Deck 9: Principles of Research Design and Statistical Preliminaries for Analyzing Bivariate Relationships

Question 1

A developmental psychologist's is studying at what age children develop a fear of strangers.She studies infants at 2 months old (n=8)and than again at 6 months old (n=8)and measures how fearful they are to strangers.Using a scale of (0=no fear to 5=very afraid).What type of experimental design is she using?

A)Between subjects design
B)Within-subjects design
C)quasi-experimental
D)Both a & c

Answer 1

Within-subjects design

Question 2

Dr.Johnson hypothesizes that nutrasweet reduces short-term memory.In order to test her hypothesis she gives 10 subjects a beverage containing nutrasweet (treatment group)and 10 subjects a beverage without nutrasweet (control group).She then measures the subject's ability to recall a list of numbers.In this study the independent variable is_______and the dependent variable is______.

A)whether the subjects received nutrasweet: recall for a list of numbers
B)recall for a list of numbers: whether the subjects received nutrasweet
C)the subjects ability to recall: the drink with nutrasweet
D)Both b & c
E)None of these

Answer 2

whether the subjects received nutrasweet: recall for a list of numbers

Question 3

Comparing the relationship happiness and owning a pet is _____.

A)correlational
B)experimental

Answer 3

correlational

Question 4

If you have a small sample size what type of statistics should you use?

A)parametric statistics
B)nonparametric statistics
C)descriptive statistics
D)convert to z-scores
E)None of these

Question 5

Dr.Nan is studying the effects of Ginseng on recall.He has 2 groups of subjects, (20 subjects in each group).Subjects are given Ginseng or Placebo and then asked to recall a list of words they previously studied.However,to avoid confounds what should Dr.Nan do?

A)Counterbalance placebo & Ginseng
B)Match groups on an IQ test and assign to groups
C)Randomly assign subjects to groups
D)All of these
E)Both b & c

Question 6

A cross-sectional study uses is considered a_____.

A)Between subjects design
B)Within-subjects design
C)quasi-experimental
D)Both a & c

Question 7

The main difference between parametric & nonparametric statistics is that parametric statistics:

A)Makes no assumptions about the population distribution
B)Assumes that the population distribution is normally skewed
C)Assumes that the population distribution is normally distributed
D)Cannot be used when dependent measured on ratio & interval scales
E)All of these are correct

Question 8

Jacob is studying the development of motor coordination in monkeys from birth to old age for his Master's thesis.However,he only has one year to collect his data.What type of design should he use?

A)longitudinal
B)descriptive
C)case study
D)cross-sectional
E)None of these

Question 9

The experimenter will manipulate the_____.

A)independent variable
B)dependent variable
C)the placebo
D)Both the independent and dependent variables

Question 10

Comparing subjects evaluated by a male experimenter with subjects evaluated by a female experimenter with respect to the number of tasks completed in one hour is _____.

A)correlational
B)experimental

Question 11

In order to select the correct statistical test you need to know if the experimental design is_____.

A)Between or within subjects design
B)scale of measurement of the dependent variable
C)the number or levels of the independent variable
D)All of these
E)Both a & b

Question 12

Dr.Len wants to determine whether or not dextrin causes people to lose weight.He gives 10 subjects dextrin and 10 subjects a placebo.He measures their weight every day (since weight seems to fluctuate daily)until the experiment is discontinued (after 4 weeks).What type of design is Dr.Len implementing?

A)Between Subjects Design
B)Within Subjects Design
C)Match subject Design
D)Experimental bias
E)None of these

Question 13

Comparing how well males and females perform on a video game that simulates landing a space shuttle is _____.

A)correlational
B)experimental

Question 14

Comparing the time it takes to develop a solution to a problem,in subjects given a study guide before the problem is given compared with those not given a study guide is _____.

A)correlational
B)experimental

Question 15

Dr.Len wants to determine whether or not dextrin causes people to lose weight.He gives 10 subjects dextrin and 10 subjects a placebo.He measures their weight every day (since weight seems to fluctuate daily)until the experiment is discontinued (after 4 weeks).In Dr.Len's study what are some disadvantages with using this particular design?

A)significant amount of variance in subjects occurs
B)carry-over effects
C)a large subject pool is needed
D)Both a & c
E)All of these

Question 16

In a truly random sample from the population

A)all subjects are matched on important characteristics
B)all members of the population have an equal chance of being selected
C)gender distribution should be 50% male 50% female
D)All of these
E)None of these

Question 17

What are the most common criticism and general disadvantage attributed to experimental designs?

