Question 1

Sandy Sue was participating in an experiment in which she was given a pill that was supposed to cause her to get drowsy. Five minutes after taking the pill, Sandy Sue reported that she felt drowsy and wanted to lie down. The pill was actually made of sugar and had no ingredients to cause drowsiness. How do you explain Sandy Sue's drowsy feeling?
A) experimenter effect
B) placebo effect
C) subject bias
D) treatment effect

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect occurs when a person experiences a change in their symptoms or behavior due to their belief that they are receiving a treatment, even if the treatment is actually inactive. In this case, Sandy Sue's belief that the pill would cause her to get drowsy led to her experiencing drowsiness, even though the pill was made of sugar and had no ingredients to cause drowsiness.

Question 2

Which of the following is CORRECT concerning random assignment?
A) In random assignment each participant has an equal chance for each condition.
B) In random assignment each participant is assigned alphabetically to each condition.
C) Random assignment can only be determined after an experiment is over.
D) The best formula for random assignment is birth dates.

Accepted Answer

Random assignment involves assigning participants to experimental groups or conditions in a manner that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each group or condition. This helps to ensure that any differences observed between groups/conditions are actually due to the manipulation of the independent variable, rather than differences in the characteristics of the participants assigned to each group/condition.

Question 3

Ken is planning on studying the influence of intelligence on the ability to recall events from the 1960s. If Ken does not account for variables such as age that could also influence one's ability to recall these events, age could be considered a(n) __________
A) random variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) confounding variable.
D) independent variable.

Accepted Answer

A confounding variable is a variable that is correlated with both the independent and dependent variables, making it difficult to determine the true relationship between them. In this case, age could be a confounding variable because it is correlated with both intelligence and the ability to recall events from the 1960s. If Ken does not account for age in his study, it could skew his results and he may falsely attribute any observed effects to intelligence, when it could actually be due to age.

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a source of confounding variables?
A) random assignment
B) selection bias
C) placebo
D) experimenter bias

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is actually a technique used to reduce the influence of confounding variables by randomly assigning participants to different groups in order to balance out potential confounding factors. Selection bias, placebo effects, and experimenter bias are all sources of confounding variables that can affect the outcome of an experiment.

Question 5

Which of the following situations best illustrates the placebo effect?
A) You sleep because you are tired.
B) You throw up after eating bad meat.
C) You have surgery to repair a defective heart valve.
D) You drink a nonalcoholic drink and become "intoxicated" because you think it contains alcohol.

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect occurs when a person experiences a physical or emotional response to a treatment that actually has no therapeutic effect on their condition. In this case, the nonalcoholic drink has no alcoholic content, yet the person experiences feelings of intoxication based solely on their belief that the drink contains alcohol, demonstrating the power of the placebo effect.

Question 6

The placebo effect means __________
A) all conditions in an experiment are the same.
B) that there is no control group.
C) the expectations of the participants influence their behavior.
D) experimenter bias causes the subjects to act strangely.

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon where the expectations of the participants in a study can influence their behavior or perception of a treatment, even if that treatment is not active or effective. This is why control groups are often necessary in experiments to account for the placebo effect. Thus, choice C is the correct answer. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the placebo effect.

Question 7

Participants in a study on how age affects reaction time were asked to press a button every time they heard a buzzer. A person standing at a podium in front of them triggered the buzzer by flipping a hidden switch. During the experiment the switch operator began to flinch slightly before the buzzer sounded. The results of this study would be confounded due to ___________
A) inferential bias.
B) experimenter bias.
C) selection bias.
D) control bias.

Accepted Answer

The flinching of the switch operator could create experimenter bias, as the participants may unconsciously pick up on the cue and adjust their reaction time accordingly.

Question 8

All of the following are accurate statements regarding random assignment EXCEPT __________
A) it is a procedure for assigning people to experimental and control groups.
B) it is a procedure in which each subject has the same possibility of being assigned to a given group.
C) it is a procedure in which subjects are assigned to a positive correlation or a negative correlation condition.
D) it is a procedure that allows individual characteristics to be roughly balanced between groups

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is a procedure for assigning people to experimental and control groups, where each subject has the same possibility of being assigned to a given group. Additionally, it allows individual characteristics to be roughly balanced between the groups. However, it does not involve assigning subjects to a positive or negative correlation condition.

Question 9

Gerard is a participant in a research study. He is certain that he knows the intent of the study and acts accordingly. This is an example of a(n) __________
A) participant effect.
B) selection bias.
C) experimenter bias.
D) placebo effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Gerard is a participant in a research...

Question 10

In a laboratory, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the cigarette without nicotine is __________
A) the control group.
B) the driving simulator.
C) the experimental group.
D) the no-control group.

Accepted Answer

The cigarette without nicotine is used as a baseline or control group against which the experimental group (smokers who smoked a real cigarette) can be compared. Therefore, option A is the correct answer.

Question 11

A researcher has conducted an experiment in which she assigned all of her students four hours of homework the night before a test; in order to see what effect the extra stress has on test performance. The study is flawed because the researcher did not include a(n) __________
A) control group.
B) experimental group.
C) independent variable.
D) dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

The study is flawed because the researcher did not include a control group, which is necessary to compare the effects of the treatment (four hours of homework) with the effects of no treatment or a placebo. Without a control group, it is difficult to determine whether any changes in test performance were due to the treatment or other factors. The presence of experimental and dependent variables is implied by the design of the study but does not address the issue of lacking a control group.

