Research Final Exam Practice Test
A journal article reports that a new teaching strategy is very effective for first-grade students. A teacher wonders if the same strategy would be effective for a class of third-grade students. What is the teacher questioning? a. The external validity of the report b. The internal validity of the report c. The reliability of the report d. The accuracy of the report
a
A researcher measures mood for a group of participants who have listened to happy music for 20 minutes and for a second group who have listened to sad music for 20 minutes. If different mood scores are obtained for the two groups, the researcher would like to conclude that music influences mood. However, the happy music group was tested in a room painted yellow and the sad music group was in a room painted dark brown and the researcher is concerned that the room color and not the music may influence mood scores. What kind of validity is being questioned? a. Internal validity b. External validity c. Experimental validity d. Validity of measurement
a
Although field studies tend to have higher external validity than traditional laboratory studies, what risk do they tend to have? a. Lower internal validity b. Lower reliability c. An increased risk of confounding from history effects d. An increased risk that the manipulation of the independent variable will not be effective.
a
An experiment includes a treatment condition, a no-treatment control, and a placebo control. Which two conditions should be compared to determine the size of the effect that is actually caused by the treatment? a. Placebo versus treatment b. Placebo versus no treatment c. Treatment versus no treatment d. You only need to look at the scores in the placebo control condition
a
Dr. Near conducts an experiment on memory for individuals who are above the age of 65. Although there are millions of people above the age of 65, she selects a group of 25 to participate in the experiment. What name is given to the group of 25? a. A sample b. An accessible sample c. A population d. A subgroup
a
Experimental research studies tend to have very _______ internal validity but often have relatively _______ external validity. a. high; low b. low; high c. high; high d. low; low
a
How does holding a variable constant prevent the variable from becoming a confound? a. It eliminates the possibility that the variable will be substantially different from one group to another. b. It reduces error. c. It ensures a nonbiased sample. d. It increases the differences between the groups.
a
How many participants would be needed for a within-subjects experiment comparing four different treatment conditions with a total of 20 scores in each treatment? a. 20 b. 40 c. 80 d. Cannot answer without more information
a
In a between-subjects experiment, if the participants in one group have characteristics that are different from the participants in another group, then which of the following is threatened? a. Internal validity b. External validity c. Reliability d. Accuracy
a
In a within-subjects research study comparing different treatment conditions at different times, what kind of validity is threatened by factors that change over time, such as history and maturation? a. Internal validity b. External validity c. Both internal and external validity d. Neither internal nor external validity
a
Using an anonymous questionnaire to determine how many times students send or receive text messages during class is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. Self-report b. Survey c. Behavioral d. Physiological
a
What aspect of a study is threatened if the participants are tested in one treatment condition at one time and then tested in a second treatment condition at a different time? a. Internal validity b. External validity c. Reliability d. Accuracy
a
What is measured and removed to reduce the variance in within-subjects design compared to a between-subjects design. a. The individual differences b. The carry over effects c. The progressive error effects d. The instrumentation effects
a
What is the purpose for using a control condition in an experiment? a. It provides a baseline that can be used to evaluate the size of the treatment effect. b. It minimizes the threat of a confounding variable. c. It is necessary to ensure the internal validity of the study. d. It is necessary to ensure the external validity of the study.
a
What name is given to the group of individuals from which researchers actually select participants for research studies? a. The accessible population b. The target population c. The representative population d. The real population
a
What would the scatter plot show for data that produce a Pearson correlation of r 5 +.88? a. Points clustered close to a line that slopes up to the right b. Points clustered close to a line that slopes down to the right c. Points widely scattered around a line that slopes up to the right d. Points widely scattered around a line that slopes down to the right
a
Which of the following accurately defines compensatory equalization? a. One group demands the same benefits received by another group. b.One group works extra hard to make up for not receiving the benefits received by another group. c. One group stops trying because it is not receiving the benefits received by another group. d. Elements of the treatment in one group have spread to another group.
a
Which of the following accurately describes the scores in a between-subjects experiment? a. Only one score is obtained for each participant. b. At least two scores are obtained for each participant. c. One score is obtained for each treatment condition for each participant. d. Each score represents multiple participants.
a
Which of the following is a limitation of using matching rather than random assignment to form groups in a between-subjects experiment? a. Matching requires another measurement procedure. b. Matching reduces error due to participant differences. c. Matching is easier than randomization. d. Matching eliminates any systematic relationship between participant characteristics and the treatment conditions.
