research methods final exam
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?
Factor A may have an effect but, if so, it depends on the levels of factor B.
A two-factor study with two levels of factor A and three levels of factor B uses a separate group of n = 5 participants in each treatment condition. How many participants are needed for the entire study?
30
The following data represent the means for each treatment condition in a two-factor experiment. Note that one mean is not given. What value for the missing mean would result in NO interaction between A and B?
40
In a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial experiment, there are a total of ____ treatment conditions in the experiment, and each participant serves in ____ condition(s).
4;1
A researcher is examining cooperation between peers by observing children at six years, eight years, and ten years old. If the researcher uses a cross-sectional design and obtains 20 scores for each age, how many children participated in the entire study?
60
In single-case research, what is the definition of a phase change?
A change from baseline to treatment or from treatment to baseline
In a graph of the results from an ABAB reversal design, which feature justifies a conclusion that the treatment causes changes in behavior?
A demonstration that behavior changes consistently when the treatment is introduced, withdrawn, and introduced again
What is most characteristic of a correlational study?
A focus on evaluating whether a relationship exists between variables
The following data represent the means for each treatment condition in a two-factor experiment. What pattern of results is shown in the data?
A main effect for factor A, no main effect for factor B, and no interaction
What name is given to a single-case design consisting of the following four phases in the order given: baseline, treatment, baseline, treatment?
ABAB design
A researcher conducts a two-factor study to evaluate the effect of a medication for males and for females. If the results of the study show a 10-point main effect for the medication (participants taking the medicine average 10 points lower than those in the no-medication condition) and also show a significant interaction between medication and gender, then what can the researcher conclude about the effect of the medication?
Although the average effect of the medication is to lower scores by 10 points, the exact effect depends on the gender of the participant.
What is indicated by a negative correlation between grade point average and the number of hours spent studying for a sample of college students?
As the number of hours increases, grade point average decreases.
The results from a correlational study show a positive relationship between aggressive behavior for six-year-old children and the amount of violence they watch on television. Based on this relationship, which of the following conclusions is justified?
Children who watch more TV violence tend to exhibit more aggressive behavior.
What is an ethical concern for the ABAB design?
Removing the treatment after it has already been shown to be effective
Which example illustrates a positive correlation?
Salary level decreases as educational level decreases.
A treatment phase is defined as ____.
a series of observations made when a treatment is being administered
For a correlational study in which participants are scored as "high," "medium," and "low" on both variables, which correlation is designed to measure the consistency of the relationship?
a spearman correlation
The ABAB design is best-suited for treatments which have ____.
an immediate but temporary effect
The reversal component in an ABAB design ____.
assists in establishing a casual relationship
The two phases in a single-case research design are called the _____ and _____ phases
baseline; treatment
A stable trend within a phase is defined as a set of observations that ____.
cluster around a sloping line when graphed
A Pearson correlation of r = +0.9 indicates that a graph of the data would show points ____.
clustered close to a line that slopes up to the right
A researcher wants to explore the effectiveness of a treatment which has several, well-defined, distinct elements, and she would like to know the extent to which each element contributes to the overall treatment effect. Which research design should she use?
component-analysis design
In correlational studies, the consistency of a relationship is typically measured and described by the numerical value obtained for a ____.
correlation coefficient
A researcher reports that there is no consistent relationship between grade point average and the number of hours spent studying for college students. The correlation between grade point average and the number of hours studying is an example of a ____.
correlation near zero
When a person applies to rent a house, he/she sometimes is required to consent to a credit check along with his/her application. Landlords know that there is a relationship between credit score and likelihood of paying rent on time. In this situation, paying rent on time is best characterized as the ____ variable.
criterion
A graph of a two-factor study indicates an interaction when the lines on the graph ____.
cross or converge
A research study that evaluates changes in behavior related to age by examining different groups of individuals, with each group representing a different age, is called a(n) ____.
cross-sectional developmental design
A researcher would like to examine the relationship between self-esteem and academic performance for high-school students. This researcher could use a correlational study or a(n) ____.
