ceiling effect.
C)It creates a situation different from a real-world situation.
D)It invalidates previous published researches.

Question 14

In staged manipulations, a(n) _____ appears to be another participant in an experiment but is actually part of the manipulation.

A)mediator
B)arbitrator
C)confederate
D)nonconcealed observer

Question 15

Event manipulations often involve the use of _____.

A)videotapes
B)confederates
C)learning materials
D)stimulus presentations

Question 16

Identify a reason for using staged manipulation.

A)To simulate some situation that occurs in the real world
B)To keep all extraneous variables under control
C)To create some physiological state in the confederates
D)To manipulate a dependent variable with relative simplicity

Question 17

A manipulation in which participants are run individually versus as a group is an important consideration regarding the _____ of the manipulation.

A)ethicality
B)strength
C)generality
D)cost

Question 18

In the early stages of a research project, the researcher would want as _____ as possible in order to demonstrate that a relationship between variables exists.

A)many manipulations
B)weak a manipulation
C)strong a manipulation
D)costly a manipulation

Question 19

Which of the following is an assumption in the context of staged manipulations?

A)It does not demand a great deal of ingenuity.
B)The result will be natural behavior from the participants.
C)The results can be interpreted easily.
D)It does not demand any complicated procedures.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true of the use of staged manipulations?

A)They are easier to replicate than straightforward manipulations.
B)They are easier to interpret than straightforward manipulations.
C)They are used to involve participants in an ongoing social situation that is perceived as real.
D)They allow for less subtle interpersonal communication that can easily be put into words.

Question 21

Which of the following physiological measures is a researcher most likely to use to compare brain images between individuals with and without Alzheimer's disease?

A)Electromyogram
B)Electroencephalogram
C)Magnetic resonance imaging
D)Galvanic skin response

Question 22

While Leo is performing a cognitive task, a researcher uses a physiological measure that scans various areas of his brain. In this case, the researcher is most likely using a(n):

A)electrocardiogram.
B)galvanic skin response.
C)functional MRI.
D)electromyogram.

Question 23

When the independent variable appears to have no effect on the dependent measure because the participants quickly reach the maximum performance level, it is known as _____ effect.

A)performance
B)floor
C)ceiling
D)order

Question 24

Williams, a criminal investigator, measures a suspect's change in perspiration in response to questions regarding a burglary case. Which type of physiological measure is the investigator using?

A)Galvanic skin response
B)Electromyogram
C)Electroencephalogram
D)Functional MRI

Question 25

In the context of measuring the dependent variable, _____ measures are recordings of responses of the body.

A)archival
B)self-report
C)physiological
D)behavioral

Question 26

A researcher wants to examine the effect of noise level on reading comprehension. He finds that regardless of the noise level, all participants tested received the maximum scores for their performance. The results may be due to _____ effect.

A)fatigue
B)performance
C)ceiling
D)floor

Question 27

In the context of physiological measures, the galvanic skin response is used as a measure of:

A)brain activity.
B)anxiety.
C)muscle tension.
D)learning ability.

Question 28

Dr. Mills measures participants' brain-wave activity in order to study the brain's response to sounds of varying frequencies. Which type of physiological measure is Dr. Mills using in this scenario?

A)Galvanic skin response
B)Electromyogram
C)Electroencephalogram
D)Electrocardiogram

Question 29

A researcher who measures the speed of helping to a request is using a _____ measure.

A)self-report
B)physiological
C)behavioral
D)reactive

Question 30

Professor Smith takes a survey on her students in order to know if they prefer an individual or a group research project. The responses she collects would be an example of which of the following types of measure?

A)Behavioral
B)Self-report
C)Physiological
D)Event

Question 31

In a shopping mall, a marketing researcher asks a customer if he or she would prefer soda in a bottle or soda in a can. The customer's response would be an example of a _____ measure.

A)behavioral
B)psychological
C)multiple
D)self-report

Question 32

Electromyogram and electroencephalogram are examples of _____ measures.

A)self-report
B)productive
C)behavioral
D)physiological

Question 33

Saul, a researcher, presents his dog with a bowl of normal dog food and a bowl of vitamin-enriched dog food. He then records the amount of each type of food the dog consumes as a measure of his dog's food preference. What kind of measure has the researcher used?

A)Behavioral
B)Self-report
C)Physiological
D)Reactive

Question 34

What is the reason for using multiple measures?

A)A variable can be measured in a variety of concrete ways.
B)The order of presenting the measures need not be counterbalanced.
C)Responding to the first measures seldom affects responses on the later measures.
D)Making multiple measurements is less expensive and easy to implement.

Question 35

Dr. Norman studies the tension in a participant's neck muscles as she completes a strenuous physical task. Which physiological measurement variable is Dr. Norman likely to use?

