Question 1

Sometimes, pretest and posttest measures are records taken by observers who improve their skills with practice. In this case, pretest-posttest changes could be due to program effectiveness or to the threat to internal validity called
A) instrumentation
B) testing
C) attrition
D) maturation

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sometimes, pretest and posttest measures are records...

Question 2

In study described in the previous item, confidence in program effectiveness would be highest if a control group, which also started with a pretest score of 80, had a posttest score of
A) 80
B) 70
C) 90
D) 75

Accepted Answer

If the control group had a posttest score of 80, it would suggest that there was no change in their performance over time and that any improvements in the experimental group were likely the result of the program being studied. If the control group had a posttest score that was significantly different from 80 (e.g. 70 or 90), it could suggest other factors outside of the program may have influenced performance (e.g. regression to the mean or external interventions). Therefore, a control group with a posttest score of 80 would provide the strongest evidence of program effectiveness.

Question 3

External validity concerns the extent that research findings
A) result from methodologically sound procedures
B) result from studies that carefully define the variables
C) generalize beyond the specific group tested in the study
D) reflect properly completed statistical analyses

Accepted Answer

External validity pertains to the extent that research findings can be generalized beyond the specific group tested in the study. Option A pertains to internal validity, while options B and D pertain to methodological issues that contribute to both internal and external validity.

Question 4

Research that attempts to study psychological phenomena in settings that reflect daily living (e.g., a memory study about forgetting where we put our keys) is said to have _________ validity.
A) construct
B) ecological
C) internal
D) no statistical conclusion

Accepted Answer

Ecological validity refers to the extent to which research findings can be generalized to real-life settings or situations. Research that studies psychological phenomena in settings that reflect daily living would have high ecological validity, as it would be more applicable to real-life situations. Therefore, option B is the correct answer. Options A, C, and D do not accurately describe the concept of ecological validity.

Question 5

Compared with research in which people learn lists of words and recall them, studies on such topics as eyewitness memory and the recall of high school Spanish have greater
A) ecological validity
B) construct validity
C) internal validity
D) statistical validity

Accepted Answer

Ecological validity refers to the extent to which research findings can be generalized to real-world situations. Eyewitness memory and recall of high school Spanish are more applicable to everyday situations than the artificial task of learning and recalling a list of words, so they have greater ecological validity.

Question 6

Most researchers would agree that
A) every experiment that lasts more than an hour should include a pretest and a posttest
B) external validity is more important than internal validity
C) internal validity is more important than external validity
D) research results have no significant value unless they have ecological validity

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the extent to which we can draw cause-and-effect inferences from a study, whereas external validity refers to the extent to which we can generalize findings from a study to other populations or settings. While both are important considerations in research, most researchers prioritize internal validity as it is necessary to establish a causal relationship between variables.

Question 7

Worker productivity is assessed before and after a program for flextime is instituted. Just after the pretest, workers receive an unexpected bonus check based on unusually high product sales. Productivity is higher on the posttest than on the pretest, but the researcher suspects ______ as a threat to internal validity.
A) history
B) regression
C) instrumentation
D) selection

Accepted Answer

The unexpected bonus check is an external event that could influence the workers' motivation and effort, leading to higher productivity on the posttest. This is an example of history, which refers to external events that can affect the outcome of a study and create a threat to internal validity.

Question 8

Because of the _______ phenomenon, any extreme score on a pretest is almost certain to be followed by a less extreme score on the posttest.
A) regression to the mean
B) history
C) maturation
D) testing

Accepted Answer

Regression to the mean is a statistical phenomenon where extreme scores on a pretest are likely to move closer to the mean on a subsequent test due to chance factors. This is because extreme scores are likely to be caused by random error or factors that are not stable over time, and so the second test is likely to produce a score that reflects the individual's true ability or level of performance more accurately. The other options are not relevant to this phenomenon.