A)it is subjective
B)its laboratory setting is artificial
C)it suppresses further study of the phenomenon in question
D)inadequate approach to the complex subject of human behavior
E)None of these

Question 18

A statistical test led Dr.Jones to incorrectly decide that his independent variable had no affect on the dependent variable,when in fact it did.Dr.Jones committed a(n)

A)Type I error
B)Type II error
C)no error
D)1-a
E)none of these

Question 19

Statistics relevant to the analysis of Bivariate relationships will focus on questions including___.

A)inference about the relationship
B)strength of the relationship
C)nature of relationship
D)All of these
E)Both a & b

Question 20

Statistics that allow you to evaluate your data and generalize to the population are called_____.

A)inferential statistics
B)descriptive statistics
C)reliable
D)statistical power
E)None of these

Question 21

If a researcher randomly places subjects in a high,medium,or no stress condition,then the control condition is _____.

A)not present in that experiment
B)the no stress condition
C)a comparison of high to medium condition
D)a baseline taken from either high or medium conditions

Question 22

Which of the following applies to a disturbance variable?

A)it is unrelated to the independent variable.
B)it influences the dependent variable.
C)it increases sampling error.
D)all of these

Question 23

The technique of placing comparable subjects in all experimental groups in an attempt to control tor confounding variables is called ____.

A)assignment randomization
B)Holding a variable constant
C)matching
D)blocking

Question 24

A variable that influences the dependent variable but is unrelated to the independent variable is called a ____ variable.

A)discrete
B)confounding
C)disturbance
D)relational

Question 25

A method that may minimizes the possibility of confounding due to individual differences is ____.

A)random assignment to treatment groups
B)random selection from the population
C)representative selection

Question 26

Random assignment is feasible only when an investigator is using an _____ strategy to "create" values on a(n)_____ variable.

A)experimental;dependent
B)observational;independent
C)observational;dependent
D)experimental;independent

Question 27

A(n)_____ strategy is one where a set of procedures or manipulations is performed in order to create different values of the independent variable for the research participants.

A)observational
B)experimental
C)correlational
D)a and b

Question 28

Random assignment _____ that the research groups will not differ beforehand on the _____ variable.

A)does not guarantee;dependent
B)does not guarantee;independent
C)guarantees;independent
D)guarantees;dependent

Question 29

Random assignment of subjects to experimental conditions is only feasible when an investigator is using ____.

A)an experimental strategy
B)an observational research strategy
C)both of these

Question 30

Which of the following factors can influence the accuracy of a sample mean as an estimate of ì?

A)size of the sample
B)variance of population scores
C)both a and b
D)none of these

Question 31

If a researcher administers either 0 mg,10 mg,or 20 mg of a drug to subjects in an experiment,then the group of subjects receiving the 0 mg treatment is best thought of as a(n)____.

A)experimental group
B)control group
C)treatment group
D)unobtrusive group

Question 32

Which procedure is not used to control for confounding variables?

A)random selection of subjects
B)holding a variable constant
C)matching
D)random assignment to experimental groups

Question 33

The advantage of including a control group when utilizing an experimental strategy is that it provides a _____ for evaluating the effects of the experimental manipulation.

A)statistical procedure
B)baseline
C)manipulation check
D)all of these

Question 34

If a confounding variable has been included in the design of an experiment,then interpretation of the results would be ___.

A)correct for the independent variable but not for the confounding variable
B)ambiguous
C)partially correct
D)unaffected by the confounding variable

Question 35

One way an investigator can reduce sampling error is to:

A)increase the sample sizes for the various groups
B)define the groups such that the variances of scores in the populations (ó²)will be relatively small
C)a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 36

An experimental strategy is a set of procedures which creates different values of ____.

A)the dependent variable
B)the control variables
C)the independent variables
D)random variables

Question 37

Which of the following variables would be an observed variable in all research strategies?

A)dependent
B)independent
C)constant
D)all of these

Question 38

In contrast to a(n)_____ strategy,an _____ strategy does not involve the process of actively creating values on an independent variable,but rather involves measuring differences in values that naturally exist in the research participants.

A)correlational;experimental
B)observational;experimental
C)experimental;observational
D)experimental;cross-sectional

Question 39

The technique of matching to control for confounding in an experiment results in ____.

