Deck 8: Experimental Research

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of manipulation of the independent variable?

A)in a study on the relationship between income and school performance,intentionally studying only schools with majority low-income students
B)in a study on the relationship between income and school performance,observing the natural variation in the school performance of children
C)in a study on the relationship between threats to masculinity and sexual harassment,intentionally varying whether male participants had their masculinity threatened
D)in a study on the relationship between threats to masculinity and sexual harassment,observing the natural variation in sexual harassment behavior

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Kendra is interested in the relationship between spirituality and aggressiveness.Which method should she choose if she is interested in eliminating spuriousness?

A)survey
B)experiment
C)ethnography
D)archival analysis

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The ________ condition is a condition in an experiment where the independent variable is manipulated.

A)control
B)experimental
C)random assignment
D)within-subject design

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which type of experiment is the purest form of an experiment because it allows the
Researcher to easily manipulate the independent variables,randomize participants
Into conditions,and control features of the experimental setting?

A)laboratory
B)field
C)population-based survey
D)natural

Question 5

What is a necessary condition to establish causality?

A)Two variables must be positively correlated.
B)Two variables must be negatively correlated.
C)The independent variable must precede the dependent variable.
D)The relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable
Must be spurious.

Question 6

When participants notice the experimental manipulation,such as noticing that a job applicant is female (or male),this is known as

A)internal validity.
B)external validity.
C)reliability.
D)salience.

Question 7

The degree to which a study establishes a causal effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable is known as

A)internal validity.
B)external validity.
C)reliability.
D)salience.

Question 8

According to sociologist William T.Bielby,which of the following statements about research on gender and racial segregation in employment is true?

A)Research on gender and racial segregation in employment done at the organizational level misses the substantial amount of segregation that occurs within occupations.
B)Most research on gender and racial segregation in employment relies on studies done at the organizational level.
C)Few studies on gender and racial segregation in employment rely on national surveys.
D)Few studies analyze gender and race segregation at the organizational level.

Question 9

Researchers have found that delineating clear hiring criteria

A)significantly eliminates bias in hiring decisions.
B)significantly increases bias in hiring decisions.
C)has no impact with respect to bias in hiring decisions.
D)is nearly impossible to do.

Question 10

What is the process that ensures that participants have an equal likelihood of being assigned to experimental or control conditions?

A)random assignment
B)convenience assignment
C)experimental group assignment
D)control group assignment

Question 11

Where do laboratory experiments take place?

A)in a setting that gives researchers little control over the environment
B)in a setting where factors unintentionally interfere with the results
C)in a setting where the experimenter ensures that participants notice the manipulation of the independent variable
D)in a setting where clear manipulation of the independent variable is difficult to achieve

Question 12

________ is when an apparent relation between two concepts is actually the result of some third concept influencing both of them.

A)Triangulation
B)Spuriousness
C)Salience
D)External validity

Question 13

What is a key feature of experiments?

A)manipulation of one or more dependent variables to determine the effect(s)on an independent variable
B)nonrandom assignment of participants to experimental and control conditions
C)control of other factors that could influence the dependent variable
D)pose no ethical issues

Question 14

________ refers to the extent to which the conclusions drawn from a study generalize to a larger population or to a different setting.

A)Internal validity
B)External validity
C)Reliability
D)Salience

Question 15

In establishing causality,which of the following conditions,in practice,is the MOST challenging?

A)There must exist an independent and dependent variable at the same time.
B)The two variables must be correlated.
C)The cause must precede the effect in repeated experiments.
D)The relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable must not be caused by some other factor.

Question 16

Which method,because of its artificiality,is well suited for testing abstract theories about how the social world works?

A)survey
B)experiment
C)ethnography
D)archival analysis

Question 17

What is the defining feature of an experiment?

A)observation of natural variation of the independent variable
B)observation of natural variation of the dependent variable
C)intentional manipulation of the independent variable
D)intentional control for other factors that might affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variables

Question 18

Which of the following is essential for establishing causality?

A)random assignment
B)convenience assignment
C)double-barreled questions
D)response set

Question 19

Mihir is interested in understanding the relationship between social class and academic achievement.He is most interested in establishing cause-effect relationships between social class variables and academic achievement variables.Which research method should he choose?

A)survey
B)experiment
C)ethnography
D)archival analysis

Question 20

The ________ experiment is the most common type of experiment.

A)laboratory
B)field
C)survey
D)natural

Question 21

What is a characteristic of the laboratory experiment?

