HD 310 Chapter 4

Identify an accurate statement about variables.

Any variable must have two or more levels or values.

True or false: External validity is found to be generally in accordance with internal validity when examining a single study.

False

True or false: The direction of cause and effect is the most serious drawback to the nonexperimental method.

False

True or false: The experimental method is the perfect and definitive method that helps in the complete understanding of any phenomenon.

False

The ____ ____ of a research study is the ability to draw conclusions about causal relationships from the results of the study.

Internal validity

Identify a consequence of using nonexperimental methods.

It is difficult to determine which variable causes the other.

In a curvilinear relationship between variables, the direction of the relationship changes at least once. This type of relationship is sometimes referred to as an _______

Nonmonotonic function

Identify a disadvantage of a field experiment.

Researchers lose the ability to directly control many aspects of the situation.

Identify an accurate statement about participant variables.

They are by definition nonexperimental and must only be measured.

Identify a characteristic of experimental methods.

They reduce ambiguity in the interpretation of results.

True or false: It is possible to design measures that increase the accuracy of predicting future behavior.

True

Identify a way of controlling for the effects of a third variable.

Using the experimental method

Which of the following is an accurate statement about experimental methods? a) They attempt to eliminate the influence of all potential confounding variables. b) They allow researchers to observe covariance between variables and are known as correlation methods. c) They make it difficult for researchers to determine the direction of cause and effect. d) They involve manipulating the dependent variable in a natural setting.

a) They attempt to eliminate the influence of all potential confounding variables.

Which of the following are relationships that two variables may have when they have values along a numeric scale? (Check all that apply.)

a) They may have no relationship. c) They may have a curvilinear relationship.

Match the approaches to the study of relationships among variables (in the left column) with their descriptions (in the right column). a) nonexperimental method b) experimental method

a) With this method, relationships are studied by observing variables of interest. b) This method involves direct manipulation and control of variables.

Which are the most common relationships found between two variables that have values along a numeric scale? (Check all that apply.)

a) a positive linear relationship b) a negative linear relationship

Which of the following eliminates the influence of any extraneous variables in a study? (Check all that apply.)

a) direct experimental control b) randomization

Match the types of validity (in the left column) with their descriptions (in the right column). a) construct validity b) internal validity c) external validity d) statistical validity

a) the extent to which the measurement or manipulation of a variable accurately represents the theoretical variable being studied b) the accuracy of conclusions drawn about cause and effect c) the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other populations and settings d) the accuracy of the statistical conclusions from the results of a research investigation

Match the variables (in the left column) with the respective axes on which they are placed (in the right column) when plotting the relationship between independent and dependent variables on graphs.a) independent variablesb) dependent variables

a) the horizontal axis b) the vertical axis

Match the variables of the experimental method (in the left column) with their descriptions (in the right column). a) Independent variable b) Dependent variable

a) the variable that is manipulated b) the variable that is measured

In a negative linear relationship between variables, increases in the values of one variable are ______.

accompanied by decreases in the values of the other variable

In a positive linear relationship between variables, increases in the values of one variable are ______.

accompanied by increases in the values of the other variable

The term ex post facto means ______.

after the fact

The fact that third variables are most likely operating is a serious problem because these variables introduce ______ that reduce the overall validity of a study.

alternative explanations

Nonexperimental methods are not ideal when one ______. asks questions about cause and effect

asks questions about cause and effect

Which of the following questions is concerned with the construct validity of variables used in scientific research?

b) Does the operational definition of a variable actually reflect the true theoretical meaning of the variable?

Which of the following are problems associated with making causal statements when the nonexperimental method is used in research? (Check all that apply.)

b) determining the direction of cause and effect c) eliminating confounding variables

Which of the following are nonexperimental approaches to studying the relationship among variables? (Check all that apply.)

b) examining public records c) asking people to describe their behavior d) recording physiological responses e) observing behavior directly

How does research reduce random variability or uncertainty in events?

by identifying systematic relationships between variables

In experimental control, if a variable is held constant, it ______.

cannot be responsible for the results of the experiment

When the goal of research is to describe behavior, ______.

causal inferences are not relevant to the primary goals of the research

When researchers develop measures designed to predict future behavior, they must ______.

conduct research to demonstrate that the measure does relate to the behavior in question

When the nonexperimental method is used, there is the danger that no direct causal relationship exists between the independent and the dependent variables. When we know that an uncontrolled third variable is operating, the third variable is likely to be called a(n) _____.

confounding variable

A numerical index of the strength of relationship between variables is called a(n) ______.

correlation coefficient

The nonexperimental method allows us to observe covariation between variables. Another term that is frequently used to describe this procedure is the ______.

correlational method

Strong internal validity requires

covariation

Which of the following refers to the accuracy of measurement? a) external typing b) operational steps c) empirical structure d) construct validity

d) construct validity

A variable such as aggression, cognitive task performance, pain, self-esteem, or even word length must be ______.

defined in terms of the specific method used to measure or manipulate it

The term ______ was coined to describe research in which groups are formed on the basis of some actual difference rather than through random assignment as in an experiment.

ex post facto

In the context of the experimental method, the control of extraneous variables is usually achieved by making sure that every feature of the environment ______.

except the manipulated variable is held constant

In a perfect experiment, all extraneous variables are controlled by being held constant. This is called ____ ____.

experimental control

Which are the ways through which a researcher attempts to control extraneous variables in a field experiment? (Check all that apply.)

experimental control randomization

The ______ of a study is the extent to which the results can be generalized to other populations and settings.

external validity

The independent variable is manipulated in a natural setting in a ______.

field experiment

In an experiment, the manipulated variable is the ______.

independent variable

In the experimental method, the variable that is manipulated is the ____ variable and the variable that is measured is the ____ variable.

independent, dependent

Correlation coefficients are very important because a researcher needs to ______.

know how strongly variables are related to one another.

When experimental methods are used to study the relationship between variables, there is ______.

less ambiguity about the direction of cause and effect

Complete understanding of any phenomenon requires study using ______.

multiple methods, both experimental and nonexperimental

An advantage of a field experiment is that the independent variable is investigated in a ______.

natural context

The characteristics of individuals, such as age, gender, ethnic group, nationality, birth order, personality, or marital status, are called ______.

participant variables

A major goal of science is to ______.

provide an accurate description of events

The experimental method of research eliminates the influence of extraneous variables by ensuring that an extraneous variable is just as likely to affect one experimental group as it is to affect the other group. This process is called ____.

randomization

A study using the experimental method has high internal validity when ______.

strong inferences can be made that one variable caused changes in the other variable

With the nonexperimental method, it is difficult to determine which variable causes the other. This problem involves ______.

the direction of cause and effect

In an experimental procedure using two groups, randomization ensures that ______.

the individual characteristic composition of the two groups will be virtually identical in every way

When no direct causal relationship exists between two variables and some other variable causes a relationship between these two variables, it is known as the ______ problem.

third-variable

The idea that, given everything that is known, a conclusion is reasonably accurate is referred to as ______.

validity

A(n) ____ is something that changes, and can be a behavior, thought, feeling, situation, characteristic, or event.

variable