PsycLearn 9

Why would a researcher use a Latin square design?

A researcher would use a Latin square design to control for possible order effects of administering different treatments in succession without having to use every possible treatment sequence required in full counterbalancing. (partial counterbalancing)

If you wanted to know whether there was any difference in how members of the three leading political parties voted on a contentious issue that appeared on the last election ballot, which analysis would you use? A. A single-factor, between-groups design B. A mixed factorial design C. A multifactorial, between-groups design D. A multiple regression

A. A single-factor, between-groups design Because you are comparing preference among three groups on one issue, a single-factor design is appropriate. Because each voter only submits one ballot, a between-groups design is appropriate.

A researcher wants to investigate whether the type of study method used influences memory retention of course material. Study method would be considered the A. Independent variable B. Dependent variable C. Control variable D. Researcher does not manipulate any variable

A. Independent variable

A nursing home administrator is interested in determining whether canine therapy leads to health benefits among the residents. However, the nursing home's residents vary in age and health status, and the administrator wants to ensure those factors do not bias the results. Which design is the better fit for this study? A. Matched-pairs design B. Posttest only between-groups design C. Pretest-posttest between-groups design D. Block design

A. Matched-pairs design

Using a within-group design, a researcher wants to compare the influence of listening to classical music versus listening to rock music on participants' short-term memory. The researcher decides to set up her experiment in this sequence: participants listen to rock music, memory test, brief washout period, participants listen to classical music, memory test. The researcher finds the participants score higher on the memory test after listening to classical music and concludes that classical music increases short-term memory. Describe why there would be a concern with the results and conclusions of this study.

Because the researcher did not use counterbalancing, it is not clear whether there is an order effect. The change in the dependent variable (memory score) could be the result of the independent variable (type of music) or it could be the result of the particular order of the presentation of the levels of the independent variables (i.e., participants may have know what to expect during the second measurement and performed better)

a research design that involves the comparison of two or more groups of participants that each receive a different level of the independent variable.

Between-groups design

a research design in which participants are divided into relatively homogeneous subsets, or blocks, based on a variable of interest, and from these blocks are assigned to the experimental or control conditions. The purpose of a block design is to ensure a characteristic of the study participants that is related to the target outcome is distributed equally across conditions.

Block design

The government of a developing nation uses the presence of piped water, electricity, a refrigerator, and a TV as measures of a family's socioeconomic status to predict reading achievement among school-age children. What is the appropriate analytical design to investigate this question? A. A single-factor design B. A simple regression design C. A multiple regression design D. A multifactorial design

C. A multiple regression design

an arrangement in which multiple orders of the experimental condition are administered and compared; different sequences are assigned to different participants.

Counterbalancing

the dependent variable in regression designs. This is the variable that is predicted.

Criterion variable

A pharmaceutical company has developed a new medication to treat people who have high-functioning depression. These are people who experience depressive symptoms but are able to manage their daily activities. The researcher at the pharmaceutical company tasked with testing the effectiveness of the medication knows that some of the study participants are already taking antidepressant A and some are taking antidepressant B, which is why they are able to function despite their depression. The researcher uses a _____ design so participants' medication status (antidepressant A, antidepressant B, or no antidepressant) does not bias the results? A. Posttest-only between-groups B. Matched-pairs C. Pretest-posttest between-groups D. Block

D. Block

Imagine the following fictional follow-up study. The experimenter groups together the children who were aggressive with Bobo and groups together the children who were not aggressive with Bobo. Then the experimenter randomly assigns half of the children from each group to watch a violent cartoon and the other half to watch no cartoon. After the cartoon, the researcher puts the children back in the room with the Bobo doll and counts the number of aggressive acts. What is the design of this follow-up study? A. Posttest-only between-groups design B. Pretest-posttest between-groups design C. Matched-pairs design D. Block design

D. Block design

the variable upon which the independent variable may have an effect.

Dependent variable

a level of the independent variable that is manipulated by the researcher in order to assess the effect on a dependent variable

Experimental condition

in an experiment, the group of participants that receives some level of the independent variable

Experimental group (also Treatment group)

an independent variable with two or more levels or groups

Factor

(multifactorial designs) experimental designs in which there are two or more independent variables

Factorial designs

Describe an advantage of a within-group design compared to a between-groups design.

For within-group designs, there is no concern about ensuring equivalent groups because there is only one group of participants. Essentially, the participants serve as their own control group or comparison group.

when a change in one variable is used to predict a change in another variable

Forecast

a research design in which every possible order of treatments is administered.