Question 9

After taking a special computerized introductory sociology course, students do twice as well on the posttest as they did on the pretest. The researcher suspects the pretest alerted students to what was to come, however. This threat to internal validity is called
A) instrumentation
B) testing
C) regression to the mean
D) selection

Accepted Answer

The threat to internal validity in this scenario is testing, as it is possible that taking the pretest influenced the students' performance on the posttest. This means that the increase in scores may not actually reflect a true improvement in knowledge, but rather an increased familiarity with the test format and content. The other options (instrumentation, regression to the mean, and selection) do not apply to this particular scenario.

Question 10

A "freshman year" program finds that first year students are more relaxed at the end of their first semester than they were at the beginning. The Dean is excited, but the researcher suspects the change may be due to
A) history
B) regression
C) maturation
D) selection

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to natural changes that occur within individuals over time, such as physical growth or psychological development. In this case, it is likely that the freshmen are simply adapting to the new environment and expectations of college, which causes them to feel more relaxed over time. This is a natural maturation process rather than a result of any intervention or treatment.

Question 11

Concerning subject (participant) pools, the APA recommends all of the following except
A) alternative activities must equal research participation in terms of time and effort
B) students should be aware of the requirement before signing up for the course
C) students should be encouraged to participate, and be told about alternatives if they ask about them
D) there must be a clear and simple method for students to complain about any perceived mistreatment

Accepted Answer

The answer of Concerning subject (participant) pools, the APA recommends...

Question 12

Which of the following is true about subject (participant) pools?
A) because of the new APA ethics code, they are no longer used
B) students must be given a reasonable alternative to research participation
C) to insure participation in research, and therefore a continuation of progress, the APA encourages schools to demand full participation from psychology students
D) an hour of participation is considered to be the equivalent of a 10-page paper

Accepted Answer

The American Psychological Association has guidelines stating that participants should be given a reasonable alternative to participation, and this is especially important for student subject pools in which participation may be required for course credit. The other options are incorrect.

Question 13

Social psychologists might be concerned that conformity experiments using participants from individualist cultures might not be relevant for understanding behavior in collectivist cultures. This concern is about _______ validity.
A) internal
B) external
C) construct
D) statistical conclusion

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the generalizability of research findings beyond the specific sample and settings used in the study. The concern about the relevance of conformity experiments using participants from individualist cultures for understanding behavior in collectivist cultures relates to external validity.

Question 14

The presence of a control group enables researchers to evaluate threats to internal validity. However, one threat that is most likely to still influence results to an unknown degree, even when a control group is used, is
A) history
B) maturation
C) instrumentation
D) testing

Accepted Answer

The answer of The presence of a control group enables...

Question 15

Sometimes performance differences could be attributed to an independent variable or to some basic difference in the composition of the two groups involved. When this occurs, there is said to be a threat due to
A) regression
B) maturation
C) attrition
D) selection

Accepted Answer

A threat due to selection occurs when the groups being compared are not equivalent at the start of the study, for example, if one group is composed of participants who have a different level of education or experience than the other group. This can lead to performance differences that are not due to the independent variable being studied. Maturation refers to changes in participants over time, attrition refers to participants dropping out of a study, and regression refers to extreme scores regressing to the mean. While these threats can also impact study results, they do not specifically relate to differences in group composition.

Question 16

In order to determine if some experience brought about a change in an individual from one time to another, researchers often use designs that include
A) pretests and posttests
B) control groups
C) statistics
D) regression

Accepted Answer

Pretests and posttests are used to measure changes in an individual's behavior, attitudes, or other variables of interest before and after the experience being studied. This design helps researchers determine if the experience caused the change or if it was due to chance or other factors. Control groups, statistics, and regression can also be useful in some cases, but pretests and posttests are essential for measuring change over time.

Question 17

For an experimental group in a program to reduce anxiety, the mean pretest score is 80 (max = 100). The posttest score is 70. This change was the result of
A) regression
B) program effectiveness
C) maturation
D) any of the above are possible

Accepted Answer

The answer of For an experimental group in a program...

