Question 1

Personality Variables Pat's relationship with his girlfriend during the 3 weeks he ran subjects resembled a very scary roller coaster ride.Their frequent fights and making up affected his performance in the lab.Some days he was angry and withdrawn while on others he was happy and outgoing.His inconsistent demeanor in both treatment conditions probably
A)increased statistical power.
B)made it harder to detect the effect of the IV.
C)made subject responses more variable.
D)made it harder to detect the effect of the IV and made subject responses more variable.

Accepted Answer

Pat's inconsistent demeanor and varying moods would have made it harder to detect the effect of the independent variable being tested, as it would be difficult to determine whether any changes in subject responses were due to the IV or simply due to Pat's mood swings. Additionally, his emotional fluctuations may have contributed to increased variability in subject responses, further complicating data analysis.

Question 2

Personality Variables Rosenthal reported that when an experimenter acts in a friendly manner, subjects sometimes
A)achieve higher scores on adjustment tests.
B)achieve higher scores on intelligence tests.
C)learn better.
D)all of these

Accepted Answer

According to Rosenthal, when an experimenter acts in a friendly manner, subjects achieve higher scores on adjustment tests, intelligence tests, and learn better. Therefore, the correct answer is D, all of these.

Question 3

Personality Variables Keesha's study involved deception.She was supposed to truthfully inform control subjects that they might not have time to solve a difficult puzzle and lie to experimental subjects that previous subjects completed the same puzzle with time to spare.Sadly, she has no talent for lying.While she was relaxed in the control condition, she was visibly anxious in the experimental condition.This systematic change in her emotional state
A)confounded her experiment.
B)made it easier to detect the effect of the IV.
C)made subject responses in each condition more variable.
D)made it easier to detect the effect of the IV and made subject responses in each condition more variable.

Accepted Answer

Keesha's inability to effectively deceive in the experimental condition confounded her experiment, meaning that her results cannot be trusted as a true effect of the IV (in this case, the suggestion of time pressure).

Question 4

Context Variables Select the title that best follows the authors' suggestions for obtaining an unbiased sample.
A)"The Extreme Body Art Study"
B)"The Heavy Metal Music Experiment"
C)"The Sexual Practices Survey"
D)"The Social Attribution Experiment"

Accepted Answer

The authors suggest that using a random sample or stratified sample can help obtain an unbiased sample in the "Social Attribution Experiment." In contrast, the other titles suggest a focus on specific subgroups (such as extreme body art enthusiasts, heavy metal music fans, or individuals with particular sexual practices), which could introduce bias into the sample.

Question 5

Context Variables All of these are context variables except
A)experiment selection by subjects.
B)how experimenters assign subjects to conditions.
C)how experimenters recruit subjects.
D)how experimenters score data.

Accepted Answer

Context variables refer to factors that can influence the results of an experiment but are not the variables being manipulated or measured by the experimenter. Experiment selection by subjects, how experimenters assign subjects to conditions, and how experimenters recruit subjects are all examples of context variables. Scoring data is not a context variable as it is directly related to the variables being measured in the experiment.

Question 6

Personality Variables McNemar's (1946) statement that "The existing science of human behavior is largely the science of the behavior of sophomores" challenged the ____ of academic research.
A)demand characteristics
B)experimenter bias
C)external validity
D)internal validity

Accepted Answer

McNemar's statement suggests that academic research is limited in its generalizability (external validity) due to its heavy reliance on college sophomores as research participants. The statement does not specifically indicate issues with demand characteristics, experimenter bias, or internal validity.

Question 7

Personality Variables Zack is excited about how experimenter personality can positively influence subject performance.He says, "This is so cool! I'm going to smile at all my experimental subjects and they're going to perform like Pavlov's dog for me." What issue has Zack overlooked?
A)external validity
B)internal validity
C)selection threat
D)selection-interaction threat

Accepted Answer

Zack has not considered internal validity, which refers to ensuring that the effects observed in an experiment are actually due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not some other factor. By intentionally behaving a certain way with his subjects, Zack may inadvertently create demand characteristics, in which the subjects pick up on cues and adjust their behavior accordingly to please the experimenter. This can lead to false positive results and threaten the experiment's internal validity.

Question 8

Context Variables When subjects sign up for studies that are scheduled at a convenient time or have an exciting title, this can
A)bias the sample.
B)confound the experiment.
C)reduce internal validity.
D)result in selection threat.

Accepted Answer

When subjects sign up for studies based on convenience or excitement, it can introduce bias into the sample because the people who sign up may not be representative of the general population. This could potentially impact the validity of the study's findings.

Question 9

Personality Variables Experimenters who have a ____ demeanor obtain the most natural subject behavior.
A)distant
B)hostile
C)pleasant
D)warm

Accepted Answer

Experimenters with a pleasant demeanor are more likely to create a comfortable environment, leading to more natural behavior from subjects.

