Psych 230

The type of graph that would best display an interaction effect is: a. line graph b. scatterplot c. pie graph d. histogram

a. line graph

A sequence of conditions in an interaction design might be A-B-A-B-BC-B-BC. This design a. follows the important rule of changing only one variable at a time in single-case experiments. b. allows for determining if C has an effect. c. allows for determining an interaction effect for B and C, even if B is maximally effective alone d. allows for determining if there are interactions for A and B as well as B and C.

a. follows the important rule of changing only one variable at a time in single-case experiments.

For a multiple-baseline design to demonstrate treatment effectiveness, a. some target behaviors should increase in frequency with the treatment and others should decrease b. treated behaviors should change from baseline immediately while untreated behaviors should change more slowly c. all target behaviors should change when the first treatment is imposed. d. all target behaviors should change, but only after the treatment is imposed for each one

d. all target behaviors should change, but only after the treatment is imposed for each one

An emotional loaded term is considered a. leading b. double-barreled c. open-ended d. loaded

d. loaded

Random assignment of participants to the various groups in an experiment a. guarantees that the independent variable will affect the dependent variable. b. is essential if you want to generalize your results to the population. c. is very difficult to do and is therefore not commonly done. d. maximized the probability that extraneous variables will NOT have a differential effect on the various treatment groups.

d. maximized the probability that extraneous variables will NOT have a differential effect on the various treatment groups.

Reporting of details regarding participant characteristics, selection, and assignment procedures a. is considered superfluous and unnecessary given space limitations in most journals. b. violates conditions of anonymity and is therefore considered unethical. c. is not important. d. is important to enable other researchers to replicate your findings.

d. is important to enable other researchers to replicate your findings.

Normal variation of sample values from population values is referred to as a. variability error. b. response error. c. population error. d. sampling error

d. sampling error

In single-case research, the word "baseline" refers to a. the participant's initial response to treatment. b. the target behavior in the control participant, who will not experience treatment c. the lowest observed rate of the target behavior. d. the participant's target behavior prior to any treatment.

d. the participant's target behavior prior to any treatment.

Which of the following describes intrasubject counterbalancing in an experiment with two experimental conditions, A and B? a. half the participants experience one condition (A), and the other half experience the other condition(B) b. half the participants experience condition one first followed by condition two (AB), while the other half gets the conditions in the reverse order (BA) C. each participant experiences the following: condition A, condition B, condition B again, and condition A again (ABBA) d. each participant experiences condition A first, then condition B (AB)

C. each participant experiences the following: condition A, condition B, condition B again, and condition A again (ABBA)

When one of the matching techniques is used, a. the possibility of confounding of the experiment is eliminated. b. generalization to the population is assured. c. randomizing should still be used where possible. d. randomizing techniques are no longer needed.

C. randomizing should still be used where possible.

In the physical education department, Dr. Shanz asks two of his strength training classes to participate in an experiment. One class will follow a traditional program of index finger strength enhancement, while the other class will try a new, experimental procedure. At the beginning of the semester, the class that will use the experimental method starts out with, on average, weaker index fingers than the other class. At the end of the semester, the class using the traditional method shows no significant increase in finger strength, while the other experimental class now has fingers that are, on average, significantly stronger than those of the control class. This is an example of a(n) effect. a. crossover b. selection-maturation c. interaction d. intragroup regression

a. crossover

A research design that contains both between participants and within participants variables is called a a. mixed design b. factorial design c. combination design d. double variable design

a. mixed design

Most researchers using single-case designs use an "experimental criterion" to tell them whether behavior has changed significantly with treatment. This involves looking for/at a. repeated demonstrations that behavior changes reliably each time treatment is introduced. b. improved functioning after treatment. c. a statistically significant difference between behavior during baseline and behavior during treatment. d. signs that the treated person functions significantly better than non-treated peers.

a. repeated demonstrations that behavior changes reliably each time treatment is introduced.

The nonequivalent comparison group design can yield several possible outcomes. In one scenario, the experimental group scores higher than the control group at the start of the experiment, and only the experimental group's scores increase from pretesting to posttesting. This could reflect an influence of the independent variable. However, it could also reflect a. selection-maturation effect. b. a attrition effect both groups. c. simply that the experimental group was studied for a longer time period than the control group. d. a local instrumentation effect.

a. selection-maturation effect.