Full counterbalancing

to change. (It doesn't have the negative implications of "being manipulative.")

Manipulate

an experimental design in which each participant is matched to another participant based on some important variable, and then participants in the pair are each randomly assigned to different experimental conditions. This type of design may include a pretest and always includes a posttest

Matched-pairs design

a multifactorial design in which there is at least one between-groups independent variable and at least one within-group independent variable

Mixed factorial design

a regression design in which there are two or more predictor variables (independent variables)

Multiple regression design

the main test for a significant difference in a single-factor design when there are more than two groups

Omnibus

the influence of the order in which treatments are administered

Order effect

a research design in which experimenters do not use all possible orders but still control for order and sequence effects

Partial counterbalancing

a drug or treatment that serves as a control when testing an experimental drug or treatment

Placebo

a test that isolates a difference identified by an omnibus test in a single-factor design.

Post hoc

a measurement of the dependent variable after the experimental manipulation

Posttest

an experimental design in which each participant is exposed to only one experimental condition, and the single score that each contributes to the study is based on a posttest

Posttest-only between-groups design

the independent variable in regression designs. This is the variable that is used to predict the criterion variable

Predictor variable

a measurement of the dependent variable before the experimental manipulation

Pretest

an experimental design in which each participant is exposed to only one experimental condition, but contributes two scores based on one pretest and one posttest.

Pretest-posttest between-groups design

a statistical technique that can be used to predict or forecast a criterion variable (dependent variable) based on one or more predictor variables (independent variables)

Regression

an aspect of a research design in which a dependent variable is measured on repeated occasions

Repeated measures

a regression design with one predictor variable

Simple regression design

Describe how a simple regression design compares to a multiple regression design.

Simple regression designs are used to determine how one predictor variable affects one criterion variable. Multiple regression designs can account for how two or more predictor variables, individually or together, predict the criterion variable.

the time frame allotted for an administered drug to be eliminated from the body or for a previously administered intervention to become ineffective

Washout period

Explain why a researcher might use a single-factor design with multiple levels versus testing each level independently.

When there are many levels, or groups, to be tested, a single-factor design, or omnibus test, will quickly reveal whether a significant difference is present between any of the levels. Once significance is established, post hoc tests can be conducted to reveal where the significant difference occurs.

a Latin square design that counterbalances multiple conditions while also minimizing the carryover effect between adjacent conditions

Williams Latin square

an experimental design in which the effects of treatments are observed through a comparison of the scores of the same participants observed under all the treatment conditions

Within-group design

Experimenters want to know whether playing violent video games in a laboratory setting will affect people's willingness to help during a staged accident that occurs in the laboratory after participants have played the violent video game. Which design is the better fit? a. Posttest-only between-groups design b. Block design c. Matched-pairs design d. Pretest-posttest between-groups design

a. Posttest-only between-groups design

Which question seeks to forecast a change in the dependent variable? a. Does loneliness predict minutes spent watching television? b. Is there a relationship between hostility and the number of close friendships? c. Does sleep cause an increase in attention? d. Does the presence of bystanders cause a decrease in helping behaviors?

a. Does loneliness predict minutes spent watching television?

Which of the following tests would not be used in a single-factor design with one independent variable and three levels? a. Interaction b. Statistical significance c. Omnibus d. Post hoc

a. Interaction

A researcher found that self-esteem is predicted by minutes spent on social media. __________ is the predictor. a. Minutes spent on social media b. Self-esteem c. Self-esteem and age d. Age

a. Minutes spent on social media

A researcher compared three different styles of video lecture and documented that one was statistically significantly better than the other two. Which of these tests were used? (Choose all that apply) a. Omnibus test b. Post hoc test

a. Omnibus test & b. Post hoc test Because there are three levels, an omnibus test is required to confirm that there is a difference, and a post hoc test is required to isolate where the difference occurs.

Dr. Martin is investigating the influence of human social interactions versus computerized social interactions on mood and plans to use a within-group design. How can Dr. Martin detect an order effect? a. Use counterbalancing to administer the conditions in different orders. b. Use counterbalancing to determine which researchers get exposed to which level of the independent variable. c. Use random assignment to have some participants interact with humans and other participants interact with computers. d. Use a random sample to make sure there is no bias in the individuals selected for the study.

a. Use counterbalancing to administer the conditions in different orders.

