Question 1

If you wanted to make sure that fingernail biting was a good way to classify your participants regarding their anxiety level by also testing them with the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, you would have used an)

Accepted Answer

A manipulation check is used to ensure that the independent variable is actually having the intended effect on the dependent variable. In this case, the independent variable is fingernail biting and the dependent variable is anxiety level. By testing the participants with the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, the researcher can check to see if fingernail biting is actually a good way to classify the participants regarding their anxiety level.

Question 2

If a researcher finds a result in a laboratory setting but not in a real world setting, the finding

Accepted Answer

If a result is found in a laboratory setting but not in a real world setting, it may lack ecological validity. Ecological validity refers to the extent to which findings can be generalized to real-world settings. If a finding is not replicated in real-world settings, it may suggest that the laboratory setting does not adequately mimic the complexity of real-world scenarios.

Question 3

The basic idea of validity is that conclusions based on research are)

Accepted Answer

Validity pertains to the degree to which the findings and conclusions of a study are accurate and can be generalized to the larger population or real-world conditions. Therefore, the correct answer is C, which states that the conclusions based on research correspond to the actual conditions of the world. Option A pertains to statistical reliability, while option B refers to experimenter bias, which are both important but different concepts than validity. Option D is not always true, as the results of a study might not always support the researcher's hypotheses.

Question 4

A researcher that is exploring gender differences is testing

Accepted Answer

The researcher is exploring gender differences, which is a subject variable. A subject variable is a characteristic that varies between individuals and can potentially influence the outcome of the research.

Question 5

Confounding is a threat to ________ validity

Accepted Answer

Confounding variables can obscure the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, leading to inaccurate conclusions about causality. This affects the internal validity of the study. External validity is influenced by factors such as selection bias or the representativeness of the sample. Construct validity concerns the degree to which the variables measured in the study are actually measuring the constructs they are intended to measure. Statistical validity refers to the accuracy and reliability of the statistical tests used in analyzing the data. Confounding variables can affect statistical validity if they are not properly controlled for in the analysis.

Question 6

Ruling out alternative theoretical explanations of results is the concern of ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ruling out alternative theoretical explanations of results...

Question 7

The extent to which data are shown to be the result of a cause-effect relationship rather than accident reflects the level of

Accepted Answer

The extent to which data are shown to be the result of a cause-effect relationship rather than accident is related to statistical conclusion validity, which concerns the degree to which a study's results can be attributed to the intervention being tested rather than to chance. Ecological validity relates to the extent to which findings can be generalized to real-world settings, and external validity concerns the extent to which findings can be generalized to other populations or situations. A manipulation check is a measure used to assess whether a manipulation of an independent variable has had the intended effect on participants.

Question 8

If a researcher is worried that the results of a study done on taboo words in the 1940s might not yield the same results with today's students, the researcher is concerned about

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to different populations, settings, and times. If the researcher is concerned about the results of a study done in the 1940s being applicable to today's students, they are concerned with external validity. Statistical conclusion validity refers to the degree to which the results are accurate and reliable, internal validity refers to the extent to which the study is free from confounding variables, and construct validity refers to the extent to which the study accurately measures the variables of interest. While these are all important considerations in research, they do not directly relate to the researcher's specific concern in this scenario.

Question 9

If a researcher asks, "Can we be sure that the observed relationship between the independent and dependent variables represents a true cause-effect relationship and is not due to chance?" then the researcher is concerned about ________ validity

Accepted Answer

The researcher's question pertains to whether the observed relationship is statistically significant and thus, the researcher is concerned about statistical conclusion validity.

Question 10

Any factor that is associated with the independent variable and that is not purposely introduced by the researcher is considered a ______ error

Accepted Answer

Confounding variables are factors that are not intentionally introduced by the researcher but have an effect on the dependent variable, making it difficult to determine the true relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Random error refers to chance variability in the data, subject error occurs when participants provide inaccurate or inconsistent responses, and testing error occurs when the measures used in the study produce inconsistent results over time.

Question 11

Two independent variables are confounded when

Accepted Answer

Confounding occurs when the effects of two independent variables cannot be differentiated from each other, meaning that their separate effects cannot be tested. Therefore, option C is correct. Options A and B are incorrect because they do not accurately define confounding. Option D is also incorrect as there is an accurate answer (C).