Each year the graduating class at Stoner High is given a survey to assess their drug use. The same survey has been used for 10 years allowing school administrators to track changes in drug use over time. This method of survey collection is referred to as a. a trend study. b. a panel study. c. a cross-sectional study. d. a cross-sequential study.

a. a trend study

A potential ethical problem with using the A-B-A design in a therapeutic context is that it a. entails ending in a non-treatment condition b. does not involve enough time in treatment to address all a behavior. c. does not seem to be useful for certain kinds of disorders. d. often aggravates the problem the treatment is meant to treat.

a. entails ending in a non-treatment condition

Many single-case researchers also use a "therapeutic criterion" to evaluate the success of their treatment. They look at/for a. indications that the treatment has improved daily functioning. b. statistically significant changes in behavior when treatment is instituted. c. whether other psychologists have adopted their treatment. d. signs that behavior changes every time the treatment is presented.

a. indications that the treatment has improved daily functioning.

Two teachers who are friends teach math at different high schools. At a conference, they learn about a new program for teaching trigonometry. They decide to test it by having one teacher use it in her class and the other use the traditional program, then compare their students' scores on the AP trigonometry test. This is an example of which experimental design? a. non-equivalent posttest-only design b. one-group pretest-posttest design c. one-group posttest-only design d. non-equivalent before-after (pretest-posttest) design

a. non-equivalent posttest-only design

Evelyn has a new speed reading program she wants to test. She trains 6 people on her program, then measures their reading speed. This is an example of which experimental design? a. one-group posttest-only design b. one-group pretest-posttest design c. non-equivalent before-after (pretest-posttest) design d. non-equivalent posttest-only design

a. one-group posttest-only design

The two most important techniques for eliminating potential rival hypotheses are a. random assignment of participants and use of control groups. b. random selection of participants and random assignment of participants. c. random assignment of participants and use of pretests. d. use of pretests and control groups.

a. random assignment of participants and use of control groups.

Assume that the correlation coefficient between class attendance and number of problems missed on an exam is (-.77). Which of the following statements regarding this finding is correct? Assume that the correlation coefficient between class attendance and number of problems missed on an exam is (-.77). Which of the following statements regarding this finding is correct? a. students who had fewer absences answered more questions correctly b. students who had more absences answered more questions correctly c. a negative correlation value is impossible; there must be a mistake in the calculations d. the number of problems answered correctly is below the class mean

a. students who had fewer absences answered more questions correctly

Factorial designs are very frequently used because they have many advantages. Which of the following is NOT among them? a. the results are easy to interpret b. possible interactions among independent variables can be explored c. more than one hypothesis can be tested d. potentially confounding extraneous variables can be incorporated into the experiment

a. the results are easy to interpret

The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) judges which of the following? a. whether methods of euthanasia are in accordance with accepted procedures b. whether the researcher has chosen the appropriate species of animal to answer his or her question c. insures that no animals are used in research d. the number of animals that should be used to maintain a reasonable amount of power

a. whether methods of euthanasia are in accordance with accepted procedures

You have been asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a new anti-smoking campaign in a local high school. You are able to collect pretest information on smoking rates before the campaign begins. You know that the entire school will be required to participate in the campaign and so random assignment is impossible.You are also aware that a reduction in smoking after the campaign could be caused by any number of other confounding variables.What can you do in this situation to enhance your ability to determine if the campaign was effective in reducing smoking? a.nonequivalent comparison group design b. test the students at the end of the campaign and then again a year later - if reductions in smoking remain at that time then you can be confident that the campaign was effective c. interview parents of the students d. conduct extensive postexperimental interviews to determine the cause of any change in smoking rates

a.nonequivalent comparison group design

Dr. Bell is interested in creating a survey on road rage. Since not everyone drives a car, he should ask a(n) _________ question at the beginning of the survey to see which participants drive cars and then have only those who do drive answer questions 2-10 on road rage while driving. a. response bias b. contingency c. double barreled d. open ended

b. contingency

In individual matching, a. each participant is randomly paired with another participant. b. each participant in one group is equated with another participant in another group on selected extraneous variables (e.g., education level). c. groups are formed such that they have the same overall distribution of a given extraneous variable (e.g., age). d. each participant is paired with another participant such that both experience the same temporal sequence of events.

b. each participant in one group is equated with another participant in another group on selected extraneous variables (e.g., education level).

What kind of graph is used to display frequencies as bars without spaces between them? a. a bar graph b. a histogram c. a scatterplot d. all of the above

b. histogram

Because researchers are generally more concerned with establishing internal validity rather than external validity, they are typically more concerned with _________ and less concerned with ____________. a. random selection; random assignment b. random assignment; random selection c. populations; samples d. samples; populations

b. random assignment; random selection

As sample size increases, a. scores on the independent variable decrease b. the ability to detect statistically significant differences among groups. c. research becomes less valid. d. average scores on the dependent variable increase

b. the ability to detect statistically significant differences among groups.