A)low degree of internal validity
B)high degree of external validity
C)allows disentangling of the complexity of a social phenomenon that occurs in the natural world
D)ideally suited for investigating applied questions

Question 22

Blackwell and colleagues conducted an experiment on seventh graders in a New York City school to assess whether teaching students that intelligence was a malleable rather than a fixed trait could improve students' classroom motivation and mathematical performance.This experiment is an example of a

A)laboratory experiment.
B)field experiment.
C)population-based survey experiment.
D)natural experiment.

Question 23

The figure below suggests that the results of the survey research

A)were in stark contrast to what Devah Pager found in her audit study of the same employers.
B)largely confirmed what Devah Pager found in her audit study of the same employers.
C)showed that employers are generally honest with respect to their hiring practices.
D)confirmed that whites with a criminal record were significantly more likely to be hired than blacks without a criminal record.

Question 24

What is a characteristic of a natural experiment?

A)Participants are assigned to conditions by experimental procedures.
B)Participants are randomly assigned.
C)Experimenters manipulate the independent variable.
D)It is more observational than a true experiment.

Question 25

What is a quality of a successful experiment?

A)A significant number of participants will disregard instructions given to them.
B)A significant number of participants may be suspicious about the study's hypothesis.
C)Participants are actively engaged.
D)Participants may be distracted by factors unrelated to the experiment.

Question 26

What is a double-blind study?

A)a study where the participant is not aware of which condition the participant is in but the researcher is
B)a study where the researcher is not aware of which condition the participant is in but the participant is
C)a study where neither the researcher nor the participant is aware of which condition the participant is in
D)a study where both the researcher and the participant are aware of which condition the participant is in

Question 27

What is a characteristic of the population-based survey experiment?

A)higher degree of external validity than laboratory or field experiments
B)high control over all features of the experimental setting
C)high confidence that the manipulation of the independent variable was salient and clear to all participants
D)high confidence that the causal relationship was accurately assessed

Question 28

The Devah Pager study on criminal status,race,and hiring is an example of a(n)

A)laboratory experiment.
B)audit study.
C)population-based survey experiment.
D)natural experiment.

Question 29

Shawna is interested in the effect of a particular test strategy on test performance and wants to reduce experimenter effects.What is a strategy that she could use?

A)conduct a double-blind study
B)use a between-subject design
C)use confederates
D)use a cover story

Question 30

Which of the following would be considered a strength of the natural experiment?

A)occurs in a very realistic and consequential setting
B)excellent at uncovering the mechanism that produces the outcome
C)easy for researchers to stay attuned to the world around them while waiting for a natural experiment to happen
D)so realistic that the results are highly generalizable

Question 31

George is researching the relationship between racial animosity and political preference.However,he tells his subjects that his study is about undergraduate political party preferences,Which is false.This false reason for participation in an experiment is known as

A)a debriefing.
B)a cover story.
C)an experimental condition.
D)salience.

Question 32

What would be an example of a naturally occurring independent variable?

A)implementation of a new school testing program
B)changing the gender on a job application
C)exposing the participant to a negative stereotype
D)threatening a participant's masculinity

Question 33

Raul wants to conduct a study on interracial dating by asking participants to read a description of a scenario and then answer questions about how they would react to the given situation.He would like the study to have high external validity.Which type of experiment would he choose?

A)laboratory
B)field
C)population-based survey
D)natural

Question 34

Raj is interested in the impact of race and social class on interactions with the police.He has created a factorial design experiment.What is a characteristic of this experiment?

A)his study has two independent variables-race and social class
B)his study has three independent variables-race,social class,and quality of interaction with police officers
C)his study has one independent variable (race)and two dependent variables (social class and quality of interaction with police officers)
D)his study has one independent variable (race)and one dependent variable (quality of interaction with police officers)

Question 35

An experiment in which the independent variable is manipulated by "nature," not by the experimenter,is known as a ________ experiment.

A)laboratory
B)field
C)population-based survey
D)natural

Question 36

Experiments that rely on survey methods and are conducted on a representative sample of the population of interest are known as ________ experiments.

A)laboratory
B)field
C)population-based survey
D)natural

Question 37

What may be a consequence of suspicion?

A)Suspicion reduces social desirability bias.
B)Suspicion causes participants to behave in artificial ways.
C)Participants will be more alert and follow instructions more carefully.
D)Participants will be more engaged and focused.

Question 38

Amir is studying the impact of the job applicant's gender on hiring recommendations.He wants to ensure that the independent variable was salient.What is a strategy that he could use?