In order to measure the influence of music on memory, a researcher randomly assigned participants to either listen to classical music in the background while reading a passage from a novel or to have no music in the background while reading the passage. All participants then completed a memory test. The group that listened to classical music is the a. experimental group. b. control group. c. independent variable. d. dependent variable.

a. experimental group.

When the result of a factorial design indicates that the effect of one independent variable depends on the effect of the other independent variable it is called a(n) a. interaction. b. omnibus. c. post hoc. d. main effect.

a. interaction.

A researcher analyzed a data set of measured variables and concluded that hours in the sunshine predicts an individual's optimistic outlook. This is a _____ design. a. simple regression b. multiple regression c. factorial d. criterion

a. simple regression

A within-group design helps to eliminate confounds found in a between-groups research design by using a. the same participants for each level of the independent variable. b. different participants for each level of the independent variable. c. multiple posttests. d. a pretest-posttest design.

a. the same participants for each level of the independent variable.

Which of the following must be included in all types of between-groups research designs? a. Blocks of participants b. A posttest c. Matched-pairs of participants d. A pretest

b. A posttest

A researcher is interested in determining whether a new formulation of rat diet leads to faster maze learning. However, the rats vary in girth and length, and the researcher wants to ensure that those factors do not bias the results. The researcher decides to pair each rat with another of similar girth and length, and then randomly assigns one rat from each pair to the treatment group (new formulation) and the other rat to the control group (old formulation). Which design did the researcher use? Yes, that's correct! a. Posttest-only between-groups design b. Matched-pairs design c. Block design d. Pretest-posttest between-groups design

b. Matched-pairs design

Properly designed between-groups research designs should include a. at least two independent variables. b. some form of random assignment. c. at least three experimental groups. d. non-equivalent groups.

b. some form of random assignment.

A researcher used a factorial design to study the influence of the number of peers present and gender of the victim on the likelihood to help in a staged emergency scenario. The researcher finds that the effect of the gender of the victim on the likelihood to help depends on the number of peers present. The result is a. A main effect b. An interaction effect

b. An interaction effect

What is the appropriate analysis to use when there are two independent variables that are measured and one dependent variable that is measured? a. Single-factor design b. Multiple regression design c. Multifactorial design d. Mixed factorial design

b. Multiple regression design

What is the appropriate analysis to use when there is one independent variable that is manipulated and one dependent variable that is measured? a. Mixed factorial design b. Single-factor design c. Multifactorial design d. Multiple regression design

b. Single-factor design

in an experiment, the group of participants that does not receive the independent variable

Control group

A researcher designed a multiple regression study to analyze the prediction of college GPA from the number of current extracurricular activities and number of minutes spent on homework per week. Select any possible conclusions based on this research design. (Choose all that apply) A. Number of current extracurricular activities significantly predicts college GPA when controlling for the number of minutes spent on homework B. The number of minutes spent on homework per week causes an increase in college GPA C. Extracurricular activities and time spent on homework together cause an increase in college GPA D. Extracurricular activities and time spent on homework together significantly predict a change in college GPA

A. Number of current extracurricular activities significantly predicts college GPA when controlling for the number of minutes spent on homework & D. Extracurricular activities and time spent on homework together significantly predict a change in college GPA

Using a within-group design, a researcher wants to compare the influence of listening to classical music versus listening to rock music on participants' short-term memory. How could she implement counterbalancing in this study? A. Randomly assign participants to experience the classical music condition first or the rock music condition first B. Randomly assign participants to have a washout period or not C. Randomly assign participants to the classical music group or the rock music group D. Measure memory in a different way for the classical music group and the rock music group

A. Randomly assign participants to experience the classical music condition first or the rock music condition first

Counterbalancing can (Choose all that apply): A. Show a researcher if there is an effect of the independent variable B. Show a researcher if there is no effect of the independent variable C. Prevent an order effect D. Help the researcher detect an order effect

A. Show a researcher if there is an effect of the independent variable & B. Show a researcher if there is no effect of the independent variable & D. Help the researcher detect an order effect

During which research scenario(s) should the researcher use a within-group research design? (Choose all that apply) A. To look for a difference in short-term memory when participants meditate for 10 minutes after exposure to new material versus when the same participants practice the material for 10 minutes before exposure. B. Do participants who view pizza commercials (featuring a hot pizza video) experience a differing amount of perceived hunger compared to those participants who smell a hot pizza? C. To look for a difference in helping behaviors between participants who are encouraged to help by a public service announcement and those who watch other individuals helping. D. Is there a difference in severity rating of symptoms among participants who take Drug A for 3 days or Drug B for 3 days?