When conducting a survey, face-to-face or telephone interviews yield the most complete information, but are expensive and time consuming. An alternative is to mail surveys, but a major problem with mail surveys is that a. people are more likely to misrepresent their views by mail. b. the survey return rate is typically low. c. they are usually sent to an unrepresentative sample. d. people are inclined to add lengthy written comments on surveys and these are hard to quantify.

b. the survey return rate is typically low.

The sampling distribution of the mean is important for a. determining the mean of a sample. b. determining if a given sample mean is rare in hypothesis testing. c. descriptive statistics. d. determining what type of inferential test is appropriate.

b. determining if a given sample mean is rare in hypothesis testing.

A raw score above the mean of the distribution will result in a z score a. equal to the mean of the distribution b. greater than zero c. less than zero d. of zero

b. greater than zero

Why does a good experiment include a control group? a. it increases the number of people in the study, and hence, the generalizability of the results b. it gives us information about how participants would perform without experiencing the experimental treatment c. control groups have been an established part of scientific tradition for many decades d. it eliminates the effects of external validity

b. it gives us information about how participants would perform without experiencing the experimental treatment

The nonequivalent posttest-only design differs from the one-group posttest-only design and the one-group pretest-posttest design in that Answers: a. the results can be generalized to the population. b. it has a comparison group. c. it includes randomization procedures. d. it has high external validity.

b. it has a comparison group.

In a single-case experiment that is essentially an interrupted time series, the ability to determine that the treatment has an effect a. requires that the mean of all pretreatment sessions be significantly higher than the mean of all of the posttreatment sessions. b. requires that the experimenter must be able to predict what the behavior would have been without the treatment. c. requires that the participant understand that his or her behavior must change. d. requires that the mean of the pretreatment session be significantly lower than the mean of the posttreatment session.

b. requires that the experimenter must be able to predict what the behavior would have been without the treatment.

The standard deviation of a distribution of means (sampling distribution) is called a. the standard mean deviation. b. the standard error. c. the absolute mean deviation. d. the mean deviation.

b. the standard error.

How long should one continue a given phase (baseline, treatment, return to baseline, etc). of a single-case research project? a. until you have at least a dozen observations in each phase b. until behavioral stability is reached in each phase c. until it is clear that the treatment has had an effect d. for about two weeks

b. until behavioral stability is reached in each phase

The techniques for equating demand characteristics across conditions do not necessarily equate each participant's perceptions of how they can present themselves in the most positive manner. To assess this aspect of participants' perceptions one could use Answers: a. retrospective and introspective reports. b. concurrent and restrospective verbal reports. c. introspective and concurrent verbal reports. d. introspective reports and thinking aloud.

b. concurrent and restrospective verbal reports.

A Type I error is known as a _______ and a Type II error is known as a _____. a. false negative, false positive. b. population error, sample error. c. false positive, false negative d. sample error, population error.

c. false positive, false negative

Dr. Toris wants to test an incentive program to increase attendance in her classes. For the first 8 weeks of the semester she does not use the program, and records attendance rates each week. Then she institutes the incentive program for the last 8 weeks and continues to record attendance rate each week. She detects an increase in attendance over the last 8 weeks. This is an example of which experimental design? a. non-equivalent control group b. one group pretest-posttest c. interrupted time series d. multiple baseline

c. interrupted time series

If you are interested in any possible interaction effects between an extraneous variable and the independent variable, which of the following techniques you should use? a. matching by holding the extraneous variable constant b. matching by equating participants c. matching by making the extraneous variable into another independent variable d. counterbalancing

c. matching by making the extraneous variable into another independent variable

By including a withdrawal phase after the basic time-series design (i.e making it an A-B-A design), a. the participant finishes the study with the best outcome. b. we will show that the behavior changes are unimportant. c. we may rule out history effects as a plausible rival hypothesis. d. we can fulfill our ethical responsibilities to the participant

c. we may rule out history effects as a plausible rival hypothesis.

Human participants must sign a "consent to participate" form (unless exempted) prior to being in the experiment. This form should include all of the following EXCEPT a. the general purpose of the study. b. any monetary or grade benefits for participating. c. a disclaimer saying that the experimenter is not responsible for any harm to the participant. d. benefits to be derived from participating.

c. a disclaimer saying that the experimenter is not responsible for any harm to the participant.

When using the telephone interview method, the problem of unlisted numbers a. can be overcome through follow-up questioning. b. is a significant problem resulting in biased samples. c. can be overcome through the use of random-digit dialing. d. is not a problem because almost all numbers can be found on the internet.

c. can be overcome through the use of random-digit dialing.