Question 12

Double-blind studies control for __________
A) only the placebo effect.
B) only the experimenter effect.
C) both the placebo effect and the experimenter effect.
D) extrinsic motivation

Accepted Answer

Double-blind studies control for both the placebo effect and the experimenter effect. The placebo effect is when participants improve simply because they believe they are receiving a treatment or intervention, while the experimenter effect is when the expectations or biases of the experimenter unknowingly influence the study's results. By using a double-blind design, where both the participant and experimenter are unaware of who is receiving the treatment or placebo, these effects can be controlled for. Extrinsic motivation is not directly related to double-blind studies.

Question 13

In experiments, random assignment is used to avoid __________
A) selection bias.
B) the placebo effect.
C) experimenter bias.
D) the dependent variable effect.

Accepted Answer

Random assignment helps to avoid selection bias by ensuring that participants in the experiment have an equal chance of being assigned either to the treatment group or the control group, thereby controlling for any preexisting differences among participants.

Question 14

When participants in a control group are given a fake treatment, the researcher is trying to measure or control for __________
A) selection bias.
B) the placebo effect.
C) experimenter bias.
D) the dependent variable effect.

Accepted Answer

Giving a fake treatment to the control group helps to measure or control for the placebo effect, which refers to the phenomenon in which people's beliefs and expectations can influence their perception of the effectiveness of a treatment, even if the treatment itself has no actual therapeutic effect. By comparing the outcomes of the placebo group to the actual treatment group, researchers can determine how much of the observed effect is due to the placebo effect and how much is due to the treatment itself.

Question 15

Marcy is trying to define anxiety in a way that can be empirically tested. She is attempting to find an appropriate __________
A) hypothesis.
B) operational definition.
C) double-blind study.
D) theory.

Accepted Answer

An operational definition is a clear and concise description of a variable in terms of how it is measured or manipulated in a study. In this case, Marcy is attempting to define anxiety in a way that can be empirically tested, which requires an operational definition. Hypotheses are testable predictions about the relationship between variables, double-blind studies are a specific type of experimental design used to control for bias in both the researchers and participants, and theories are broad explanations or frameworks for understanding phenomena. None of these options are as directly applicable to Marcy's goal as an operational definition.

Question 16

In a laboratory, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the independent variable is __________
A) the use of nicotine.
B) the use of a driving simulator.
C) the number of collisions.
D) the driving skills of each driver.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this study is the use of nicotine, as it is the factor being manipulated by the researchers (some participants smoke a real cigarette with nicotine, while others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine). The driving simulator is simply the environment in which the participants are driving, and the number of collisions is the dependent variable being measured. The driving skills of each driver could potentially be a confounding variable that would need to be controlled for in the study, but it is not the independent variable.

Question 17

Billy Bob is a participant in a study investigating the effectiveness of Ritalin in treating ADHD. Billy Bob has ADHD, but is in a group that received sugar pills instead of Ritalin. Billy Bob is in the __________ group.
A) experimental
B) random
C) control
D) observational

Accepted Answer

Billy Bob is in the control group because he is not receiving the experimental treatment (Ritalin) and is instead receiving a placebo (sugar pills) to serve as a comparison group for the experimental group.

Question 18

In order to increase typing speed Minisoft has redesigned its keyboard and provided a chime that is related to typing speed. The company wants to know if its innovations affect typing speed. Identify the independent and dependent variables in this proposed study.
A) The dependent variable is the chime; the independent variables are the chime and typing speed.
B) The dependent variable is speed of typing; the independent variables are the keyboard design and the chime.
C) The dependent variable is keyboard design; the independent variables are the speed of typing and the chime.
D) The dependent variable is the number of errors made; the independent variables are the chime and the speed of typing.

Accepted Answer

The independent variables are the keyboard design and the chime, while the dependent variable is the speed of typing. The chime is not an independent variable as it is designed to affect the dependent variable (typing speed), not act on its own.

Question 19

In a laboratory, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the dependent variable is __________
A) the use of nicotine.
B) the use of a driving simulator.
C) the number of collisions.
D) the driving skills of each driver.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this study is the number of collisions, as this is the variable being measured and compared between the two groups of smokers. The use of nicotine, the driving simulator itself, and the driving skills of each driver are all independent variables or potential confounding variables in the study.

Question 20

When a researcher allows his/her expectations about the study to influence the results, __________ has occurred.
A) selection bias
B) experimenter bias
C) the placebo effect
D) the dependent variable effect

Accepted Answer

The answer of When a researcher allows his/her expectations about...

Quiz 1: Introduction to Psychology

Which of the following is CORRECT concerning random assignment?

Ken is planning on studying the influence of intelligence on the ability to recall events from the 1960s. If Ken does not account for variables such as age that could also influence one's ability to recall these events, age could be considered a(n) __________

Which of the following is NOT a source of confounding variables?

Which of the following situations best illustrates the placebo effect?

The placebo effect means __________

All of the following are accurate statements regarding random assignment EXCEPT __________

Gerard is a participant in a research study. He is certain that he knows the intent of the study and acts accordingly. This is an example of a(n) __________

A researcher has conducted an experiment in which she assigned all of her students four hours of homework the night before a test; in order to see what effect the extra stress has on test performance. The study is flawed because the researcher did not include a(n) __________

Double-blind studies control for __________

In experiments, random assignment is used to avoid __________

When participants in a control group are given a fake treatment, the researcher is trying to measure or control for __________

Marcy is trying to define anxiety in a way that can be empirically tested. She is attempting to find an appropriate __________

Billy Bob is a participant in a study investigating the effectiveness of Ritalin in treating ADHD. Billy Bob has ADHD, but is in a group that received sugar pills instead of Ritalin. Billy Bob is in the __________ group.

In order to increase typing speed Minisoft has redesigned its keyboard and provided a chime that is related to typing speed. The company wants to know if its innovations affect typing speed. Identify the independent and dependent variables in this proposed study.

When a researcher allows his/her expectations about the study to influence the results, __________ has occurred.