Deck 6: Research Strategies and Validity.

Question 1

Experiments allow researchers to ____.​

A)​eliminate experimenter bias
B)​answer questions about the existence of a relationship between two variables
C)observe naturally occurring behavior
D)​answer cause-and-effect questions about the relationship between two variables

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Deciding whether a study will compare different groups of individuals or examine changes within the same group of individuals involves a decision about the research ____.​

A)​procedure
B)​design
C)strategy
D)​protocol

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which research strategy attempts to address questions about cause-and-effect relationships but fails to produce an unambiguous answer because the study contains a flaw?

A)​experimental
B)​quasi-experimental
C)nonexperimental
D)​correlational

Answer 3

B

Question 4

As the values for one variable decrease from one person to another,the values for a second variable also tend to decrease.This is an example of a(n)____ relationship.​

A)​positive
B)​negative
C)curvilinear
D)​inconsistent

Question 5

Any factor that limits the ability to generalize the results of the study is a threat to ____.

A)​internal validity
B)​external validity
C)reliability
D)​accuracy

Question 6

Which question is best addressed with the correlational strategy?​

A)​What is the average number of text messages that a typical adolescent sends in a month?
B)​Is there a relationship between the number of text messages that adolescents send each month and the number of pages of leisure reading done by adolescents?
C)Does decreasing the number of text messages sent by adolescents cause an increase in number of pages read for leisure?
D)​Will restricting access to portable devices increase the number of pages read for leisure?

Question 7

A research study begins by separating a sample of 20-year-old women into two groups: a high Facebook use group and a low Facebook use group.A score measuring happiness is then obtained for each woman.The study intends to determine whether there is a relationship between Facebook use and happiness.This study is an example of the ____ research strategy.​

A)​descriptive
B)​correlational
C)experimental
D)​nonexperimental

Question 8

A research ____ is a general approach that is intended to address a specific question.

A)​procedure
B)​design
C)strategy
D)​protocol

Question 9

The degree to which your research results generalize beyond the specific characteristics of your study refers to ____.

A)​internal validity
B)​external validity
C)general validity
D)​reliability

Question 10

A research study records a score measuring Facebook use and a score measuring happiness level for each individual in a group of 20-year-old women.The study intends to determine whether there is a relationship between the two variables.This study is best characterized as ____ research.

A)​descriptive
B)​correlational
C)experimental
D)​nonexperimental

Question 11

As the values for one variable increase from one person to another,the values for a second variable tend to decrease.This is an example of a(n)____ relationship.​

A)​positive
B)​negative
C)curvilinear
D)​inconsistent

Question 12

A research study attempts to describe the relationship between self-esteem and birth order position by measuring self-esteem for each individual in a group of first-born boys,and then comparing the results with self-esteem scores for a group later-born boys.This study is an example of the ____ strategy.​

A)​nonexperimental
B)​correlational
C)experimental
D)​quasi-experimental

Question 13

Which question is best addressed with the experimental strategy?​

A)​What is the average number of text messages that a typical adolescent sends in a month?
B)​Is there a relationship between the number of text messages that adolescents send each month and the number of pages of leisure reading done by adolescents?
C)Does decreasing the number of text messages that can be sent by adolescents cause an increase in number of pages read for leisure?
D)​Do teenagers who text less get better grades?

Question 14

A study examining the percentage of college-age students who are in committed relationships is an example of what research approach?​

A)​experimental
B)​quasi-experimental
C)correlational
D)​descriptive

Question 15

Which research strategies attempt to address the same question about the relationship between variables?​

A)​descriptive and correlational
B)​correlational and experimental
C)correlational and nonexperimental
D)​experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental

Question 16

A research ____ is a general plan for implementing the research strategy.

A)​procedure
B)​design
C)study
D)​protocol

Question 17

Which research strategies produce similar data structures that use similar statistical analyses?

A)​descriptive and correlational
B)​correlational and experimental
C)correlational and nonexperimental
D)​experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental

Question 18

A scatter plot showing the relationship between two variables shows data points that form a straight-line pattern.What kind of relationship is indicated by this pattern?

