Question 1

If a study has a difference in the differences, you know the study definitely has a:
A) crossover interaction.
B) significant main effect.
C) spreading interaction.
D) significant interaction.

Accepted Answer

A difference in the differences indicates that there is an interaction between two variables (for example, the effect of a treatment may differ depending on the gender of the participant). Therefore, the correct answer is D, which refers to a significant interaction.

Question 2

Which of the following phrases might a person encounter in a popular media article that indicates an interaction?
A) "Statistically significant"
B) "Mixed factorial design"
C) "It depends"
D) "Mediator variables"

Accepted Answer

The phrase "It depends" suggests a response or reaction to something, indicating an interaction. The other phrases are more technical and do not necessarily indicate an interaction.

Question 3

A simple difference is also called:
A) a factorial design.
B) a marginal means difference.
C) an interaction effect.
D) a main effect.

Accepted Answer

A simple difference is a type of main effect, which examines the difference between two levels of one factor. Therefore, the best choice is D, a main effect. A factorial design involves examining the effects of two or more factors, a marginal means difference involves comparing means across all levels of a factor while holding other factors constant, and an interaction effect involves examining how the effect of one factor on the outcome depends on the level of another factor.

Question 4

Dr.Gavin is conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design.How many main effects will Dr.Gavin need to examine?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 6

Accepted Answer

In a 2 × 4 factorial design, there are two independent variables: one with 2 levels and the other with 4 levels. The number of main effects corresponds to the number of independent variables, which in this case is 2 (one for each variable).

Question 5

Studies with one independent variable can show:
A) a difference in differences.
B) an interaction effect.
C) a simple difference.
D) a factorial effect.

Accepted Answer

When there is only one independent variable, the analysis can only show a simple difference between the groups being compared. Option A refers to a design with more than one independent variable and compares the difference between groups before and after an intervention, which is not applicable here. Option B refers to a situation where the effect of one independent variable depends on the level of another independent variable, which is not relevant in this case. Option D refers to a design with more than one independent variable, which is not applicable in this scenario where there is only one independent variable.

Question 6

You read an article that states, "How well you remember different types of information depends on the context in which you learned them." Based on this information, what else is true about this study?
A) The influence of context on memory depends on the type of information presented.
B) You remember information best only when it's presented in a specific context.
C) There is no effect of context on memory.
D) There is an effect of information type on memory.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You read an article that states, "How...

Question 7

Dr.Gavin decides that instead of conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design, he is going to conduct a 2 × 3 × 4 mixed factorial design.Which of the following things will NOT have to change?
A) The number of main effects that need to be examined
B) The number of interactions that need to be examined
C) The number of participants needed
D) The number of researchers needed

Accepted Answer

The number of researchers needed does not inherently change based on the design complexity (2 × 3 × 4 mixed factorial design versus a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design). The changes in design affect the statistical analysis (main effects, interactions) and potentially the number of participants, but not the quantity of researchers required.

Question 8

If a person describes the results of a study to you by saying that there is a zero difference in one condition but a large difference in another condition, the person is most likely describing which of the following?
A) A crossover interaction
B) A spreading interaction
C) A three-way interaction
D) A difference interaction

Accepted Answer

A spreading interaction occurs when the difference between groups is larger under one condition than another, which matches the description given.

Question 9

In popular media articles, why does the inclusion of participant variable information often denote a factorial design?
A) Participant variables are often used as moderators.
B) Participant variables are only found in factorial designs.
C) Studies with participant variables always find significant interactions.
D) Studies with participant variables are easier to write about.

Accepted Answer

Participant variables are often included in factorial designs as moderators, meaning they interact with the independent variables to affect the outcome. Therefore, the inclusion of participant variables can indicate a factorial design where multiple independent variables are being tested together. However, it is not true that participant variables are only found in factorial designs, and studies with participant variables do not always find significant interactions. The idea that studies with participant variables are easier to write about is not relevant to the question of why they may indicate a factorial design.

Question 10

Imagine that you are reading a journal article and you see the following sentence: "The study used a 2 × 2 × 4 design." Based on this sentence alone, you would know which of the following pieces of information?
A) The number of participants in the study
B) The number of main effects that need to be examined
C) The statistical significance of the interaction
D) The number of participant variables

Accepted Answer

The sentence describes a design with three independent variables, each with two levels, leading to a total of 2x2x4=16 conditions. This means there are three main effects to be examined (one for each independent variable) and the possibility of interactions between them. The sentence does not provide information about the number of participants, statistical significance, or participant variables.

Question 11

The phrase "especially for" would be used to describe which of the following results?
A) Crossover interactions
B) Spreading interactions
C) One significant main effect
D) Two significant main effects

Accepted Answer

The answer of The phrase "especially for" would be used...

Question 12

Dr.Gavin is conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design.How many interactions will Dr.Gavin need to examine?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Accepted Answer

In a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design, there is only one interaction to examine, which is the interaction between the two factors (the 2-level factor and the 4-level factor).

