Question 1

An experimenter conducts a study in which she wants to investigate the effects of eating chocolate on concentration.To do this she gives 20 people in an experimental condition a bar of chocolate and gives another 20 people in a control group nothing.After the experimental group has finished their chocolate she asks both groups to perform tasks designed to test their concentration.Which of the following statements is false?
A)The experiment has a within-subjects design.
B)The results could be analysed using a t-test.
C)The independent variable has two levels.
D)The dependent variable is level of concentration.
E)The addition of a control group controls for threats to internal validity.

Accepted Answer

The experiment uses a between-subjects design, not a within-subjects design, because there are two separate groups of participants: one that receives the treatment (chocolate) and one that does not (control group).

Question 2

What is the purpose of a manipulation check?
A)To check that manipulation of an independent variable has been successful.
B)To check that a dependent variable is sufficiently sensitive.
C)To check that an independent variable is sufficiently sensitive.
D)To check that a dependent variable is sufficiently relevant.
E)To check that an independent variable is sufficiently relevant.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of a manipulation check is to ensure that the independent variable has been successfully manipulated as intended. This is done by measuring the dependent variable and comparing it between the experimental and control groups. If there is a significant difference, it can be concluded that the manipulation was successful. The other answer choices are not relevant to the purpose of a manipulation check.

Question 3

The choices that an expertimenter confronts that involve how to design an experiment in order to test a particular hypothesis relate to issues of which of the following?
A)Internal validity.
B)External validity.
C)Operationalization.
D)Design validity.
E)Visualization.

Accepted Answer

Operationalization involves defining how to measure and manipulate the variables in an experiment, which is crucial for designing an experiment to test a hypothesis.

Question 4

A researcher conducts a study in which participants are asked to administer electric shocks to a participant in what they believe to be a memory experiment, but which in fact is a study of obedience.In fact the shocks are not real, but the participant does not know this.However, some of the participants see through the cover story.Which of the following is true?
A)The fact that participants see through the cover story affects the study's internal validity.
B)The fact that participants see through the cover story affects the study's external validity.
C)The fact that participants see through the cover story affects the study's general validity.
D)Both (a)and (b).
E)All of the above.

Accepted Answer

The fact that participants see through the cover story affects the study's internal validity because it means that the results of the study may not be due to the independent variable (the electric shocks) but rather to the fact that the participants knew that the shocks were not real. The fact that participants see through the cover story also affects the study's external validity because it means that the results of the study may not be generalizable to other populations who do not know that the shocks are not real.

Question 5

An experimenter finds that when a person takes part in a study they become quite nervous, when normally they are confident and assertive.This threatens the internal and external validity of their findings and is an example of what phenomenon?
A)Demand characteristics.
B)Experimental blind.
C)Regression.
D)Reactivity.
E)Test-retest reliability interacting with the experimental treatment.

Accepted Answer

Reactivity occurs when individuals alter their performance or behavior due to the awareness that they are being observed. This phenomenon can threaten the validity of an experiment because the behavior observed may not reflect the participants' behavior under normal conditions, thus affecting both the internal and external validity of the findings.

Question 6

"Systematic variation in the order in which participants respond to dependent measures or receive treatments.This is designed to neutralize or help quantify order effects in within-subjects designs." What experimental procedure is this a glossary definition of?
A)Balancing.
B)Counterbalancing.
C)Reiterative qualification.
D)Ordering.
E)Matching.

Accepted Answer

The definition given is for counterbalancing, which is a method used to control for order effects in a within-subjects design. It involves systematically varying the order in which participants receive treatments or respond to dependent measures.

Question 7

A researcher conducts a study in which participants are placed in a simulated prison and assigned to roles as prisoners and guards.As part of the experimental briefing he gives participants clues about the hypothesis he is testing and about how he wants them to behave.Which of the following may compromise the internal and external validity of the research?
A)Experimenter bias.
B)Demand characteristics.
C)Regression to the mean
D)Both (a)and (b).
E)All of the above.

Accepted Answer

Experimenter bias and demand characteristics can both compromise the internal and external validity of a study, particularly if they give participants clues about the hypothesis or how they are expected to behave. Regression to the mean does not necessarily apply in this situation.

Question 8

An experimenter conducts a study in which she wants to investigate the effects of eating chocolate on concentration.To do this she gives 20 people in an experimental condition a bar of chocolate and gives another 20 people in a control group nothing.However 4 of the people in the experiment withdraw because the dislike chocolate.Which of the following is a threat to internal validity?
A)Regression to the mean.
B)Practice effects.
C)Demand characteristics.
D)Mortality effects.
E)Experimenter bias.

Accepted Answer

The withdrawal of 4 participants from the experimental group due to dislike of chocolate is a threat to internal validity called mortality effects, as it affects the representativeness and comparability of the two groups.

