Deck 7: Basics of Experimentation

Question 1

One reason a valid experiment may produce null results is:

A) the range of levels in the independent variable was insufficient to show an effect.
B) the dependent variable reflects a broad range of performance.
C) that the experiment is conducted in an environment that is too artificial.
D) that reactivity occurs in the participants (e.g.,they adopt the role of the "good subject").

Answer 1

the range of levels in the independent variable was insufficient to show an effect.

Question 2

Dependent variables are:

A) manipulated by the researcher.
B) potential independent variables that are held constant.
C) measured by the researcher.
D) probable behavioral causes.

Answer 2

measured by the researcher.

Question 3

An experimental group or condition:

A) receives the level of interest of the independent variable.
B) receives the baseline level of the independent variable.
C) is often untreated.
D) is all that is required to conduct an experiment.

Answer 3

receives the level of interest of the independent variable.

Question 4

The control group in an experiment:

A) fixes the level of a variable across all experimental conditions.
B) is often untreated.
C) receives the same levels of the independent variable as the experimental group.
D) refers to the manipulation of the independent variable.

Question 5

A possible problem in generalizing from the decompression study on pregnant rats is that:

A) it is risky to generalize from ex post facto studies.
B) it is wrong to generalize from unethical research.
C) it is risky to generalize across species.
D) causality cannot be determined from observational research.

Question 6

When we do an experiment,we:

A) measure independent variables.
B) produce dependent variables.
C) produce control variables.
D) produce a comparison.
E) hold independent variables constant.

Question 7

In experiments,the independent variable should be ____,the dependent variable should be ____ ,and the control variable should be ____.

A) controlled; constant; randomized
B) constant; an effect; causal
C) free; restricted; elevated
D) balanced; unconfounded; an effect
E) manipulated; measured; held constant

Question 8

Which of the following is not one of the ways that control is used in an experiment?

A) The control group is used as a basis of comparison.
B) The independent variable is under controlled manipulation.
C) The dependent variable is controlled by the researcher.
D) Extraneous variables are held constant.

Question 9

A variable that inadvertently causes an experimental result is:

A) confounded with the dependent variable.
B) confounded with the independent variable.
C) confounded with the control variables.
D) unlikely to be important in experiments.

Question 10

If you conducted a study on the effects of magnitude of food reward on maze learning in rats,you would probably make sure that your rats were food deprived several hours before each experimental session.You would do this:

A) to hold hunger,a dependent variable,constant.
B) to ensure a strong independent variable.
C) to ensure that the rats would not explore the maze.
D) to allow for generalization to "real" rat behavior.

Question 11

In the research on decompression of pregnant rats,the independent variable was ____ ,a dependent variable was ____ ,and a control variable was ____.

A) reduced air pressure; behavioral tests; strain of rat
B) body weight; climbing ability; time of day
C) atmospheric pressure; age of rat; climbing ability
D) number of decompressions; body weight; home cage
E) experimental group; control group; test performance

Question 12

The "independence" of the independent variable means that it is free from:

A) experimental control.
B) influences from the participant.
C) manipulation.
D) restraints.

Question 13

According to Mill's joint method of agreement and difference:

A) when event A occurs,result X never happens.
B) X never happens in the absence of
C) X is caused by A if they occur together.
D) A and X vary inversely.

Question 14

Control variables are:

A) potential independent variables that are held constant.
B) assigned to the control group.
C) measured by the experimenter.
D) potential dependent variables that are held constant.

Question 15

Assume that your instructor wants to evaluate the effects of the intensity of surrounding light (in watts)on performance in a Nintendo game.Individuals who vary randomly in their initial skill level on the game are assigned to a room containing an overhead light at a selected intensity.Each participant plays the game in their assigned room at the same time of day,and their high score is measured.A control variable in this study is the ____.

A) level of light (in watts)
B) Nintendo game score
C) time of day
D) skill level

Question 16

In the original Pepsi/Coke challenge,____.

A) preference was caused by the independent variable
B) labels and colas were confounded
C) people preferred Coke to Pepsi
D) preference and colas were confounded

Question 17

If a participant does too well on a task to observe meaningful differences in behavior,this would most accurately be referred to as:

A) a ceiling effect.
B) a floor effect.
C) luck.
D) a null result.

Question 18

A floor effect occurs when:

A) the lowest possible score on the dependent variable is too high.
B) the highest possible score on the dependent variable is too high.
C) the lowest possible score on the dependent variable is too low.
D) the highest possible score on the dependent variable is too low.