A)using a control group
B)using confederates
C)using a within-subject design
D)asking the participants if they noticed the independent variable in the debriefing

Question 39

At which stage of the laboratory experiment does debriefing occur?

A)Stage 1: the researcher creates a setting that is engaging and makes sense to the
Participant
B)Stage 2: the researcher manipulates the independent variable while holding other factors constant
C)Stage 3: the researcher devises a valid and reliable measure of the dependent variable
D)Stage 4: the researcher assesses the quality of the experiment and works to ensure the participant's well-being

Question 40

What is a characteristic of field experiments?

A)not well suited for evaluating applied questions
B)well suited for exploring abstract social processes
C)can be confident the findings apply to the real world
D)high control over all features of the setting

Question 41

Measures collected by observing the overt and observable actions of participants are known as ________ measures.

A)behavioral
B)attitudinal
C)physiological
D)longitudinal

Question 42

Is it wise to tell participants the experiment's true purpose?

A)No,because participants may change their behavior as a result of learning the true purpose of the experiment.
B)Yes,because telling participants the experiment's true purpose is always required by institutional review boards.
C)Yes,because participants do not change their behavior as a result of learning the true purpose of the experiment.
D)Yes,because revealing the exact purpose of the experiment does not make participants react in ways that are artificially consistent with the study hypotheses.

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of an attitudinal measure?

A)a score on an aptitude test
B)frequency participants sent pornographic images to their partners
C)blood pressure
D)a response to the survey question: "How much did you like your partner today?"

Question 44

Kevon is interested in the impact of gender on hiring decisions.Participants will view résumés for both male and female job applicants.Kevon is using a ________ design.

A)between-subject
B)within-subject
C)factorial
D)split-ballot

Question 45

Look at the table below.What is the correct placement of the types of dependent measures?

A)Cell 1=Attitudinal measures;Cell 2=Behavioral measures;Cell 3=Physiological measures
B)Cell 1=Behavioral measures;Cell 2=Attitudinal measures;Cell 3=Physiological measures
C)Cell 1=Physiological measures;Cell 2=Behavioral measures;Cell 3=Attitudinal measures
D)Cell 1=Behavioral measures;Cell 2=Physiological measures;Cell 3=Attitudinal measures

Question 46

Juan is doing a study on obedience to authority.He will be using paid actors to act as authority figures.These paid actors are known as

A)confederates.
B)a control group.
C)an experimental group.
D)auditors.

Question 47

Biological responses to stimuli are known as ________ measures.

A)behavioral
B)attitudinal
C)physiological
D)longitudinal

Question 48

Compared to the within-subject design,what is a characteristic of the between-subject design?

A)requires fewer participants
B)gives the researcher more control over unrelated factors
C)more possible to conduct
D)may make participants suspicious about the study hypothesis

Question 49

When study participants report positively valued behaviors and attitudes rather than giving truthful responses,this is known as

A)social desirability bias.
B)salience.
C)spuriousness.
D)triangulation.

Question 50

Jenna is conducting a study on gender bias in hiring.She has recruited participants to evaluate job applications.What is an effective way to manipulate the independent variable?

A)She can put common women's names on all highly qualified candidate's applications and put common men's names on unqualified applications.
B)She can randomly put common women's names and common men's names on similarly qualified applications.
C)She can tell the participants to ignore the gender of the person who wrote the application.
D)She can delete all indicators of gender from all applications.

Question 51

Compared to behavioral measures,what is a characteristic of an attitudinal measure?

A)It is less susceptible to social desirability bias.
B)Researchers generally prefer attitudinal measures to behavioral measures.
C)Researchers prefer attitudinal measures when they want to understand how people actually treat one another and respond to the social world.
D)Researchers prefer attitudinal measures when they are interested in understanding why an outcome occurs.

Question 52

What is an activity that is likely to occur when interviewing participants after the experiment is complete?

A)ensure that participants know that the researcher is not liable for any harm done to the participant
B)ensure that the participant does not,and will not,know the actual purpose of the experiment
C)ensure that the experimental manipulation was not noticed
D)ensure that the participant did not become suspicious about the study hypothesis

Question 53

To be effective,the manipulation of the independent variable in a laboratory experiment
Needs to be

A)weak enough so that participants are not aware of it.
B)strong enough so that participants are aware of it.
C)strong enough so that participants guess the study's hypothesis.
D)described verbally to the participants.