Question 9

A researcher conducts a study in which participants are asked to administer electric shocks to a participant in what they believe to be a memory experiment, but which in fact is a study of obedience.In fact the shocks are not real, but the participant does not know this.After the study, the researcher asks participants how strong they thought the shocks they were administering were.Which of the following is true?
A)This study involves deception, and the post-test questionnaire is designed to see whether participants have found the cover story convincing.
B)This study does not involve deception, and the post-test questionnaire is designed to see whether participants have found the cover story convincing.
C)This study involves deception, and there is no cover story.
D)The study does not involve deception, and there is no cover story.
E)This does not resemble a study that a psychologist would ever conduct.

Accepted Answer

The study involves deception as the participants are led to believe that they are administering electric shocks to someone, which is not true. The post-test questionnaire is designed to determine whether the cover story of the experiment was convincing to the participants.

Question 10

Which of the following statments is true?
A)Psychologists often have to manipulate theoretical variables indirectly, by using dependent variables that they believe will have a specific impact upon a given mental process or state.
B)Psychologists always have to manipulate theoretical variables indirectly, by using dependent variables that they believe will have a specific impact upon a given mental process or state.
C)Psychologists often have to manipulate theoretical variables indirectly, by using independent variables that they believe will have a specific impact upon a given mental process or state.
D)Psychologists never have to manipulate theoretical variables indirectly, by using independent variables that they believe will have a specific impact upon a given mental process or state.
E)Psychologists always have to manipulate theoretical variables indirectly, by using independent variables that they believe will have a specific impact upon a given mental process or state.

Accepted Answer

Psychologists manipulate theoretical variables indirectly through independent variables, which are conditions or interventions they control or vary to see the effect on mental processes or states. The statement in C accurately reflects this methodology.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true?
A)Effects produced in experiments can be reproduced in the real world but real-world phenomena cannot be reproduced in experiments.
B)Effects produced in experiments cannot be reproduced in the real world but real-world phenomena can be reproduced in experiments.
C)Effects produced in experiments can be reproduced in the real world and real-world phenomena can be reproduced in experiments.
D)Effects produced in experiments cannot be reproduced in the real world and real-world phenomena cannot be reproduced in experiments.
E)Effects produced in experiments and effects in the real world are completely unrelated to each other.

Accepted Answer

Effects produced in experiments can be reproduced in the real world under similar conditions, and real-world phenomena can be studied and reproduced in experiments under controlled conditions. This is the foundation of the scientific method, which allows for the systematic study and understanding of natural phenomena. Therefore, both experimental and real-world observations can contribute to our understanding of the world around us.

Question 12

An experimenter conducts a study in which 16 people are asked to pedal a bicycle for 40 minutes and then perform a memory task.They all then lie down for two hours and then perform a recognition memory task.Which of the following statements is true?
A)Memory task is an extraneous variable.
B)Memory task is manipulated between-subjects.
C)Memory task is manipulated both between-subjects and within-subjects.
D)Memory task is manipulated within-subjects.
E)Memory task is the dependent variable

Accepted Answer

The answer of An experimenter conducts a study in which...

Question 13

An experiment is conducted in which one group of participants is asked to perform maths tasks while watching television, a second group of participants is asked to perform maths tasks while listening to the radio, and a third group of participants is asked to perform math tasks while doing nothing else.Which of the following statements is true?
A)The null hypothesis in this study is that the nature of distraction has no impact on mathematical performance.
B)A plausible alternative hypothesis in this study is that distraction has an adverse impact on mathematical performance.
C)A plausible alternative hypothesis in this study is that being distracted by television has more of an adverse impact on mathematical performance than being disracted by radio.
D)Both (b)and (c).
E)All of the above.

Accepted Answer

The null hypothesis typically posits no effect or difference, making statement A correct as it suggests that the type of distraction (TV, radio, or none) does not affect math performance. Statements B and C offer plausible alternative hypotheses that distractions could negatively impact performance and that the type of distraction might have varying effects, respectively. Thus, all statements are true in the context of setting up a research experiment to test the impact of distractions on mathematical performance.

Question 14

A team of researchers conduct a study in which they want to look at how the performance of children is affected by a change in government education policy.To do this, thet look at the performance of students in 2 private and 2 public schools before and after a change of government policy.Which of the following is true?
A)This is a quasi-experiment because school type is not manipulated
B)The study has no independent variables.
C)The study has no dependent variables.
D)The study has a pre-test-post-test design.
E)Both (a)and (d).

Accepted Answer

This is a quasi-experiment because the researchers did not manipulate the school type, making it similar to a natural experiment. The study has a pre-test and post-test design, as the researchers observed the performance of the students both before and after the policy change. Therefore, both (a) and (d) are correct answers. The study has independent variables (school type and government education policy) and dependent variables (the performance of the students). Hence, options B and C are incorrect.

Question 15

"A special case of maturation effects where performance on a post-test deteriorates as a result of boredom or tiredness associated with having already completed a pre-test." What type of effect is this a glossary definition of?
A)A follow-up effect.
B)A ceiling effect.
C)A tiredness effect.
D)A maturation effect.
E)A fatigue effect.