A)Electromyogram
B)Electroencephalogram
C)Electrocardiogram
D)Galvanic skin response

Question 36

Participants were asked to consume 8, 16, 24, or 32 ounces of alcohol and then to recite the English alphabet as quickly as possible. The rate or the amount of time it takes the participant to correctly recite the alphabet would be an example of a _____ measure.

A)self-report
B)physiological
C)reactive
D)behavioral

Question 37

The issue of _____ is particularly important when measuring human performance.

A)physicality
B)mentality
C)sensitivity
D)productivity

Question 38

A(n) _____ provides evidence to indicate what brain processes are involved while an individual works on a cognitive task.

A)microtomography
B)electroencephalogram
C)functional MRI
D)electromyogram

Question 39

In the context of physiological measures, the electromyogram is used to measure _____.

A)brain activity
B)muscle tension
C)emotional arousal
D)learning ability

Question 40

Adam measures the length of time two people spend gazing into each other's eyes as an indication of interpersonal attraction. Which type of measure is Adam using?

A)Archival
B)Self-report
C)Physiological
D)Behavioral

Question 41

Promelute, a pharmaceutical company, conducts a research on participants for its new drug for obsessive-compulsive disorder. But the experimenter is unclear about the conclusions of the study because he is not sure if the improvement has been caused by the properties of the drug or by the participants' expectations about the effect of the drug. Such an effect is known as a(n) _____ effect.

A)order
B)placebo
C)ceiling
D)fatigue

Question 42

How can expectancy effects be reduced?

A)By using experimenters who are aware of the hypothesis being investigated
B)By running participants in all groups one-by-one
C)By using a double-blind experiment
D)By avoiding the use of balanced placebo design

Question 43

Yvette, an investigator who is interested in the effectiveness of various memory strategies, instructs randomly assigned participants to use either imagery or repetitive silent speech to remember a list of 20 words. Two weeks later, she tests these participants for how many words they can recall. The imagery group recalls an average of 2.6 words, while the repetition group recalls an average of 1.9 words. She concludes that there is no difference in the effectiveness of these memory strategies because the results are not statistically significant. Is this a reasonable conclusion?

A)Yes, because no significant results mean there is no relationship between the variables.
B)Yes, because the level of processing memory is the same for all individuals.
C)No, because the participants were randomly assigned to the groups.
D)No, because a dependent variable measured after a two-week delay may lack the sensitivity to detect a difference.

Question 44

Which of the following is a technique to improve internal validity?

A)Addition of a control group
B)Experimenter expectancy
C)Participant bias
D)Use of a confederate

Question 45

Why do experimenters generally do not wish to inform participants about the specific hypotheses being studied?

A)To provide a variety of alternative explanations for the results
B)Due to the problem of ethical considerations
C)To eliminate issues associated with expectancy effects
D)Due to the problem of demand characteristics

Question 46

Why do experiments conducted in field settings use unobtrusive measures?

A)To minimize the problem of demand characteristics
B)To achieve floor effects
C)To measure the sensitivity of dependent variables
D)To create experiments using straightforward manipulation

Question 47

A researcher conducted a study to analyze the effect of gender bias on company recruitments. The purpose of the study was not revealed to the participants until the research was completed. Such a measure of not revealing the purpose initially is executed due to the problem of _____.

A)experimenter expectancy
B)experimenter bias
C)ceiling effect
D)demand characteristic

Question 48

What is a similarity between demand characteristics and experimenter expectancy?

A)Both are essential to study the true relationship between variables.
B)Both create a predisposition resulting in a conclusion that is conducive.
C)Both increase internal and external validity of a study.
D)Both help the experiments to be easily conducted.

Question 49

In a study examining the effect of appearances on judgments of criminal behavior, a researcher asks questions about the surroundings and the victim in order to disguise the dependent measures in the study. These unrelated questions are referred to as _____.

A)independent measures
B)filler items
C)task measures
D)placebo measures

Question 50

Which of the following offers a solution to the problem of experimenter bias?

A)Staged manipulations
B)Automated procedures
C)Single-blind studies
D)Straightforward manipulations

Question 51

Katherine is a researcher who is interested in examining the effect of caffeine on driving performance. In order to rule out a change in behavior brought about because of participants' expectations about the effect of caffeine, she should use a(n) _____.

A)straightforward manipulation
B)balanced placebo design
C)experimental group
D)staged manipulation

Question 52

Any feature of an experiment that might inform participants of the purpose of the study is called a(n) _____.

A)experimenter expectancy
B)demand characteristic
C)placebo effect
D)manipulation check

Question 53

Investigators sometimes use deception in their case procedures to address the problem of _____.