A)all groups having similar variability
B)holding variability constant across groups
C)placing individuals with comparable values on the confounding variable in all experimental groups
D)none of these

Question 40

A ____ variable is related to the independent variable in a manner that renders interpretation of the relationship between the dependent variable and independent variable ambiguous.

A)confounding
B)disturbance
C)control
D)quantitative

Question 41

For many observational independent variables,only _____ designs are applicable.

A)between-subjects
B)within-subjects
C)experimental
D)factorial

Question 42

The _____ design can offer considerably more experimental control over individual difference variables than the _____ design.

A)observational;experimental
B)factorial;experimental
C)between-subjects;within-subjects
D)within-subjects;between-subjects

Question 43

One advantage of the within-subjects approach is that it is more _____ in terms of _____.

A)powerful;effects
B)advanced;manipulations
C)economical;subjects
D)efficient;randomization

Question 44

A _____ variable is one that is unrelated to the independent variable but that affects the dependent variable.

A)disturbance
B)confounding
C)suppressor
D)control

Question 45

A _____ variable is one that is related to the independent variable (the presumed influence)and that affects the dependent variable (the presumed effect),rendering a relational inference between the independent variable and the dependent variable ambiguous.

A)disturbance
B)confounding
C)suppressor
D)control

Question 46

An investigator was interested in determining if the size of a coin influenced judgments of numerosity when people were asked to make judgments of how many coins were in a pile of coins.Fifteen subjects were asked to estimate the number of pennies in a display of 43 coins.In another condition,15 different subjects estimated the number of dimes for the same display.The value of the coin would be classified as a ____ variable.

A)between-subjects
B)within-subjects
C)confounded
D)disturbance

Question 47

Which of the following does not apply to a within-subjects design?

A)greater economy of subjects
B)eliminates carry-over effects
C)greater control of confounding due to individual differences

Question 48

In matching,an individual in one group is "matched" with an individual in each of the other groups such that all of these individuals have the same value on the _____ variable.

A)confounding
B)disturbance
C)independent
D)dependent

Question 49

One potential problem with within-subjects designs is the fact that the treatment in the first condition may have _____ effects that influence performance in the second condition.

A)random
B)carry-over
C)significant
D)independent

Question 50

Since observational independent variables will always be confounded with all other variables that are naturally related to them,_____ are typically not possible when an observational strategy is used.

A)experimental manipulations
B)correlated observations
C)statistical analyses
D)causal inferences

Question 51

An investigator was interested in determining if the size of a coin influenced judgments of numerosity when people were asked to make judgments of how many coins were in a pile of coins.Fifteen subjects were asked to estimate the number of pennies in a display of 43 coins.In another condition,15 different subjects estimated the number of dimes for the same display.In the above experiment,the size of the coin is also related to its value.Value is thus a ____.

A)disturbance variable
B)confounding variable
C)matched variable
D)none of these

Question 52

Between-subjects designs and within-subjects designs are both viable strategies when the _____ is _____ in nature.

A)independent variable;observational
B)dependent variable;observational
C)independent variable;experimental
D)dependent variable;skewed

Question 53

It is entirely possible for two variables to be _____ one another,but for no _____ relationship to exist between them.

A)confounded with;moderate
B)caused by;causal
C)related to;causal
D)matched with;linear

Question 54

The major disadvantage of holding a variable constant is that it may restrict the _____ of the _____.

A)meaning;random selection
B)generalizability;results
C)validity;variables
D)size;sample

Question 55

The ability to make a causal inference between two variables is a function of one's _____,not the _____ used to analyze the data.

A)research design;statistical technique
B)statistical technique;research design
C)statistical technique;experiment
D)observations;variables

Question 56

Since random assignment cannot be applied to observational groups,observational independent variables will always be _____ with all other variables that are naturally related to them.

A)related
B)confounded
C)matched
D)none of these

Question 57

In terms of the strategies behavioral scientists use to control for confounding and disturbance variables,_____ (is)(are)applicable to both confounding and disturbance variables,while _____ can be applied only to confounding variables.

A)random assignment and matching;holding a variable constant
B)holding a variable constant and matching;random assignment
C)holding a variable constant;matching and random assignment
D)matching;holding a variable constant and random assignment

Question 58

A disturbance variable increases _____ by increasing variability _____ groups.