Question 12

Which one of the following questions is concerned with construct validity?

Accepted Answer

Construct validity deals with whether the measure used in the study accurately measures the construct it is supposed to measure, and whether it is consistent with the theory on which the study is based. Choice B is concerned with whether the results support the theory behind the research, and therefore, is most closely related to construct validity.

Question 13

An experiment in which extraneous variables are controlled is said to be

Accepted Answer

Controlling extraneous variables means eliminating other possible explanations for the results obtained, which helps to increase the internal validity of the experiment. Internal validity refers to the extent to which an experiment measures what it was intended to measure, while external validity refers to the extent to which the results can be generalized to other settings or populations. Therefore, the best choice is B.

Question 14

When subjects are selected because of the presence or absence of a condition, rather than having a condition assigned to them, the experimenter is testing

Accepted Answer

Selecting subjects based on the presence or absence of a condition is commonly referred to as a subject variable. Subjects are not assigned a condition; rather, their characteristics are used to categorize them into groups. This can potentially impact the results of the study as other differences between the groups may exist, leading to confounding variables. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider and account for subject variables when conducting research. The other answer choices - construct validity, face validity, and confounding variables - are not directly related to subject selection based on condition presence/absence.

Question 15

The strength of the relationship between the independent and dependent variable is reflected in the measure of ____________

Accepted Answer

The strength of the relationship between the independent and dependent variable is reflected in the measure of effect size. Effect size typically describes the magnitude of the difference between two groups or the strength of the relationship between two variables. Reliability refers to the consistency of results over time, power refers to the ability to detect a significant effect in a study, and external validity refers to the generalizability of research findings to the population of interest.

Question 16

When statistical tests are used improperly, a lack of ____________validity is reflected

Accepted Answer

Statistical tests are used to draw conclusions about a population based on sample data. Statistical conclusion validity refers to whether the statistical procedures used to test a hypothesis are appropriate, and whether the conclusions drawn from the analysis are valid. If statistical tests are used improperly, the conclusions drawn from the analysis may be invalid. Therefore, a lack of statistical conclusion validity is reflected when statistical tests are used improperly. Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study is free of confounding variables or alternative explanations for the results. External validity refers to the extent to which study findings can be generalized to other populations or settings. Construct validity refers to the extent to which a study measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 17

External validity refers to the extent to which

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which research results can be generalized to other situations. It is essentially a measure of how well the findings of an experiment can be applied to real-world situations outside of the confines of the laboratory setting. This is an important consideration for researchers because they need to know whether their findings have broader relevance beyond the specific experimental conditions they tested.

Question 18

If an experiment suffers from lack of____________, the experiment may appear to show that the null hypothesis is supported, when in reality, it should be rejected.

Accepted Answer

Lack of power means that the sample size is too small or the effect size is too weak to detect a significant difference between the groups. This can lead to a false negative result, where the null hypothesis is not rejected even though it should be. Therefore, the experiment may appear to show that the null hypothesis is supported when it is not. External validity refers to the generalizability of the results, ecological validity refers to the extent to which the study mirrors real-life situations, and reliability refers to the consistency and reproducibility of the findings. While these factors are important, lack of power is the most relevant in this case.

Question 19

An experiment in which the independent variable really caused the change in the dependent variable is said to be high in _________ validity.

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the degree to which a study accurately measures the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable, without any other confounding factors. Therefore, if the independent variable truly caused the change in the dependent variable in an experiment, it is considered high in internal validity.

Question 20

The threat of confounding is particularly serious in research using

Accepted Answer

Confounding occurs when a variable other than the independent variable systematically differs between the experimental groups. Subject variables, such as age, gender, and personality traits, are factors that could confound a study because they cannot be controlled by the researcher. Randomization can help to prevent confounding by distributing subject variables evenly across groups, but it is not foolproof. True experiments and assignment of subjects to conditions can also help to control for confounding variables, but they do not completely eliminate the risk. Therefore, C is the best choice because subject variables are the most likely to pose a threat of confounding.

Quiz 6: Validity