Question 1

A tachistoscope is often used in experiments to control the amount of time a subject is exposed to a visual image.

Accepted Answer

A tachistoscope is a device that is commonly used in experiments to present visual stimuli to a subject for a brief period of time. This allows researchers to control the duration of exposure to the visual image and is often used in studies of perception, memory, and cognition.

Question 2

The question as to whether the experimental treatment was the "sole cause" of the changes in the dependent variable is the basic issue in internal validity.

Accepted Answer

Internal validity is concerned with whether the experimental treatment is responsible for the changes in the dependent variable, and whether any other extraneous factors may have influenced the results. The question of whether the experimental treatment was the "sole cause" is central to establishing internal validity.

Question 3

A 3 x 3 factorial experiment requires six combinations of treatment groups.

Accepted Answer

It requires nine combinations of treatment groups (3 x 3 = 9).

Question 4

Factorial designs allow researchers to measure interaction effects.

Accepted Answer

Factorial designs allow researchers to measure not only main effects but also interaction effects between the independent variables, making them a powerful experimental tool.

Question 5

A marketing researcher is manipulating exposing subjects to one of two price levels--$1.99 or $2.49--for a tube of lip balm and measures behavioral intentions. The two price levels are known as experimental_____ in the study.
A) confounds
B) conditions
C) cells
D) covariates

Accepted Answer

The two price levels are the conditions in the study. Confounds refer to factors that influence the dependent variable and are not controlled or accounted for in the study. Cells typically refer to individual units in a dataset. Covariates refer to variables that are controlled for in the study to account for their influence on the dependent variable.

Question 6

Experiments are widely used in which type of research designs?
A) causal
B) descriptive
C) exploratory
D) nonspurious

Accepted Answer

Experimental designs are used to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between variables, making them a type of causal research design. In an experimental design, the researcher manipulates one variable and measures the effect on another variable, controlling for extraneous variables. Descriptive research designs are used to provide a snapshot of a phenomenon or group, while exploratory research designs are used to investigate a new or under-researched topic. Nonspurious research designs aim to eliminate alternative explanations for a relationship between variables.

Question 7

The sampling units in experiments are referred to as ____.
A) conditions
B) effects
C) subjects
D) parameters

Accepted Answer

Subjects are the individuals or participants that are recruited to be included in the experiment and are the units that are sampled. Conditions refer to the specific treatments or variations that are being manipulated in the experiment, effects refer to the outcomes or results of the experiment, and parameters are characteristics or values that describe the population being studied.

Question 8

The experimental difference in means between the different levels of any single experimental variable is referred to as a(n) _____.
A) interaction effect
B) primary effect
C) main effect
D) confound

Accepted Answer

The experimental difference in means between the different levels of any single experimental variable is referred to as a main effect. An interaction effect refers to the difference in means between the levels of two or more experimental variables, a primary effect is not a term commonly used in experimental design, and a confound is an extraneous variable that is not controlled for and may affect the results.

Question 9

A researcher is conducting an experiment in which one group of people is exposed to an advertisement and another group is exposed to another advertisement. He is examining the effect of headline font sizes on consumers' attitude toward the brand advertised. The participants in this experimental research are referred to as _____.
A) respondents
B) elements
C) factorials
D) subjects

Accepted Answer

In experimental research, the participants are typically referred to as subjects. A subject is an individual who takes part in an experiment, often under controlled conditions, in order to test a hypothesis or investigate the effects of an intervention. Respondents typically refer to individuals who participate in survey research, while elements and factorials have a more specific meaning in statistics and experimental design, respectively.

Question 10

A cohort effect in an experiment is a function of time and the naturally occurring events that coincide with growth and experience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A cohort effect in an experiment is...

Question 11

If only one variable is manipulated in an experiment, it has a primary experimental design.

Accepted Answer

The correct term for an experiment where only one variable is manipulated is a "controlled experiment," not a "primary experimental design."

Question 12

Between-subjects designs involve repeated measures because with each treatment the same subject is measured.

Accepted Answer

Between-subjects designs involve assigning different subjects to different treatments, so there is no repeated measurement on the same subject.

Question 13

"Does package size affect consumption rates in snack products?" is a typical question in what type of research design?
A) descriptive research
B) time-series research
C) experimental research
D) phone surveys

Accepted Answer

This is a question that can be addressed through experimental research, which involves manipulating independent variables and measuring the effects on dependent variables. In this case, the independent variable would be package size and the dependent variable would be consumption rates. The researcher could manipulate package size and measure the resulting changes in consumption rates to determine if there is a relationship between the two variables. Descriptive research is more focused on describing a phenomenon, time-series research involves analyzing changes in a variable over time, and phone surveys are a data collection method rather than a research design.

