Exam 4: The Psychologists Toolbox: Tools for Building Better Designs

How do research psychologists decide upon a study design?

Use the following to answer questions Scenario I Scenario I is based on fabricated data inspired by the following study: Garza-Villarreal, E. A., Wilson, A. D., Vase, L., et al. (2014). Music reduces pain and increases functional mobility in fibromyalgia. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(90), 1-10. Music Reduces Fibromyalgia Pain Garza-Villarreal and colleagues examined the effect of music on pain and mobility in 22 individuals with fibromyalgia. The study was designed so that pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, and mobility were measured twice for each participant. The first set of measurements were obtained after they listened to white noise for 10 minutes, and the second set of measurements were obtained after they listened to music for 10 minutes. The music each participant listened to was of their own choosing with the instruction that the piece selected should be calming to them. The study was counterbalanced so that half of the participants heard the white noise first and half heard the music first. Pain intensity and unpleasantness was measured using the Verbal Rating Scale. Participants indicate their levels of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness by writing their response to various questions using a 10-point scale. Higher scores indicated higher levels of pain intensity and unpleasantness. Mobility was measured by timing how long it took participants to walk three meters from a sitting position and then back to their chair. The results revealed that pain intensity and unpleasantness changed significantly after participants listened to music, but not after they listened to white noise. In addition, music, but not white noise, reduced the time it took to complete the behavioral task. This study suggests that music improves mobility in fibromyalgia patients presumably by reducing pain perception. -(Scenario I) Systematic error in measurement in Scenario I would have occurred if:

What is social desirability bias?

Which of the following minimizes participant reactivity?

Each of the following is a nonexperimental research design, EXCEPT:

What is a quasi-independent variable?

Dr. Tomero asks his graduate students to code his interview tapes for the appearance of micro-expressions. If one of his graduate students believes that she sees disgust, while another rates the same micro-expression as sadness, what type of error should Dr. Tomero be concerned with?

Advantages of self-report measures include all of the following, EXCEPT:

Each of the following are self-report measures, EXCEPT:

The _____ misdirection in the cover story, the _____ naturally participants respond to the variables under investigation.

Use the following to answer questions Scenario II Scenario II is based on fabricated data inspired by the following study: Holtfreter, K., Reisig, M. D. & Turanovic, J. J. (2015). Depression and infrequent participation in social activities among older adults: the moderating role of high-quality familial ties. Aging and Mental Health, Oct 15:1-10. [Epub ahead of print]. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family ties and depression in the elderly. To that end, Holtfreter and colleagues randomly dialed telephone numbers from Florida and Arizona telephone directory databases that contained a combined total of 4130 phone numbers. Of the 4130 numbers dialed, 2000 individuals older than 60 years answered the call and agreed to participate in the telephone survey. The survey included questions that assessed one's level of social activity, depression, and family ties. The results revealed that elderly individuals who reported being very happy with their children and with their partner were significantly less depressed than those whose family ties were less strong. In addition, the researchers found that those who were depressed were less likely to participate in social activities. The results of this study suggest that family is an important contributor to psychological and social well-being. -(Scenario II) The questions the researchers in Scenario II asked participants to assess depression came from the Geriatric Depression Scale, a widely used instrument known to accurately quantify depression in the elderly population. With this information, you conclude that their assessment of depression is:

Beginning is to end as:

What are demand characteristics and how can they be minimized in a research study?

What is written in the method section of an APA-style report?

Gemma wants to design a questionnaire that will assess assertiveness in the workplace. What should she keep in mind in order to ensure that her scale has adequate sensitivity?

Behavioral trace requires the researcher to make _____ inferences than behavior observation.