Question 1

To say that an experiment contains a confound means that
A)different subjects are assigned to each group.
B)the dependent variable is measured.
C)the independent variable is manipulated.
D)there is an uncontrolled extraneous variable in the experiment.

Accepted Answer

A confound is an extraneous variable that is not controlled or accounted for in the experiment, and may affect the dependent variable. This means that choice D, "there is an uncontrolled extraneous variable in the experiment," is the correct answer. Choices A, B, and C do not necessarily indicate the presence of a confound.

Question 2

When we can generalize from the sample used in a study to the population of interest we say that the study has _____ validity.
A)internal
B)external
C)construct
D)content

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which findings from a study can be generalized to the population of interest outside of the sample used in the study. Internal validity, on the other hand, refers to the extent to which the study is able to establish a causal relationship between its variables. Construct validity refers to the extent to which a study accurately measures the theoretical constructs it purports to measure, while content validity refers to the extent to which a measure adequately encompasses the full range of the construct it is intended to measure.

Question 3

When subjects are lost differentially from the experimental and control groups,any observed effect may be due to
A)mortality.
B)instrumentation.
C)diffusion of treatment.
D)history.

Accepted Answer

Mortality refers to the loss of subjects due to death or other factors. When this loss happens differentially between the experimental and control groups, any observed effect may be due to the unequal distribution of subject characteristics and not the treatment or intervention.

Question 4

Changes that occur naturally in the subjects,over time could result in the confound of
A)history.
B)maturation.
C)regression to the mean.
D)diffusion of treatment.

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to internal changes that occur naturally in subjects over time, such as aging or growing more accustomed to a testing situation. These changes can confound the results of a study if they are not controlled for. The other options, history (A), regression to the mean (C), and diffusion of treatment (D), all refer to external factors that could affect study results but are not specifically related to natural subject changes over time.

Question 5

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,stress is the
A)dependent variable.
B)independent variable.
C)control group.
D)experimental group.

Accepted Answer

In the experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress, exercise is the independent variable, and stress is the variable that is being measured and affected by the independent variable. Therefore, stress is the dependent variable.

Question 6

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,exercise is the
A)dependent variable.
B)independent variable.
C)control group.
D)experimental group

Accepted Answer

In an experimental study, the independent variable is the variable that is being studied to see if it causes a change in the dependent variable. In this case, exercise is being studied to see if it has an effect on stress, so it is the independent variable. The dependent variable is the variable being measured to see if it changes as a result of the independent variable, which in this case would be stress. The control group is a group that is used for comparison and does not receive the independent variable, and the experimental group is the group that does receive it. However, the question only asks about the variable being studied, so the correct answer is B.

Question 7

Independent variable is to dependent variable as _____ is to _____.
A)measure; manipulate
B)manipulate; measure
C)control group; experimental group
D)experimental group; control group

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is what the researcher manipulates, while the dependent variable is what is measured to see the effect of the manipulation.

Question 8

A limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the bottom of the scale is a _____ and a limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the top of the scale is a _____.
A)practice effect; fatigue effect
B)fatigue effect; practice effect
C)ceiling effect; floor effect
D)floor effect; ceiling effect

Accepted Answer

A limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the bottom of the scale is called the floor effect, while a limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the top of the scale is called the ceiling effect. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Question 9

Increasing the number of levels of the independent variable is to _____ replication as changing the type of dependent measure is to _____ replication.
A)exact; conceptual
B)conceptual; exact
C)systematic; exact
D)systematic; conceptual

Accepted Answer

Increasing the number of levels of the independent variable involves systematic replication, which tests the same hypothesis under different conditions. Changing the type of dependent measure involves conceptual replication, which tests the same hypothesis with different methods.

Question 10

Using the same subjects in each condition in an experiment is to using different subjects in each condition in an experiment as _____ is to _____.
A)between-subjects design; within-subjects design
B)control group; experimental group
C)within-subjects design; between-subjects design
D)experimental group; control group

Accepted Answer

Using the same subjects across conditions is an example of within-subjects design, while using different subjects in each condition is an example of between-subjects design. Therefore, the relationship between the two is that they are opposite designs. Option C correctly identifies the opposite design relationship between the two. Options A, B, and D do not accurately capture this relationship.

Question 11

Single-blind experiments help to control for ____ effects whereas double-blind experiments help to control for _____ effects.
A)participant; experimenter and participant
B)experimenter and participant; participant
C)fatigue; practice
D)practice; fatigue

Accepted Answer

Single-blind experiments control for participant effects by keeping them unaware of certain aspects of the study, while double-blind experiments control for both experimenter and participant effects by keeping both parties unaware of key details.

Question 12

A decline in performance due to repeated testing is a(n)_____ effect and improvement in performance due to repeated testing is a(n)_____ effect.
A)instrumentation; mortality
B)mortality; instrumentation
C)practice; fatigue
D)fatigue; practice

Accepted Answer

A decline in performance due to repeated testing is known as a fatigue effect, while an improvement in performance due to repeated testing is known as a practice effect.

Question 13

After grading 20 very poor term papers,Professor Jones was so upset by his students' writing that he became even more conscious of errors in their papers.Professor Jones' change in his grading criteria is similar to the confound of
A)mortality.
B)history.
C)instrumentation.
D)diffusion of treatment.

Accepted Answer

Instrumentation refers to the possibility that changes in measurement may be responsible for changes in the dependent variable. In this case, Professor Jones' heightened awareness of errors in his students' writing led to a change in his grading criteria, which could have influenced the grades his students received.