A)estimation;between
B)sampling error;between
C)statistical significance;within
D)sampling error;within

Question 59

When an investigator is confident that no carry-over effects will occur,which of the following designs is generally superior?

A)matched-subjects
B)between-subjects
C)observational
D)within-subjects

Question 60

With a(n)_____ variable,the values of the variable are "split up" between subjects instead of occurring completely within the same individuals.

A)confounding
B)independent
C)between-subjects
D)within-subjects

Question 61

A common strategy to control disturbance variables is (are):

A)holding a variable constant.
B)matching.
C)random assignment to experimental groups.
D)all of these

Question 62

Statisticians can determine the effects of violating assumptions by using _____ or performing _____.

A)mathematical logic;Monte Carlo studies
B)observational designs;experimental designs
C)Monte Carlo studies;one-sample t tests
D)violation estimates;factorial designs

Question 63

Which of the following statements is true of a control group?

A)It is always measured in the "observational" sense.
B)It provides a baseline for evaluating the effects of the experimental manipulation.
C)It is one of the levels of the dependent variable.
D)all of these
E)none of these

Question 64

_____ refers to the extent to which conclusions drawn on the basis of a statistical test (for example,rejection of the null hypothesis)are unaffected by violations of the assumptions underlying the test.

A)validity
B)reliability
C)robustness
D)none of these

Question 65

Random assignment is possible with

A)observational strategies only.
B)experimental strategies only.
C)nonexperimental strategies only.
D)both observational and experimental strategies.

Question 66

Which of the following levels of measurement can be appropriately analyzed with nonparametric statistics?

A)nominal
B)interval and ratio
C)nominal and ordinal
D)all of these

Question 67

A matched-subjects design often has the power of a within-subjects design while avoiding the problem(s)of ___.

A)carry-over effects
B)subject economy
C)individual differences
D)all of these

Question 68

A confounding variable

A)is related to the independent variable but does not affect the dependent variable.
B)is not related to the independent variable but does affect the dependent variable.
C)is not related to either the independent or the dependent variable.
D)none of these

Question 69

Experimental and observational strategies can be used together.

Question 70

Two important distributional assumptions are the _____ assumption and the _____ assumption.

A)non-normality;homogeneity of variance
B)normality;heterogeneity of variance
C)equal N;parametric
D)normality;homogeneity of variance

Question 71

A problem with holding a variable,such as gender,constant is that

A)the variances within the experimental and control groups will be larger than if the variable was not held constant.
B)sampling error may increase.
C)it may reduce the generalizability of the results.
D)none of these

Question 72

Which of the following methods can be used in the design of a study to control for alternative explanations of the results?

A)random assignment to experimental groups
B)reducing sampling error by increasing the sample sizes for the various groups
C)reducing sampling error by defining the groups such that the variances for each group will be small
D)b and c
E)all of these

Question 73

Based on the Applications to the Analysis of Social Problems section of Chapter 9,historical variables that are confounded with age refer to

A)cohort effects.
B)age effects.
C)historical effects.
D)longitudinal effects.

Question 74

A common strategy to control confounding variables is (are):

A)holding a variable constant.
B)matching.
C)random assignment to experimental groups.
D)all of these

Question 75

Which of the following can influence a test of robustness?

A)sample size
B)degree of violation
C)form of violation
D)all of these

Question 76

A disturbance variable

A)is related to the independent variable but does not affect the dependent variable.
B)is not related to the independent variable but does affect the dependent variable.
C)is not related to either the independent or the dependent variable.
D)none of these

Question 77

A(n)_________ strategy is where a set of procedures or manipulations is performed to created different values of the independent variable for the research participants;while a(n)__________ strategy involves measuring differences in values that naturally exist in the research participants.

A)nonexperimental;experimental
B)observational;nonexperimental
C)nonexperimental;observational
D)experimental;nonexperimental

Question 78

The extent to which conclusions made on the basis of a statistical test are unaffected by violations of the assumptions underlying the test is called ____.

A)robustnesss
B)significance level
C)statistical power
D)all of these

Question 79

_____ statistics tend to focus on medians,interquartile ranges,and ordinal level measures.

A)parametric
B)nonparametric
C)quantitative
D)qualitative

Question 80

_____ statistics require quantitative dependent variables and are usually applied when these variables are measured on a level that at least approximates interval characteristics.

A)parametric
B)nonparametric
C)quantitative
D)qualitative