Question 1

Sue asked three of her friends after class if they thought the test they just finished taking was as easy as she thought it was. They all agreed that it was. She was surprised to find out the next day that although she and her friends had indeed done well, a majority of the class had failed. Why shouldn't Sue have been surprised?
A)Most of the students did not study for the test.
B)She did not use random selection when asking people about the test.
C)Students should have been randomly assigned to take the tests on different days.
D)Her friends shouldn't have expressed their views regarding the test.

Accepted Answer

Sue's sample of friends may not be representative of the entire class, as she did not use random selection when asking about the test. It is possible that her friends found the test easier because they had a better understanding of the material or had studied more. Therefore, it was not surprising that the majority of the class had failed, since Sue's sample did not accurately reflect the entire class.

Question 2

When neither the experimenter nor the participant have any knowledge of the experimental condition to which the participant has been assigned we say that this is a(n)________ study.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When neither the experimenter nor the participant...

Question 3

Professor Todd decides to test her hypothesis that eating chocolate prior to exams increases students' test scores. She randomly assigns students to two groups at the beginning of the semester. One group receives a bar of chocolate before each test, while the other group receives another type of candy. She compares their scores at the end of the year, and finds that the students who ate the chocolate scored an average of ten points higher on their exams. What is a fair conclusion that can be drawn from this experiment?
A)Eating chocolate causes students' test scores to increase.
B)Eating chocolate has no relationship to students' test scores.
C)Eating chocolate may increase students' satisfaction with the class.
D)Eating chocolate makes students happy.

Accepted Answer

The experiment shows a statistically significant difference in test scores between the group that ate chocolate before exams and the group that did not. This suggests that eating chocolate prior to exams has a causal relationship with higher test scores. However, it is important to note that this experiment only establishes a correlation between eating chocolate and increased test scores, and further research is needed to establish a causal relationship definitively.

Question 4

A difference between experimental and control groups other than the independent variable is a ________ variable.
A)confounding
B)dependent
C)false
D)placebo

Accepted Answer

A difference between experimental and control groups other than the independent variable is known as a confounding variable, which can affect the outcome of the study and lead to inaccurate conclusions. Dependent variables are the outcomes or results measured in the study, false variables do not exist in scientific research, and placebos are used in some studies to control for the placebo effect but are not applicable in all experiments.

Question 5

The placebo and nocebo effects are examples of ________ in experimental research.
A)confounding variables
B)dependent variables
C)false variables
D)independent variables

Accepted Answer

The answer of The placebo and nocebo effects are examples...

Question 6

One important limitation of the experimental design is that when research participants know what condition they have been assigned to, this knowledge, rather than the independent variable, may be the cause of the differences observed in the dependent variable. This is known as the ________ effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One important limitation of the experimental design...

Question 7

Lisa, a university student, had a great time at the party last night. She danced, sang karaoke, and even played the "rock band" video game, all behaviours that she had never exhibited in public before. She had been drinking the "punch" all night long, which she was told contained high levels of alcohol. Lisa was quite surprised to find out the next morning that the punch did NOT contain any alcohol. What concept may explain Lisa's behaviour?
A)The Rosenthal effect
B)Illusory correlations
C)The nocebo effect
D)The placebo effect

Accepted Answer

Lisa's behaviour can be attributed to the placebo effect, where her belief that she was consuming alcohol led to behavioural changes commonly associated with alcohol consumption.

Question 8

In an experiment, the ________ group receives no manipulation.
A)control
B)dependent
C)independent
D)experimental

Accepted Answer

The control group is the group that receives no manipulation and is used as a baseline for comparison to the experimental group. The dependent variable is what is being measured or observed, the independent variable is the variable that is manipulated, and the experimental group is the group that receives the manipulation.

Question 9

An experiment is said to be ________ when neither researchers nor participants are aware of who's in the experimental or control group.
A)blind
B)unfalsifiable
C)a placebo
D)double-blind

Accepted Answer

The experiment being described is a double-blind study, where both the researchers and participants are unaware of who belongs to the experimental or control group. This helps to minimize bias and increase the validity of the results.

Question 10

The ability to state that differences in the conditions of the independent variable led to the observed differences in the dependent variable is lessened when a(n)________ variable is present in one's research design.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ability to state that differences in...

Question 11

A researcher wants to see whether she can make the typical administrative assistant job more motivating at Acme, Inc. To experimentally investigate this possibility, she randomly assigns administrative assistants to one of the following conditions: doing the job as it has always been done, having a computer performance monitoring device installed, receiving feedback about their performance on a weekly basis, or being given a say in how one's workload is structured and done. Which of the preceding conditions is an example of a control group?
A)Being given a say in how one's workload is structured and done
B)Doing the job as it has always been done
C)Having a computer performance monitoring device installed
D)Receiving feedback on a weekly basis

Accepted Answer

The control group in an experiment is the group that is not exposed to the treatment or intervention being tested, but rather is used as a comparison to the experimental groups. In this case, the control group would be the group that continues to do the job as it has always been done, without any changes or interventions. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

Question 12

A medical doctor believes that the presence of aromatherapy will reduce the anxiety of first-time mothers-to-be during labour and will increase their reported satisfaction with their care at his hospital. He randomly assigns mothers to give birth in a room either with or without aromatherapy. What is the independent variable in this example?
A)Anxiety level during labour
B)Number of previous birthing experiences
C)Room environment
D)Satisfaction with hospital care

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this example is the room environment, specifically whether or not aromatherapy is present. This is the variable that the doctor is manipulating in order to see its effect on anxiety levels and satisfaction with care. The other options (anxiety level, number of previous birthing experiences, and satisfaction with hospital care) are all potential dependent variables that may be affected by the presence or absence of the aromatherapy, but they are not the independent variable being manipulated by the doctor.

