Question 1

Natasha finds that men speak more often in the classroom than do women,and that this is true both when they are assigned to sit in the front of the room and the back of the room.Natasha's study has found a statistically significant effect for

Accepted Answer

The fact that men speak more often in the classroom is a subject variable, as it is not something that Natasha manipulated in her study. Therefore, the statistically significant effect found in her study is for a subject variable.

Question 2

What does it mean to say that an experiment has two independent variables?

Accepted Answer

When an experiment has two independent variables, it means that the researcher is manipulating two different variables in the course of the study. These variables are not dependent on each other, meaning that the effect of one variable will not be influenced by the other variable. For example, in a study testing the effects of caffeine and exercise on productivity, both caffeine and exercise are independent variables. The researcher would manipulate the amount of caffeine consumed and the amount of exercise performed separately to test their effects on productivity.

Question 3

The emphasis on the importance of replication of results in social psychology has______________in recent years.

Accepted Answer

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on the replication of results in social psychology to ensure the reliability and validity of research findings.

Question 4

Achieving______________is typically more of a challenge in a field study than in a laboratory study.

Accepted Answer

High internal validity is typically more of a challenge in a field study than in a laboratory study because field studies involve real-world settings where controlling for extraneous variables is more difficult, thus affecting the ability to draw cause-and-effect conclusions.

Question 5

A factor other than the independent variable that varies between conditions of an experiment is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A confound is a factor other than the independent variable that varies between conditions of an experiment, potentially affecting the results.

Question 6

Castilla wonders whether environmental factors influence how long juries take to select a foreperson.Mock jurors______________are brought into a room with either a rectangular table or a round table.The jurors are asked to select a foreperson before starting deliberation.Castilla records how long it takes each jury to select a foreperson.The shape of the table is the

Accepted Answer

The shape of the table is the independent variable, as it is being manipulated by the researchers to observe its potential effect on the time it takes for the jury to select a foreperson. The dependent variable is the time it takes for the jury to select a foreperson, as this is what is being measured and recorded. The subject variable refers to characteristics of the participants that cannot be controlled by the researchers, such as their individual decision-making styles or personal experiences. The control variable is a variable that is kept constant throughout the experiment, which in this case could be factors such as the number of jurors or the instructions given to them.

Question 7

The purpose of using control groups is to

Accepted Answer

Control groups are used to provide a baseline against which to compare the effects of the independent variables. This allows researchers to determine the true effects of the independent variables by controlling for extraneous factors that may influence the dependent variable. Ethical concerns are addressed through informed consent and debriefing procedures, while experimental realism is achieved through careful manipulation of the independent variables. Interactions among the independent variables can be assessed through statistical analyses.

Question 8

Megumi is running an experiment on the impact of noise level on subsequent aggressive behavior.In one condition,participants experience a loud,annoying noise while trying to complete a task,and then are given a chance later to give another ostensible participant a noise blast,too.In the other condition,the participants do not experience the noise while trying to complete their task.After the study has been conducted,Megumi realizes that the loud room was lit more brightly than the quiet room.This difference in the level of light is an example of a

Accepted Answer

The level of light is a confounding variable that was not controlled for in the study design, meaning that it could have influenced the results and makes it difficult to determine if the noise itself was responsible for any observed differences in aggressive behavior.

Question 9

Robinson manipulates two variables in his experimental investigation of test-taking performance: the number of participants seated in the room and the room temperature.He finds that regardless of the temperature in the room,participants do better on the test when the room is less crowded.Which statement about this study is true?

Accepted Answer

The study involves two independent variables: the number of participants seated in the room and the room temperature. The dependent variable is the test-taking performance.

Question 10

Participants who are subjected to all of the experimental procedures except the experimental manipulation are part of a(n)______________group.

Accepted Answer

The control group is the group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental manipulation. This group is used as a baseline to compare the results of the experimental group, which does receive the manipulation.

Question 11

According to standard convention,a researcher must be______________percent sure that the difference she observed between experimental conditions was not simply the result of chance in order to conclude that the difference is statistically significant.

Accepted Answer

The standard convention for statistical significance is a 95% confidence level, meaning researchers must be 95% sure that the observed difference is not due to chance.

Question 12

Barb examines the impact that sitting in front of a mirror has on the academic performance of female adolescents.In her study,the number of math questions answered correctly appears to be the______________variable.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable being measured for changes in response to the independent variable, which in this study is sitting in front of a mirror. In this case, the number of math questions answered correctly is being measured and is therefore the dependent variable.

Question 13

A confound is a serious threat to______________validity.

Accepted Answer

A confound is a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable, leading to a false association, thus threatening internal validity.

Question 14

One reason that social psychologists attempt to replicate the results of their research is that doing so

Accepted Answer

Replicating results reduces the probability that the findings are due to chance, increasing the overall validity and reliability of the research.

Question 15

Vera thinks that having pets increases psychological functioning and well-being.To test this,individuals in one group______________ of randomly selected nursing home residents are each given a pet while participants in a second group are not given pets.Over two months,the overall level of psychological functioning is evaluated on a daily basis.What is the independent variable in this study?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this study is whether or not the resident received a pet. This is the variable that is being manipulated or changed in order to assess the effect it has on psychological functioning.

Question 16

To examine the impact of mood on prosocial behavior,Leila has participants watch a video intended to put them in either a positive or neutral mood before asking them to make a donation to a fictitious charity.What is the dependent variable in this study?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome that is measured in a study, which in this case is whether or not a donation is made to the charity.

Question 17

When researchers find that the results of their studies could have occurred by chance only five or fewer times in 100 possible outcomes,they conclude that the results

Accepted Answer

The results are considered statistically significant if they have a low probability (5% or less) of occurring by chance, indicating that the findings are likely due to the effect being studied rather than random variation.

Question 18

Zachary observes a statistically significant negative correlation between binge drinking and grades among college students.Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A statistically significant result typically means that there is a 5% probability or less that the observed correlation occurred by chance.

Question 19

The best solution to the problem of experimenter expectancy effects is

Accepted Answer

Keeping experimenters uninformed about group assignment, also known as blinding, prevents them from having biases or expectations that could influence the outcome of the experiment.

Question 20

Rabiyah administered an intelligence test to sophomores and seniors at Faber College and at Hillman College and compared performance across these four groups.Which of the following is/are the subject variable(s)in this study?

Accepted Answer

Subject variables are characteristics of participants that are not manipulated by the researcher, such as age, gender, or in this case, their year in school (sophomore vs. senior) and the college they attend (Faber vs. Hillman).

Quiz 2: Doing Social Psychology Research