Exam 9: Multivariate Correlational Research

Dr.O'Toole is a counseling psychologist who researches family dynamics.He is curious as to whether there is a causal link between the amount of time families spend together on vacation and children's happiness.More specifically,he thinks that spending more time together as a family on vacation causes children to be happier.He designs a study where he samples 63 single-child families in December of 2008 and measures how many days the family spent on vacation in the past year as well as the child's happiness.He then contacts the same families in December 2013 and measures those two variables again.The results of his study are below. -There are three possible causal patterns that can be found in a study like Dr.O'Toole's.Choose one causal pattern and explain which correlations need to be significant,which ones should not be significant,and what type of causal claim can be made.Make sure you use the variable names and not just the correlation numbers (e.g. ,Correlation 1).

Dr.Farah is an educational psychologist who is interested in studying the potential causal relationship between doing homework and academic achievement.In January,Dr.Farah has her students report their fall GPA (a measure of academic achievement)and estimate how many hours they spent doing homework during a typical week in the fall semester.In May,Dr.Farah measures the same variables again (the estimated number of hours spent doing homework during a typical week in the spring semester and their spring GPA).She finds the following correlations. -Correlation 1 is an example of which of the following types of correlations?

Dr.Farah is an educational psychologist who is interested in studying the potential causal relationship between doing homework and academic achievement.In January,Dr.Farah has her students report their fall GPA (a measure of academic achievement)and estimate how many hours they spent doing homework during a typical week in the fall semester.In May,Dr.Farah measures the same variables again (the estimated number of hours spent doing homework during a typical week in the spring semester and their spring GPA).She finds the following correlations. -Correlation 5 is an example of which of the following types of correlations?

Dr.Uchida is a clinical psychologist who is curious about how people deal with natural disasters (e.g. ,hurricanes,tornados).His previous research suggests that there is a relationship between how much people feel that their emotional well-being was affected by the natural disaster and their likelihood of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)symptoms.However,he is curious whether the effect of emotional well-being goes through another variable,social support.He conducts a study in which he asks 174 men and women affected by the 2011 tsunami in Japan to report on how their well-being was affected by the tsunami,the social support felt after the storm,and the number of PTSD symptoms.Dr.Uchida finds support for his proposed relationship.However,in examining his data more closely,he finds that the relationship between emotional well-being and PTSD symptoms is stronger for men than for women. -State Dr.Uchida's hypothesis and sketch a diagram of this hypothesized relationship.

Dr.Nguyen is a psychologist who studies legal decision making.Specifically,he is curious about the factors that are irrelevant to the crime committed that influence the sentences juries give to defendants (known as extra-legal factors).To study this further,he samples a group of jury-eligible adults from the Memphis area.He provides them with the fact pattern to a particular case and allows them to watch the closing statements from the trial.He then asks them to provide a sentence (in months)for the defendant.In addition,he measures two legal factors (the number of arguments made by the prosecuting attorney and the length of time the defense attorney speaks during his or her closing argument)and two extra-legal factors (how attractive the participants think the defendant is [higher scores indicate higher ratings of attractiveness] and how many legal televisions shows the participants watch).The data are below. -Explain whether or not Dr.Nguyen could conduct an experiment instead of a multiple regression design.Regardless,why would an experiment be better than his current study?

When determining mediation,how many steps are necessary?

Dr.Farah is an educational psychologist who is interested in studying the potential causal relationship between doing homework and academic achievement.In January,Dr.Farah has her students report their fall GPA (a measure of academic achievement)and estimate how many hours they spent doing homework during a typical week in the fall semester.In May,Dr.Farah measures the same variables again (the estimated number of hours spent doing homework during a typical week in the spring semester and their spring GPA).She finds the following correlations. -Which of the following correlations is a cross-lag correlation?

Which of the following is a correlation that could be examined in both longitudinal designs and simple bivariate designs?

If a researcher is asking why the relationship between two variables exists,she is curious about which of the following?

How do multiple regression designs help rule out third variables?

Which of the following is NOT true of third variables and mediating variables?

