Inquizative 15 exam 4

A group of researchers is measuring foot traffic in a museum. Recently, one half of the museum was redone in order to encourage more foot traffic. Researchers are counting the number of attendees in this new zone versus other zones that have not been redone. On the first day that researchers are recording foot traffic, several buses of schoolchildren arrive at the museum unexpectedly for a field trip. After a day of testing, the new zone appears to be getting just as much foot traffic as the other zones. What problem is most likely affecting this quasi-experiment? - maturation effect - selection effects - history threat - testing threat

HISTORY THREAT - The change in the dependent variable could be explained by an external variable: the buses of children. The presence of all the schoolchildren may be increasing traffic in the new area, which might not happen otherwise.

Identify the following example as either small-N or large-N designs. Researchers administer 50 trials of a memory task to a patient with anterograde amnesia.

Small N design

What type of threat is this? Attrition threat, testing threats, placebo effects, maturation threat, selection effects, history threat? The thought of treatment, rather than the treatment itself, causes participants to report changes.

placebo effects

Identify whether the example is either a quasi-experiment or a true experiment. Researchers examine bad classroom behavior following recess at a school that has one recess period versus another school that has two.

quasi experiment

Identify whether the example is either a quasi-experiment or a true experiment. Researchers look for differences in texting behavior between baby boomers and members of Generation Z.

quasi experiment

Identify whether the example is either a quasi-experiment or a true experiment. Researchers track sick days taken at a company after each occasion that the company assigns mandatory overtime.

quasi experiment

Identify the type of variable depicted in the bold words in the scenario. Participant variable, quasi-independent variable, or independent variable? Researchers study the difference in binge-drinking episodes between *cities with football teams that win* and *cities with football teams that do not win* each weekend.

quasi-independent variable

Identify the type of variable depicted in the bold words in the scenario.Participant variable, quasi-independent variable, or independent variable? Researchers examine the difference in protective face mask-wearing behavior between *states that have made mask-wearing mandatory* and *states that have not* during the COVID-19 pandemic.

quasi-independent variable

What sample is it multiple-baseline design, reversal design, OR stable baseline design? Therapists introduce a patient with antisocial personality disorder to an intervention involving the reinforcement of positive behavior; then, the therapists remove it several weeks later to see how it affects the patient's behavior.

reversal design

What type of threat is this? Attrition threat, testing threats, placebo effects, maturation threat, selection effects, history threat? Groups vary systematically on traits other than the levels of the independent variable.

selection effects

In ----, researchers study one participant extensively in order to extract as many data as possible. --- are similar in that they treat each individual as a separate experiment, but instead of one participant, they use a few. Finally, --- recruit many participants and are concerned with the data of the sample as a whole.

single-N designs / small-N designs / large-N designs

Identify the following example as either small-N or large-N designs. Researchers give patients with dissociative identity disorder different treatments; then they take the treatments away to see how effective they were.

small N design

A(n) --- design monitors a small number of participants for a long period of time before a treatment begins in order to learn what behaviors are typical without treatment. A(n) --- design staggers the start time of an intervention across different individuals. Finally, a(n) --- design introduces a treatment and then removes it to see whether the previous behavior will return.

stable-baseline / multiple baseline / reversal

What sample is it multiple-baseline design, reversal design, OR stable baseline design? A therapist studies a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder for several weeks before initiating treatment.

stable-baseline design

Identify the true statements about quasi-experiments.

- Many quasi-experiments would be unethical if treated as true experiments. - Quasi-experiments allow scientists to study real-world phenomena in real time.

Identify the false statements about reversal designs.

- Reversal designs are a type of quasi-experiment. - Reversal designs work best for situations in which the treatment causes lasting change.

Identify the true statements about reversal designs.

- Reversal designs require careful consideration of research ethics. - Reversal designs generally do not work for educational interventions.

Identify the false statements about quasi-experiments.

- Correlational studies and quasi-experiments are identical designs. - Researchers conducting quasi-experiments are not trying to make causal claims.

Grimstvedt and colleagues (2010) examined the effect of placing signs encouraging the use of stairs near elevators. Based on their design, Liu Wei designs a study for his campus. He selects four buildings and starts by measuring elevator and stair use in those buildings for a month. He then posts signs encouraging the use of stairs near the elevators and measures elevator and stair use in the buildings for another month. Identify the true statements about Liu Wei's study.

- Liu Wei is utilizing a stable-baseline design. - Liu Wei's study involves a within-groups design.

Grimstvedt and colleagues (2010) examined the effect of placing signs encouraging the use of stairs near elevators. Based on their design, Liu Wei designs a study for his campus. He selects four buildings and starts by measuring elevator and stair use in those buildings for a month. He then posts signs encouraging the use of stairs near the elevators and measures elevator and stair use in the buildings for another month. Identify the false statements about Liu Wei's study.

- Liu Wei's study design has high external validity. - Liu Wei's study is a quasi-experiment.

Which of the following statements are reasons we can rule out alternative explanations for the results in a stable-baseline design?

- The results were replicated in other participants. - The study involved multiple measurements of behavior before the introduction of the intervention.

Which of the following strategies are methods for addressing criticisms about external validity in small-N studies? NOT METHODS

- set up a comparison group - present the data in a graph - check the operationalization of the variables

Which of the following strategies are methods for addressing criticisms about external validity in small-N studies?

