Question 1

Without informing them,a researcher assigns participants to either an experimental or a placebo group.The researcher's assistants who test the participants do not know who belongs in which group.The experiment has used a

Accepted Answer

The researcher's use of both an experimental and placebo group, as well as keeping the participants and assistants blind to which group they are in, indicates the use of a double-blind technique. This helps control for potential biases or expectations that may influence the results.

Question 2

In general,staged manipulations are _____ than straightforward manipulations.

Accepted Answer

Staged manipulations often require more resources, planning, and coordination, which can make them more costly than straightforward manipulations. Additionally, the incremental nature of staged manipulations allows for greater control over the outcome and may yield stronger results in some cases.

Question 3

Responses by participants to interviews and questionnaires are _______ measures.

Accepted Answer

Responses to interviews and questionnaires require self-reporting by individuals, making them self-report measures. This is in contrast to behavioural measures, which directly observe behaviour, and physiological measures, which measure physical responses such as heart rate or brain activity. Validity is a separate concept that refers to the accuracy of a measure in capturing the concept it intends to measure.

Question 4

Which type of manipulations of variables are operationally defined using instructions and stimulus presentations?

Accepted Answer

Straightforward manipulations involve directly varying a variable through instructions or stimulus presentations to examine its effect on behavior, making it operationally defined and easy to replicate.

Question 5

Which one of the following offers a solution to the problem of experimenter bias?

Accepted Answer

Automated procedures help eliminate experimenter bias by removing or reducing the direct involvement of the researcher in the experiment process, thus minimizing the potential for the researcher's expectations to influence the outcome.

Question 6

The electromyogram (EMG)is used as a measure of

Accepted Answer

The electromyogram (EMG) is a measure of muscle activity and tension. It records the electrical activity generated by muscle fibers during contraction and relaxation. Therefore, option B is the best choice. Options A, C, and D are not true as they do not relate to EMG.

Question 7

In a study examining the effect of appearance on judgments of criminal behaviour,a researcher asks questions about the surroundings and the victim in order to disguise the dependent measures in the study.These unrelated questions are referred to as

Accepted Answer

Filler items are unrelated questions or tasks included in a study to disguise the true purpose or dependent measures of the study. Independent measures refer to different participants being used for each condition, task measures refer to the measures used to assess performance on a task, and placebo measures refer to a control condition where participants believe they are receiving the real treatment but are actually receiving a placebo. None of these options accurately describe the unrelated questions in the given scenario, making B the best choice.

Question 8

A manipulation check is used to determine whether

Accepted Answer

A manipulation check is used to determine whether the independent variable had the intended effect. This is important in order to establish a causal link between the independent variable and dependent variable.

Question 9

Any feature of an experiment that might inform participants of the purpose of the study is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A demand characteristic is any feature of an experiment that might inform participants of the purpose of the study. This can bias their behavior and responses, thereby compromising the validity of the study. Experimenter expectancy refers to the researcher's unconscious bias that can inadvertently influence the behavior of the participants. The placebo group is a control group that receives a treatment that has no active ingredients, but is intended to mimic the real treatment to control for placebo effects. A manipulation check is a measure used to determine if the independent variable has directly influenced the dependent variable.

Question 10

Ralph has a confederate cut in front of a person who is second or ninth in line at a grocery store checkout counter.He then records the number of verbal responses towards the confederate as a measure of aggression.The manipulation employed in this study is an example of a _____ manipulation.

Accepted Answer

The manipulation employed in the study described is an example of a staged manipulation, where the researcher creates a situation that is not naturally occurring in order to manipulate the independent variable and observe its effect on the dependent variable. In this case, the researcher staged the confederate cutting in line to create a situation of conflict and measure the level of aggression in response.

Question 11

A researcher examined the effect of lighting on learning.Randomly assigned participants learned material while using a 100-watt or a 125-watt bulb.There were no differences between the two groups.The nonsignificant results may have occurred because of

Accepted Answer

The fact that there were no differences between the two groups suggests that the manipulation of using a 100-watt or a 125-watt bulb may not have been strong enough to affect learning. Therefore, insufficient strength of the manipulation may have caused the nonsignificant results.

Question 12

A ceiling effect occurs when a measure results in too many

Accepted Answer

A ceiling effect occurs when a measure results in too many maximum scores, meaning that many individuals score at the highest level possible and there is little variability in the data. This can limit the ability of the measure to distinguish differences between individuals and can result in an inaccurate or ineffective assessment.

Question 13

A manipulation check is especially important in studies

Accepted Answer

A manipulation check is important in studies where nonsignificant results are obtained to ensure that the manipulation of the independent variable was successful and that the lack of significant results is not due to a faulty manipulation of the variable.

Question 14

Participants consume 8,16,24,or 32 ounces of alcohol and are then asked to recite the alphabet as quickly as possible.The amount of time it takes the participant to correctly recite the alphabet would be an example of a _____ measure.

Accepted Answer

The time it takes for the participant to correctly recite the alphabet after consuming different amounts of alcohol is an example of behavioural measure. It is measuring the participant's behaviour, which is the time taken to complete the task.

Question 15

When participants are not aware of whether they are in the experimental or control condition,the researcher has used a ________ technique.

Accepted Answer

When participants are unaware of whether they are in the experimental or control group, it indicates a single-blind study design. This approach helps to reduce participant bias.

Question 16

In the early stages of a research project,the researcher would want as _____ as possible in order to demonstrate that a relationship between variables exists.

Accepted Answer

In order to demonstrate that a relationship between variables exists, the researcher would want a strong manipulation. This means that the independent variable should have a significant and noticeable impact on the dependent variable. The other options, such as many manipulations or costly manipulations, do not necessarily guarantee a stronger relationship between variables. In fact, too many manipulations can complicate the research and make it harder to interpret the results. Additionally, the weak manipulation will not have a noticeable impact on the dependent variable, making it harder to draw conclusions about the relationship between the variables.

Question 17

In general,_____ manipulations are less costly than _____ manipulations.

Accepted Answer

Straightforward manipulations are typically less complex and require fewer resources than staged manipulations. Staged manipulations often require actors, elaborate settings, and special equipment, which can be expensive and time-consuming to set up. Therefore, straightforward manipulations are generally less costly than staged manipulations.

Question 18

Presenting participants with different versions of a videotaped confession in order to study person perception is an example of a(n)_____ manipulation.

Accepted Answer

This is a straightforward manipulation because it involves directly altering the independent variable (the version of the videotaped confession) to observe its effect on the dependent variable (person perception).

Quiz 9: Conducting Studies