Question 1

When an independent variable fails to create anticipated behavioral responses, an experimenter can:

Accepted Answer

A)  question participants 
B)  perform an internal analysis 
C)  increase the variable's impact by making it stand out more 
D)  all of the above 
A)  question participants 
B)  perform an internal analysis 
C)  increase the variable's impact by making it stand out more 
D)  all of the above D

Question 2

When an independent variable leads to a weak or almost negligible change in behavior, should the social psychologist debrief participants by trying to learn what they were thinking when they encountered the independent variable? What is the advantage in doing so? What is the risk?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the social psychologist should debrief participants to learn what they were thinking when they encountered the independent variable, even if the change in behavior was weak or almost negligible.

The advantage of debriefing participants in this situation is that it can provide valuable insight into the participants' thought processes and perceptions of the independent variable. This information can help the psychologist understand why the independent variable had a weak effect on behavior and can potentially uncover any underlying factors that may have influenced the participants' responses.

Furthermore, debriefing participants can also help ensure that they fully understand the nature of the study and the reasons for the manipulation of the independent variable, which can contribute to the overall ethical conduct of the research.

However, there are also risks associated with debriefing participants in this context. One potential risk is that participants may provide biased or inaccurate information about their thoughts and reactions, which could lead to misleading conclusions about the study's findings. Additionally, debriefing participants may inadvertently influence their perceptions of the independent variable or their recollection of their experiences during the study.

Despite these risks, the potential benefits of debriefing participants in this situation generally outweigh the potential drawbacks, as long as the psychologist approaches the debriefing process with caution and takes steps to minimize any potential biases or inaccuracies in the participants' responses.

Question 3

In social psychological research, the experimenter's accomplice who often pretends to be a fellow participant is commonly referred to as:

Accepted Answer

A)  helpmate 
B)  aid 
C)  confederate 
D)  confrere 
A)  helpmate 
B)  aid 
C)  confederate 
D)  confrere C

Question 4

Milgram's (1974) obedience to authority experiment is probably best described as:

Accepted Answer

A)  an impact study 
B)  a judgment study 
C)  a case of illusory control 
D)  lacking an independent variable 
A)  an impact study 
B)  a judgment study 
C)  a case of illusory control 
D)  lacking an independent variable

Question 5

What is an independent variable? Define this term and provide a concrete example.

Accepted Answer

An independent variable is a variable th

Question 6

Variables, such as sex and personality traits, are common in social psychology experiments but they differ from traditional independent variables because they are:

Accepted Answer

A)  more complex 
B)  nonmanipulated 
C)  difficult to measure 
D)  immune to random assignment 
A)  more complex 
B)  nonmanipulated 
C)  difficult to measure 
D)  immune to random assignment

Question 7

A series of studies by Nisbett and Wilson (1977) found that:

Accepted Answer

A)  people often do not know what factors influence their behavior 
B)  people easily recognize independent variables 
C)  people's personality traits disrupt the impact of the independent variable 
D)  none of the above 
A)  people often do not know what factors influence their behavior 
B)  people easily recognize independent variables 
C)  people's personality traits disrupt the impact of the independent variable 
D)  none of the above

Question 8

How do the nature and delivery of instructions affect participant involvement in social psychology experiment? List and explain some of the qualities such instructions should possess.

Accepted Answer

The nature and delivery of instructions

Question 9

To keep a participant's attention during a social psychology experiment, instructions should be:

Accepted Answer

A)  task-oriented 
B)  simple and straight-forward 
C)  involving or engaging 
D)  all of the above 
A)  task-oriented 
B)  simple and straight-forward 
C)  involving or engaging 
D)  all of the above

Question 10

Can individual differences and variables like sex serve as independent variables? How? What are these sorts of variables called? How do they differ from traditional independent variables?

Accepted Answer

Yes, individual differences and variable

Question 11

Briefly describe Langer's (1975) lottery card study demonstrating what she called the "illusion of control." What role do skill-related perceptions play in this illusion?

Accepted Answer

Langer's (1975) lottery card study invol

Question 12

What is a manipulation check? What are the different kinds of manipulation checks social psychologist rely on?

Accepted Answer

A manipulation check is a measure used i

Question 13

When doing a social psychology experiment, does one operationalization of an independent variable represent all possible operationalizations? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

No, one operationalization of an indepen

Question 14

Is it acceptable to revise a hypothesis after a study is over? What should a social psychologist do if the data do not conform to the hypothesis? Is there anything to be learned from a "failed" hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is acceptable to revise a hypoth

Question 15

What are mediator and moderator variables? What role do they play in social psychology theory and experiments?

Accepted Answer

Mediator and moderator variables are imp

Question 16

Which of the following conceptual variables is not linked to illusory control?

Accepted Answer

A)  competition 
B)  time 
C)  choice 
D)  skill 
A)  competition 
B)  time 
C)  choice 
D)  skill

Question 17

Before collecting data, an experimenter wants to verify that people will believe that a film clip is pleasurable rather than upsetting to watch. He pilot tests the clip on a group of people and assesses their responses. He has used a:

Accepted Answer

A)  internal manipulation check 
B)  external manipulation check 
C)  nonmanipulated variable 
D)  causal factor 
A)  internal manipulation check 
B)  external manipulation check 
C)  nonmanipulated variable 
D)  causal factor

Question 18

Discuss some of the ways an experimenter can deliver or introduce the independent variable to participants. Which methods are more common in impact studies? In judgment studies?