A. To look for a difference in short-term memory when participants meditate for 10 minutes after exposure to new material versus when the same participants practice the material for 10 minutes before exposure. & D. Is there a difference in severity rating of symptoms among participants who take Drug A for 3 days or Drug B for 3 days?

A researcher is interested in short-term causes of aggressive behavior. She randomly assigns 50 participants to play either a violent video game for 20 minutes or non-violent video game for 20 minutes. She then measures the number of aggressive behaviors toward an unseen human opponent during a competitive logic puzzle. Identify the independent variable(s) in the study. A. Type of video game (violent or non-violent) B. Type of logic puzzle (competitive or friendly) C. Amount of time spent playing a video game D. Number of aggressive behaviors

A. Type of video game (violent or non-violent)

A beverage company wishes to update the taste of its cola drink and wishes to compare two re-formulations against the old formula. However, the company suspects that drink preferences are different between the East Coast and West Coast markets. Select the appropriate experimental design(s) for this investigation. (Choose all that apply) A. A single-factor design B. A 3 X 2 factorial design C. A regression design D. A mixed factorial design

B. A 3 X 2 factorial design & D. A mixed factorial design Testing the taste preference among three cola formulations is a within-group analysis, but comparing taste preferences between East and West Coast customers is a between-groups analysis.

What aspect of a within-group design makes it different from a between-groups design? A. It does not involve an experimental manipulation B. All participants are exposed to the experimental condition or conditions C. It is only used for longitudinal studies D. It does not control for variation between participants

B. All participants are exposed to the experimental condition or conditions

In a Williams Latin square design, each level of the independent variable (Choose all that apply): A. Must appear before and after every other level of the independent variable B. Appears equally often before and after each other condition C. Appears randomly throughout a certain number of times throughout the design D. Should appear at each serial position in the study design

B. Appears equally often before and after each other condition & D. Should appear at each serial position in the study design

Dr. Allison collects data on the employee completion intent ratings after the interventions and looks at records to compare the employee intent ratings from last year. Dr. Allison uses these data to compare the change in employee intent between the groups. What is the design Dr. Allison used? A. Posttest-only between-groups design B. Pretest-posttest between-groups design C. Matched-pairs design D. Block design

B. Pretest-posttest between-groups design

Dr. Allison is concerned that employees may have a different completion intent simply based on how long they have worked for the company. To control for this variable, Dr. Allison pairs employees with similar years of employment with the company. Then, Dr. Allison randomly assigns one member of each employee pair to each of the experimental groups to ensure the groups have an equal mix of employees at various years of employment (she does not include the pretest scores in her methods). What is the design? A. Posttest-only between-groups design B. Pretest-posttest between-groups design C. Matched-pairs design D. Block design

C. Matched-pairs design

an order effect in which the outcome of one condition influences the outcome of a condition that follows

Carryover effect

the variable the researcher manipulates in an experiment

Independent variable

a possible outcome of a multiple factor design when one independent variable depends on the effect of the other independent variable

Interaction effect

a type of partially counterbalanced research design in which every participant or group receives every treatment, and every treatment is given equally often in each position of the sequence

Latin square

the number of treatments or conditions that are represented with an independent variable. For example, an experimental group and a control group represent two levels of a single independent variable. Some independent variables will have more than two levels

Level

a study that takes place over a period of time, sometimes several years

Longitudinal study

an overall difference in the levels of one independent variable collapsing over the levels of the other independent variable

Main effect

an experimental research design with a single independent variable that includes two or more levels

Single-factor design

the likelihood that a relationship between two or more conditions is caused by something other than chance

Statistical significance

Describe how a researcher could create a mixed factorial design using the independent variables of type of math problems (word problems or multiple-choice) and difficulty level of math problems (easy or challenging) with the dependent variable of time to complete a math test.

To create a mixed factorial design, a researcher would have one of the independent variables as between-groups and the other independent variable as within-group. For example, if difficulty level was within-group and type of problem was between-groups, all participants would complete both easy and challenging problems, but the problems would only be word problems or would only be multiple-choice for each group of participants. One group of participants would take a test with easy word problems and challenging word problems. Another group of participants would take a test with easy multiple-choice and challenging multiple-choice.