Question 54

Johann took part in a study that he was told initially was about test-taking strategies.After the experiment was over,he was surprised to learn that the actual purpose of the experiment was to determine whether exposure to negative racial stereotypes causes changes in test performance.The interview after the study when Johann was informed of the actual purpose of the experiment is known as the

A)debriefing.
B)audit.
C)panel survey.
D)cognitive interview.

Question 55

Self-reported responses of participants to questions about their attitudes,opinions,emotions,and beliefs are known as ________ measures.

A)behavioral
B)attitudinal
C)physiological
D)longitudinal

Question 56

A study design in which participants are randomly assigned to different levels of the independent variable,such as viewing résumés for a male or a female job applicant,is known as a ________ design.

A)between-subject
B)within-subject
C)factorial
D)split-ballot

Question 57

Which of the following is an example of a physiological measure?

A)a score on a racial bias test
B)heart rate
C)whether employers called job applicants back
D)a response to the survey question: "Have you attended church,synagogue,or mosque in the last seven days?"

Question 58

Which of the following studies are institutional review boards (IRB)most likely to approve?

A)a study where costs to participants are high and the importance of the knowledge obtained is low
B)a study where participants are elaborately debriefed
C)studies where participants have not given their consent to participate
D)studies where participant names are not kept confidential

Question 59

What is a characteristic of physiological measures?

A)One single physiological response can precisely measure the dependent variable being studied.
B)Physiological measures are unhelpful in uncovering processes that produce social outcomes.
C)Physiological measures are more susceptible to social desirability biases than other measures.
D)It can be difficult and expensive to collect physiological measures in the laboratory.

Question 60

When answering a question about church attendance on a survey,Anita falsely answers that she went to church last week when she did not.This is an example of

A)social desirability bias.
B)salience.
C)spuriousness.
D)triangulation.

Question 61

Design a study where there is a small possibility that participants might suffer minor harm-for example,feel shame or guilt.Describe this study in two or three sentences.In two or three paragraphs,describe the debriefing process of your study.

Question 62

The use of different types of research methods to study the same general research question is
Known as

A)social desirability bias.
B)salience.
C)spuriousness.
D)triangulation.

Question 63

Design an experiment with low external validity.Describe it in a paragraph.Think of two ways in which you could increase external validity.Write a paragraph on each.

Question 64

Referring to the Uhlmann and Cohen (2005)study discussed in the textbook,what was the mechanism that produced discrimination? What were the independent and dependent variables? Describe the experimental condition and the control condition.What impact did the experimental condition have?

Question 65

Propose an experiment that demonstrates the three key features of experiments.In your answer,
(1)identify the independent variable and dependent variable, (2)discuss how the independent variable will be manipulated, (3)identify the experimental condition and control condition, (4)discuss how subjects will be randomly assigned into the experimental group and control group, (5)discuss how other factors are controlled,and (6)discuss how your experiment addresses the question of demonstrating causality.

Question 66

Design a laboratory experiment that requires a cover story and debriefing.State the hypothesis.Discuss how you will (1)create a setting that is engaging and makes sense to the participant,
(2)manipulate the independent variable while holding other factors constant, (3)devise a valid and reliable measure of the dependent variable,and (4)assess the quality of the experiment and work to ensure the participant's well-being.Write a paragraph for each of the four stages.In your answer,discuss how your manipulation of the independent variable is strong enough that participants are aware of it,but not so strong as to give away the study's hypothesis.

Question 67

State a research question.Decide which experimental method you will use-laboratory experiment,field experiment,survey experiment,and natural experiment.What is the independent variable and what is the dependent variable? Discuss how the independent variable will be manipulated and how the dependent variable will be measured.Discuss why you chose this method over the other three.In your answer,discuss the following: the extent to which the setting is artificial versus realistic,how well it tests abstract theories and concrete outcomes,the degree of internal and external validity,the amount of control the researcher has over the setting,and the ease with which participants can be randomly assigned to a condition.

Question 68

Bella has conducted a laboratory experiment using a nonrandom sample of mostly white college students as participants.She found that nonmothers are preferred over mothers in hiring decisions.What follow-up strategy would do little to increase external validity?

A)replicate the study on a sample of older,more racially diverse adults
B)conduct a field experiment
C)conduct qualitive interviews
D)replicate the study using less common names on the résumés

Question 69

Using the motherhood penalty as an example,compare the survey method with the experiment.What are the advantages of each? Explain why experiments are especially good for assessing whether gender inequalities are caused by discrimination.