A)​positive
B)​negative
C)curvilinear
D)​linear

Question 19

Which question can be addressed with a descriptive strategy?​

A)​What is the average number of text messages that a typical adolescent sends in a month?
B)​Is there a relationship between the number of text messages that adolescents send each month and the number of pages of leisure reading done by adolescents?
C)Does decreasing the number of text messages sent by adolescents cause an increase in number of pages read for leisure?
D)​Will restricting access to portable devices increase the number of pages read for leisure?

Question 20

Which research strategy is least concerned with examining relationships between variables?

A)​descriptive
B)​correlational
C)experimental
D)​quasi-experimental

Question 21

A study examining the relationship between humor and memory compares memory performance scores for one group presented with humorous sentences and a second group presented with nonhumorous sentences.The participants presented with the humorous sentences are all males.The participants presented with the nonhumorous sentences are all females.In this study,gender (male/female)is best characterized as a(n)____ variable.

A)​independent
B)​dependent
C)extraneous
D)​confounding

Question 22

A study is ____ if it produces only one explanation for the results.

A)​internally valid
B)​externally valid
C)reliable
D)​accurate

Question 23

A researcher finds that in a laboratory a meditation session decreases anxiety scores of college students.The researcher wonders whether the meditation session would decrease anxiety in clients diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.This researcher is considering the ____ of the findings.​

A)​external validity
B)​internal validity
C)reliability
D)​accuracy

Question 24

The results of a study may be influenced by the experimenter's expectations regarding the outcome of the study.This artifact is known as ____.

A)​reactivity
B)​novelty
C)experimenter bias
D)​volunteerism

Question 25

The ____ of a research study is concerned with factors in the study that raise doubts about the interpretation of the results.​

A)​internal validity
B)​external validity
C)reliability
D)​accuracy

Question 26

When research is conducted in a ____,participants are not influenced by ____.

A)​laboratory; reactivity
B)​laboratory; novelty
C)field; reactivity
D)​field; demand characteristics

Question 27

When participants in one treatment condition have characteristics that are different from the characteristics of participants in another treatment condition,then ____ may be threatened.

A)​internal validity
B)​external validity
C)reliability
D)​accuracy

Question 28

In research studies that compare different groups of individuals for each of the treatment conditions,____ is a threat to internal validity.

A)​time
B)​assignment bias
C)novelty
D)​sensitivity

Question 29

A researcher who is studying methods of decreasing test anxiety decides to measure anxiety in a group of volunteers both before and after an experimental intervention.He finds that anxiety levels are lower after the intervention.However,when reviewing his results,the researcher notes that the first test occurred about a week before midterm exams and the second test occurred two weeks after the exams.This study appears to have a problem with ____.

A)​internal validity
B)​external validity
C)reliability
D)​accuracy

Question 30

A researcher finds that a particular medication causes rats' memory to improve.A second researcher plans to test this medication with humans diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.The second researcher is addressing the problem of ____.​

A)​external validity
B)​internal validity
C)reliability
D)​accuracy

Question 31

A(n)____variable is a variable in a study that is not being directly studied.​

A)​independent
B)​dependent
C)extraneous
D)​lax

Question 32

A researcher designs a study to determine whether teaching style affects third grader's motivation to succeed in math.One teacher,with one style,teaches math to one class of children.Another teacher,with a different style,teaches math to a different class of children.The researcher finds that the children in the first class are more motivated to succeed in math.These differences in motivation can be explained by ____.

A)​dislike of math
B)​teaching styles and teachers
C)time of day
D)​room color

Question 33

In which research situation would the study be confounded?​

A)​An extraneous variable varies systematically along with the two variables being studied.
B)​Two or more extraneous variables vary systematically together.
C)An extraneous variable does not vary systematically with the other variables being investigated.
D)​An extraneous variable does not vary systematically with other extraneous variables.

Question 34

Sensitization can threaten external validity because the results obtained in a study may be limited to ____.

A)​the unique circumstances of the research study
B)​individuals who have experienced a pretest
C)individuals who have experienced a series of conditions
D)​participants who take on a variety of  subject roles

Question 35

A research study finds that a group of participants who received relaxation training had lower exam anxiety scores than a group who did not receive training.However,the researcher suspects that the difference between groups may be caused by the fact that the participants in one group are generally smarter than those in the other.This study has a problem with ____.​

A)​internal validity
B)​external validity
C)experimental validity
D)​correlational validity

Question 36

Demand characteristics can threaten internal validity because the results ____.

A)​may not generalize to situations where demand characteristics are different
B)​may be specific to the experimenter who has the expectations
C)can be explained by reactivity instead of the treatment conditions
D)​correlate with those that threaten external validity 

Question 37

A study examining the relationship between humor and memory compares memory performance scores for one group presented with humorous sentences and a second group presented with nonhumorous sentences.The participants in both groups consist of a mixture of males and females.In this study,gender (male/female)is best characterized as a(n)____ variable.

A)​independent
B)​dependent
C)extraneous
D)​confounding

Question 38

A researcher designs a study to determine whether female preschoolers prefer sweetened or unsweetened cereal.The researcher first presents the children with the sweet cereal and measures how much they ate.Later,during the same session,the researcher presents the children with the unsweetened cereal and measures how much they ate.The research finds that the group of preschoolers ate more of the sweetened cereal and therefore prefers the sweetened cereal.Is this conclusion justified?

A)​Yes; this conclusion is justified.
B)​No; this conclusion is not justified. Individual differences could threaten the results.
C)No; this conclusion is not justified. Time-related variables could threaten the results.
D)​No; this conclusion is not justified. Children's gender could threaten the results

Question 39

If a researcher finds that room color influences mood of the adults in a sample,then the researcher would like to conclude that room color affects the mood of ____.​

A)​children as well
B)​any individual
C)adults in general
D)​adolescents even more

Question 40

A researcher is concerned that experimental results obtained with college students may not apply to adults in the general population.This illustrates a concern with ____ validity.

A)internal
B)​external
C)experimental
D)​correlational

Question 41

Of all the research strategies that investigate relationships between variables,the correlational strategy is the only one that does not involve comparing groups of scores.​

Question 42

An extraneous variable is any variable that is inadvertently part of a research study but not directly investigated.​

Question 43

The problem with using college students as research participants is that college students are not perfectly representative of the general adult population.​

Question 44

Assignment bias is a threat to external validity.​

Question 45

A researcher is conducting a study in which a treatment group is compared to a no-treatment control group.The treatment group is tested in the lab and the control group is tested in a classroom.Time is likely to be a threat to the internal validity of the study.
​

Question 46

Experimental and nonexperimental studies both involve comparing groups of scores.​

Question 47

The purpose of the descriptive research strategy is to describe the relationship between two variables.​

Question 48

The results of a study may be limited to the way the variable is measured.

Question 49

The purpose of the correlational research strategy is to describe the relationship between two variables and measure its strength.

Question 50

Any factor that allows for an alternative explanation for the results of a study is a threat to external validity.​

Question 51

When the data points in a scatter plot form a circular pattern,it is an indication that there is no consistent relationship between the two variables.​

Question 52

An extraneous variable can become a confounding variable if it changes systematically along with the other variables being examined in a research study.​

Question 53

The descriptive research strategy is the only strategy that is not concerned with relationships between variables.​

Question 54

Experimenter bias and participant reactivity can threaten both internal and external validity.

Question 55

A research design is a general approach that is intended to address a specific question.​

Question 56

If the participants in one treatment condition are noticeably older than the participants in another treatment condition,then participant age is a confounding variable.

Question 57

If there are two or more possible explanations for the results of a research study,then the study has a problem with external validity.​

Question 58

Both correlational and nonexperimental studies intend to examine relationships between variables without trying to explain the relationships.​

Question 59

Selection bias is a threat to external validity.​

Question 60

Any factor that limits the ability to generalize the results of a research study to different populations or different environments is a threat to external validity.

Question 61

What is a confounding variable? How does it affect the validity of your research study? Describe a research study that contains an example of a confounding variable.​

Question 62

Define external validity in research design.Describe in detail one threat to the external validity of a research study.Be sure to specify how that characteristic is a threat to external validity.​

Question 63

Explain the difference between assignment bias and selection bias.Which one is a threat to internal validity and which is a threat to external validity?

Question 64

Describe the kind of question that each of the major five research strategies intends to answer.

Question 65

What is an extraneous variable? How can it become a confounding variable? Describe a research study that contains an example of an extraneous variable.

Question 66

Define internal validity in research design.Describe two threats to the internal validity of a research study.(Note: For each threat,be sure to label it,describe it,and be sure to indicate how it specifically is a threat to the internal validity of the design.)