Exam 5: Introduction to Experimental Research

Between the administration of a pretest and a posttest, an event may occur that can affect the results of the study independent of the treatment program being evaluated. This threat to internal validity is called

After averaging 20 points per game for her college basketball team over the first 15 games, Amanda scores 37 points one night. Because of _______, she will almost certainly score _______ points in the next game.

In any experiment, the dependent variable is

The major threat to internal validity that occurs in studies that last for a significant period of time (e.g., five years)is

Self-esteem would be considered a manipulated independent variable if

In a study about self-esteem, self-esteem is

In a study assessing the effects of crowding on problem solving, participants solve anagrams in large or small rooms. In this case, the independent variable is

External validity concerns the extent that research findings

In a study comparing productivity in two factories, one in an urban setting and one in a rural setting, a city wide strike may affect life for subjects in the first group but not those in the second. This is an example of

Compared with research in which people learn lists of words and recall them, studies on such topics as eyewitness memory and the recall of high school Spanish have greater

When B. F. Skinner was ranked as the top psychologist by psychology department heads, some might argue that the ranking occurred because the study was done shortly after Skinner died. This is a criticism of ________ validity.

In the Bobo doll study by Bandura, Ross, and Ross,

Woodworth's so-called "Columbia bible" was the first experimental psychology text to argue for a clear distinction between

In a study of the effects of X on Y, variable Z is confounded with X. Which of the following is true?

Worker productivity is assessed before and after a program for flextime is instituted. Just after the pretest, workers receive an unexpected bonus check based on unusually high product sales. Productivity is higher on the posttest than on the pretest, but the researcher suspects ______ as a threat to internal validity.

When a confound exists,

People are given a personality test and then separated into those who tend to be introverted and those who tend to be extroverted. In this study the independent variable is a _______ variable.

In an experiment on creative problem solving in groups, some groups of participants are told to produce the best solutions, while other groups are told to produce ideas without regard to their merit (i.e., to brainstorm). The independent variable in this study is

After taking a personality test that differentiates introverts from extraverts, two groups are formed. Tested individually, introverted participants are given a series of problems to solve in a small (36 square feet)room, while extroverts are given the same problems in a larger room (81 square feet). Which of the following is true?

What was the main methodological flaw in Brady's "ulcers in executive monkeys" study?