a
Which of the following is an option for limiting the variance within treatment conditions? a. Hold a participant variable constant b. Randomize participant variables across treatments c. Match participant variables across treatments d. All of the above are options for limiting variance within treatments
a
Which of the following maximizes the likelihood of a successful research result? a. Increase the differences between treatments and decrease the variance within treatments b. Decrease the differences between treatments and increase the variance within treatments c. Increase the differences between treatments and increase the variance within treatments d. Decrease the differences between treatments and decrease the variance within treatments
a
Why is an artifact like experimenter bias a threat to the validity of measurement? a. The measurements may be distorted by the artifact. b.Different measurements may be obtained under the same conditions if the artifact were not present. c. The artifact may provide an alternative explanation for the results. d. None of the other options accurately describes the threat.
a
Why is the range effect known as a "ceiling effect" a problem for researchers? a. The scores are already so high that there is no chance of measuring improvement. b. The scores are already so low that there is no chance of measuring a decrease. c.There is so much room for improvement that the measurements are almost certain to increase. d. There is so much room for lower performance that the measurements are almost certain to decrease.
a
A researcher is interested in the sleeping habits of students at the local state college. The average number of hours spent sleeping each night for the entire set of students enrolled at the college is an example of a ________. a. statistic b. parameter c. sample d. population
b
A researcher moves an experiment out of the laboratory and into the real world. This type of research is called a. a simulation study. b. a field study. c. a transported study. d. a quasi-experimental study.
b
A researcher reports a significant correlation using an alpha level of .01. Which of the following is an accurate conclusion from this result? a. The probability that the researcher is making a Type I error is p > .01 b. The probability that the researcher is making a Type I error is p < .01 c. The probability that the researcher is making a Type II error is p > .01 d. The probability that the researcher is making a Type II error is p < .01
b
A researcher uses an anonymous survey to investigate the study habits of American college students. Based on the set of 56 surveys that were completed and returned, the researcher finds that these students spend an average of 4.1 hours each week working on course material outside of class. For this study, the average of 4.1 hours is an example of a _______. a. parameter b. statistic c. population d. sample
b
A researcher who is examining the effects of temperature and humidity on the eating behavior of rats uses a factorial experiment comparing three different temperatures (70 ̊, 80 ̊, and 90 ̊) and two humidity conditions (low and high). How many factors are in the experiment? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 6
b
A researcher would like to describe and compare the attitudes of four different ethnic groups of students at a local state college. What kind of sampling would be best to obtain participants for the study? a. Simple random sampling b. Stratified random sampling c. Proportionate stratified random sampling d. Systematic sampling
b
Although surveys can be used with a variety of different research strategies, which of the following is the defining characteristic of the survey research design? a. The research is conducted in field settings rather than in a laboratory. b. The intent is simply to describe behaviors. c. The intent is to demonstrate a relationship between behavior and other variables. d. The intent is to explain the causes of the behaviors being surveyed.
b
Cues given to participants about how they are expected to behave define which of the following terms? a. Reactivity b. Demand characteristics c. Experimenter bias d. Volunteer bias
b
For a between-subjects experiment, which of the following is a possible threat to internal validity? a. Individual differences that exist within treatments b. Individual differences that exist between treatments c. The risk that one treatment condition may influence scores in another treatment d. All of the above are threats.
b
For an experiment that compares two treatment conditions with ten scores in each treatment, which design would require fewer subjects? a. Between-subjects design b. Within-subjects design c. Matched-subjects design d. All would require the same number of subjects.
b
How can sensitization threaten external validity of a study? a. The results may be limited to the novel situation of the research study. b. The results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a pretest. c. The results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a series of different treatment conditions. d. The results may be limited to participants taking on different subject roles.
b
How can variance be reduced in a between-subjects design? a. Use counterbalancing b. Use a factorial design adding a participant variable (such as age) as a second factor c. Counterbalance and use a factorial design with the order of treatments as a second factor d. All of the above are ways to reduce variance
b
How many independent variables are there in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design? a. 2 b. 3 c. 4 d. 8
b
If a between-subjects experiment produces 50 scores in treatment 1 and 50 scores in treatment 2, then how many participants were in the entire experiment? a. 50 participants b. 100 participants c. 25 participants d. 200 participants
b
If each person in a large group has an equal chance of being included in an experiment, then what kind of sampling is being used? a. Systematic sampling b. Random sampling c. Convenience sampling d. Cluster sampling
b
Researchers often use simulation experiments in an attempt to obtain the _________ of an experiment and still keep much of the _________ of research conducted in the real world. a. external validity, internal validity b. internal validity, external validity c. experimentalrealism,mundanerealism d. mundane realism, experimental realism
b
Results from a research study suggest that a stop-smoking program is very successful. How- ever, 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. What kind of validity is being questioned? a. Internal validity b. External validity c. Experimental validity d. Validity of measurement
b
The degree to which your research results generalize beyond the specific characteristics of your study refers to a. internal validity. b. external validity. c. general validity. d. reliability.
