Exam 9: The Fundamentals of Research Methodology

When a post-facto relationship is found between two variables A and B, it is always possible, though not certain, that

Questions below will be based on the following: A researcher was interested in discovering whether attitude changes can be more effectively brought about when persons are made to feel part of the decision making process. A group of women was selected and randomly assigned to one of two groups, one group being placed in a large lecture hall, and the other in a small discussion-group setting. In the lecture setting, a speaker exhorted the women to use less expensive cuts of meat, whereas in the small-group setting a different group leader, although raising the same issues as the lecture had, also encouraged the subjects to participate in the discussion and offer suggestions, Several weeks later both groups of women were checked at home to determine whether they were indeed using the meat cuts which had been urged. Only 3% of the lecture group members had the meat cuts, whereas 32% of the discussion group members had the meat cuts. The difference was clearly significant. -The design of the study was

In any input-output relationship, the dependent variable is considered to be

The potential for the Hawthorne effect is most pronounced when the researcher is using

If a researcher wished to assess whether or not a certain drug will increase IQ scores, the independent variable would be the

The most common error in reading and interpreting research studies is in

In the following questions, you are to identify the alternative which is NOT appropriately grouped with the others

In any study, experimental or post-facto, the independent variable must always be under the researcher's full control.

When numbers are assigned on the basis of discrete, mutually exclusive categories, the resulting scale is called

The between-subjects, repeated-measures or matched-subjects designs may be used when conducting experimental research.

With interval data, there must be an absolute zero point.

When the researcher is doing an experiment in which intact groups are being compared, the experimental design is considered to be

The technique of counterbalancing assures that external validity will be minimized.

In experimental research, when the same group is used as both an experimental and control group, the research design is

The concept of "greater than or less than" is a crucial component of nominal data.

If IQ data are interval, then one can safely say that an IQ of 140 is twice as high as an IQ of 70.

When measures provide information of not just greater than or less than, but also how much greater or less, the data form is

Questions below will be based on the following: A researcher was interested in discovering whether attitude changes can be more effectively brought about when persons are made to feel part of the decision making process. A group of women was selected and randomly assigned to one of two groups, one group being placed in a large lecture hall, and the other in a small discussion-group setting. In the lecture setting, a speaker exhorted the women to use less expensive cuts of meat, whereas in the small-group setting a different group leader, although raising the same issues as the lecture had, also encouraged the subjects to participate in the discussion and offer suggestions, Several weeks later both groups of women were checked at home to determine whether they were indeed using the meat cuts which had been urged. Only 3% of the lecture group members had the meat cuts, whereas 32% of the discussion group members had the meat cuts. The difference was clearly significant. -The independent variable was

Whenever a researcher randomly selects equivalent groups, and then exposes them to different stimulus conditions, and then measures them to see if significant difference can be observed, the total procedure is an example of

Statements such as "twice as large" or "half as large" can only be made when the data are ordinal.