RM chapter 6

strategy

A research ____ is a general approach that is intended to address a specific question

correlation calculation; Pearson or spearman

if a correlation study produces numerical data, it is evaluated by using

experimental

investigating if increasing the hours of sleep among college students increases their GPA would be a __ research strategy

the external validity of the report

A journal article reports that a new teaching strategy is very effective for first-grade students. A teacher wonders if the same strategy would be effective for a class of third-grade students. What is the teacher questioning?

generalize

A major goal of research is to ____ from a small group of participants included in a study to the larger group from which they came.

non experimental

A research study attempts to describe the relationship between self-esteem and birth order position by measuring self-esteem for each individual in a group of first-born boys, and then comparing the results with self-esteem scores for a group of later-born boys. This study is an example of the ____ strategy.

nonexperimental

A research study attempts to describe the relationship between self-esteem and birth order position by measuring self-esteem for each individual in a group of first-born boys, and then comparing the results with self-esteem scores for a group of later-born boys. Which research strategy is being used?

correlational

A research study records a score measuring Facebook use and a score measuring happiness level for each individual in a group of 20-year-old women. The study intends to determine whether there is a relationship between the two variables. This study is best characterized as ____ research.

internal validity

A researcher measures mood for a group of participants who have listened to happy music for 20 minutes and for a second group who have listened to sad music for 20 minutes. If different mood scores are obtained for the two groups, the researcher would like to conclude that music influences mood. However, the happy music group was tested in a room painted yellow and the sad music group was in a room painted dark brown and the researcher is concerned that the room color and not the music may influence mood scores. What kind of validity is being questioned?

internal validity

A researcher who is studying methods of decreasing test anxiety decides to measure anxiety in a group of volunteers both before and after an experimental intervention. He finds that anxiety levels are lower after the intervention. However, when reviewing his results, the researcher notes that the first test occurred about a week before midterm exams and the second test occurred two weeks after the exams. This study appears to have a problem with ____

descriptive

A study examining the percentage of children age 3-5 who are enrolled in preschool is an example of what research approach?

confounding

A study examining the relationship between humor and memory compares memory performance scores for one group presented with humorous sentences and a second group presented with nonhumorous sentences. The participants presented with the humorous sentences are all males. The participants presented with the nonhumorous sentences are all females. In this study, gender (male/female) is best characterized as a(n) ____ variable.

internal validity

Any factor that allows an alternative for the results would be a threat to __

external validity

Any factor that limits the ability to generalize the results from a research study is a threat to

negative

As the values for one variable increase from one person to another, the values for a second variable tend to decrease. This is an example of a(n) ____ relationship.

novelty effect

First time participant in study whos excited and nervous, unintentionally behaves differently than they would normally, this is called the _

the results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a pretest

How can sensitization threaten external validity of a study?

internal validity

In an experiment, participants are randomly assigned to treatment conditions to help protect. the __ of the study

exaggerated variables

Researchers should be cautious about generalizing the result of a study with __

external validity

Results from a research study suggest that a stop-smoking program is very successful. However, the participants who volunteered for the study were all highly motivated to quit smoking and the researcher is concerned that the same results may not be obtained for smokers who are not as motivated. What kind of validity is being questioned?

external validity

The degree to which your research results generalize beyond the specific characteristics of your study refers to

external validity

The degree to which your research results generalize beyond the specific characteristics of your study refers to __

individual differences, internal validity

The individuals in a research study differ on a variety of participant variables such as age, height, weight, IQ, and personality. The differences from one participant to another are known as __ and are a threat of __ in every study

internal validity

What aspect of a study is threatened if the participants are tested in one treatment condition at one time and then tested in a second treatment condition at a different time?

internal validity

When participants in one treatment condition have characteristics that are different from the characteristics of participants in another treatment condition, then ____ may be threatened.

lab, reactivity

When research is conducted in a ____, participants may be particularly influenced by ___

extraneous variables

__ are any variables in a research study other than the specific variables being studied

assessment sensitization

__ commonly occurs in studies in which participants' behavior is measured before they are given a treatment, and they are measured again after treatment.

selection bias

__ is a threat to external validity because the selection procedures favor the selection of some individuals over others

confounding variable, internal

__ is an extraneous variable that changes systematically along with the two variables being studied, and provides and alternative explanation for the observed relationships between the two variables. thus, is a threat to __ validity

internal validity

__ is concerned with factors in the research study that raise doubts or questions about the interpretation of the results

quality

__ of a research study is determined by the extent to which the study satisfies the criteria of internal and external validity

internal validity

__ produces a single, unambiguous explanation for the relationship between two variables

confounding variables

__ provide an alternative explanation for the observed relationship between two variables

validity

__ refers to how well the research actually answers the question it was intended to answer

experimenter bias

__ refers to the results of experiment that can be influenced by experimenters expectations abt outcome of study

quasi experimental

__ research has no random assignment, making it difficult to control the group variables

correlational

__ research measures 2 variables for each individual

nonexperimental

__ research strategy is intended to demonstrate a relationship between variables, but does not try to explain the relationship, or produce a cause and effect relationship

external validity

___focuses on any unique characteristics of the study that may raise questions about whether the same results would be obtained under different conditions

research procedure

a __ includes determination of how the variables will be manipulated, regulated and measured

research procedure

a __ involves determination and details of how subjects will proceed through the course of the study

research procedure

a __ involves determination of how many individuals will be involved in the study

research procedure

a __ involves filling in details as to how it is to be done

quasi experimental

a __ research strategy attempts to produce a cause and effect explanation, but falls short because it is unable to produce an unambiguous explanation / it contains a flaw which prevents obtaining an absolute cause and effect answer

relationship

a category 2 / correlational research strategy measures the _ between 2 or more variables