b
The multiple-choice questions in an exam are examples of which type of survey question. a. Open-ended b. Restricted c. Rating-scale d. Physiological
b
The results from a two-factor ANOVA show no main effect for factor A but a significant interaction. What can you conclude based on this pattern of results? a. Factor A has no effect on the participants' scores. b. Factor A may have an effect but, if so, it depends on the levels of factor B. c. Because the interaction is significant, factor A must also have an effect. d. The effect of factor A is constant across all levels of factor B.
b
What is an advantage to administering a survey over the Internet? a. 100% response rate b. Survey can be individualized based on responses c. Risk of interviewer bias d. None of the options are advantages
b
What is the effect of increasing the time between treatment conditions in a within-subjects experiment? a. It decreases the threat of time-related history effect. b. It decreases the threat of the order effect fatigue. c. It decreases the threat of a time-related maturation effect. d. None of the other options is an effect of increasing time between treatments
b
Which of the following accurately defines compensatory rivalry? a. One group demands the same benefits received by another group. b.One group works extra hard to make up for not receiving the benefits received by another group. c. One group stops trying because it is not receiving the benefits received by another group. d. Elements of the treatment in one group have spread to another group.
b
Which of the following describes participants taking on the negativistic subject role? a. They are concerned that their performance in the study will be used to evaluate them. b. They try to act so that their data are in contrast to the hypothesis. c. They try to act so that their data are consistent with the hypothesis. d. They try to avoid acting on the basis of their suspicions.
b
Which of the following does not guarantee that a specific participant variable will not become a confounding variable? a. Matching the variable across treatments b. Randomizing the variable across treatment c. Holding the variable constant d. All of the other options guarantee that the variable does not become a confounding variable
b
Which of the following is a potential problem with holding a participant variable constant? a. It threatens the internal validity of the study. b. It threatens the external validity of the study. c. It lowers the likelihood of obtaining a significant difference between treatments. d. None of the above is a potential problem.
b
Which statement best characterizes a between-subjects experimental design? a. Participants are randomly selected from two different populations. b. Each participant is assigned to one condition of the experiment. c. Each participant is assigned to every condition of the experiment. d.Participants with the same characteristics are assigned to the different conditions of the experiment.
b
A teacher obtains a sample of children from a fifth-grade classroom by randomly selecting the third, fifth, and eighth rows and taking all the students in those rows. What kind of sampling is being used? a. Simple random sampling b. Systematic sampling c. Cluster sampling d. Stratified sampling
c
Counting the number of times a third-grade student leaves his or her seat without permission during a 30-minute observation period is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. Self-report b. Survey c. Behavioral d. Physiological
c
For a within-subjects study comparing two treatments, A and B, a researcher expects that practice in the first treatment will improve the participants' scores in the second treatment. If the order of treatments is counterbalanced, then what scores will be influenced by the practice? a. Scores in treatment A but not in treatment B. b. Scores in treatment B but not in treatment A. c. Scores in treatment A for half the participants and scores in treatment B for half the participants. d. Practice will not influence the scores because the treatments are counterbalanced.
c
For scores measured on a nominal scale of measurement (e.g., job classification), which measure of central tendency is appropriate? a. Mean b. Median c. Mode d. Standard deviation
c
How can order effects be measured and evaluated? a. Use counterbalancing b. Use a factorial design adding a participant variable (such as age) as a second factor c. Counterbalance and use a factorial design with the order of treatments as a second factor d. All of the above are ways to measure and evaluate order effects
c
In a within-subjects study that extends over a relatively long time, it is possible that there will be systematic changes in the participants' skills or knowledge during the time of the study. If these changes influence the participants' scores, causing scores at the end of the study to be different from scores at the beginning, then what is the effect is called? a. History b. Instrumentation c. Maturation d. Regression toward the mean
c
What is measured by values such as Cohen's d or r 2 (the percentage of variance accounted for)? a. The validity of a hypothesis test b. The risk of committing a type I error c. The size of a treatment effect or the strength of a correlation d. The level of significance
c
When a sample is selected from a population, the sample mean is essentially guaranteed to be different from the population mean. What is the name for the naturally occurring difference between a sample statistic and the corresponding population parameter? a. Type I error b. Type II error c. Sampling error d. Inferential error
c
Which of the following accurately describes a two-factor analysis of variance? a. It conducts one hypothesis test and produces one F-ratio. b. It conducts two separate hypothesis tests and produces two F-ratios. c. It conducts three separate hypothesis tests and produces three F-ratios. d. None of the other options is an accurate description.
