Deck 7: Experimentation

Question 1

The most distinctive feature of social scientific experiments is

A) a laboratory setting.
B) the experimenter's control over events to which subjects are exposed.
C) the direct observation of behavior.
D) random sampling.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is not an essential feature of a true experiment?

A) manipulation of the independent variable
B) random assignment
C) at least one comparison or control group
D) laboratory setting
E) measurement of the dependent variable

Answer 2

D

Question 3

How does the manipulation of the independent variable in an experiment strengthen inferences about cause and effect?

A) It eliminates the effects of most extraneous variables.
B) It establishes the time order of the events (or variables).
C) It proves that a causal relationship exists.
D) It determines that the observed association is nonspurious.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which causal criterion is supported in an experiment by random assignment?

A) association
B) direction of influence
C) nonspuriousness (elimination of rival explanations)

Question 5

Which causal criterion is supported in an experiment by treating participants in all experimental groups exactly alike except for the manipulation of the independent variable?

A) association
B) direction of influence
C) nonspuriousness (elimination of rival explanations)

Question 6

In an experiment investigating the effects of stress on the desire to affiliate with others, half of the subjects complete an easy test of mental ability and half complete a difficult test. What procedure is used to ensure that any differences in the desire to affiliate are due to differences in test difficulty and not to characteristics of the subjects?

A) random assignment
B) manipulation check
C) pretest
D) replication
E) debriefing

Question 7

What does it mean when the results of an experiment are statistically significant?

A) measurement of the dependent variable is valid.
B) manipulation of the independent variable is valid.
C) the independent variable is likely to have affected the dependent variable.
D) the results may be generalized to other sample populations.

Question 8

Which causal criterion is established in an experiment by tests of statistical significance?

A) association
B) direction of influence
C) nonspuriousness (elimination of rival explanations)

Question 9

What is the purpose of tests of statistical significance in an experiment?

A) to establish direction of influence
B) to determine if random assignment created similar experimental and control groups
C) to determine the generalizability of the findings
D) to determine if chance is a reasonable explanation of experimental results
E) to test the reliability of the measurement of the dependent variable

Question 10

Matching subjects on control variables in an experiment

A) is just as effective in controlling for extraneous variables as is random assignment.
B) is easier to implement than random assignment.
C) may be used in conjunction with random assignment.
D) is intended to increase an experiment's external validity.

Question 11

The pool or sample of participants in laboratory experiments most typically consist of a

A) simple random sample.
B) systematic sample.
C) stratified random sample.
D) convenience sample.

Question 12

Which of the following procedures is least likely to be found in an experiment?

A) random sampling
B) random assignment
C) measurement of the dependent variable
D) tests of statistical significance

Question 13

Use of college student volunteers limits the __________ of an experiment.

A) internal validity
B) external validity
C) experimental realism
D) mundane realism

Question 14

Which of the following processes could not be used for the purpose of increasing the external validity of experimental results?

A) probability sampling
B) random assignment
C) replication
D) sampling for heterogeneity

Question 15

Which of the following procedures is intended to ensure or enhance a study's internal validity?

A) replication
B) random sampling
C) random assignment

Question 16

__________ is used to ensure internal validity, whereas __________ increases external validity.

A) Random assignment; matching
B) Matching; random assignment
C) Random assignment; random sampling
D) Random sampling; random assignment

Question 17

Experiments tend to be __________ in internal validity and __________ in external validity.

A) low; low
B) low; high
C) high; low
D) high; high

Question 18

Testing and confirming a hypothesis in both laboratory and field experiments, among a variety of populations in a wide range of situations enhances the __________ of experimental findings.

A) measurement reliability
B) internal validity
C) external validity
D) reactivity

Question 19

Which of the following sequences is correct regarding the process of conducting an experiment?

A) introduce experiment  perform manipulation check  debrief  measure dependent variable
B) debrief  acquire informed consent  randomly assign participants to conditions  perform manipulation check
C) introduce experiment  manipulate independent variable  measure dependent variable  debrief
D) randomly assign participants to conditions  acquire informed consent  measure dependent variable  manipulate the independent variable

Question 20

Pretesting in an experiment is most similar to which of the following features of a theatrical production or play?

A) writing the script
B) rehearsing the play
C) promoting the play to attract an audience
D) auditioning actors for roles in the play

Question 21

Which of the following procedures is designed to satisfy participants' suspicions about the purpose of an experiment?

A) pretesting
B) cover story
C) acquisition of informed consent
D) manipulation check

Question 22

Which of the following is true of the cover story in an experiment?
E) It is designed to enhance experimental realism.
F) It rarely involves deception.
G) If sufficiently detailed, it can take the place of debriefing.
H) It usually is presented between the manipulation of the independent variable and the measurement of the dependent variable.