Question 19

In experiments,independent variables are:

A) the results of careful measurements of behavior.
B) extraneous to the experiment and held constant.
C) extraneous to the experiment and allowed to vary randomly.
D) independent of experimental control.
E) varied by the researcher.

Question 20

Assume that your instructor wants to evaluate the potential effects of the amount of caffeine intake on performance in a motor coordination task (playing pinball).Following a specified dose of caffeine,individual scores on pinball are measured.Each participant plays pinball at the same time of day.Also,each participant has been matched for initial skill level at pinball.The independent variable in this study is ____.

A) dose level
B) pinball score
C) time of day
D) skill level

Question 21

The Hawthorne effect is an example of:

A) experimenter bias.
B) reactivity in an experiment.
C) participant observation.
D) unobtrusive outcomes.

Question 22

In an experiment,the effect of a variable is eliminated by making it a control variable.

Question 23

The amount of reactivity in experiments can be directly measured by:

A) doing field research on a similar question.
B) deceiving participants as to some purposes of the research.
C) conducting simulated experiments or asking participants how they might react to the independent variable.
D) giving participants a monetary incentive to perform well.

Question 24

In the tip-of-the-tongue experiments by Brennen and others,the independent variable was the percentage of times participants reported being in tip-of-the-tongue states.

Question 25

A participant who responds honestly on each trial even if he/she knows the major hypothesis of the experiment could be described as a(n)"____" subject.

A) good
B) faithful
C) negativistic
D) apprehensive

Question 26

Most evidence from studies examining demand characteristics show that ____ is the most important source of reactivity.

A) good-participant role
B) faithful-participant role
C) negativistic-participant role
D) apprehensive-participant role

Question 27

A ceiling effect arises when performance is so bad that it can't be measured.

Question 28

Mundane realism:

A) is a crucial problem for external validity.
B) is less relevant than generalizability.
C) characterizes internally valid experiments.
D) refers to aspects of the typical laboratory experiment.

Question 29

The experimental group receives a comparison level of the independent variable.

Question 30

An interaction occurs when:

A) an independent variable effects a dependent variable.
B) one independent variable effects a second independent variable.
C) the effect one dependent variable has is not the same at each level of a second dependent variable.
D) the effect one independent variable has is not the same at each level of a second independent variable.

Question 31

In order to have an experiment,there have to be at least two levels of the independent variable.

Question 32

Null results always result from an ineffective independent variable.

Question 33

Experiments are tests designed to result in a causal explanation.

Question 34

A participant in Asch's classic experiment on the discrimination of line length incorrectly responds that one line is longer than another just because he/she saw that several other people gave that same response.This individual could be described as a(n)"____" subject.

A) good
B) faithful
C) negativistic
D) apprehensive

Question 35

What is a reason for doing an experiment with more than one independent variable?

A) It is impossible to get an experiment with only one independent variable published
B) They are more efficient than doing separate experiments
C) To increase the realism of the experimental setting
D) To limit the reactivity of participants

Question 36

In the original Pepsi/Coke challenge,cup labels were confounded with cup contents.

Question 37

Of the following,which is the best option to reduce the impact of reactivity on the independent variable?

A) Restrict the experiment to the laboratory setting.
B) Use deception.
C) Repeat the test using the same participants.
D) Increase the number of participants.
E) Use more than one independent variable.

Question 38

In the joint method of agreement and difference,if A occurs then so will X,and if A does not occur,then neither will X.

Question 39

A type 2 error occurs when you fail to reject the null hypothesis when it is,in fact,wrong.

Question 40

Participants who simulated hypnosis:

A) engaged in dangerous acts more readily than hypnotized people.
B) could not be distinguished from hypnotized participants.
C) could not be distinguished from participants who received strong pressure from the experimenter.
D) were unable to perform dangerous tasks as well as participants who were hypnotized.

Question 41

Generalizability,not surface realism,leads to ecological validity.

Question 42

Evaluation apprehension seems to be the major cause of demand characteristics.

Question 43

In the Hawthorne experiments on worker productivity,the experimenters carefully isolated one or two variables that influenced the workers' behavior.

Question 44

The problem of reversibility refers to the difficulty of generalizing across different participant populations.

Question 45

If men always respond more rapidly to different colored lights than do women,we do not have an interaction between sex and color of light.