- specify a limited population to generalize to - combine the results of single-N studies with those of other studies

Kanchi is interested in studying how water aerobics improves attitudes toward exercise over time. She recruits a group of participants who have signed up for a water aerobics course and measures their attitudes about exercise. She randomly assigns half of the participants to begin a weekly water aerobics class immediately and assigns the other half of participants to start taking the weekly aerobics class the following month. After all the participants have taken two months of aerobics, Kanchi measures their attitudes about exercise again. What design strategy is Kanchi using? - interrupted time-series design - matched-groups design - wait-list design - nonequivalent control group posttest-only design

Kanchi randomly assigns participants to begin the water aerobics class at different times; the group that starts taking the class after a month is on the wait-list. A wait-list design is a true experiment.

Identify the following example as either small-N or large-N designs. Researchers compare the average performance of 15 early-decision college students to the average performance of 15 typical students.

Large N design

A drought in California created the opportunity for a study on the effectiveness of fines in promoting water conservation (Agras et al., 1980). Researchers studied three comparable California cities—two that imposed fines at different times and a third that did not impose fines at all. Researchers used the water consumption data from the 3 years before the onset of the fines as a baseline and then gathered subsequent consumption data through the end of the drought. They assessed the effectiveness of fines by examining water consumption the month following the end of the drought. In regard to the monitoring of water consumption, this study was a(n) --- design. In the study, researchers capitalized on real-life circumstances to study water conservation, which demonstrates the prioritization of --- validity.

MULTIPLE BASELINE // EXTERNAL

Two universities are involved in a study of how student retention and attitudes toward campus life are affected by a new pre-first-year summer visit program at one of the schools. The schools, both state universities in the same state, were closely matched in student-body characteristics to avoid the threat of --. However, in the fall of the first year of the program, the school that was serving as the control was struck by a rare fall tornado, which did damage to several campus buildings. This event could lead to a(n) --- threat.

SELECTION EFFECTS / SELECTION HISTORY

What type of threat is this? Attrition threat, testing threats, placebo effects, maturation threat, selection effects, history threat? Participants leave a study in a systematic way.

attrition threat

Asher is recording children's playground behavior to investigate the differences between third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. For each session, he sits on the swings with a notebook and counts the sizes of groups and types of activities for each grade. Asher notices that several children in each grade come over to the swings, but then walk away once they notice him sitting there. Because they walk away, they are not counted in the study. Asher finds that the younger grades tend to do more group activities, while the older grades tend to engage in more individual activities. What problem is affecting Asher's quasi-experiment? - observer bias - demand characteristic - instrumentation threat - attrition threat

demand characteristics: Because they are walking away after seeing Asher on the swings, the children are not doing what they otherwise would because of Asher's presence.

While a(n) ___ includes a manipulated independent variable in order to see the change in a dependent variable, a(n) ___ includes an independent variable that cannot truly be manipulated by the experimenter. Because participants cannot be randomly assigned to levels of the independent variable, this type of research has ______ .

experiment / quasi-experiment / nonequivalent control groups

What type of threat is this? Attrition threat, testing threats, placebo effects, maturation threat, selection effects, history threat? An external event, rather than the independent variable, changes scores of the dependent variable.

history threat

Identify the type of variable depicted in the bold words in the scenario.Participant variable, quasi-independent variable, or independent variable? Researchers examine the difference in behavioral problems between *children whose parents were told to give positive reinforcements only* and *children whose parents were told to give punishments only.*

independent variable

Identify the type of variable depicted in the bold words in the scenario.Participant variable, quasi-independent variable, or independent variable? Researchers have some college students go through a *mindfulness exercise* while other college students watch a *nature documentary.*

independent variable

a quasi-experiment with a single group of participants that is measured repeatedly before, during, and after some event

interrupted time-series design

Identify the following example as either small-N or large-N designs. Forty participants complete 25 trials of a "go/no-go" task designed to measure decision making.

large N design

What type of threat is this? Attrition threat, testing threats, placebo effects, maturation threat, selection effects, history threat? Participants show spontaneous change.

maturation threat

What sample is it multiple-baseline design, reversal design, OR stable baseline design? Teachers introduce four different third-grade classrooms to longer recess periods starting at different time points, to find out whether longer recess will help decrease classroom misbehavior.

multiple-baseline design

a quasi-experiment with two groups that are measured repeatedly before, during, and after some event

nonequivalent control group interrupted time-series design

a quasi-experiment with one treatment and one control group that measures the dependent variable only once

nonequivalent control group posttest-only design

a quasi-experiment with a treatment and a control group that measures the dependent variable before and after the treatment

nonequivalent control group pretest/posttest design

Identify the type of variable depicted in the bold words in the scenario.Participant variable, quasi-independent variable, or independent variable? Researchers examine cultural differences in the expression of emotion between *North Americans* and *the Japanese*.

participant variable

Identify the type of variable depicted in the bold words in the scenario.Participant variable, quasi-independent variable, or independent variable? Researchers look at the difference between *introverts* and *extroverts* in displaying aggressive behavior after experiencing ostracism.

participant variable

What type of threat is this? Attrition threat, testing threats, placebo effects, maturation threat, selection effects, history threat? Participants change their responses based on past assessment.

testing threats

Identify whether the example is either a quasi-experiment or a true experiment. Researchers randomly assign two separate groups to complete two different mindfulness strategies to see which strategy results in less stress.

true experiment

Identify whether the example is either a quasi-experiment or a true experiment. Researchers randomly assign volunteers for a video game study to play either a violent game or a nonviolent game for 6 months.

true experiment