differential study comparing academic performance scores for a group of high self-esteem students and a group of low self-esteem students
In an experiment examining the effects of task difficulty (easy/hard) for men and women, the factors are ____.
difficulty and gender
A researcher reports a positive relationship between sugar consumption and activity level for a group of eight-year-old children. However, the researcher cannot be sure whether the extra sugar is causing the children to be more active or whether the extra activity is causing the children to eat more sugar. This is an example of the ____.
directionality problem
The advantage of a two-factor design compared to two single-factor designs is the ability to ____.
evaluate the interaction
A baseline phase consists of a series of observations made immediately after a treatment is introduced.
false
A correlation of r = −0.90 means that there is essentially no consistent relationship between X and Y.
false
A multiple-baseline design requires that the targeted behavior return to baseline levels when the treatment is removed.
false
A multiple-baseline design requires two groups of participants.
false
A two-factor study compares two different treatment conditions (factor 1) for males and females (factor 2). In this study, the males have an average score of 20 in the first treatment and an average of 25 in the second. The females average 35 in the first treatment and 45 in the second. For this study, there is no interaction.
false
A two-factor study compares two levels of factor A and three levels of factor B with a separate sample of 5 participants in each treatment condition. This study will use a total of 25 participants.
false
An ABAB design is preferred to a multiple-baseline design if the treatment is expected to have a permanent or long lasting effect.
false
Because there is a strong positive correlation between depression and risk of divorce, we can conclude that depression causes divorce.
false
If decreases in the X variable are accompanied by decreases in the Y variable, then the correlation between X and Y is negative.
false
In a matrix representing the structure of a factorial design, the mean differences between the rows define the interaction between the factors.
false
Single-case designs provide data that can be evaluated with traditional tests of significance.
false
Single-case research (compared to group designs) cannot demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship with only one participant.
false
Suppose it was observed that there is a correlation of r = −0.81 between a driver's age and the cost of the car insurance. This correlation would mean that, in general, older people pay more for car insurance.
false
Suppose there is a correlation of +0.87 between the length of time a person is in prison and the amount of aggression the person displays on a psychological inventory. This means that spending a longer amount of time in prison causes people to become more aggressive.
false
The Pearson correlation is used when both scores are _____.
from interval or ratio scales
A positive value for a correlation indicates ____.
increases in X tend to be accompained by increases in Y
A defining characteristic of the correlational study is that the ____.
intent is to demonstrate the relationship between variables
The second AB in the sequence of an ABAB design provides evidence of ____.
internal validity
In a multiple-baseline design using two participants, what should a researcher do to ensure that any change in behavior is due to the treatment and not an outside factor?
introduce the treatment at a different time for each participant
What is the primary disadvantage of adding factors to investigate a four-way interaction?
it is difficult to interpret such a complex interaction
In a graph of single-case research data, a clear indication of a treatment effect is a ____.
large, immediate change in pattern
A research study that evaluates changes in behavior related to age over time by examining one group of participants who are all roughly the same age is called a(n) ____.
longitudinal developmental design
A researcher studies language development by selecting a sample of two-year-old children and giving them a language skill test. Each year for the next two years, the children are brought back and tested again. The researcher plans to compare the children's scores at age two, age three, and age four. This study is an example of a(n) ____.
longitudinal developmental design
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?
mixed design
Dr. Mendezis trying to reduce Tamar's "talk out" behaviors, first at school and then at home. Which research design is she most likely to use?
multiple-baseline across situations
A college professor reports that students who finish exams early tend to get better grades than students who hold on to exams until the last possible moment. The correlation between exam score and amount of time spent on the exam is an example of a ____.
negative correlation
Which outcome is possible in a 2 × 2 factorial design?
no main effect for either factor and one interaction
A cross-sectional developmental design is an example of the general category of ____ designs.
nonequivalent group
A multiple-baseline across behaviors design consists of ____ baseline phase(s) and ____ treatment phase(s) for each behavior.
one; one
A problem with a longitudinal design is that the results may be distorted by ____.