Question 23

When was the manipulation check performed in the epileptic seizure experiment?

A) during pretesting
B) immediately before the manipulation of the independent variable
C) immediately after the manipulation of the independent variable
D) during the post-experimental interview

Question 24

Which of the following stages in a laboratory experiment would be optional?

A) subject recruitment and acquisition of informed consent
B) random assignment
C) manipulation of the independent variable
D) manipulation check
E) measurement of the dependent variable

Question 25

Which of the following is not an advantage of behavioral measures of the dependent variable in comparison with verbal reports?

A) easy to devise
B) lower participant awareness of being measured
C) greater precision
D) measuring what people do is better than measuring what they say they will do

Question 26

Researchers generally agree that debriefing

A) is an optional procedure whose primary purpose is subject enlightenment.
B) is easier to carry out in field experiments than in laboratory experiments.
C) should be omitted when participants have been deceived because the revelation of deception may prove embarrassing.
D) may provide important information about how participants reacted to experimental procedures.

Question 27

What is a primary objective of debriefing?

A) to pay participants and thank them for their participation
B) to make sure that participants were behaving naturally during the experiment
C) to inform participants about any deception and explain the true purpose of the experiment
D) to present the results of the experiment

Question 28

An experiment that has an impact on and seems real to subjects but that bears little resemblance to real-life situations would be __________ in experimental realism and __________ in mundane realism.

A) low; low
B) low; high
C) high; low
D) high; high

Question 29

Which of the following is true of experimental and mundane realism?

A) They are equally important in an experiment.
B) Experimental realism is considered to be more important than mundane realism.
C) Mundane realism is considered to be more important than experimental realism.
D) Without mundane realism, experimental findings are meaningless.

Question 30

Typical of "impact experiments," Darley and Latane's epileptic seizure experiment, described in the text, was __________ in experimental realism and __________ in mundane realism.

A) low; low
B) low; high
C) high; low
D) high; high

Question 31

According to research cited in the text, when subjects in an experiment perceived a conflict between "being a good subject" and "looking good" to the experimenter, they chose to

A) be a "good subject."
B) confirm the experimenter's hypothesis as they perceived it.
C) "look good."
D) be rebellious and sabotage the experiment.

Question 32

A subject in an experiment on prejudice toward the physically handicapped is asked by the experimenter to be honest and follow instructions scrupulously-in other words, to adopt the role of "faithful subject." This implies that

A) the experimenter knew the subject was prejudiced toward people with handicaps.
B) the experimenter was trying to minimize the effect of demand characteristics.
C) the experimenter was trying to reduce experimenter bias.
D) "role" was the independent variable in this experiment.

Question 33

The notion of demand characteristics suggests that subjects respond to an experimental task

A) strictly according to the "demands" or instructions of the experimenter.
B) based on available cues such as the setting, equipment, instructions, and so forth.
C) based on experimental demands outlined in the informed consent agreement.
D) honestly and naively when they are convinced that the experiment demands it.

Question 34

Which of the following procedures would be most effective for reducing the impact of demand characteristics?

A) satisfy subjects' suspicions about the experiment by providing a good cover story
B) randomly assign subjects to experimental conditions
C) match subjects on relevant characteristics
D) debrief subjects thoroughly at the end of the experiment
E) tell subjects that their performance as subjects will be evaluated

Question 35

One means of controlling for biases due to the social nature of experiments is to

A) keep subjects isolated from one another throughout the course of the experiment.
B) place the manipulation of the independent variable and the measurement of the dependent variable in the same context.
C) perform the experiment in a natural setting, as in a field experiment.
D) tell subjects that their performance as subjects will be evaluated.

Question 36

If possible, the experimenter who manipulates the independent variable should not also administer the measure of the dependent variable because

A) these two tasks require different talents, and few people are able to perform both adequately.
B) a single person performing both tasks decreases experimenter realism.
C) a single person performing both tasks decreases external validity.
D) a single person performing both tasks increases the likelihood of experimenter expectancy effects.

Question 37

In laboratory experiments,

A) manipulation of the independent variable may have more than one meaning to subjects.
B) debriefing is an optional procedure when deception is used.
C) self-reports are generally preferred over behavioral measures of the dependent variable.
D) subjects often try to guess the hypothesis in order to sabotage the experiment.

Question 38

In comparison with laboratory experiments, field experiments tend to be

A) higher in internal validity.
B) lower in external validity.
C) lower in experimental realism.
D) higher in mundane realism.

Question 39

In comparison with laboratory experiments, field experiments

A) rarely involve manipulation of the independent variable.
B) afford less control over design and measurement.
C) are less likely to raise ethical issues.
D) usually involve more extensive debriefing.
E) are more likely to be internally valid.

Question 40

Which of the following is not an advantage that field experiments typically have over laboratory experiments?

A) greater mundane realism
B) lower likelihood of experimenter or demand characteristic effects
C) closer approximation of real-life situations
D) greater sample heterogeneity
E) greater control of experimental events

Question 41

Which of the following is an advantage of survey-based experiments in comparison with laboratory and field experiments?

A) focus on what people say rather than how they act or behave
B) use of a larger and more diverse sample of research participants
C) random assignment of participants to experimental conditions
D) control over the conditions of observation

Question 42

Which of the following is true of the experimental approach to social research?

A) It is used almost exclusively for explanatory, hypothesis-testing purposes.
B) It is the most common methodological approach in sociology.
C) It typically uses simple random sampling to select participants.
D) It affords less control over extraneous variables than other research approaches.

Question 43

Which of the following is a limitation of the experimental approach?

A) It is always carried out in an unnatural laboratory setting.
B) It provides weak evidence of causal relationships.
C) It cannot be incorporated into other research approaches such as surveys.
D) It tends to produce results that have limited external validity.

Question 44

Which of the following is an advantage of the experimental approach?

A) minimization of reactive measurement effects
B) high internal validity
C) low sampling error
D) high external validity

Question 45

Experiments afford less control over extraneous variables than other approaches to social research.

Question 46

In a "perfect" experiment, the only rival explanation for the study hypothesis is that the results are due to chance factors.

Question 47

When possible, matching should be substituted for random assignment.

Question 48

Tests of statistical significance indicate whether differences among experimental conditions are likely to have occurred by chance.

Question 49

An experiment's internal validity depends upon how well it controls for extraneous variables.

Question 50

"External validity" refers to the generalizability of study results.

Question 51

Laboratory experiments usually are high in external validity.

Question 52

The most common method of selecting a pool or sample of subjects in experiments is simple random sampling.

Question 53

Most experiments are conducted with college students as subjects.

Question 54

The use of college student volunteers limits the internal validity of an experiment.

Question 55

Replication is often used to increase the generalizability of experimental results.

Question 56

Pretesting in an experiment may take the place of a cover story or introduction.

Question 57

A manipulation check determines whether the independent variable had a causal influence on the dependent variable.

Question 58

Behavioral measures are generally preferred over self-report measures of the dependent variable.

Question 59

Generally, mundane realism is considered to be more important than experimental realism.

Question 60

Laboratory experiments tend to be high in experimental realism and low in mundane realism.

Question 61

Debriefing is generally viewed as an optional, albeit desirable feature of experiments.

Question 62

A strength of laboratory experiments is the absence of reactive measurement effects.

Question 63

The most typical motives of experimental research participants are helping the experimenter and making a good impression.

Question 64

The most common subject role is that of the subject who tries to guess the experimenter's hypothesis in order to sabotage the experiment.

Question 65

In a double-blind experiments, participants are blind to (1) the hypothesis and to (2) the fact that they are participating in an experiment.

Question 66

The double-blind technique is designed to control for experimenter effects.

Question 67

Demand characteristics are less likely to be a problem in field experiments than in laboratory experiments.

Question 68

The units of analysis in experiments are always individuals.

Question 69

Compared with laboratory experiments, field experiments are less likely to raise ethical problems because participants rarely know they are in an experiment.

Question 70

Experimental designs may be incorporated into questionnaire surveys.

Question 71

Experiments are designed to test causal hypotheses. Carefully explain the logic of experimentation by discussing how experiments effectively meet the three requirements for establishing causal relationships.

Question 72

The textbook likens the process of conducting an experiment to staging a play. Explain how each of the following parts of an experiment compares to the stages of producing a play: (a) designing the study, (b) recruiting research participants, and (c) pretesting.

Question 73

Experiments are particularly susceptible to reactive measurement in the form of demand characteristics and experimenter effects. Explain how these effects can adversely affect the results of an experiment. How do experimenters attempt to control such effects?

Question 74

In 1988 Paul Tracy and James Fox conducted a field experiment to measure the extent to which auto body repair shops in Massachusetts inflate repair estimates for collision damage claims to insurance companies. The logic of the research involving obtaining estimates for body-damage repair costs for the same vehicles, under conditions when the damage was covered by insurance and when it was not. In short, they took 1987-model collision-damaged vehicles to selected auto body shops. At each shop, they obtained estimates of repair costs for two cars, one of which was presented as being covered by insurance and the other of which was not. Whether a car was presented as insured or uninsured at a given shop was determined by random assignment. (Statistical results clearly indicated that repair estimates were higher for vehicles presented as insured.)
a. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
b. What is the dependent variable?
c. Suppose that only male drivers in their early twenties posed as owners of the vehicles. What effect, if any, would this have on the internal and external validity of the study?

Question 75

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of field experiments versus laboratory experiments.