Accepted Answer

This is a definition of a fatigue effect, which specifically refers to the deterioration in performance on a post-test due to boredom or tiredness from having already completed a pre-test.

Question 16

A team of researchers conduct a study in which they want to look at how the performance of children from the worst-performing school in the country is affected by a change in government education policy.Looking at a new sample of students, they find that a year later the school is no longer the worst-performing and attribute this to the effects of the policy.Which of the following is most likely to affect the internal validity of this conclusion?
A)Mortality effects.
B)Regression to the mean.
C)Practice effects.
D)Demand characteristics.
E)Experimenter bias.

Accepted Answer

Regression to the mean. It is possible that the school was performing poorly due to random chance or other factors unrelated to the government policy. Therefore, it is likely that the school's performance would naturally improve over time, regardless of the policy change. This is known as regression to the mean and can affect the internal validity of the conclusion that the policy was responsible for the improvement.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true?
A)Researchers are usually keen to obtain very small effects on manipulation checks.
B)Researchers are always keen to obtain very small effects on manipulation checks.
C)Researchers are never keen to obtain very big effects on manipulation checks.
D)Researchers are usually keen to obtain very big effects on manipulation checks.
E)None of the above.

Accepted Answer

Researchers typically aim for large effects on manipulation checks to ensure that their manipulations have a significant impact on the variables of interest. This helps in clearly demonstrating the effect of the manipulations on the outcomes being studied.

Question 18

An experimenter conducts a study in which 16 people are asked to pedal a bicycle for 40 minutes and then perform a free recall memory task.They all then lie down for two hours and then perform a recognition memory task.Which of the following statements is false?
A)Memory performance is the dependent measure.
B)Type of task (free recall vs.recognition)is manipulated within-subjects.
C)Amount of expended energy (high vs.low)is manipulated between-subjects.
D)A within-subjects t-test could be used to compare participants' performance on the two tasks.
E)Type of task and amount of expended energy are confounded in this design.

Accepted Answer

The amount of expended energy is not manipulated between-subjects, it is manipulated within-subjects since each participant pedals the bicycle for the same amount of time. Therefore, there are no differences between participants in terms of the amount of expended energy.

Question 19

An experiment is conducted in which one group of participants is asked to perform maths tasks while watching television, a second group of participants is asked to perform maths tasks while listening to the radio, and a third group of participants is asked to perform math tasks while doing nothing else.Which of the following statements is true?
A)This study has three conditions, and the nature of distraction is the independent variable
B)This study has two conditions, and the nature of distraction is the independent variable
C)This study has three conditions, and the nature of distraction is manipulated between-subjects.
D)Both (a)and (c).
E)Both (b)and (c).

Accepted Answer

The study indeed has three conditions (watching TV, listening to the radio, doing nothing else) and the nature of distraction (type of media or no media) is the independent variable that is manipulated between subjects, meaning each group experiences a different condition.

Question 20

An experimenter conducts an experiment in which subjects are randomly assigned to one of three conditions.Subjects in each condition consume different amounts of carrot juice and then have to perform tests of (i)visual acuity and (ii)mathematical reasoning.The experimenter's null hypothesis that consumption of carrot juice does not affect either visual acuity or mathematical reasoning is confirmed.Which of the following statements is true?
A)The experiment allows the researcher to conclude that the consumption of carrot juice cannot affect visual acuity or mathematical reasoning.
B)The experiment does not support the theory that the consumption of carrot juice affects visual acuity but not mathematical reasoning.
C)The dependent variables are inappropriate.
D)The experiment has three independent variable and two dependent variables.
E)None of the above.

Accepted Answer

The experiment's results do not support the theory that carrot juice consumption affects visual acuity, as the null hypothesis was confirmed, indicating no effect on either visual acuity or mathematical reasoning.

Quiz 3: Experimental Design

What is the purpose of a manipulation check?

The choices that an expertimenter confronts that involve how to design an experiment in order to test a particular hypothesis relate to issues of which of the following?

An experimenter finds that when a person takes part in a study they become quite nervous, when normally they are confident and assertive.This threatens the internal and external validity of their findings and is an example of what phenomenon?

"Systematic variation in the order in which participants respond to dependent measures or receive treatments.This is designed to neutralize or help quantify order effects in within-subjects designs." What experimental procedure is this a glossary definition of?

Which of the following statments is true?

Which of the following statements is true?

An experimenter conducts a study in which 16 people are asked to pedal a bicycle for 40 minutes and then perform a memory task.They all then lie down for two hours and then perform a recognition memory task.Which of the following statements is true?

"A special case of maturation effects where performance on a post-test deteriorates as a result of boredom or tiredness associated with having already completed a pre-test." What type of effect is this a glossary definition of?

Which of the following statements is true?

An experimenter conducts a study in which 16 people are asked to pedal a bicycle for 40 minutes and then perform a free recall memory task.They all then lie down for two hours and then perform a recognition memory task.Which of the following statements is false?