Deck 8: Experimental Design

Question 1

_____ occurs when the effects of the independent variable and an uncontrolled variable are intertwined, so one cannot determine which of the variables is responsible for the observed effect.

A)Attrition
B)Confounding
C)Fatigue effect
D)Counterbalancing

Answer 1

B

Question 2

If a greater percentage of heart surgeons than skin doctors are sued for malpractice, can it be concluded that heart surgeons are less competent than skin doctors?

A)Yes, if the difference is statistically significant.
B)Yes, if the same number of heart and skin doctors are being compared.
C)No, because being sued is confused with the potential risk of the doctor's work.
D)No, because there are more surgeons than skin doctors.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Failure to control some extraneous variables is likely to result in a(n) _____ variable.

A)random
B)confounding
C)systematic
D)operational

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Toby wants to see whether packaging information affects the way people rate breakfast cereal. The same cereal is put in three kinds of packages: a brown box that says "To start your day off with a smile"; a yellow box that says "For extra energy all day"; and a white box that says "Fortified with B complex and iron." In this study, the:

A)kind of cereal is confounded with the color of the box.
B)package information is confounded with the color of the box.
C)package information is confounded with the kind of cereal.
D)rating of people is confounded with the package information.

Question 5

Irene wants to examine the effect of a defendant's appearance on the judgment of guilt for a crime. She has participants read an identical account of the crime except for the defendant's appearance. A group of high school students receive the description of an attractive defendant, while a group of senior citizens receive the description of an unattractive defendant. Both groups are then asked to rate the defendant's guilt on a seven-point scale. A major cause for confusion in Madison's experiment is the _____.

A)manipulation of appearance
B)measure of guilt
C)description of the crime
D)age of the participants

Question 6

Mike wants to find out whether campers prefer cotton or nylon sleeping bags. He asks a group of girl campers to try both the nylon and cotton sleeping bags. The sleeping bags were rated for softness and warmth. What is the confounding variable in Mike's experiment?

A)Cotton or nylon material
B)Softness
C)Gender of camper
D)Sleeping bags

Question 7

When the results of an experiment can confidently be attributed to the effect of the independent variable, the experiment is said to have:

A)content validity.
B)external validity.
C)internal validity.
D)construct validity.

Question 8

Which of the following does NOT increase the likelihood of internal validity?

A)Use of control for extraneous variables
B)Use of random assignment
C)Use of a pretest
D)Use of experimental control

Question 9

When a confounding variable is present in an experiment, one cannot tell whether the results were due to the _____.

A)independent variable or the dependent variable
B)independent variable or the confounding variable
C)dependent variable or the confounding variable
D)dependent variable or the participant variable

Question 10

Kalim wants to study the effectiveness of a new teaching method. He includes two teachers of a class in the experiment. One teacher uses the new method of teaching, and the other teacher uses the old method. At the end of the semester, he finds that students who were taught in the new way had higher grades than students taught in the old way. What is the confounding variable?

A)Grades
B)Teaching method
C)The two teachers
D)The class

Question 11

A confounding variable is problematic for an experimental design because it:

A)increases the variability in the data.
B)increases the internal reactivity of the experiment.
C)makes possible alternative explanations for the results.
D)eliminates alternative explanations for the results.

Question 12

To study the effect of the type of stimulus on memory recall, Zhong subjects participants to either an auditory or visual presentation of a poem. After the presentation, the participants are asked to answer several questions about the poem. Which type of experimental design has Zhong employed?

A)Pretest-posttest
B)Pretest only
C)One-group posttest
D)Posttest only

Question 13

A researcher can claim that the independent variable caused the results only by:

A)proving that the experiment has high external validity.
B)eliminating competing, alternative explanations.
C)eliminating experimental control and randomization.
D)keeping the dependent variable constant.

Question 14

A(n) _____ variable is a variable that varies along with the independent variable.

A)confounding
B)dependent
C)criterion
D)extraneous

Question 15

An experiment can be assumed to have internal validity if:

A)the dependent variable is valid.
B)there is a strong manipulation of the independent variable.
C)random assignment and experimental control is employed.
D)confounding variables are present.

Question 16

If the two groups involved in an experiment are not equivalent, _____.

