A research study finds that a group of participants who received relaxation training had lower exam anxiety scores than a group who did not receive training. However, the researcher suspects that the difference between groups may be caused by the fact that the participants in one group are generally smarter than those in the other. This study has a problem with ____.
A) internal validity
B) external validity
C) experimental validity
D) correlational validity

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The problem with this study is that it lacks internal validity, as the differences between groups may be attributed to factors other than the relaxation training, such as intelligence. Internal validity refers to the ability of a study to accurately measure the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable, while controlling for other potential confounding variables.

A Research Study Finds That a Group of Participants Who