participant attrition
In single-case research, a group of observations of the same individual under the same conditions is known as a ____.
phase
The results from a research study indicate that adolescents who watch more sexual content on television also tend to engage in more sexual behavior that their peers. The correlation between amount of TV sexual content and amount of sexual behavior is an example of a ____.
positive correlation
Single-cases research studies tend to have ____.
practical significance even though they do not have statistical significance
The goal of single-case research is to ____.
provide a detailed description of a single individual
The advantage of an ABAB design versus a simple AB phase-change design is that the ABAB design ____.
reduces the probability that the result is just chance or coincidence
When the observations in the initial baseline phase show a trend in the direction of improved behavior, the researcher should ____.
refrain from introducing the treatment
A key feature of the multiple-baseline design is that it _____.
requires only one phase change
The direction of a relationship between variables is indicated by the ____.
sign of the correlation
In a 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial experiment, there are ____ groups of participants.
six
Which pair of variables should produce a negative relationship?
speed of running and time to complete a race
In a single-case experimental design, if there is low variability from one observation to the next within a phase, the data are ____.
stable
In a matrix representing the structure of a factorial design, the mean differences among the columns define ____.
the main effect for one factor
In a factorial design, an interaction between the factors occurs whenever ____.
the mean differences between the cells are not explained by the main effects
Dr. Jones hopes to demonstrate that children who eat a more nutritious breakfast also tend to have more academic success than their peers. If this result is obtained, then ____ would be the predictor variable and ____ would be the criterion variable for the study.
the nutrition in the breakfast; the level of success
A clinician claims that the effectiveness of a new treatment varies depending on the gender of the client. Specifically, the new treatment has been shown to be very effective for females, but the treatment has little or no effect for males. In this example, ____.
there is an interaction between the treatment and the client's gender
When the means for a two-factor study are displayed in a graph and the lines in the graph are perfectly parallel, what can you conclude about the main effects and interaction?
there is no interaction between factors
One way in which single-case research is like most other experimental designs is that ____.
they are capable of determining cause-and-effect relationships
A researcher assesses the reading level of third-graders on the first of every month for three months prior to administering a new reading program and for three months following the program. This study is an example of a(n) ____.
time-series design
A Pearson correlation of r = −1.00 means that all the data points fit perfectly on a straight line.
true
A cross-sectional design comparing three different ages would require three separate groups of participants
true
A researcher obtained a correlation of r = +0.62 between the amount of time spent watching television and level of blood cholesterol. This means that there is a general tendency for people who watch more television also to have higher blood cholesterol.
true
A two-factor experimental design must involve at least four different treatment conditions.
true
A two-factor study compares the effectiveness of two different treatments (factor 1) by measuring performance before treatment, immediately after treatment, and three months after treatment (factor 2) for each participant. There are 100 participants, 50 are randomly assigned to treatment A and 50 to treatment B. The results from this study should be evaluated with mixed-design two-factor analysis of variance.
true
A two-factor study compares three different treatment conditions (factor 1) for males and females (factor 2). In this study, the main effect for gender is determined by comparing the overall mean score for the males (averaged over the three treatments) and the corresponding overall mean score for the females (averaged over the three treatments).
true
If a clinician wanted to determine whether a specific treatment causes a change in a client's behavior, a single-case design could be used.
true
In a two-factor study, it is possible to have one between-subjects factor and one within-subjects factor.
true
In a two-factor study, it is possible to have one experimental factor and one nonexperimental factor.
true
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?
twelve
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?
two
How many independent variables are there in an experimental two-factor design?
two
How many main effects are there in a 2 × 3 factorial design?
two
In a correlational study, commonly, ____.
two variables are measured
Averaging over two or three consecutive observations is one method for dealing with ____.
unstable data
Typically, the results from a single-case research study are evaluated using ____.
visual inspection of a graph
At what point is a phase change appropriate?
when the participant shows a clear and stable pattern of behavior
Which set of correlations correctly shows the highest to lowest degree of relationship?
−0.91, +0.83, +0.10, −0.03
