Deck 9: Controls and Threats to Interval Validity

Question 1

Threats to internal validity are threats to saying __________.

A)the independent variable caused the change in the dependent variable.
B)the dependent variable caused the change in the independent variable.
C)the results can be generalized to other populations.
D)the results are due to chance.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Psychological studies involve the use of many variables.Which of the following variables could bias research findings?

A)independent
B)extraneous
C)nuisance
D)both B and C

Answer 2

D

Question 3

When the change in the dependent variable could be due to extreme scores moving to the mean on subsequent testing, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)history
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)selection

Answer 3

C

Question 4

with an example regarding the TV show American Idol.A comparison was made between the format of the TV show and a research experiment.Specifically, the viewers who watch the TV show were compared to the __________ in an experiment.

A)participants
B)researchers
C)confederates
D)research assistants

Question 5

with an example regarding the TV show American Idol.A comparison was made between the format of the TV show and a research experiment.Specifically, the judges on the TV show were compared to the _________ in an experiment.

A)participants
B)researchers
C)confederates
D)research assistants

Question 6

__________ validity is confidence in saying that the independent variable caused the change in the dependent variable.

A)External
B)Internal
C)Construct
D)Face

Question 7

Research should be designed to _________ for nuisance and extraneous variables.

A)ignore
B)control
C)manipulate
D)review

Question 8

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to internal changes within the participant that occurred over time, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)history
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)selection

Question 9

with an example regarding the TV show American Idol.The format of the show allows viewers to watch performances and, after hearing reviews of the judges, call in to vote for their favorite performer.The judges providing feedback before viewers vote could be a problem because __________.

A)it takes too long and viewers turn off TV before voting.
B)the judges give opinions that upset the viewing audience.
C)the judges give opinions that could influence the results.
D)none of the above

Question 10

_________ variables are not controlled for in the experiment but may have an influence on the dependent variable because they vary with the levels of the independent variables.

A)Extraneous
B)Nuisance
C)Attrition
D)History

Question 11

A study conducted at Cornell University concluded that a possible link existed between TV viewing and autism in children.Researchers looked at two factors leading them to their conclusions.First, the researchers looked at autism rates in specific counties.Results indicated that as rainfall increased, so too did rates of autism, and conversely as rainfall decreased, so too did rates of autism.The researchers found this interesting because prior research reported that children watch more TV when it is raining.Second, the researchers looked at the percentage of households with cable TV subscriptions.Results indicated that as cable TV subscriptions increased, so too did rates of autism, and, conversely, as cable TV subscriptions decreased, so too did rates of autism.The researchers combined these two results to conclude there is a link between watching TV and autism.However in this study, population size was an) ____________ variable that needed to be considered.

A)extraneous
B)nuisance
C)attrition
D)history

Question 12

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to participants systematically dropping out of an experiment, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)attrition
B)testing
C)diffusion of treatment
D)instrumentation

Question 13

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to how participants were picked or assigned to groups, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)history
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)selection

Question 14

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the differences between extraneous and nuisance variables?

A)Nuisance variables vary with the independent variable and extraneous variables are the same for all groups of participants.
B)Extraneous variables vary with the independent variable and nuisance variables are the same for all groups of participants.
C)Nuisance variables focus on issues related to the experimental design and extraneous variables focus on issues related to participants.
D)Extraneous variables are not manipulated by researchers but nuisance variables are.

Question 15

The textbook authors conducted two studies on social networking sites.The first study was conducted in the spring semester on college freshmen and the second study was conducted in the fall semester on college freshmen.The authors found that __________ was a nuisance variable.

A)major of participant
B)ethnicity of participant
C)academic classification
D)time of year

Question 16

Which of the following researchers outlined threats to internal validity many years ago?

A)Shadish, Cook, and Campbell
B)Campbell and Stanly
C)Stanly and Cook
D)Shadish and Stanly

Question 17

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to an event beyond the researcher's control, _________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)history
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)selection

Question 18

_________ variables are variables that influence all participants and cause the experimental results to be less clear.

A)Extraneous
B)Nuisance
C)Attrition
D)History

Question 19

This chapter outlined ____ questions that you can ask yourself to determine if threats to internal validity are present in a study.

A)35
B)20
C)15
D)10

Question 20

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the similarities between extraneous and nuisance variables?

A)Research findings can be influenced by both variables in unwanted ways.
B)Research findings can be influenced by both variables in predictable ways.
C)Researchers actively manipulate both variables in a study.
D)Researchers do not consider these variables to be of importance in interpreting results.

Question 21

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to the researcher's hypothesis or the participant's hypothesis, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)diffusion of treatments
B)instrumentation
C)placebo effect
D)demand characteristics

Question 22

Let us pretend that the U.S.Department of Agriculture does regular surveys on mature Americans to see what concerns they have with foodborne illnesses.You hear on the news one night that mature Americans are now 50 times more likely to worry about Mad Cow disease than they were five years ago.You happen to remember that there was an outbreak of Mad Cow disease last year at around the same time the data were collected).It is possible that the increase in concern over Mad Cow disease is partially due to the recent outbreak.This is an example of __________ being a threat to internal validity.

A)history
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)selection

Question 23

In a __________ study, the participant has no knowledge of which group he or she has been assigned to, although the researcher knows.

A)single blind
B)double blind
C)dual blind
D)mono blind

Question 24

In a ___________ study, neither the participant nor the researcher knows which group a particular participants has been assigned.

A)single blind
B)double blind
C)dual blind
D)mono blind

Question 25

If you and a friend watched an episode of Family Guy separately and counted the number of violent acts, you are likely to get different counts.Which threat to internal validity explains these results?

A)attrition
B)instrumentation
C)testing
D)diffusion of treatment

Question 26

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to the participant's expectation that change will occur, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)diffusion of treatments
B)instrumentation
C)placebo effect
D)demand characteristics

Question 27

Which of the following statements regarding threats to internal validity is correct?

A)Threats to internal validity can be controlled for with research designs and techniques.
B)Threats to internal validity can be controlled for during analysis of datc.Threats to internal validity cannot be controlled for by the researcher.
D)Threats to internal validity can be controlled for by asking participants if specific threats influenced responses.

Question 28

It happens occasionally that a student who is in one of our classes has previously taken the class from another instructor.The repeater students will comment that the class is so much easier with us as instructors.Now, we might want to believe that we are such great instructors that student learning the dependent variable) has drastically improved because of us the independent variable).However, which threat to internal validity better explains the increase in student learning?

A)attrition
B)testing
C)diffusion of treatment
D)instrumentation

Question 29

Many colleges and universities offer a freshman seminar class to prepare students for college life.Colleges put a great deal of money into these classes and want to know if the freshman seminar classes the independent variable) have an influence on the students' attitudes and behaviors the dependent variable).This is commonly measured by conducting a survey at the end of the first year about information covered in the classes.Which of the following threats to internal validity could influence survey results?

A)history
B)regression to the mean
C)maturation
D)selection

Question 30

Think of a research experiment designed to test which diet is best at helping people lose weight-Atkins, Jenny Craig, or Weight Watchers.The results could show that the average weight lost on Atkins was 6 pounds per week and on Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers was 2 pounds per week.It is important to ask yourself if participants are dropping out of a study in a manner that might influence the results to determine if __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)testing
B)diffusion of treatment
C)instrumentation
D)attrition

Question 31

You have just learned of survey results conducted by your university on the drinking behaviors of the college campus.Wondering about the results, you ask yourself the following questions: how were participants selected, were participants selected depending on if they lived on- or off-campus, were all the participants in a sorority or fraternity, were non-traditional age students included in the survey, and were men and women equally sampled? These types of questions indicate that you are concerned about what threat to internal validity?

A)history
B)selection
C)maturation
D)regression to the mean

Question 32

Which of the following statements accurately describes the use of double blind studies?

A)Double blind studies are not ethical as the researcher is not given total access to participant datb.Double blind studies are a preferred technique because they reduce the threats to internal validity.
C)Single blind studies are preferred over double blind studies because the researcher can directly interact with the participants.
D)None of the above

Question 33

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to participants' familiarity with the test, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)attrition
B)testing
C)diffusion of treatment
D)instrumentation

Question 34

Think about the American Idol example in the Are You Equipped? section at the beginning of the chapter.By the judges giving their expert opinions on contestants' performances, they are communicating to the audience how we should vote.Thus, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)diffusion of treatments
B)instrumentation
C)placebo effect
D)demand characteristics

Question 35

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to changes in how the dependent variable was measured, _________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)attrition
B)testing
C)diffusion of treatment
D)instrumentation

Question 36

The authors of your textbook discussed a study on teaching practices in which their two classes where communicating with one another and influenced the results of the study.In this scenario, which of the following was a threat to internal validity?

A)attrition
B)testing
C)diffusion of treatment
D)instrumentation

Question 37

When a change in the dependent variable could be due to participants in one group talking to participants in another group, __________ is a threat to internal validity.

A)attrition
B)testing
C)diffusion of treatment
D)instrumentation

Question 38

Have you ever played a video game breaking the all-time high score only to find that you were never able to duplicate that performance? This is an example of _________, which is a threat to internal validity.