Question 14

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,subjects are randomly assigned to either the no exercise group or the exercise group.These groups represent the _____ and the _____,respectively.
A)independent variable; dependent variable
B)dependent variable; independent variable
C)control group; experimental group
D)experimental group; control group

Accepted Answer

In an experimental study, the control group does not receive the treatment (no exercise group), while the experimental group receives the treatment (exercise group).

Question 15

Baseline is to treatment as _____ is to _____.
A)dependent variable; independent variable
B)independent variable; dependent variable
C)control group; experimental group
D)experimental group; control group

Accepted Answer

The baseline is similar to the control group, which is used for comparison against the treatment or experimental group.

Question 16

John conducted an experiment to test the effectiveness of a smoking cessation program.The experiment took place over a one-month time period.Participants in the control group and the experimental group (those who participated in the smoking cessation program)recorded the number of cigarettes that they smoked each day.John was unaware that "national stop-smoking week" also happened to take place during the one-month time period of his experiment.John's experiment is now confounded by
A)maturation.
B)history.
C)regression to the mean.
D)mortality.

Accepted Answer

The occurrence of national stop-smoking week during the experiment is considered an external event or factor that could influence the results of the experiment. This type of confounding is known as history. History refers to external events or factors that occur during the experiment and have an effect on the dependent variable.

Question 17

After participating in an experiment on the effects of alcohol on sociability,Megan could not wait to return to her sorority house to tell all of her sisters about it.In this situation,the researcher should be concerned with the confound of
A)mortality.
B)regression to the mean.
C)testing.
D)diffusion of treatment.

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of treatment occurs when participants share information about the experiment with others who have not yet participated, potentially affecting their behavior and the study's results.

Question 18

Internal validity is
A)the extent to which the results of an experiment can be attributed to the manipulation of the dependent variable,rather than to some confounding variable.
B)the extent to which the results of an experiment can be attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable,rather than to some confounding variable.
C)the extent to which the results of an experiment can be generalized.
D)both b and c

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the degree to which the manipulation of the independent variable affects the changes produced in the dependent variable, rather than the influence of extraneous variables.

Question 19

The best advice for those considering retaking the SAT is that if your score was below average you probably ____ retake the test,and if your score was above average you probably ____ retake the test due to _____.
A)should; should; mortality
B)should; should not; regression to the mean
C)should not; should; regression to the mean
D)should; should not; mortality

Accepted Answer

If your score was below average, retaking the test might improve it. If it was above average, retaking might result in a lower score due to regression to the mean, where extreme scores tend to move closer to the average upon retesting.

Question 20

Alison's bathroom scale will not register a weight of more than 130 pounds.Alison does not realize this,and therefore is unaware that she has put on a few pounds until she begins to notice how tight her clothes are.This illustrates the confound of a _____ effect.
A)ceiling
B)floor
C)practice
D)fatigue

Accepted Answer

A ceiling effect occurs when the measure being used has a maximum limit, beyond which no further change can be detected. In this scenario, Alison's bathroom scale has a ceiling effect at 130 pounds, meaning it cannot register any weight beyond this point. As a result, Alison is unaware that she has gained weight until she notices how tight her clothes are, illustrating the confound of a ceiling effect.

Quiz 9: The Logic of Experimental Design

To say that an experiment contains a confound means that

When we can generalize from the sample used in a study to the population of interest we say that the study has _____ validity.

When subjects are lost differentially from the experimental and control groups,any observed effect may be due to

Changes that occur naturally in the subjects,over time could result in the confound of

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,stress is the

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,exercise is the

Independent variable is to dependent variable as _ is to _.

A limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the bottom of the scale is a _ and a limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the top of the scale is a _.

Increasing the number of levels of the independent variable is to _ replication as changing the type of dependent measure is to _ replication.

Using the same subjects in each condition in an experiment is to using different subjects in each condition in an experiment as _ is to _.

Single-blind experiments help to control for effects whereas double-blind experiments help to control for _ effects.

A decline in performance due to repeated testing is a(n) _ effect and improvement in performance due to repeated testing is a(n) _ effect.

After grading 20 very poor term papers,Professor Jones was so upset by his students' writing that he became even more conscious of errors in their papers.Professor Jones' change in his grading criteria is similar to the confound of

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,subjects are randomly assigned to either the no exercise group or the exercise group.These groups represent the _ and the _,respectively.

Baseline is to treatment as _ is to _.

After participating in an experiment on the effects of alcohol on sociability,Megan could not wait to return to her sorority house to tell all of her sisters about it.In this situation,the researcher should be concerned with the confound of

Internal validity is

The best advice for those considering retaking the SAT is that if your score was below average you probably retake the test,and if your score was above average you probably retake the test due to _.

Alison's bathroom scale will not register a weight of more than 130 pounds.Alison does not realize this,and therefore is unaware that she has put on a few pounds until she begins to notice how tight her clothes are.This illustrates the confound of a _____ effect.

Quiz 9: The Logic of Experimental Design

To say that an experiment contains a confound means that

When we can generalize from the sample used in a study to the population of interest we say that the study has _____ validity.

When subjects are lost differentially from the experimental and control groups,any observed effect may be due to

Changes that occur naturally in the subjects,over time could result in the confound of

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,stress is the

In an experimental study of the effects of exercise on stress,exercise is the

Independent variable is to dependent variable as _____ is to _____.

A limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the bottom of the scale is a _____ and a limitation in the ability to differentiate between scores at the top of the scale is a _____.

Increasing the number of levels of the independent variable is to _____ replication as changing the type of dependent measure is to _____ replication.

Using the same subjects in each condition in an experiment is to using different subjects in each condition in an experiment as _____ is to _____.

Single-blind experiments help to control for ____ effects whereas double-blind experiments help to control for _____ effects.

A decline in performance due to repeated testing is a(n) _____ effect and improvement in performance due to repeated testing is a(n) _____ effect.