exaggerated variables

a research study often maximizes the differences for one of the variables to increase the likelihood of revealing a relationship with a second variable. these differences in variables are known as

nonexperimental

a researcher would like to determine whether verbal skills of 6 yr old girls are different from 6 yr old boys, specifically, asking the question of if there is a relationship between verbal skills and gender. they measure the verbal skills for each individual in a group of boys and group of girls, then compare the sets of scores. this would be a __ research strategy

sensitization

a self-esteem program for school children might be tested in a study in which self-esteem is actually measured, but then the program is applied throughout the school district without any measurement. this threat to external validity is an example of

external validity, across features of measures

a stop-smoking program may appear to be very successful if the participants are measured immediately after the program, but may have a much lower rate of success if participants are measured 6 months later. the time of measurement poses as a threat to __, with regards to generalizing __

internally valid

a study is said to be __ if it produces just one explanation for the results

correlational, 2

a study measuring the relationship between wake up time and GPA for college students and not assessing the explanation of the relationship would be considered __research, and is a category _

time of measurement

a threat to external validity in which the actual effect of the treatment may decrease or increase with time is known as

similar characteristics

a threat to external validity occurs when the study uses participants that have _

generality across response measures

a variable that can be defined and measured in different ways, such as fear, creates external validity as a means of __

experimental, quasi, non experimental

all involve comparing groups of scores and use similar statistical techniques

control

an experimental study is conducted with rigorous _ to help ensure an unambiguous demonstration of the cause and effect relationship

artifact

an external factor that may influence or distort measurements, and can threaten both internal and external validity

reduce

attempts to increase internal validity can _ external validity

personality and demographics

both __ and __ characteristics of an experimenter can limit the generality of the results in regards to external validity

3

category _ research compares 2 or more groups of scores and examines relationship

extraneous variables

confounding variables are __

causation

correlation does not mean

non experimental

correlational research is most similar to __ research

averages or percentages

data obtained in descriptive research could be examined by calculating _

external

demand characteristics and reactivity can threaten the __ validity of the study because the results obtained under the influence of demand characteristics may not generalize to a new situation where the environmental demands are different.

research design

determining how many variables will be observed , manipulated or regulated is part of the

confounding variables

environmental variables, participant variables and time related variables are categories of __

artifacts

experimenter bias and participant reactivity are examples of _ that threaten both types of validity

internal

experimenter bias threatens __ validity because data may appear to be a real treatment effect but was actually caused by the experimenters influence

external

experimenter bias threatens __ validity because the results may be specific to the experimenter who has the expectations

chi square test

if a correlational study produces nonnumerical data, it is evaluated by using

external validity

if a study shows a medicine improves memory in rats, a second researcher would address __ by investigating if it improves memory in Alzheimers disease patients

field

in a __ study individuals are observed in their natural environment and are much less likely to know that they are being investigated.

compare proportions

in experimental, quasi, non experimental strategies, chi square tests are used to

mean differences

in experimental, quasi, non experimental strategies, t tests and analysis of variance are used to evaluate

novelty effect

in relation to the threat of external validity in generalizing across features, the __ occurs when individuals may perceive and respond differently than they would in the normal, real world

multiple treatment interference

in relation to threats of external validity in generalizing across features, the potential influence of experience in earlier treatments (like fatigue or practice) is known as the

research procedure

is an exact step by step description of a research study

reactivity

occurs when participants modify their natural behavior in response to the fact that they are participating in a research study or the knowledge that they are being measured

external validity

over utilizing college students is a threat to __ because they have specific characteristics not likely representative of general population

laboratory

reactivity is particularly a problem in studies conducted in a __ setting, where participants are fully aware that they are participating in a study.

demand characteristics

refer to any of the potential cues or features of a study that (1) suggest to the participants what the purpose and hypothesis is and (2) influence the participants to respond or behave in a certain way.

research strategies

refers to the general approach and goals of a research study

general framework for conducting studies

research designs provide a

-group vs individual -same individuals vs different individuals -number of variables to be included

research designs require 3 basic aspects of the study :

-the kind of question you plan to address -what you hope to accomplish

research strategies are determined by what 2 things

descriptive research

research strategy category 1 =

external validity

results obtained from a group of 50-year-old males do not necessarily generalize to other genders or to other age groups. In this case, the limited range of participant characteristics is a threat to the ___ of the study.

threaten internal validity

striving for increased external validity can allow extraneous variables and potentially confounding variables into a study , which will

experimental

the _ research strategy is intended to answer cause and effect questions about the relationship between two variables

pretest (before treatment measure)

the concern of sensitization with regard to external validity is that the __ may in some way sensitize the participants so that they become more aware of their own attitudes or behaviors.

pretest sensitization

the increased awareness of a participants own attitudes and behaviors may cause them to be affected directly by the treatment. this is know as _

underlying cause

the purpose of the experimental strategy is to determine the _

experimental, quasi experimental, non experimental

what are the 3 strategies that examine relationships between variables

-from sample to general population -from one study to another -from lab study to real world situation

what are the 3 threats of generalization to external validity

describes individual variables

what does descriptive research do

experimental

what type of research strategy? Increasing the amount of exercise causes a decrease in cholesterol levels.

quasi experimental

what type of research strategy? The treatment may cause a reduction in smoking behavior, but the reduced smoking may be caused by something else.

descriptive

what type of research strategy? On average, students at the local college spend 12.5 hours studying outside of class each week and get 7.2 hours of sleep each night.

correlational

what type of research strategy? There is a relationship between Facebook time and GPA for college students, but we don't know why.

nonexperimental

what type of research strategy? There is a relationship between gender and verbal ability. Girls tend to have higher verbal skills than boys, but we don't know why.

they have similar characteristics

why are volunteers considered a threat to external validity