A)the experimental result is likely to be affected by ethnocentrism
B)the experiment is said to have high internal validity
C)it is impossible to conduct a replication
D)it cannot be ascertained that the independent variable caused the results

Question 17

Good experimental design requires eliminating possible _____ variables that could result in alternative explanations.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)confounding
D)valid

Question 18

To achieve internal validity, a researcher must design and conduct experiments where only the _____ variable can be the cause of the results.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)confounding
D)criterion

Question 19

When testing the effect of noise on the performance of a task, Marco tests half the participants in a cool, quiet room and the other half in a hot, noisy room. In this case, what confounding variable has Marco failed to eliminate?

A)Task performance
B)Noise level
C)Gender of participants
D)Room temperature

Question 20

When a confounding variable is present in an experiment, _____.

A)internal validity can be assumed
B)external validity can be assumed
C)internal validity is challenged
D)external validity is challenged

Question 21

One problem with the pretest-posttest design is that participants:

A)cannot be randomly assigned to groups.
B)are sensitized about the true purpose of the experiment.
C)drop out of the experiment.
D)cannot be divided into two equivalent groups.

Question 22

Nada designs a study in which she has two control and two experimental groups. In the design, one control group and one experimental group receive a pretest each, while the other control group and experimental group do not. Nada's design is an example of a _____ design.

A)four-group pretest-posttest
B)Solomon four-group
C)two-group control
D)one-group control-one-group experimental

Question 23

In a _____ design, half the participants receive only a posttest, while the other half receives both a pretest and a posttest.

A)pretest-posttest
B)one-group pretest-posttest
C)Solomon four-group
D)two-group pretest-posttest

Question 24

In an experimental design, which of the following is a researcher least likely to do if the awareness of a pretest poses a problem?

A)The researcher is least likely to disguise the pretest.
B)The researcher is least likely to embed the pretest in a set of irrelevant measures.
C)The researcher is least likely to employ a Solomon four-group design.
D)The researcher is least likely to tell the participants what is being studied and why.

Question 25

Which of the following is an advantage of using a pretest-posttest design over using a posttest-only design?

A)It assesses whether the groups are equivalent.
B)It enables participants to figure out what is being studied and why.
C)It uses less time to conduct the experiment.
D)It minimizes demand characteristics.

Question 26

Mortality in experimental design refers to the fact that participants:

A)cheat on questionnaires.
B)engage in intragroup conflict.
C)drop out of an experiment.
D)provide false responses.

Question 27

At the end of a three-year study, Lene finds that 12 percent of her participants did not take part in the final survey because they moved away to another city. In research terms, Lene is experiencing issues related to _____.

A)maturation
B)testing
C)regression
D)mortality

Question 28

Colin wants to find out how using fins increases swimming speed. If an independent groups design is used, the researcher would manipulate the variable by:

A)randomly requiring half the swimmers to swim without fins and the other half to swim with fins.
B)having all swimmers first swim without fins and then with fins.
C)having half the swimmers first swim without fins and then with fins and having the other half swim first with fins and then without fins.
D)requiring all swimmers to first swim with fins and then without fins.

Question 29

Sasha, a psychologist, has participants serve as their own control group by having them take part in every condition of her study. This experimental approach is an example of a(n) _____.

A)one-shot case study
B)simple random design
C)independent groups design
D)repeated measures design

Question 30

In a _____ design, comparisons are made among the same group of participants.

A)matched sets
B)natural sets
C)within-subjects
D)random assignment

Question 31

In a Solomon four-group design, if there is no impact of the pretest, _____.

A)the posttest scores will be different for all the groups
B)the pretest scores will be different for all the groups
C)the posttest scores will be the same for all the groups
D)the posttest scores will not be affected

Question 32

Jeanne wants to know whether wearing sunglasses improves driving performance. If an independent groups design is used, the researcher would manipulate the variable by:

A)randomly requiring half the drivers to drive with sunglasses, and the other half to drive without sunglasses.
B)having all drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses.
C)having half the drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses and having the other half first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.
D)requiring all drivers to first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.

Question 33

In order to observe the influence of environmental factors on alcohol consumption, Leila asks participants to come to her laboratory, fill out a questionnaire, and consume alcohol. She finds that over time, fewer and fewer participants show up to take part in the experiment. This decrease in the number of participants in the experiment is called _____.