Accepted Answer

In experimental studies, the independent

Question 19

In social psychology experiments, some independent variables cause behavior directly while in other studies behavior is caused indirectly. Why does this distinction matter when conducting a piece of research?

Accepted Answer

The distinction between independent vari

Question 20

Why are experimenters well-advised to deliver instructions clearly, to repeat them, and to then carefully "probe" the participants about the instruction's contents?

Accepted Answer

Experimenters are well-advised to delive

When an independent variable fails to create anticipated behavioral responses, an experimenter can:

When an independent variable leads to a weak or almost negligible change in behavior, should the social psychologist debrief participants by trying to learn what they were thinking when they encountered the independent variable? What is the advantage in doing so? What is the risk?

In social psychological research, the experimenter's accomplice who often pretends to be a fellow participant is commonly referred to as:

Milgram's (1974) obedience to authority experiment is probably best described as:

What is an independent variable? Define this term and provide a concrete example.

Variables, such as sex and personality traits, are common in social psychology experiments but they differ from traditional independent variables because they are:

A series of studies by Nisbett and Wilson (1977) found that:

How do the nature and delivery of instructions affect participant involvement in social psychology experiment? List and explain some of the qualities such instructions should possess.

To keep a participant's attention during a social psychology experiment, instructions should be:

Can individual differences and variables like sex serve as independent variables? How? What are these sorts of variables called? How do they differ from traditional independent variables?

Briefly describe Langer's (1975) lottery card study demonstrating what she called the "illusion of control." What role do skill-related perceptions play in this illusion?

What is a manipulation check? What are the different kinds of manipulation checks social psychologist rely on?

When doing a social psychology experiment, does one operationalization of an independent variable represent all possible operationalizations? Why or why not?

Is it acceptable to revise a hypothesis after a study is over? What should a social psychologist do if the data do not conform to the hypothesis? Is there anything to be learned from a "failed" hypothesis?

What are mediator and moderator variables? What role do they play in social psychology theory and experiments?

Which of the following conceptual variables is not linked to illusory control?

Before collecting data, an experimenter wants to verify that people will believe that a film clip is pleasurable rather than upsetting to watch. He pilot tests the clip on a group of people and assesses their responses. He has used a:

Discuss some of the ways an experimenter can deliver or introduce the independent variable to participants. Which methods are more common in impact studies? In judgment studies?

In social psychology experiments, some independent variables cause behavior directly while in other studies behavior is caused indirectly. Why does this distinction matter when conducting a piece of research?

Why are experimenters well-advised to deliver instructions clearly, to repeat them, and to then carefully "probe" the participants about the instruction's contents?

Studying Social Psychology

Developing Research Topics in Social Psychology

Ethical Issues in Social Psychological Research

Basic Experimental Design

Alternatives to Experimental Research in Social Psychology

Developing Questionnaires and Surveys

Measuring What Happens: Dependent Variables

Validity and Realism in Research

Conducting Social Psychology Experiments: Practical Matters

Data Analysis

Presenting Social Psychological Research

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Exam 7: Introducing a Difference: Independent Variables

When an independent variable fails to create anticipated behavioral responses, an experimenter can:

When an independent variable leads to a weak or almost negligible change in behavior, should the social psychologist debrief participants by trying to learn what they were thinking when they encountered the independent variable? What is the advantage in doing so? What is the risk?

In social psychological research, the experimenter's accomplice who often pretends to be a fellow participant is commonly referred to as:

Milgram's (1974) obedience to authority experiment is probably best described as:

What is an independent variable? Define this term and provide a concrete example.

Variables, such as sex and personality traits, are common in social psychology experiments but they differ from traditional independent variables because they are:

A series of studies by Nisbett and Wilson (1977) found that:

How do the nature and delivery of instructions affect participant involvement in social psychology experiment? List and explain some of the qualities such instructions should possess.

To keep a participant's attention during a social psychology experiment, instructions should be:

Can individual differences and variables like sex serve as independent variables? How? What are these sorts of variables called? How do they differ from traditional independent variables?

Briefly describe Langer's (1975) lottery card study demonstrating what she called the "illusion of control." What role do skill-related perceptions play in this illusion?

What is a manipulation check? What are the different kinds of manipulation checks social psychologist rely on?

When doing a social psychology experiment, does one operationalization of an independent variable represent all possible operationalizations? Why or why not?

Is it acceptable to revise a hypothesis after a study is over? What should a social psychologist do if the data do not conform to the hypothesis? Is there anything to be learned from a "failed" hypothesis?

What are mediator and moderator variables? What role do they play in social psychology theory and experiments?

Which of the following conceptual variables is not linked to illusory control?

Before collecting data, an experimenter wants to verify that people will believe that a film clip is pleasurable rather than upsetting to watch. He pilot tests the clip on a group of people and assesses their responses. He has used a:

Discuss some of the ways an experimenter can deliver or introduce the independent variable to participants. Which methods are more common in impact studies? In judgment studies?

In social psychology experiments, some independent variables cause behavior directly while in other studies behavior is caused indirectly. Why does this distinction matter when conducting a piece of research?

Why are experimenters well-advised to deliver instructions clearly, to repeat them, and to then carefully "probe" the participants about the instruction's contents?

Studying Social Psychology

Developing Research Topics in Social Psychology

Ethical Issues in Social Psychological Research

Basic Experimental Design

Alternatives to Experimental Research in Social Psychology

Developing Questionnaires and Surveys

Measuring What Happens: Dependent Variables

Validity and Realism in Research

Conducting Social Psychology Experiments: Practical Matters

Data Analysis

Presenting Social Psychological Research

Filters