A)sensitivity
B)demand characteristics
C)experimenter bias
D)ceiling effects

Question 54

In order to analyze the effects of a new drug for anxiety developed by Solvit Wellness Inc., the researchers conduct a study on two groups. Both groups are informed about the usefulness of the drug in treating anxiety. However, only group A receives an injection of the actual drug, while group B receives an injection containing an inert substance. In this case, what is group B known as?

A)Placebo group
B)High-anxiety group
C)Topical group
D)Experimental group

Question 55

To conduct a research on the influence of personality on intelligence, Richard allots extroverts to group A and introverts to groupB. Being an introvert, Richard assumes that group B is more likely to be intellectually superior and later concludes that extroverts tend to score less than introverts in IQ tests. Which of the following does this scenario exemplify?

A)Non-concealed participant effect
B)Placebo effect
C)Ceiling effect
D)Experimenter expectancy effect

Question 56

Rachel compares the math skills of boys and girls in the sixth grade. She administers a series of math problems to both groups and asks them to solve as many problems as they can within a 15-minute time period. She finds that both groups were able to answer only 2% of the problems. The result obtained can be due to the _____ effect.

A)performance
B)practice
C)ceiling
D)floor

Question 57

Which of the following measures of the dependent variable is generally inexpensive?

A)Paper-and-pencil questionnaire
B)Videotaping
C)Galvanic skin response
D)Functional MRI

Question 58

Without informing them, a researcher assigns participants to either an experimental or a placebo group. The researcher's assistants who test the participants do not know who belongs to which group. The experiment has used a _____.

A)single-blind technique
B)double-blind technique
C)strong experimental manipulation
D)behavioral measure

Question 59

Which of the following is a potential source of experimenter bias?

A)The experimenter using the same method to record participants' behaviors
B)The experimenter being unaware of the participants' personality characteristics
C)The procedures used for the experiments being automated
D)The presence of subtle differences in the way the experimenter interprets the behaviors

Question 60

When participants are not aware of whether they are in the experimental or control condition, the researcher has employed a _____.

A)single-blind experiment
B)staged manipulation
C)physiological measure
D)straightforward manipulation

Question 61

After collecting data, Collins, a researcher, tells the participants the purpose of his study, the results expected, and the practical implications of his research. He also got to know from the participants as to what they felt about the experiment. This process is referred to as a:

A)manipulation check.
B)pilot study.
C)staged manipulation.
D)debriefing session.

Question 62

A(n) _____ allows the experimenters who are collecting the data to become comfortable with their roles and to standardize their procedures.

A)manipulation check
B)accuracy check
C)clinical study
D)pilot study

Question 63

The manipulation check is advantageous if _____.

A)double-blind procedures are used
B)the results obtained are nonsignificant
C)single-blind procedures are used
D)the demand characteristics are minimal

Question 64

When Mr. Arthur, a researcher, submits a paper to a journal for publication, other researchers who are familiar with his area of research carefully scrutinize the paper and recommend acceptance or rejection. This process is known as _____.

A)a manipulation check
B)correspondence analysis
C)peer review
D)debriefing

Question 65

A _____ is very similar to the introduction and method sections of a journal article.

A)pilot study
B)research proposal
C)magazine article
D)brochure

Question 66

Michelle conducts an experiment on the effect of low and high anxiety on test performance. The results achieved are nonsignificant. She does not know if anxiety truly has no effect on performance or whether she had conducted faulty procedures. How could this ambiguity be avoided?

A)By conducting an ethics evaluation
B)By checking the external validity of the variables
C)By factorial study using better controls
D)By conducting a manipulation check

Question 67

_____ are important opportunities for researchers to present their findings to other researchers and the public.

A)Social gatherings
B)Professional meetings
C)Social media
D)Public meetings

Question 68

Why is it necessary to prepare a research proposal?

A)To organize and systemize ideas to improve a study
B)To enable others to do research on it
C)To increase the internal validity of a study
D)To save the expense of running an actual experiment

Question 69

Which of the following is true of statistical analysis of data?

A)It allows the researcher to examine and interpret the pattern of results obtained.
B)It includes a literature review that provides a background for a study.
C)It does not enable researchers to decide if there is any relationship between the variables.
D)It is usually the first step in a research and precedes data collection.

Question 70

In order to study the human behavioral patterns during crisis situations, Clara first conducts a trial run with a small number of participants. She does so to make sure that the instructions are clear to the participants and the whole experimental setting is plausible. This procedure is an example of a _____.

A)manipulation check
B)double-blind study
C)pilot study
D)research proposal

Question 71

During the debriefing session of an experiment, the participants are _____.

A)exposed to strong straightforward manipulations
B)not told why the procedures used were necessary
C)asked about their thoughts during the experiment
D)encouraged to discuss the study with others

Question 72

A _____ is an attempt to directly measure whether the independent variable manipulation has the intended effect on the participants.

A)placebo effect
B)manipulation check
C)staged manipulation
D)ceiling effect