Question 14

A mortality effect occurs when some subjects withdraw from the experiment before it is completed.

Accepted Answer

A mortality effect occurs when some subjects drop out of the study or withdraw from the experiment before it is completed, which can lead to biased results. Therefore, it is important to minimize the mortality effect to obtain accurate and reliable findings.

Question 15

Variables like a subject's gender or ethnicity that are included in an experimental analysis are known as which type of variable?
A) blocking variables
B) covariates
C) main variables
D) confounds

Accepted Answer

Blocking variables are used to account for variability in experimental analysis by grouping subjects based on characteristics like gender or ethnicity.

Question 16

A company was interested in learning if training expenditures will enhance its salesforce productivity, so they hired a researcher to conduct an experiment in which one group of salespeople received training and the other didn't. The average sales for salespeople who received training was significantly higher than for those who did not. This difference in means between the two groups is known as a(n) _____ effect.
A) placebo
B) main
C) covariate
D) interactive

Accepted Answer

The difference in means between the two groups (trained vs. not trained) is the main effect. This is because the experiment was designed specifically to test if training would impact sales, and the difference in sales between the two groups is the primary outcome of interest. Placebo effects refer to changes that occur due to the belief that one is receiving a treatment, covariate effects refer to the influence of a third variable on the relationship between the independent and dependent variable, and interactive effects refer to situations where the effect of one independent variable depends on the level of another independent variable.

Question 17

Categorical variables included in the statistical analysis of experimental data as a way of statistically controlling or accounting for variance due to that variable are called _____ variables.
A) independent
B) dependent
C) blocking
D) covariate

Accepted Answer

Blocking variables are used in experimental design to control for sources of variation that might otherwise mask the effects of the treatments being tested. They are not independent variables, because they are not being manipulated by the experimenter, nor are they dependent variables, because they are not being measured as outcomes. Covariate variables, on the other hand, are related to the dependent variable of interest, and are included in the analysis to account for their effects on the outcome.

Question 18

A(n) _____ refers to one of the possible values for each independent variable in an experiment.
A) experimental condition
B) experimental variable
C) experimental block
D) experimental subject

Accepted Answer

An experimental condition refers to one of the possible values or settings for each independent variable in an experiment.

Question 19

When a test market is conducted in five retail stores in Erie, Pennsylvania, this is an example of an external experiment.

Accepted Answer

A test market conducted in a specific location like Erie, Pennsylvania, is an example of a field experiment, not an external experiment. External experiments typically refer to studies conducted outside of a controlled environment, often in natural settings, but the term "external experiment" is not commonly used in this context.

Question 20

Field experiments tend to have less external validity than laboratory experiments.

Accepted Answer

Field experiments take place in real-world settings and involve real-world variables, making them more applicable to everyday situations and increasing their external validity. Laboratory experiments, on the other hand, often involve artificial settings and limited variables, making their results less generalizable to the real world.

Quiz 12: Experimental Research

A tachistoscope is often used in experiments to control the amount of time a subject is exposed to a visual image.

The question as to whether the experimental treatment was the "sole cause" of the changes in the dependent variable is the basic issue in internal validity.

A 3 x 3 factorial experiment requires six combinations of treatment groups.

Factorial designs allow researchers to measure interaction effects.

A marketing researcher is manipulating exposing subjects to one of two price levels--$1.99 or $2.49--for a tube of lip balm and measures behavioral intentions. The two price levels are known as experimental_____ in the study.

Experiments are widely used in which type of research designs?

The sampling units in experiments are referred to as ____.

The experimental difference in means between the different levels of any single experimental variable is referred to as a(n) _____.

A cohort effect in an experiment is a function of time and the naturally occurring events that coincide with growth and experience.

If only one variable is manipulated in an experiment, it has a primary experimental design.

Between-subjects designs involve repeated measures because with each treatment the same subject is measured.

"Does package size affect consumption rates in snack products?" is a typical question in what type of research design?

A mortality effect occurs when some subjects withdraw from the experiment before it is completed.

Variables like a subject's gender or ethnicity that are included in an experimental analysis are known as which type of variable?

Categorical variables included in the statistical analysis of experimental data as a way of statistically controlling or accounting for variance due to that variable are called _____ variables.

A(n) _____ refers to one of the possible values for each independent variable in an experiment.

When a test market is conducted in five retail stores in Erie, Pennsylvania, this is an example of an external experiment.

Field experiments tend to have less external validity than laboratory experiments.