Deck 4: Validity in Psychological Research

Question 1

1) External validity concerns:

A) The extent to which findings will generalise
B) The extent to which findings are accurate
C) The extent to which the setting of the research study was realistic
D) The extent to which confounding variables may have affected the research

Answer 1

A

Question 2

2) Internal validity concerns:

A) The extent to which findings might have been affected by statistical error
B) The extent to which findings will generalise
C) The extent to which findings may have been affected by factors unconnected with the independent variable
D) The extent to which findings might have been affected by confounding variables related to the independent variable

Answer 2

C

Question 3

3) Demand characteristics concern:

A) Participants' attempts to please the experimenter by behaving in accordance with the hypothesis
B) The tendency of participants to behave in ways thought to be socially acceptable
C) The subtle cues participants pick up which tell them what a researcher is looking for
D) The tendency of participants to demand a fee for participation

Answer 3

C

Question 4

4) If a researcher did not wish the participants or the testers/data gatherers to know the condition to which each participant has been allocated in an experiment the design to use would be a:

A) Single blind
B) Double blind
C) Triple blind
D) Venetian blind

Question 5

5) A researcher asks a group of participants to solve a list of anagrams: first in a cold room and then, with a different list, in a hot room. The results in the hot room are higher thus the researcher concludes that heat improves cognitive ability. Which of the following is a likely confounding variable?

A) Some participants are better at anagram solving
B) Heat
C) Practice with anagrams
D) Cold

Question 6

6) One group of participants is given water to drink while a second group is given a drink of normal (non-diet) Coca Cola. The Coca Cola group performs faster on a task of putting 20 pegs into appropriate holes. It is assumed that the caffeine in the Coca Cola has had an effect. Which of the following is a likely confounding variable?

A) The hardness or softness of the water
B) The weight of the pegs
C) Sugar in the Coca Cola
D) Colouring in the Coca Cola

Question 7

7) A researcher tells some young students that an experiment will involve solving maths problems to different kinds of music. Those who agree to participate are asked to solve a set of calculus problems while light classical music is playing in the background. After a rest they are again asked to solve a set of equivalent mathematical problems but this time the background is Madonna's greatest hits. The researcher predicts that the students, being young, will perform better while listening to pop music. A possible confounding variable in the music experiment could be:

A) Participant differences in mathematical ability
B) Participant morbidity
C) Population validity
D) Order effects

Question 8

8) A researcher gives participants either a list of one syllable words or a list of three syllable words to learn and recall. She finds that the participants given three syllable words recall significantly fewer words than participants given one syllable words. She concludes that three syllable words are harder to recall because their length takes up more space in memory. A likely confounding variable in this experiment could be:

A) Order effects caused by participants learning two lists of words
B) Participants guessing that one and three syllable word performance are being compared
C) The fact that three syllable words might also be less common than one syllable words
D) The type of breakfast participants had eaten

Question 9

9) The phenomenon popularly known among psychologists as the Hawthorne Effect occurs if participants:

A) Guess what hypothesis the researcher is testing
B) Alter their behave because they know they are being observed
C) Try to please the experimenter
D) Behave in accordance with perceived social norms

Question 10

10) The possibility that a researcher's knowledge of the hypothesis being tested in a research study might influence results in support of the hypothesis is known as:

A) Social desirability
B) Participant expectancy
C) Experimenter expectancy
D) Demand characteristics