Question 13

One difficulty in conducting medical research is that participants often assume that any treatment will be effective in alleviating their symptoms. Therefore, a researcher has to design an experiment that measures the influence of
A)random selection.
B)medical confounds.
C)the Rosenthal effect.
D)the placebo effect.

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon in which a participant's symptoms are improved simply because they believe they are receiving a treatment, even if that treatment is an inactive substance (i.e. a placebo). Participants often assume that any treatment will be effective, so it is important for a researcher to measure the specific influence of the placebo effect in order to determine if a treatment is actually effective or if any observed improvements are simply the result of the placebo effect.

Question 14

The most important factor to ensure that one's results apply to other people in other settings is to use
A)extremely large sample sizes.
B)extremely small sample sizes.
C)random assignment.
D)random selection.

Accepted Answer

Random selection helps ensure that the sample is representative of the population, making it more likely that the results can be generalized to other settings and other people. Random assignment is important for internal validity, but may not necessarily enhance the generalizability of the results. Using extremely large or small sample sizes alone does not guarantee external validity.

Question 15

The ________ variable is what the experimenter "manipulates" or varies.
A)control
B)dependent
C)operational
D)independent

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that the experimenter manipulates or varies.

Question 16

The variable that an experimenter assesses or measures is called the
A)causal variable.
B)confounding variable.
C)dependent variable.
D)independent variable.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being assessed or measured in an experiment. It is called dependent because its value is dependent on the manipulation of the independent variable.

Question 17

Professor Todd decides to test her hypothesis that eating chocolate prior to exams increases students' test scores. She randomly assigns students to two groups at the beginning of the semester. One group receives a bar of chocolate before each test, while the other group receives another type of candy. She compares their scores at the end of the year, and finds that the students who ate the chocolate scored an average of ten points higher on their exams. What is the dependent variable in this experiment?
A)Students' test scores
B)Chocolate bars
C)The students themselves
D)The professor

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome variable that is being measured, which in this case is the students' test scores. The independent variable is the variable that is being manipulated or changed, which is whether the students received chocolate or a different type of candy before the exams.

Question 18

Dr Wilkins randomly assigns subjects to one of three groups. He is interested in the effects of caffeine on anxiety levels. He gives subjects in the first group an extra two cups of coffee a day for six months. The second group receives an extra two cups of decaffeinated coffee a day for the same time period, while the control group is not given either regular or decaffeinated coffee. By providing one group with decaffeinated coffee, Dr Wilkins is trying to account for which potential element of the experiment?
A)A control condition
B)The Rosenthal effect
C)The placebo effect
D)The artificial condition

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect is a phenomenon in which a person experiences a beneficial effect from a treatment that is not actually effective. In this case, the decaffeinated coffee is not expected to have any effect on anxiety levels, but it may still have a positive effect due to the placebo effect.

Question 19

The group that receives the manipulation is called the
A)control group.
B)dependent group.
C)experimental group.
D)independent group.

Accepted Answer

The experimental group is the group that receives the manipulation or treatment being studied. This group is compared to the control group, which does not receive the manipulation, to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. The dependent and independent variables are not directly related to which group receives the manipulation.

Question 20

Dr Johansen randomly assigned subjects to three different groups during her last experiment. She then proceeded to give all the participants in the experiment a new study technique designed to enhance their learning for the upcoming test. What critical error did she make during her experiment?
A)She failed to identify the independent variable.
B)She failed to identify the dependent variable.
C)She failed to include an experimental group.
D)She failed to include a control group.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Johansen failed to include a control group, which is necessary to compare the effects of the study technique to a group that did not receive the technique. Without a control group, it is impossible to determine if any observed effects were due to the study technique or other factors.

Quiz 2: Research Methods

When neither the experimenter nor the participant have any knowledge of the experimental condition to which the participant has been assigned we say that this is a(n)________ study.

A difference between experimental and control groups other than the independent variable is a ________ variable.

The placebo and nocebo effects are examples of ________ in experimental research.

One important limitation of the experimental design is that when research participants know what condition they have been assigned to, this knowledge, rather than the independent variable, may be the cause of the differences observed in the dependent variable. This is known as the ________ effect.

In an experiment, the ________ group receives no manipulation.

An experiment is said to be ________ when neither researchers nor participants are aware of who's in the experimental or control group.

The ability to state that differences in the conditions of the independent variable led to the observed differences in the dependent variable is lessened when a(n)________ variable is present in one's research design.

One difficulty in conducting medical research is that participants often assume that any treatment will be effective in alleviating their symptoms. Therefore, a researcher has to design an experiment that measures the influence of

The most important factor to ensure that one's results apply to other people in other settings is to use

The ________ variable is what the experimenter "manipulates" or varies.

The variable that an experimenter assesses or measures is called the

The group that receives the manipulation is called the

Dr Johansen randomly assigned subjects to three different groups during her last experiment. She then proceeded to give all the participants in the experiment a new study technique designed to enhance their learning for the upcoming test. What critical error did she make during her experiment?