Which popular press headline does NOT suggest that a multiple regression has been used?

Dr.Farah is an educational psychologist who is interested in studying the potential causal relationship between doing homework and academic achievement.In January,Dr.Farah has her students report their fall GPA (a measure of academic achievement)and estimate how many hours they spent doing homework during a typical week in the fall semester.In May,Dr.Farah measures the same variables again (the estimated number of hours spent doing homework during a typical week in the spring semester and their spring GPA).She finds the following correlations. -Which of the correlations is an autocorrelation?

Dr.Nguyen is a psychologist who studies legal decision making.Specifically,he is curious about the factors that are irrelevant to the crime committed that influence the sentences juries give to defendants (known as extra-legal factors).To study this further,he samples a group of jury-eligible adults from the Memphis area.He provides them with the fact pattern to a particular case and allows them to watch the closing statements from the trial.He then asks them to provide a sentence (in months)for the defendant.In addition,he measures two legal factors (the number of arguments made by the prosecuting attorney and the length of time the defense attorney speaks during his or her closing argument)and two extra-legal factors (how attractive the participants think the defendant is [higher scores indicate higher ratings of attractiveness] and how many legal televisions shows the participants watch).The data are below. -List the predictor and dependent/criterion variables in Dr.Nguyen's study.

Dr.Farah is an educational psychologist who is interested in studying the potential causal relationship between doing homework and academic achievement.In January,Dr.Farah has her students report their fall GPA (a measure of academic achievement)and estimate how many hours they spent doing homework during a typical week in the fall semester.In May,Dr.Farah measures the same variables again (the estimated number of hours spent doing homework during a typical week in the spring semester and their spring GPA).She finds the following correlations. -A colleague of Dr.Farah's asks her why she did not simply conduct an experiment.Which of the following is a probable reason for Dr.Farah's choice not to conduct an experiment?

Dr.Nguyen is a psychologist who studies legal decision making.Specifically,he is curious about the factors that are irrelevant to the crime committed that influence the sentences juries give to defendants (known as extra-legal factors).To study this further,he samples a group of jury-eligible adults from the Memphis area.He provides them with the fact pattern to a particular case and allows them to watch the closing statements from the trial.He then asks them to provide a sentence (in months)for the defendant.In addition,he measures two legal factors (the number of arguments made by the prosecuting attorney and the length of time the defense attorney speaks during his or her closing argument)and two extra-legal factors (how attractive the participants think the defendant is [higher scores indicate higher ratings of attractiveness] and how many legal televisions shows the participants watch).The data are below. -Explain whether Dr.Nguyen is correct in thinking that extra-legal factors are more important in legal decision making than legal factors.

Dr.O'Toole is a counseling psychologist who researches family dynamics.He is curious as to whether there is a causal link between the amount of time families spend together on vacation and children's happiness.More specifically,he thinks that spending more time together as a family on vacation causes children to be happier.He designs a study where he samples 63 single-child families in December of 2008 and measures how many days the family spent on vacation in the past year as well as the child's happiness.He then contacts the same families in December 2013 and measures those two variables again.The results of his study are below. -There are three types of correlations discussed in longitudinal designs.From Dr.O'Toole's study,provide an example of each of the following: a cross-sectional correlation,an autocorrelation,and a cross-lag correlation.Make sure you use the variable names and not just the correlation numbers (e.g. ,the correlation between 2008 vacation days and 2008 child happiness).

Which of the following studies is an example of a longitudinal design?

Dr.Farah is an educational psychologist who is interested in studying the potential causal relationship between doing homework and academic achievement.In January,Dr.Farah has her students report their fall GPA (a measure of academic achievement)and estimate how many hours they spent doing homework during a typical week in the fall semester.In May,Dr.Farah measures the same variables again (the estimated number of hours spent doing homework during a typical week in the spring semester and their spring GPA).She finds the following correlations. -In considering the three causal rules,which of the following rules/questions will Dr.Farah's study NOT be able to address?

Which of the following is NOT a problem with journalists ignoring the importance of pattern and parsimony in research?