Question 18

During the course of an experimental that lasts over a period of time, normal developmental changes may occur that can affect the results of the study independent of the treatment program being evaluated. This threat to internal validity is called
A) history
B) regression
C) testing
D) maturation

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to normal developmental changes that occur over time and can affect the results of a study independent of the treatment program being evaluated. History refers to external events that occur during the course of a study, which may also affect the results. Regression and testing are different threats to internal validity.

Question 19

Between the administration of a pretest and a posttest, an event may occur that can affect the results of the study independent of the treatment program being evaluated. This threat to internal validity is called
A) history
B) regression
C) testing
D) maturation

Accepted Answer

The threat to internal validity where an event occurs during the study that can affect results outside of the treatment program being evaluated is known as history. This can refer to any external factor or event that occurs during the time between the pretest and the posttest that could influence the results. Regression refers to the tendency for participants who score extremely high or low on a pretest to score closer to the mean on a subsequent test, regardless of the treatment program. Testing refers to the effects of the pretest on subsequent scores, and maturation refers to natural development or change that occurs over time, regardless of the treatment program.

Question 20

After averaging 20 points per game for her college basketball team over the first 15 games, Amanda scores 37 points one night. Because of _______, she will almost certainly score _______ points in the next game.
A) a fatigue effect; fewer
B) a history effect; more
C) regression to the mean; more
D) regression to the mean; fewer

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon at play here is regression to the mean, which states that an extreme performance is likely to be followed by a performance closer to the individual's overall average. In this case, Amanda's 37-point game is an extreme performance compared to her previous 15 games where she averaged 20 points. Therefore, it is likely that she will score fewer points in the next game, moving back closer to her overall average.

Quiz 5: Introduction to Experimental Research

Sometimes, pretest and posttest measures are records taken by observers who improve their skills with practice. In this case, pretest-posttest changes could be due to program effectiveness or to the threat to internal validity called

In study described in the previous item, confidence in program effectiveness would be highest if a control group, which also started with a pretest score of 80, had a posttest score of

External validity concerns the extent that research findings

Research that attempts to study psychological phenomena in settings that reflect daily living (e.g., a memory study about forgetting where we put our keys) is said to have _________ validity.

Compared with research in which people learn lists of words and recall them, studies on such topics as eyewitness memory and the recall of high school Spanish have greater

Most researchers would agree that

Because of the _______ phenomenon, any extreme score on a pretest is almost certain to be followed by a less extreme score on the posttest.

After taking a special computerized introductory sociology course, students do twice as well on the posttest as they did on the pretest. The researcher suspects the pretest alerted students to what was to come, however. This threat to internal validity is called

A "freshman year" program finds that first year students are more relaxed at the end of their first semester than they were at the beginning. The Dean is excited, but the researcher suspects the change may be due to

Concerning subject (participant) pools, the APA recommends all of the following except

Which of the following is true about subject (participant) pools?

Social psychologists might be concerned that conformity experiments using participants from individualist cultures might not be relevant for understanding behavior in collectivist cultures. This concern is about _______ validity.

The presence of a control group enables researchers to evaluate threats to internal validity. However, one threat that is most likely to still influence results to an unknown degree, even when a control group is used, is

Sometimes performance differences could be attributed to an independent variable or to some basic difference in the composition of the two groups involved. When this occurs, there is said to be a threat due to

In order to determine if some experience brought about a change in an individual from one time to another, researchers often use designs that include

For an experimental group in a program to reduce anxiety, the mean pretest score is 80 (max = 100) . The posttest score is 70. This change was the result of

During the course of an experimental that lasts over a period of time, normal developmental changes may occur that can affect the results of the study independent of the treatment program being evaluated. This threat to internal validity is called

Between the administration of a pretest and a posttest, an event may occur that can affect the results of the study independent of the treatment program being evaluated. This threat to internal validity is called

After averaging 20 points per game for her college basketball team over the first 15 games, Amanda scores 37 points one night. Because of _, she will almost certainly score _ points in the next game.