Question 13

A "difference in the difference between the differences" would indicate which of the following?
A) A crossover interaction
B) Multiple main effects
C) A three-way interaction
D) A within-groups factorial design

Accepted Answer

A "difference in the difference between the differences" suggests a three-way interaction, where the effects of one variable on the outcome depend on the level of another variable and the level of a third variable.

Question 14

Neely is examining the graph of an interaction and sees that one line is flat and one line rises sharply to the right.Which of the following should Neely conclude?
A) There is no interaction.
B) There is a crossover interaction.
C) There is a spreading interaction.
D) There is a main-effect interaction.

Accepted Answer

A spreading interaction is indicated by one line being flat and the other rising sharply, suggesting that the effect of one variable changes at different levels of another variable, rather than the lines crossing which would indicate a crossover interaction.

Question 15

What is the difference between a main effect and an overall effect?
A) Main effects are less important than overall effects.
B) Main effects are more complicated to determine than overall effects.
C) Main effects look at one variable at a time; overall effects look at all variables simultaneously.
D) There is no difference between main effects and overall effects.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between a main...

Question 16

Imagine that you are reading a journal article and you see the following sentence: "The study used a 2 × 2 × 4 design." Where are you likely to have encountered this sentence?
A) The introduction
B) The Method section
C) The Results section
D) The Discussion section

Accepted Answer

The description of the design of a study is typically included in the Method section.

Question 17

If a study describes the "difference in differences," what is the minimum number of variables the researchers were studying?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Accepted Answer

The "difference in differences" method is a comparative technique used in econometrics and other applied fields to estimate causal effects of a treatment (such as a policy intervention) on an outcome of interest. This method requires at least two groups (or time periods) for comparison: one group (or time period) receives the treatment, while the other does not. The difference between the two groups before the intervention is compared to the difference between the two groups after the intervention to estimate the treatment effect. Therefore, the minimum number of variables being studied in this study is two.

Question 18

An author might use all of the following methods to indicate statistical significance EXCEPT:
A) Using the word significant
B) Including an asterisk in a table
C) Using the notation p < 0.05
D) The inclusion of a graph

Accepted Answer

Graphs may show patterns and relationships, but they do not typically provide information about statistical significance. A, B, and C all explicitly mention or represent statistical significance.

Question 19

Dr.Gavin decides that instead of conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design, he is going to conduct a 2 × 4 within-groups factorial design.Which of the following things will change?
A) The number of main effects that need to be examined
B) The number of interactions that need to be examined
C) The number of participants needed
D) The number of cells

Accepted Answer

Conducting a within-groups factorial design means that the same participants will be used in all conditions of the study, therefore reducing the number of participants needed. The number of main effects and interactions to be examined, as well as the number of cells, remains the same as in the independent-groups design.

Question 20

What does the author of the textbook mean when she writes, "We don't live in a main effect world"?
A) She means that psychologists do not like to examine main effects.
B) She means that main effects are not important.
C) She means that interactions are common in everyday life.
D) She means that studies that produce interactions are the only studies worth conducting.

Accepted Answer

The author is stating that interactions are common in real life, which means we cannot solely focus on main effects.

Quiz 12: Experiments With More Than One Independent Variable

If a study has a difference in the differences, you know the study definitely has a:

Which of the following phrases might a person encounter in a popular media article that indicates an interaction?

A simple difference is also called:

Dr.Gavin is conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design.How many main effects will Dr.Gavin need to examine?

Studies with one independent variable can show:

You read an article that states, "How well you remember different types of information depends on the context in which you learned them." Based on this information, what else is true about this study?

Dr.Gavin decides that instead of conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design, he is going to conduct a 2 × 3 × 4 mixed factorial design.Which of the following things will NOT have to change?

If a person describes the results of a study to you by saying that there is a zero difference in one condition but a large difference in another condition, the person is most likely describing which of the following?

In popular media articles, why does the inclusion of participant variable information often denote a factorial design?

Imagine that you are reading a journal article and you see the following sentence: "The study used a 2 × 2 × 4 design." Based on this sentence alone, you would know which of the following pieces of information?

The phrase "especially for" would be used to describe which of the following results?

Dr.Gavin is conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design.How many interactions will Dr.Gavin need to examine?

A "difference in the difference between the differences" would indicate which of the following?

Neely is examining the graph of an interaction and sees that one line is flat and one line rises sharply to the right.Which of the following should Neely conclude?

What is the difference between a main effect and an overall effect?

Imagine that you are reading a journal article and you see the following sentence: "The study used a 2 × 2 × 4 design." Where are you likely to have encountered this sentence?

If a study describes the "difference in differences," what is the minimum number of variables the researchers were studying?

An author might use all of the following methods to indicate statistical significance EXCEPT:

Dr.Gavin decides that instead of conducting a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design, he is going to conduct a 2 × 4 within-groups factorial design.Which of the following things will change?

What does the author of the textbook mean when she writes, "We don't live in a main effect world"?