Psychology HW 1.5 and 1.6 Qs

A researcher wants to find out if talking on a hands-free mobile phone affects one's driving ability. Participants were asked to take a driving test in a driving simulator that monitored their mistakes. In one condition, the participants were asked simply to take the driving test. In the second condition, the participants were asked to dial up a friend and to have a conversation while taking the driving test. Half the group did the first condition and half the group did the second condition. Then both groups took a one-hour break before taking the test again - but in the other condition. What is the best description of the design of this study? a. A counterbalanced repeated measures design b. A counterbalanced independent samples design c. A counterbalanced matched pairs design d. A longitudinal case study

a

Which of the following is not an advantage of field experiments? a. They are easily replicated. b. They are naturalistic. c. Consent is often not required. d. The studies have high ecological validity.

a

Which of the following is not essential for a study to be a "true" experiment? a. Extraneous variables are controlled. b. All ethical considerations must be met. c. One or more independent variables are manipulated and the effect on the dependent variable is measured. d. Random allocation to conditions.

a

Which of the following is the best explanation of the difference between a quasi-experiment and a natural experiment? a. The IV in both is not manipulated - but in a quasi-experiment the IV is a trait of the individual and in a natural experiment it is an environmental factor. b. All quasi experiments are natural experiments, but not all natural experiments are quasi experiments. c. Quasi experiments are done in a lab; natural experiments are done in the field. d. Natural experiments randomly allocate participants to conditions; quasi-experiments do not.

a

A researcher carries out a study where the participants were asked to give electric shocks to a student in a study of learning. After the experiment, the researcher asks the participant why he thinks that he was willing to shock the student. He says that he "knew all along that this was fake." This is an example of a. Expectancy effect b. Screw-you effect c. Optimism bias d. Social desirability effect

b

Which of the following is not an order effect? a. Practice effect - participants get better at the skill being studied, just because they keep doing it during the experiment. b. Social desirability effect: participants give responses that are "socially acceptable." c. Fatigue d. Boredom with the stud

b

Which of the following is not true of a repeated measures design? a. Participant variables are controlled. b. Participants are less likely to show demand characteristics than in an independent samples design. c. Participants are more likely to show order effects - such as improvement of a skill through practice - than in an independent samples design. d. Fewer participants are needed than for an independent samples design.

b

Why would a researcher use a matched pairs design? a. To make sure that there are equal numbers of participants in each group. b. To control for participant variability within a sample. c. So that each participant experiences both conditions of an experiment. d. To make sure that the order in which the experiment is done does not affect the results

b

You read in the newspaper that a study of the amount of time people spend on Facebook and one's level of depression showed a strong correlation, but that issues of bidirectional ambiguity could not be resolved. What does this mean? a. The sample was not representative. b. Researchers don't know if using Facebook causes depression or whether people who are depressed use Facebook more. c. Researchers are not able to control all the variables to determine a cause and effect relationship. d. Depression is poorly defined, so the results are not clear - they are ambiguous.

b

What is the key difference between a quasi-experiment and a "true experiment?" a. Quasi experiments are cross-sectional; true experiments are longitudinal. b. Quasi experiments do not have controlled variables. c. In a quasi-experiment, participants have a trait that determines which condition they are in; in a true experiment, they are randomly allocated. d. Quasi experiments take place in naturalistic environments; true experiments take place in laboratories.

c

Independent measures designs have the problem of participant variability. What does this mean? a. Participants drop out of the study because of boredom. b. Participants are not the same as the general population and the results cannot be generalized. c. Participants have different levels of skill, so some understand the directions better than others. d. Differences in the traits and past experiences of the participants in each condition may affect the results of the study.

d

Which of the following is a null hypothesis for a study of the role of aerobic exercise on one's mood? a. There will be no significant difference in the scores of on a test for depressive symptoms among 16-year-old female participants who run on a treadmill for 30 minutes and those that do not exercise. b. 16-year-old female participants who run on a treadmill for 30 minutes will score lower on a test for depressive symptoms than those that do not exercise. c. 16-year-old female participants who run on a treadmill for 30 minutes will score either higher or lower on a test for depressive symptoms than those that do not exercise. d. None of the 16-year-old female participants who run on a treadmill for 30 minutes will have depression, according to their scores on a test for depressive symptoms.

d