A)the carryover effect
B)mortality
C)regression
D)the order effect

Question 34

Which of the following accurately describes a disadvantage of using a pretest-posttest design?

A)It maximizes participant mortality.
B)It promotes attrition.
C)It is time-consuming.
D)It does not allow one to rule out regression effects.

Question 35

Gerard conducts a study to examine the effectiveness of an exercise program on obese people. The participants must exercise for one hour every day for six months. By the end of the fourth month, Gerard finds that 75 percent of the participants dropped out of the study. What kind of problem has Gerard encountered in his study?

A)Maturation
B)Morbidity
C)Attrition
D)Selection

Question 36

Elena randomly asks students of a class to taste either Coke or Pepsi. Students rate their liking for the soda they taste on a scale of 1 to 10. This is an example of a _____ design.

A)pretest-posttest
B)posttest-only
C)pretest only
D)one-group posttest

Question 37

When individuals participate in only one condition, it is a(n) _____ design. When individuals participate in all conditions, it is a _____ design.

A)single group; full measure
B)partial; whole
C)group; multi-group
D)independent groups; repeated measures

Question 38

Ahmed conducts a study to test the effectiveness of a drug. He surveys the clients twice-once at intake and then six months later. He finds that the drug was overall effective, but approximately 55 percent of the original sample stopped using the drug. Therefore, he does not have posttest data for them. In this case, what is likely to be an alternative explanation for the results obtained by Ahmed?

A)Maturation
B)Mortality
C)Statistical regression
D)Diffusion of treatment

Question 39

A design that assigns different participants to each condition using random assignment is a(n) _____ design.

A)independent groups
B)repeated measures
C)Solomon four-group
D)pretest-posttest

Question 40

Aisha wants to examine the effect of room temperature on task performance. She places one group of participants in a room that is set to a temperature of 54 degrees, a second group in a room that is set to a temperature of 72 degrees, and a third group in a room that is set to a temperature of 90 degrees. She then measures the amount of time it takes each group to complete the same task. This design would best represent a(n) _____ design.

A)independent groups
B)repeated measures
C)three-group pretest-posttest
D)pretest-posttest

Question 41

Improvement of performance as a result of repeated exposure to a task is referred to as a _____ effect.

A)reactive
B)fatigue
C)non-reactive
D)practice

Question 42

Natasha wants to know whether wearing sunglasses helps while driving. In a counterbalanced repeated measures design, presence or absence of sunglasses would be varied by:

A)having half the drivers drive with sunglasses and the other half drive without sunglasses.
B)having all drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses.
C)having half the drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses and having the other half first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.
D)having all drivers first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.

Question 43

_____ is a process for controlling order effects with all possible order conditions.

A)Elimination
B)Randomization
C)Counterbalancing
D)Latin square

Question 44

Jose states that he has counterbalanced the conditions in his experiment. What does this mean?

A)He has an equal number of participants in all conditions.
B)All participants are exposed to all conditions.
C)All possible orders of presentation of conditions are presented.
D)Conditions are presented in a fixed order.

Question 45

_____ is a technique to control for order effects without having all possible orders.

A)Pretest-only design
B)Randomization
C)Attrition
D)Latin square

Question 46

If one cannot use all possible orders in a repeated measures design, a good alternative is to use _____

A)an independent groups design.
B)a Latin square.
C)a reversal design.
D)complete counterbalancing.

Question 47

Reah, a developmental psychologist measures aggressive behavior in a group of second graders before and after viewing an aggressive cartoon. This design would best represent a(n) _____ design.

A)independent groups
B)repeated measures
C)extraneous groups
D)random time series

Question 48

Which of the following statements is true about using repeated measure designs over independent group designs?

A)It requires more participants than independent groups.
B)It is less likely to detect the effect of the independent variable.
C)It gives the researcher greater control over participant differences.
D)It decreases the likelihood of an order effect.

Question 49

In the context of the repeated measures design, when the sequence of presenting the treatments determines the participants' responses in part, the researcher is dealing with _____.

A)order effects
B)incomplete counterbalancing
C)constancy
D)criterion variables

Question 50

Participants in a concept learning study solve several anagram puzzles in a period of 30 minutes. Although the puzzles were known to be of equal difficulty, the participants solved the puzzles in lesser and lesser time with the progression of the 30-minute period. This is likely the result of a _____ effect.

