PSY2500 Chapter 6 Question Examples
A researcher evaluates the effectiveness of an art class by having an art expert judge the quality of student's paintings at the beginning of the class, in the middle of the class, and at the end of the class. If the art expert's standards for judgment change during the class, then the internal validity of the study is threatened by
A time-related variable
A researcher designs a study to determine whether female preschoolers prefer sweetened or unsweetened cereal. The researcher uses a box of sweetened colorful cereal and a box of unsweetened tan-colored cereal. The research finds that the group of preschoolers ate more of the sweetened colorful cereal and therefore prefers the sweetened cereal. Which two variables are confounded in this experiment?
Color of the cereal and sweetness of the cereal
A research study records a score measuring alcohol use and a score measuring income level for each individual in a group of 40-year-old men. The study intends to determine whether there is a relationship between the two variables. This study is an example of the__________research strategy.
Correlational
Is the scenario below describing a Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, or Nonexperimental research strategy? Dr. Jones conducts a study examining the relationship between viewing violent TV and aggressive behavior in 5 year-old boys. TV preferences are obtained by interviewing each child and aggressive behavior is measured by observing each child during an outdoor play period.
Correlational
A study examining what percentage of married couples is satisfied with their marriages is an example of what research approach
Descriptive
Is the scenario below describing a Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, or Nonexperimental research strategy? Dr. Jones conducts a study examining aggressive behavior in 5 year-old boys. Each afternoon for one week, a group of boys in a child-care center is observed during a 30-minute period while they play outdoors. Aggressive behaviors are recorded.
Descriptive
Is the scenario below describing a Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, or Nonexperimental research strategy? Dr. Jones conducts a study examining the relationship between viewing violent TV and aggressive behavior in 5 year-old boys. A group of boys is randomly separated; half the boys are shown violent TV programs for 30 minutes and the other half are shown nonviolent TV programs for 30 minutes. Then aggressive behavior is measured by observing the children during an outdoor play period to determine if there is any difference between the groups.
Experimental
Any factor that limits the ability to generalize the results of the study is a threat to
External Validity
If a researcher measures self-esteem with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, will another researcher get the same results measuring self-esteem with the Harter Self- Esteem Measure? This is a question of
External Validity
Results from a research study suggest that a stop-smoking program is very successful. However, the participants who volunteered for the study were all highly motivated to quit smoking and the researcher is concerned that the same results may not be obtained for smokers who are not as motivated. This study has a problem with
External Validity
This situation has a problem with what kind of validity? A researcher conducts a study with 6 year-olds at a summer computer camp for gifted children. However, the researcher suspects the results may be different if conducted with regular 6 year-olds.
External Validity
A research study finds that a group of participants who received relaxation training had lower exam anxiety scores than a group who did not receive training. However, the re- searcher suspects that the difference between groups may be caused by the fact that the participants in one group are generally smarter than those in the other. This study has a problem with
Internal Validity
Any factor that allows an alternative explanation for the results of a study is a threat to
Internal Validity
This situation has a problem with what kind of validity? A researcher finds that college students are more anxious near final exams in December than at the beginning of the semester in September. However, it is not clear whether the anxiety is caused by exams or by the change in season.
Internal Validity
Experimenter bias can threaten both internal and external validity because the results obtained in a study
May be specific to the experimenter who has the expectations
A research study begins by separating a sample of 40-year-old men into two groups: a high-income group and a low-income group. A score measuring alcohol use is then obtained for each man. The study intends to determine whether there is a relationship between income and alcohol use. This study is an example of the__________ research strategy.
Nonexperimental
Is the scenario below describing a Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, or Nonexperimental research strategy? Dr. Jones conducts a study examining the relationship between viewing violent TV and aggressive behavior in 5 year-old boys. TV preferences are obtained by interviewing each child. Based on the interview responses, the children are separated into 2 groups: those preferring violent TV and those preferring nonviolent TV. Then aggressive behavior is measured by observing the children during an outdoor play period to determine if there is any difference between the groups.
Nonexperimental
Is the scenario below describing a Descriptive, Correlational, Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, or Nonexperimental research strategy? Dr. Jones conducts a study examining the relationship between viewing violent TV and aggressive behavior in 5 year-old boys. Aggressive behavior is measured by observing children during two outdoor play periods: once before they watch violent TV programs for 30 minutes and again afterwards. A 2nd group from a different school watches nonviolent TV programs and is also measured twice. This is done to determine if there is any difference in behavior after being exposed to violent (vs. nonviolent) TV programs.
Quasi-Experimental
The results of a study may be influenced by the fact that a participant knows he or she is being studied. This threat to external validity is
Reactivity
Any factor that raises doubts about the research results or the interpretation of the results is a
Threat to Validity
