Exam 9: Introduction to Simple Experiments

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Which of the following allows Dr.Lonsbary to conclude that she met the temporal precedence rule for causality?

Explain why control variables are necessary in experiments and why they are not actually variables.

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Which of the following allows Dr.Lonsbary to conclude that she met the covariance rule for causality?

Define manipulation checks and pilot studies and explain how they address the construct validity of an experiment.

RESEARCH STUDY 9.2 Dr. Acitelli studies sleep and sleep disorders. She is curious as to whether falling asleep in front of a television set causes people to fall asleep more slowly than falling asleep regularly. She recruits a sample of 60 middle-aged women from a local church who reported no history of sleep problems. She creates three conditions. All participants come to the sleep lab for three nights in a row and experience all three conditions. In the first condition (A), participants fall asleep in front of a television that is off. In the second condition (B), participants fall asleep in front of a television that is turned on to the same 24-hour news channel. In the third condition (C), participants fall asleep in front of a television that is turned on to the same 24-hour news channel but is muted. With the use of an electroencephalograph (EEG), the researcher measures how long it takes participants to fall asleep. -Refer to Research Study 9.2 above to answer the following question. Given that there are three conditions/levels of the independent variable,how many orders of the conditions are possible in Dr.Acitelli's study?

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Prior to conducting the current study,Dr.Lonsbary asked her research assistant to use the same mood manipulation with a sample of 30 college students to determine if people's moods really did change after listening to the music.Running this preliminary study helps establish which of the following?

What type of experimental designs is affected by order effects? What can researchers do to address order effects and how does this fix them?

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of within-groups designs?

RESEARCH STUDY 9.3 Dr. Phillips is a cognitive-developmental psychologist who studies how children learn mathematical principles. His current interest is in studying how children learn multiplication. He recruits 54 second graders who have not yet learned how to multiply numbers to participate in his study. He is curious as to whether different teaching styles lead to better mastery of the subject. One condition (A) involves having students read a chapter on multiplication from their textbook. One condition (B) involves having students watch a video of cartoon characters explaining multiplication. One condition (C) involves having students being taught multiplication from a teacher. One condition (D) involves having students being taught multiplication by a fourth grader. In all conditions, participants spend 30 minutes learning the fundamentals of multiplication and are then given the same 15-question multiplication test. The number of questions answered correctly is recorded. The data are below. -Refer to Research Study 9.3 above to answer the following question. Using Dr.Phillips's study as an example,explain the difference between a control group and a comparison group.Why did Dr.Phillips's study not have a control group?

Using a matched-group design is especially important in which of the following cases?

Dr.Kline,an environmental psychologist,conducts a study to examine whether visiting zoos causes people to have more positive attitudes toward environmental conservation.He asks a group of 45 people attending the zoo on a Saturday morning about their attitudes.He finds that 69% of the people report having a positive attitude after their visit.Which of the following is true for Dr.Kline's study?

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Which of the following provides information about the statistical validity of Dr.Lonsbary's study?

Explain why experiments are better than your own personal experience at making causal claims.

Which of the following is NOT true of control variables?

Order effects can be controlled by using which of the following techniques?

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. In Dr.Lonsbary's study,which of the following types of groups exists?

A threat to internal validity occurs only if a potential design confound varies ______________ with the independent variable.

What is a design confound? What type of validity is threatened by design confounds and how is it threatened? Explain why not all problems in a study are necessarily confounds.

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Dr.Lonsbary is considering doing a follow-up study in which instead of asking participants to listen to music to induce mood,she has them write a story about a character who just won the lottery or a story about a character who just experienced the death of their spouse.This change in the mood variable is designed to enhance the study's:

RESEARCH STUDY 9.1 Dr. Lonsbary is a cognitive psychologist who is curious about how mood affects memory. She recruited 60 high school students and divided them into three groups. One group (A) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel happy (a song entitled "Don't Worry, Be Happy"). One group (B) listened to a 5-minute piece of music intended to make them feel sad (a song entitled "Alone Again"). One group (C) listened to no music and instead was asked to sit quietly for 5 minutes (thought to make them feel neutral). When a participant would come to her laboratory, she would greet the participant and then ask him or her to draw a card. If the participant drew a 1, 2, or 3, he or she was assigned to Group A. If the participant drew a 4, 5, or 6, he or she was assigned to Group B. If a participant drew a 7, 8, or 9, he or she was assigned to Group C. The participants were then given a CD to listen to based on their group assignment. The CD contained the song selection or 5 minutes of silence. There were no identifying marks on the CD indicating what was contained on the disc. They were then escorted into a different room, where they were greeted by a research assistant who conducted the experiment. The research assistant sat the participants in front of a computer screen and told them that a list of 25 words would be displayed on the screen. They were instructed to put the CD in the computer, put on the headphones, and listen to the CD while trying to memorize the list of words. When 5 minutes had passed, the screen displayed a question asking them whether they felt happy, sad, or neutral. After the participant responded, a new screen was displayed asking them to type in all the words they could remember from the list of 25 words. All participants were given 3 minutes to type the words they remembered. In addition, all participants were given the same list of 25 words to remember. Afterward, the participant was thanked and dismissed. In response to the mood question, a majority of Group A participants said they were happy, a majority of Group B participants said they were sad, and a majority of Group C participants said they were neutral in their mood. Dr. Lonsbary found the following results in response to the number of words remembered. -Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Which of the following is a control variable in Dr.Lonsbary's study?