A)history
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)selection

Question 39

In the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter, the authors of the textbook identified ______ threats to internal validity?

A)none
B)six
C)seven
D)ten

Question 40

Imagine a study where participants were given Jell-O shots to consume before participating in experiments where reaction time was measured.However, to the participants' surprise, the Jell-O shots were not made with alcohol.When the participants were debriefed and told that the Jell-O contained no alcohol, some participants refused to drive home until they had sobered up.The participants' responses indicate that __________ was a threat to internal validity.

A)diffusion of treatments
B)instrumentation
C)placebo effect
D)demand characteristics

Question 41

Reflect on the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter.If the decrease in pain reported by participants was due to internal changes that occurred within the participant over a three month time period, which of the following was a threat to internal validity?

A)selection
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)attrition

Question 42

Reflect on the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter.What if some of the participants dropped out of the experiment before the end because it was not working to alleviate pain? This question is associated with which of the following threats to internal validity?

A)selection
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)attrition

Question 43

Research conducted on children must always evaluate which threat to internal validity?

A)maturation
B)regression to the mean
C)history
D)placebo

Question 44

Nuisance variables influence all participants in the same manner.

Question 45

Which of the following is not an example of a placebo?

A)a Jell-O shot containing alcohol
B)a regular Jell-O shot
C)an inert substance
D)a sugar pill

Question 46

Like other areas of life, psychologists controlling for variables in the research process is unhealthy.

Question 47

Extraneous variables are controlled for by the researcher.

Question 48

Which of the following threats to internal validity would be of concern if an outbreak of salmonella in peanut butter occurred while a study was being conducted on perceptions of peanut butter?

A)maturation
B)regression to the mean
C)history
D)placebo

Question 49

Reflect on the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter.If the change in the dependent variable was due to participants selecting the joint that caused the most pain, which of the following was a threat to internal validity?

A)selection
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)attrition

Question 50

A __________ is an inert substance.

A)maturation
B)regression to the mean
C)history
D)placebo

Question 51

Extraneous variables will vary systematically with the independent variable.

Question 52

Reflect on the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter.It may be such that participants wanted so strongly for this new treatment to work that they experienced pain relief.If this did indeed occur, which of the following was a threat to internal validity?

A)placebo effect
B)demand characteristics
C)selection
D)maturation

Question 53

Have you ever noticed that two extremely attractive people can have an average-looking or unattractive child? This is an example of __________.

A)maturation
B)regression to the mean
C)history
D)placebo

Question 54

Threats to internal validity are threats to saying the independent variable caused the change in the dependent variable.

Question 55

Threats to internal validity are threats to generalizing the results to other populations.

Question 56

Reflect on the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter.The article indicated that about 11% of the participants had already received acupuncture in the year before the treatment.This fact is associated with which of the following threats to internal validity?

A)selection
B)maturation
C)regression to the mean
D)attrition

Question 57

Extraneous variables will vary systematically with the dependent variable.

Question 58

Psychologists control for many variables in the research process.

Question 59

Nuisance variables are not controlled for by the researcher.

Question 60

With regard to research, control is a positive thing.

Question 61

Demand characteristics are a threat to internal validity in which researchers purposely influence results in desired directions.

Question 62

A double blind study is preferred over a single blind study.

Question 63

A single blind study is preferred over a double blind study.

Question 64

A sugar pill is a placebo.

Question 65

Selection of participants is not a threat to internal validity.

Question 66

In the Are You Equipped Now at the end of the chapter, attrition occurred because 11% of participants had already received acupuncture that year.

Question 67

Alcohol free Jell-O shots are a placebo.

Question 68

Researchers only worry about maturation with the use of children as participants.

Question 69

Extreme scores moving to the mean on subsequent testing is regression to the mean.

Question 70

The threat of internal validity known as testing is always to be avoided.

Question 71

Maturation is a change in the researcher's internal state over time.

Question 72

Cook and Campbell outlined threats to internal validity many years ago.

Question 73

Campbell and Stanly outlined threats to internal validity many years ago.

Question 74

In a single blind student, the researcher is "blind" to the treatment conditions.

Question 75

Regression to the mean is a mathematical equation for interpreting threats to external validity.

Question 76

History is an event beyond the researcher's control.

Question 77

A placebo is an inert substance.

Question 78

Testing is a threat to internal validity in which participants systematically dropping out of an experiment.

Question 79

The following are types of threats to internal validity: maturation, history, participation, and attrition.

Question 80

Regression to the mean involves groups of participants communicating with one another.