Question 10

Personality Variables Volunteer subjects may differ from nonvolunteers in that volunteers may be
A)less authoritarian.
B)more politically and socially liberal.
C)more intelligent.
D)all of these

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that compared to nonvolunteers, volunteers tend to score higher on measures of openness to experience and agreeableness, both of which are associated with being less authoritarian and more politically and socially liberal. Additionally, studies have found that volunteers tend to have higher levels of education and intelligence. Therefore, all three options are correct.

Question 11

Personality Variables ____ interviewers often obtain the best data and the most usable responses.
A)Aggressive
B)Authoritarian
C)Hostile
D)Likeable

Accepted Answer

Likeable interviewers often create a comfortable and non-threatening environment for the interviewee, which can lead to more open and honest responses. Aggressive, authoritarian, and hostile interviewers may create a sense of fear or intimidation, causing the interviewee to withhold information or provide inaccurate responses.

Question 12

Personality Variables When you are the only experimenter, the best way to control the effect of your personality on subject performance is to
A)adjust experimental procedures to each subject's personality.
B)adjust your demeanor to each subject's personality.
C)minimize face-to-face contact.
D)adjust experimental procedures and your demeanor to each subject's personality.

Accepted Answer

Minimizing face-to-face contact can help to reduce the effect of the experimenter's personality on subject performance since there will be limited interaction between the experimenter and the subjects. This can help to ensure that the experimental results are more objective and not influenced by the experimenter's personality. Adjusting experimental procedures or demeanor to each subject's personality may introduce bias into the study and compromise the validity of the results.

Question 13

Personality Variables All of these describe experimenters who score high on the social desirability scale except
A)they are more enthusiastic.
B)they are more friendly.
C)they obtain more "I don't know" answers from respondents.
D)they smile more at their subjects.

Accepted Answer

Respondents may perceive experimenters who score high on the social desirability scale as more friendly and enthusiastic, which could lead to more positive outcomes in their research. However, these experimenters are not expected to obtain more "I don't know" answers from respondents, as this would indicate a lack of knowledge or clarity on the part of the experimenter, which is not desirable or socially desirable. Additionally, while experimenters who score high on the social desirability scale may be more likely to smile at their subjects, this is not an accurate indicator of their personality traits or research abilities.

Question 14

Context Variables Cat was concerned that she might have difficulty obtaining subjects because it was late in the semester.She brainstormed with her teammates and then said, "Most of the experiments advertised this semester have totally boring titles like 'The Attribution Experiment.' If we select an exciting title like 'The Extreme Sports Study,' we'll recruit hundreds of subjects." The problem with Cat's solution is that it could
A)confound her experiment.
B)reduce external validity.
C)reduce internal validity.
D)result in selection threat.

Accepted Answer

By selecting a title that is exciting and appealing to a specific group of people (in this case, extreme sports enthusiasts), the experiment may attract a biased sample. This reduces the external validity of the experiment because the results may not be generalizable to the population as a whole.

Question 15

Context Variables Timothy is a shy undergraduate who was pressured by his roommate to help run a field experiment where he had to ask mall shoppers a large or small favor.Since he found most subjects intimidating, he only approached grandmothers and stray children in the large favor condition, and impatient shoppers in the small favor condition.Timothy's behavior
A)confounded the experiment.
B)illustrated the Rosenthal effect.
C)introduced a demand characteristic.
D)was ethically inappropriate.

Accepted Answer

Timothy's behavior confounded the experiment because it introduced a systematic bias in the selection of participants, which may have affected the results in a way that is not related to the independent variable (size of favor). By only approaching certain types of participants based on his own comfort level, Timothy may have unintentionally introduced a third variable that interferes with the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

Quiz 8: Solving Problems: Controlling Extraneous Variables

Personality Variables Rosenthal reported that when an experimenter acts in a friendly manner, subjects sometimes

Context Variables Select the title that best follows the authors' suggestions for obtaining an unbiased sample.

Context Variables All of these are context variables except

Personality Variables McNemar's (1946) statement that "The existing science of human behavior is largely the science of the behavior of sophomores" challenged the ____ of academic research.

Personality Variables Zack is excited about how experimenter personality can positively influence subject performance.He says, "This is so cool! I'm going to smile at all my experimental subjects and they're going to perform like Pavlov's dog for me." What issue has Zack overlooked?

Context Variables When subjects sign up for studies that are scheduled at a convenient time or have an exciting title, this can

Personality Variables Experimenters who have a ____ demeanor obtain the most natural subject behavior.

Personality Variables Volunteer subjects may differ from nonvolunteers in that volunteers may be

Personality Variables ____ interviewers often obtain the best data and the most usable responses.

Personality Variables When you are the only experimenter, the best way to control the effect of your personality on subject performance is to

Personality Variables All of these describe experimenters who score high on the social desirability scale except