Question 1

Internal validity represents the degree to which

Accepted Answer

Internal validity is about whether an experiment supports clear causal conclusions, meaning it assesses whether the study demonstrates that the independent variable caused the observed changes in the dependent variable, without being confounded by other variables.

Question 2

Dr. Jun is conducting an experiment that has two experimental groups. In order to control for differences among her subjects, she flips a coin and uses chance to determine which subjects belong in which group. The procedure that Dr. Jun is using to place participants in the various groups is called

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is the process of using random chance to assign participants to different groups in an experiment, ensuring that each participant has an equal chance of being placed in any group. This helps to control for participant differences across the groups.

Question 3

In experiments, researchers often use random assignment to place participants in various groups or conditions in their experiments. An alternative to random assignment is to design the study in such a way that each participant

Accepted Answer

When each participant is exposed to all conditions in the experiment, it's known as a within-subjects design. This approach contrasts with random assignment, which is characteristic of a between-subjects design where different participants are assigned to different conditions.

Question 4

One of the differences between experimental research and correlational research is that

Accepted Answer

In correlational research, researchers observe what naturally goes on in the world without directly interfering with it. They measure the variables as they naturally occur. In contrast, experimental research involves the manipulation of at least one variable (independent variable) to determine its effect on another variable (dependent variable), allowing for the establishment of cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 5

In survey research, random sampling is typically used to insure that a sample is representative; while in experiments, a different method is used to balance differences between subjects across various experimental groups. The method used in experiments is called

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is the method used in experiments to distribute participants across various groups in a way that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group. This helps to balance out differences among participants across the groups, ensuring that the groups are comparable at the start of the experiment.

Question 6

Jake and Jack are both interested in the effect of the loud music from the dorm room next door on their grades. Jake records the days and hours the music is loud and compares that information to the grades he received on exams taken the days following the loud music. Jack plays his own music loud before his first psychology exam and quietly before his second exam. He then compares his exam scores. The primary difference in the way Jake and Jack conducted their research is

Accepted Answer

Jake's approach of recording days and hours of loud music and comparing it to his exam grades is an example of using correlational data to see if there is a relationship between two variables (loud music and exam grades). Jack, on the other hand, manipulated a variable (the volume of his own music) to see its effect on his exam scores, which is an experimental approach.

Question 7

The text discussed research to establish if there was a causal relationship between cell phone use while driving, traffic density and increased risk of vehicular collision. Which of the following accurately describes the independent and dependent variables in this research?

Accepted Answer

Cell phone use and traffic density are the independent variables because they are the factors being manipulated or observed to see their effect on the risk of vehicular collision, which is the dependent variable as it is the outcome being measured.

Question 8

Often, psychological researchers will manipulate more than one variable in an experiment. The main reason for this is that

Accepted Answer

Manipulating more than one variable allows researchers to better understand complex human behaviors by examining how different variables interact with each other, reflecting the multifaceted nature of psychological phenomena.

Question 9

Random assignment is important in experiments because

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is crucial in experiments as it helps to distribute participant differences evenly across various conditions, ensuring that any observed effects can be attributed to the experimental manipulation rather than pre-existing differences among participants.

Question 10

The research method that allows for examining cause and effect relations is

Accepted Answer

An experiment is the research method that allows for examining cause and effect relations because it involves manipulating one variable (independent variable) to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable (dependent variable). This manipulation while controlling for other variables is what allows researchers to infer causality.

Question 11

Strayer and colleagues wanted to establish if there was a causal relationship between cell phone use while driving, traffic density, and increased risk of vehicular collision. They found evidence of an interaction because

Accepted Answer

An interaction implies that the effect of one variable (cell phone use) on another variable (braking reaction time) changes depending on a third variable (traffic density). Choice A indicates that cell phone use increased braking reaction time in both low and high traffic conditions, suggesting an interaction between cell phone use and traffic density on braking reaction time.

Question 12

Strayer and colleagues wanted to establish if there was a causal relationship between cell phone use while driving and increased risk of vehicular collision. The independent and dependent variables in that experiment were, respectively

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is what the researchers manipulate (in this case, cell phone use while driving), and the dependent variable is what they measure to see if it changes as a result of manipulations to the independent variable (here, braking reaction time).

Question 13

If an experiment allows for clear causal conclusions to be drawn, it is said to have strong

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study can demonstrate a clear causal relationship between variables, ensuring that the changes in the dependent variable are indeed due to the manipulation of the independent variable, rather than other factors.

Question 14

Dr. Williams is conducting an experiment and decides to use a design in which each participant will be exposed to all of the conditions in her study. In designing her study, Dr. Williams is

Accepted Answer

Dr. Williams is using a within-subjects design, where each participant experiences all conditions of the experiment. This is an alternative to random assignment, which is typically used in between-subjects designs where different participants are assigned to different conditions.

Question 15

Which of the following statements regarding the differences between experimental and correlational research is true?

Accepted Answer

Experimental research is designed to assess cause-effect relationships by manipulating variables and controlling the environment, which is not a feature of correlational research.

Question 16

As an alternative to random assignment, researchers will sometimes design experiments where each participant is exposed to all conditions or groups in an experiment. This second procedure controls for differences between individual participants by

Accepted Answer

By exposing each participant to all conditions or groups, individual differences among participants are held constant across conditions, as each participant serves as their own control. This approach eliminates the variability between participants because the same individuals are involved in all conditions.

Question 17

In a memory experiment, participants are asked to learn a list of words and then are tested on the list and the number of words they recall is recorded. In total, participants will be learning three word lists. Each of the word lists is of equivalent difficulty, the first list contains proper nouns, the second list contains breeds of dogs, and the third is a list of kitchen appliances. After working with 20 participants, the researchers notice that these participants are better at recalling the proper nouns, the first list of the three that they learn. How can the researchers be certain that proper nouns are actually easier to recall and that they are not recalled better because they are the first words the participants learn?

Accepted Answer

Counterbalancing the order of the word lists among participants helps to control for order effects, ensuring that any differences in recall are due to the type of words rather than their position in the sequence.

Question 18

Random assignment controls for important differences among individual participants by balancing them. This is in contrast to designs in which each participant is exposed to each condition or group in an experiment. This latter design controls the individual differences by ____________.

Accepted Answer

Random assignment controls for individual differences by evenly distributing these differences across the experimental groups, whereas exposing each participant to every condition (within-subjects design) controls for individual differences by holding them constant, as each participant serves as their own control.

Question 19

A researcher conducted an experiment assessing the effect of both alcohol and expectation on sexual arousal. How many independent variables are there in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

The experiment has two independent variables: alcohol and expectation. These are the factors that the researcher manipulates to assess their effect on sexual arousal.

Question 20

All of the following decrease internal validity EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Random assignment increases internal validity by ensuring that any differences observed between groups in an experiment can be attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable rather than to preexisting differences between the groups.

Quiz 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically