Deck 5: Focusing Your Question and Choosing a Design

Question 1

Identify three factors that help you decide what kind of research method to use and explain why they matter.

Answer 1

Research question: The research questions should be the main source of deciding your method. This is because different methods have strengths and weaknesses that are important to consider in order to best address the question of interest.
Ethics: Some experimental manipulations may not be ethical to conduct. Therefore, before settling on a method, it is important to consider the ethical issues that may be pertinent in conducting an experiment versus a non-experiment.
Resources: These include time and money. Conducting certain studies may simply be too expensive or take too much time. These all factor into the type of design that is available and the type of method that is most appropriate.

Question 2

Discuss three different types of variables involved in experiments and provide an example to illustrate how they relate to one another.

Answer 2

Independent variable: This is the variable that experimenters manipulate.
Dependent variable: This is the variable that experimenters use as an outcome.
Moderating variable: This is a variable that influences the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
Example: School interventions were manipulated and student performance was measured as an outcome. A mediating variable could be parental involvement such that parents who were more involved led students to benefit more from the intervention. Student who have non-involved parents may show performance that do not statistically differ between the two experimental conditions. Thus, parental involvement moderates the relationship that this intervention has on the outcome variable.

Question 3

Differentiate between an experimental and nonexperimental method, highlighting one strength and one limitation of each.

Answer 3

Experimental methods afford causality because participants ought to be randomly assigned to different conditions. Nonexperimental methods often are more naturalistic and researchers are more likely to observe the state of the world instead of manipulating them. Experimental methods are often done in laboratories in controlled settings, and paired with random assignment and careful manipulation of the independent variable, allow for causal claims to be made. However, despite this strength, experimental methods sometimes may lack validity due to its highly constrained settings.
Nonexperimental methods have the exact opposite strength and weakness. They do not allow for strong causal claims to be made, but can have higher validity due to its more realistic settings.

Question 4

Explain how the role of theory can differ between different methods.

Question 5

Identify three different types of validity, and define each one. Explain one way that can compromise each one of them.

Question 6

A research project that has poorly operationalized variables would necessarily lead to which of the following scenarios?

A) Strong validity and poor reliability
B) Poor reliability
C) Poor validity
D) Poor validity and strong reliability

Question 7

Which one of the following is not a key quality of a good research hypothesis?

A) It is falsifiable.
B) It is testable.
C) It is theoretically driven.
D) It is irrefutable.

Question 8

Which of the following is likely to lead to a theory that is likely to be not falsifiable?

A) A theory about a construct that one cannot observe.
B) A theory about infants that makes it difficult to control in an experiment.
C) A theory about a specific culture indigenous to the Amazon jungle.
D) A theory about a brand new phenomenon that no one has previously observed.

Question 9

What is the key component of an experimental study that provides for causal explanation?

A) The comparison of a treatment to control group.
B) Random assignment to a treatment and control group.
C) Random sampling of a generalizable population.
D) Control settings with stronger validity and reliability.

Question 10

Joseph conducted an experiment and found that participants who were administered a supplement were less likely to contract the flu than those who were not. Irene criticizes the study, citing past experiments that have found null results. She says that the effect Joseph found was likely to be a false positive. Irene is essentially questioning what aspect of Joseph's study?

A) External validity
B) Construct validity
C) Internal validity
D) Face validity

Question 11

The following question are based on this survey. The survey responses range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) with 3 as a neutral point: 1.) In general my life is quite satisfactory.
2)) I find myself eager and motivated for every new day.
3)) I am happy for the most part.
4)) I am not upset about anything important in my life.
A researcher conducted a study using this survey and found that for the most part, this survey of 4 items is internally consistent. What does this suggest?

A) The 4 items are asking about more or less the same thing.
B) The survey is high on internal validity.
C) The survey is high on internal reliability.
D) The survey valid and reliable.

Question 12

A researcher used the following survey. The survey responses range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) with 3 as a neutral point: 1.) In general my life is quite satisfactory.
2)) I find myself eager and motivated for every new day.
3)) I am happy for the most part.
4)) I am not upset about anything important in my life.
She found that although her participants all scored very high on the scale (meaning they agreed or strongly agreed with almost all the statements), they don't seem to accurately measure anything. What does this suggest?

A) The survey has low construct validity.
B) The survey has low internal consistency.
C) The survey has low conclusion validity.
D) The survey has high internal validity, but low external validity.

Question 13

Ron finds that students who played with a puzzle before solving mathematical problems perform better than students who did not play with a puzzle. Ron is concerned about whether other researchers will obtain similar findings if they conduct the same experiment. Ron is mainly concerned about the study's….

A) relativism.
B) mediation.
C) reliability.
D) population.

Question 14

Which of the following best demonstrates reliability of a scientific finding?

A) In a media interview, a group of professors are quoted as vouching for the truth of a scientific finding.
B) A scientific finding is mentioned so often in casual conversation that it becomes common sense knowledge.
C) A researcher uses the same methodology and obtains the same results as a study published in an academic journal.
D) A psychologist uses the same methodology across all her experiments.

Question 15

Susan is conducting a study on the effects of sexism on how highly business managers think of their staff. Susan does not reveal the true purpose of her experiment until after the managers have rated profiles of their staff, because she does not want managers to adjust their ratings if they knew that the study was about sexism. Which of the following is true?

A) Susan is preserving the validity of her study's measure by not revealing its true aim.
B) Susan is ensuring the reliability of her study's conclusions by surveying more than one manager.
C) Susan is reducing the effect of causality bias by not revealing the true purpose of her experiment.
D) Susan is neither preserving the validity of her study's measure nor the reliability of her study's conclusions with her actions.

Question 16

John Watson claimed, "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up in, and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, beggar-man and thief." (Watson, 1913)
Considering this claim, which of the following is true about Watson's approach to child development?

A) Watson's approach does not contain any assumptions. In other words, his approach is atheoretical.
B) Watson holds the assumption that nature defines the eventual career of a person.
C) Watson holds the assumption that nurture determines the eventual career of a person.
D) Watson holds the assumption that both nature and nurture defines the eventual career of a person.

Question 17

Which of the following qualities are necessary for a scientific hypothesis?

A) Grounded in basic research and reliable.
B) Specific and testable.
C) Wide-ranging and testable.
D) Grounded in application and reliable.

Question 18

Which quality of a theorized psychological processes best lends it to be falsified in hypothesis testing?

A) Unambiguous
B) Unobservable
C) Unconscious
D) Unmeasurable

Question 19

If a psychological concept cannot be falsified, it means that the concept…

A) is false.
B) must always be true.
C) will always be outside the realm of science.
D) could one day be within the realm of science due to technological advancements.

Question 20

Which of the following is true about extrasensory perception?

A) It lies beyond the realm of science because the concept involves perception that occurs outside of our five senses.
B) It exists, because there have been cases of psychics helping detectives to solve crimes.
C) It makes claims that are falsifiable and thus can be subjected to hypothesis testing.
D) It lies beyond the realm of science because its claims violate the laws of physics.

Question 21

What is the meaning of refuting a claim empirically?

A) Showing that it cannot be supported based on observations or experiences that can be verified.
B) Showing that it cannot be supported based on the testimony of an expert.
C) Showing that it cannot be based on the official standards of a federal or state regulatory board.
D) Refuting it based on logical deduction.

Question 22

Which of the following is the best source of precise predictions that can be falsified?

A) Framework theories
B) Specific theories
C) Model-driven theories
D) Implicit theories

Question 23

Which of the following is not a part of operationalizing a variable?

A) Deciding how to measure it.
B) Choosing a method to observe it.
C) Exploring various ways to conceptualize it.
D) Coming to an agreement on its fundamental properties.

Question 24

Which of the following is the best practice for selecting what research method to use?

A) The research method you choose should primarily be driven by your research question.
B) The research method you choose should be the most convenient so that data can be collected efficiently.
C) The research method you choose should be the costliest because the best methods are always the most expensive.
D) The research method you choose should be the most commonly used method of the day so that you can easily compare results with other researchers.

Question 25

Which of the following is true about observational research design and open-ended interviews?

A) They are unscientific because they are qualitative.
B) They can be very helpful in the early stages of research that is new and understudied.
C) They do not provide any new information to the researcher.
D) They often provide the final, definitive evidence for a theory.

Question 26

Which of the following is true about correlational and causal designs?

A) Both designs allow you to investigate an association between variables only.
B) Both designs allow you to investigate what factors influence a particular behavior without knowing anything about causality.
C) A correlational design allows you to investigate what factors influence a particular behavior while a causal design allows you to investigate if a behavior is associated with other factors.
D) A correlational design allows you to investigate an association between variables while a causal design allows you to investigate directionality of an association.

Question 27

Which of the following describes random assignment in the context of an experiment containing an experimental treatment group and a control group?

A) All participants are assigned to a method of treatment that was randomly selected from ten known treatments in the clinical field. After undergoing treatment, all participants were then placed in the control group.
B) The researcher randomly decides that the first thirty people recruited for the experiment will be assigned to the control group and the next thirty people recruited for the experiment will be assigned to the treatment group.
C) After deciding randomly which condition to start with, the researcher assigned participants alternately to either the control group or the treatment group. That is, if the first participant was assigned to the control group, then the second participant was assigned to the treatment group.
D) Each participant is assigned to either the control group or the treatment group based on a random decision.

Question 28

Sally is interested in studying the effects of maternal exposure to pollution on infant health. She would like to examine whether exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is linked to an increase in infant health problems. Which is the best option for the study design that should Sally use, and why?

A) Sally should use an experimental design because it will allow her to make causal claims about pollution and infant health.
B) Sally should use an experimental design because it is a more rigorous method than a nonexperimental design.
C) Sally should use a nonexperimental design because it is unethical to use an experimental design in this case.
D) Sally should use a nonexperimental design because it is less artificial than an experimental design in this case.

Question 29

Moderating variables _________________ the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Mediating variables _________________ the relationship between two variables.

A) uncover; also reveal
B) influence; explain
C) explain; influence
D) conceal; influence

Question 30

The research question should be the main driving force that helps you determine what method to employ.

Question 31

Researchers who have a political agenda may claim that all research has some sort of underlying agenda.

Question 32

A grounded theory approach is generally a top-down approach.

Question 33

Finding hidden meaning or non-obvious meanings from a subjective experience of a participant is known as description.

Question 34

Qualitative researchers come from a very narrow tradition. They have similar foci and goals.

Question 35

Stanovich (2013) suggests that essentialist questions are outside the realm of science and belong in philosophy and religion.

Question 36

Studies that have high internal validity will always have high external validity.

Question 37

Construct validity is predicted by internal consistency.

Question 38

One of the major limitations of experimental methods is its potential lack of validity.

Question 39

Experimental groups generally always need a standard or second group to be compared to.

Question 40

Correlational designs help you conclude if your variables are related.

Question 41

Moderating variables explain the relationship between an independent and dependent variable.

Question 42

A testable-hypothesis means that it is purely driven by theory without assumptions.

Question 43

Quantitative and qualitative approaches to research differ in their degree of falsifiability.