Psychology participant pools provide a ________ sample. a. stratified b. simple random c. convenient d. cluster

c. convenient

On a form for student evaluation of faculty teaching, students were asked to agree or disagree with this statement: "This professor encouraged discussion and/or answered students' questions." This item is a. dual encoded. b. dual encoded. c. double barreled. d. dual encoded.

c. double barreled.

All of the following characterize face to face interviews except a. the interviewer can clarify ambiguous questions. b. cost can be a problem. c. getting a representative sample is easier than with the other methods. d. they might be limited to a small geographical area.

c. getting a representative sample is easier than with the other methods

The distinguishing characteristic of the longitudinal design is that a. different groups of people are tested over time using the same survey. b. the survey item is particularly lengthy. c. the same sample of respondents is surveyed more than once. d. several independent groups of individuals are tested once.

c. the same sample of respondents is surveyed more than once.

When the null hypothesis is rejected, a. you are stating that nothing (null) was found. b. you are stating that the independent variable had no effect on the dependent variable. c. you are saying that your finding is statistically significant. d. you are stating that there is only one population of research participants.

c. you are saying that your finding is statistically significant.

When the test statistic falls within the _______ region of the sampling distribution the research would ______ the null hypothesis. a. test; reject b. critical; accept c.. critical; reject d. test; accept

c.. critical; reject

In a normal distribution, the percentage of raw scores falling within one standard deviation of the mean equals a. 34.11%. b. 95.44%. c. 99.74%. d. 68.26%.

d. 68.26%.

Two middle school teachers want to find which of three new violence prevention programs would be most effective in their school. From September through November, program #1 is in effect. It is then replaced by program #2 from December through February, and then program #3 runs from March through May. In June the teachers examined fight reports for the school year and find that there were 14 fights in the fall, 10 fights in the winter, and 6 fights in the spring. They conclude that program #3 is most effective is stopping violence. Which of the following is a plausible rival hypothesis to their interpretation? a. fighting decreases in spring, anyway b. the effects of programs #1 and #2 could have carried over into the spring c. whatever program came third might have been associated with the fewest fights d.. all of the above are plausible alternative explanations

d. all of the above are plausible alternative explanations

A group of physicians tests a new analgesic on their patients with chronic pain problems. They obtain patient ratings of pain, administer the new drug for a week, and then obtain pain ratings again. They find that pain ratings are down 10 points at their second observation. This is an example of which experimental design. a. one-group posttest-only design b. non-equivalent before-after (pretest-posttest) design c. non-equivalent posttest-only design d. one-group pretest-posttest design

d. one-group pretest-posttest design

The most common reason for the use of quasi-experimental research designs is that a. it is unethical to manipulate the independent variable . b. the dependent variable cannot be measured reliably. c. the participants are maturing too rapidly. d. participants cannot be randomly assigned to groups.

d. participants cannot be randomly assigned to groups.

In a changing-criterion design, to demonstrate treatment effectiveness the target behavior must do which of the following? a. remain constant through all treatment conditions b. attain statistical significance c. return to baseline within two weeks of the end of treatment d. show successive changes with changing criteria

d. show successive changes with changing criteria

What is the important difference between the between-participants posttest-only design and the flawed non-equivalent posttest-only design? a. the former uses two groups of participants b. the latter involves testing participants twice c. the latter does not manipulate an independent variables d. the former uses random assignment of participants to groups

d. the former uses random assignment of participants to groups

Participants volunteered to be in a study of the effects of vitamin supplements. The experimenter was given an unlabeled syringe containing saline or a vitamin supplement to inject into the participant. The participants were not told if the injection they received is the vitamin supplement or a placebo. This experiment is using a(n)_________ technique. a. deception b. independent measure of the dependent variable c. blind d. double-blind

d. double-blind

Two classes of students at different schools are closely matched on IQ scores. One class is being taught with the standard method and the other class is being taught with a new technique. The two classes are then to be compared on scores from a standardized test at the end of the year a. since the classes are matched, any difference at year's end is due to the teaching technique b. because there was no pretest, no valid comparisons can be made c. maturation is a major confounding variable in this study d. even though matched on IQ scores, the classes may not be equivalent on many other variables

d. even though matched on IQ scores, the classes may not be equivalent on many other variables

Order effects and carryover effects differ in that a. for carryover effects it doesn't matter which treatment occurs first, just how often it is repeated. b. for carryover effects it is only the ordinal position of the treatment that matters. c. carryover effects only occur when there are two independent variables. d. for order effects it is only the ordinal position of the treatment that matters.

d. for order effects it is only the ordinal position of the treatment that matters.

A mutually exclusive question is one that a. is open ended b. includes both open ended and closed-ended question c. includes all possible responses d. includes categories that do not overlap

d. includes categories that do not overlap