c
Which of the following describes a completely counterbalanced within-subjects experiment? a. Each group receives a different treatment. b. Each participant receives each treatment in the same order. c. A series of treatments is presented in every possible sequence. d. Participants receive a random order of treatment conditions
c
Which of the following describes a variable that exists in a study but is not being directly examined? a. Independent b. Dependent c. Extraneous d. External
c
Which of the following is an advantage of the between-subjects design versus the within-subjects design? a. It generally requires fewer participants. b. It usually is a more sensitive test (more likely to detect a treatment effect). c. It eliminates the risk of order effects. d. It eliminates potential problems that may be caused by individual differences.
c
A factorial study measures allergy symptoms before and after taking medication for a group taking the real medication and a control group taking a placebo. What kind of design is being used? a. Between-subjects design b. Within-subjects design c. Repeated measures design d. Mixed design
d
A researcher exposes people to a stressful situation (such as public speaking) to examine the effect of stress on depressed mood. Why would the researcher also include a measure of stress? a. It is a measure of the dependent variable. b. It is a measure of extraneous variables. c. It is a control for confounding variables. d. It is a manipulation check.
d
A study examining the relationship between humor and memory compares memory per- formance scores for one group presented with humorous sentences and a second group presented with nonhumorous sentences. The participants in one group are primarily 8-year-old students and those in the second group are primarily 10-year-old students. In this study, age is potentially a(n) ________ variable. a. independent b. dependent c. extraneous d. confounding
d
For situations in which the researcher cannot know the complete list of potential participants, what kind of sampling is necessary? a. Target sampling b. Nontarget sampling c. Probability sampling d. Nonprobability sampling
d
How many separate groups of participants would be needed for a between-subjects, two-factor study with three levels of factor A and four levels of factor B? a. 3 b. 4 c. 7 d. 12
d
The ages of the children in a summer camp range from 7 to 12 years old. A counselor con- structs a frequency distribution graph showing the number of children for each of the six ages. What kind of graph would be appropriate for this distribution? a. Only a histogram b. Only a polygon c. Only a bar graph d. Either a histogram or a polygon
d
The following data represent the means for each treatment condition in a two-factor experiment. What pattern of results is shown in the data? A1 A2 B1 m = 30 m=20 B2 m=40 m= 10 a. Main effects for both factors and an interaction b. Main effects for both factors and no interaction c. A main effect for factor A, no main effect for factor B, and no interaction d. A main effect for factor A and an interaction but no main effect for factor B
d
The students in one gym class receive a self-esteem program as part of their sports training. To evaluate the program, a researcher measures self-esteem for the students before and after the program and compares their scores with those from another class that did not receive the program but was measured at the same two times. What kind of design is being used? a. Between-subjects design b. Within-subjects design c. Repeated measures design d. Mixed design
d
Using a PET scan to measure brain activity while participants solve mathematics problems is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. Self-report b. Survey c. Behavioral d. Physiological
d
Which general category of statistical methods is intended to answer questions about a population by using sample data? a. Parameters b. Statistics c. Descriptive statistics d. Inferential statistics
d
Which of the following accurately defines diffusion? a. One group demands the same benefits received by another group. b.One group works extra hard to make up for not receiving the benefits received by another group. c. One group stops trying because it is not receiving the benefits received by another group. d. Elements of the treatment in one group have spread to another group.
d
Which of the following is a possible use for a factorial design? a. Replicate and expand previous research b. Examine order effects for a within-subjects study c. Reduce variance in a between-subjects study d. All of the above
d
Which of the following is not a possible outcome from a 232 factorial design? a. Two main effects and an interaction b. Two main effects and no interaction c. No main effect for either factor but an interaction d. All of the above are all possible outcomes
d
Which of the following is the definition of variance? a. The sum of the scores divided by the number of scores b. The average distance from the mean c. The square root of the average distance from the mean d. The average squared distance from the mean
d