A)carryover
B)fatigue
C)practice
D)boredom

Question 51

Juan wants to compare the effectiveness of two drugs in treating migraines. He administers Drug A to a participant and then Drug B to the same participant eight hours later when Drug A is still in the participant's system. In this case, the study is contaminated by a _____ effect.

A)fatigue
B)carryover
C)order
D)practice

Question 52

Which of the following statements is least likely to be true of Latin squares?

A)It controls for order effects.
B)It results in complete counterbalancing.
C)Each condition appears at each ordinal position.
D)Each condition precedes and follows each condition one time.

Question 53

A design that has two conditions with the same participants in each condition is a(n) _____ design.

A)independent groups
B)repeated measures
C)posttest-pretest
D)random time series

Question 54

A psychologist is interested to know which of two sorting techniques leads to better memory performance in 6-year-olds. Each participant first sorts a set of pictures any way he or she likes. Recall is then tested. After this, each participant is required to sort an equivalent set of pictures into five predetermined categories. Recall for the items in this step is then tested. What procedure does this study represent?

A)Matched random assignment
B)Repeated measures
C)Simple random assignment
D)Combined measures

Question 55

A _____ effect is associated with the deterioration of performance with the passage of time.

A)practice
B)carryover
C)counterbalanced
D)fatigue

Question 56

Powel wants to find out how using fins increases swimming speed. This hypothesis could be tested with a counterbalanced repeated measures design by:

A)having half the swimmers swim without fins and the other half swim with fins.
B)having all swimmers first swim without fins and then swim with fins.
C)having half the swimmers first swim without fins and then with fins and having the other half swim first with fins and then without fins.
D)having all swimmers first swim with fins and then without fins.

Question 57

Wendy wants to know if a new sports drink improves physical performance. The number of push-ups each participant can complete in one minute is recorded first. The participants are then given eight ounces of the sports drink, and the number of push-ups completed in one minute is recorded again. Wendy finds that the number of push-ups completed is less after consuming the new sports drink. This finding is likely the result of a _____ effect.

A)reactive
B)practice
C)fatigue
D)carryover

Question 58

Michelle is interested in factors that influence the perceptions of others. She provides participants with photographs of female supermodels and asks them to rate the attractiveness of each woman. She then provides participants with photographs of women who are not models and asks the participants to rate the attractiveness of each woman. She finds that participants rate the women who are not models much lower. What effect may be responsible for the lower ratings of the women who are not models?

A)Reactive
B)Practice
C)Fatigue
D)Carryover

Question 59

To control order effects in a repeated measures design, one should use a(n) _____

A)counterbalancing technique.
B)independent groups design.
C)reversal design.
D)short time interval between conditions.

Question 60

Dante would like to conduct a study in which participants taste five different brands of honey and decide which one they like best. To control for order effects, Dante should use _____.

A)constancy
B)randomization
C)elimination
D)counterbalancing

Question 61

Which of the following is likely to be the most important consideration for a repeated measures design using alcohol or drugs?

A)Use of a Latin square
B)Order of presenting the conditions
C)Time interval between treatments
D)Complete counterbalancing

Question 62

A matched pairs design is most likely to be used when:

A)the sample size is large.
B)the matching variable and the dependent variable are unrelated.
C)only a few participants are available for the study.
D)running large numbers of individuals in the experiment is inexpensive.

Question 63

A matched pairs design involves:

A)randomly assigning participants to groups and then matching pairs of participants.
B)matching pairs of participants based on a variable and then randomly assigning one member of each pair to each group.
C)matching pairs of participants based on a variable and then randomly assigning half the pairs of each group.
D)an attempt to control for order effects.

Question 64

Hector measures participants based on a variable of interest and rank orders them according to their scores. He then places them in pairs in which each member has approximately the same score as the other member in the pair. The members of each pair are then randomly assigned to the conditions in the experiment. Hector's method of participant assignment is an example of a(n) _____ design.

A)independent pairs
B)repeated measures
C)Latin squares
D)matched pairs

Question 65

Which of the following is a drawback of the matched pairs design?

A)It is not useful when only a few participants are available.
B)It fails to ensure that the groups are equivalent.
C)It can be costly and time-consuming.
D)It simply randomly assigns participants to groups.