A researcher plans to study how participants' attitudes are influenced by the type of celebrity used in commercials. The independent variable is the type of celebrity, and has two levels: music industry and movie industry. Why might the researcher use a within-group design here? a. Because she cannot randomly assign participants to a level of the independent variable. b. To control for other variables, such as age, that may differ between participants and influence the dependent variable. c. Because the researcher is concerned about order effects, she wants to avoid a between-groups experimental design. d. Because the researcher has access to a large number of participants, and can have more than one group.

b. To control for other variables, such as age, that may differ between participants and influence the dependent variable.

A researcher measured the difference in attitudes toward a new product between participants who watched a funny commercial compared to those who watched an informative commercial. In this study, the independent variable was a. participants' attitudes. b. the type of commercial. c. the length of the commercial. d. the type of product.

b. the type of commercial.

A researcher measured a dog's memory for food location based on the type of treat hidden (low value treat, mid-value treat, or high value treat). How many levels of the independent variable are used in this research design? a. 1 b. 4 c. 3 d. 2

c. 3

How is a longitudinal study different from a typical within-group research design? a. A longitudinal study involves random assignment to the levels of the independent variable. b. A longitudinal study compares a dependent variable between different groups. c. A longitudinal study looks for change over time. d. A longitudinal study is shorter in length.

c. A longitudinal study looks for change over time.

A researcher wants to study the influence of six different types of vitamin supplements on the perceived energy levels of participants. If designing a within-group research study, why might the researcher choose to use partial counterbalancing instead of full counterbalancing? a. Partial counterbalancing would detect all possible order effects. b. The researcher wants to make sure every possible order of conditions is represented. c. Partial counterbalancing would be easier to implement because it would only require six groups of participants, whereas full counterbalancing would require 720 groups of participants. d. Partial counterbalancing would not involve random assignment.

c. Partial counterbalancing would be easier to implement because it would only require six groups of participants, whereas full counterbalancing would require 720 groups of participants.

A researcher asked the research question, "Does exam performance vary based on the format of the exam's questions?" In this example, the dependent variable is a. format of exam questions. b. number of exam questions. c. exam performance. d. class time.

c. exam performance.

A within-group research design always includes a. random assignment. b. multiple groups of participants. c. repeated measures. d. a pretest.

c. repeated measures.

A new drug has been shown to be effective for treating depression, and now researchers want to know how this drug's effectiveness compares to the effectiveness of an antidepressant drug currently on the market. The researchers are particularly interested in learning the extent to which both drugs decrease depression relative to each other. That is, does one drug produce a greater change—in this case, a reduction—in depressive symptoms than the other? Which design is the better fit? Yes, that's correct! a. Matched-pairs design b. Posttest-only between-groups design c. Block design d. Pretest-posttest between-groups design

d. Pretest-posttest between-groups design

What is counterbalancing? a. A way of assigning participants to conditions to eliminate the influence of participant characteristics b. Assigning an equal number of participants to a washout period versus no washout period c. A type of Latin square d. Administering multiple orders of the experimental conditions across research participants or groups

d. Administering multiple orders of the experimental conditions across research participants or groups

A researcher designs a within-group study with three conditions. She creates six groups with the following presentation orders: ABC, CBA, BAC, ACB, BCA, and CAB. What type of counterbalancing is the researcher using? a. Partial counterbalancing because she did not represent every order of conditions. b. Partial counterbalancing because she is only using six groups. c. Full counterbalancing because she created a Latin square. d. Full counterbalancing because every order of conditions is represented.

d. Full counterbalancing because every order of conditions is represented.

There is a likely relationship between daily temperature, ice cream sales, and the number of ice cream trucks in a neighborhood. _________ is the criterion variable. a. Number of ice cream trucks b. Daily temperature c. Ice cream sales and daily temperature d. Ice cream sales

d. Ice cream sales

When investigating how two independent variables affect a dependent variable, a difference between the levels of one of the independent variables is referred to as a(n) a. interaction. b. omnibus. c. post hoc. d. main effect.

d. main effect.

The appropriate analysis to use when one independent variable is between-groups and a second is within-group is the __________ design. a. within-factor b. single-factor c. multiple regression d. mixed factorial

d. mixed factorial

An experimental manipulation is typically used a. before researchers conduct a correlational study. b. to look for a relationship. c. with only small sample sizes. d. to determine causation.

d. to determine causation.

A researcher was interested in whether a new summer experience program would promote student success in the following semester. The researcher surveyed students' who were a part of the program at three points in the following semester: at the start, midway through, and at the end. This is an example of a a. pretest-posttest between-groups design b. posttest-only between-groups design c. block design d. within-group design

d. within-group design