Deck 5: Introducing Psychology: the Psychology Experiment

Question 1

The dependent variable in an experiment

A)measures the results of the experiment.
B)is affected by the independent variable.
C)is often revealed by measures of performance,such as test scores.
D)is characterized by all of these.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Dr.Langston is undertaking a formal trial to confirm or disconfirm his hypothesis regarding whether his new drug will more rapidly alleviate migraine headaches.Dr.Langston is conducting a(n)

A)naturalistic observation.
B)medical survey.
C)case study.
D)experiment.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident.Driving ability as defined by the scores achieved on a test of driving ability would be the variable.

A)independent
B)control
C)extraneous
D)dependent

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A formal trial undertaken to confirm or disconfirm a hypothesis about the cause of behavior is called a(n)

A)naturalistic observation.
B)survey.
C)case study.
D)experiment.

Question 5

The best definition of a variable is that it is the part of an experiment that

A)is controlled.
B)can change.
C)always stays the same.
D)is always a behavior in psychology.

Question 6

The experimenter usually sets the value of

A)the independent variable.
B)the dependent variable.
C)all the extraneous variables.
D)none of the variables in the experiment.

Question 7

According to the text,which of the following is NOT an essential variable found in a psychological experiment?

A)mediating
B)independent
C)extraneous
D)dependent

Question 8

You have discovered a new vitamin that you believe will improve memory in the elderly.Your best bet for accurately testing the effectiveness of the vitamin would be to use

A)naturalistic observation.
B)the experimental method.
C)case histories.
D)the survey method.

Question 9

In order to carefully control conditions and confirm or disconfirm a hypothesis about the causes of behavior,one must

A)engage in naturalistic observation.
B)develop a causal correlation.
C)perform an experiment.
D)conduct a survey.

Question 10

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident.Cell phone use would be the variable.

A)independent
B)control
C)extraneous
D)dependent

Question 11

Psychologist Davis Strayer wanted to find out if using a cell phone while driving a car affected the likelihood of having an accident.First,he formed two groups of people and gave members of one group a test of driving ability while they were using a cell phone with the second group taking the driving test without using a cell phone.He confirmed that almost all drivers talking on cell phones drive no better than people who are legally drunk and are more likely to have an accident.In his study,Dr.Strayer used

A)naturalistic observation.
B)the experimental method.
C)the survey method.
D)a correlational study.

Question 12

In an experiment,the people whose behavior is investigated

A)are called the experimental subjects.
B)are called the participants.
C)make up the experimental and control groups.
D)are characterized by all of these.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a step in a psychological experiment?

A)varying a condition you believe might affect behavior
B)creating two similar groups of subjects
C)administering the same independent variable to both groups
D)recording whether the condition has any effect on behavior

Question 14

When a researcher creates two groups,varies a condition,and records whether varying the condition had any effect on behavior,the researcher is conducting a(n)

A)naturalistic observation
B)correlational study
C)comparative case study
D)experiment

Question 15

The conditions that a researcher wishes to prevent from affecting the outcome of the experiment are the __________variables.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)extraneous
D)control

Question 16

The independent variable in an experiment is

A)the subject him or herself.
B)a measure of the subject's behavior.
C)the variable that the experimenter chooses to manipulate.
D)any unwanted variable that may adversely affect the subject's performance.

Question 17

Any condition that can change and that might affect the outcome of the experiment is called a(n)

A)variable.
B)mediator.
C)stimulus.
D)experimental behavior.

Question 18

A simple experiment has two groups of subjects called the

A)dependent group and the independent group.
B)extraneous group and the independent group.
C)before group and the after group.
D)control group and the experimental group.

Question 19

The dependent variable is the one that is

A)manipulated.
B)prevented from affecting the outcome of the experiment.
C)revealed by measures of performance.
D)the suspected cause in the experiment.

Question 20

Regarding the experimental method,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)The control group and the experimental group are treated exactly alike except for the condition you intentionally vary.
B)The condition that the experimenter intentionally varies is called the dependent variable.
C)The animals or people whose behavior is investigated are referred to as experimental subjects.
D)Human subjects whose behavior is investigated are also called the participants.

Question 21

The control group and the experimental group are treated exactly the same EXCEPT for the variable.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)extraneous
D)replication

Question 22

A teacher wants to find out if a problem-based history program is superior to the regular history curriculum being used.The motivation and intelligence of the students participating in the new and the regular history programs would be considered the variables.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)extraneous
D)control

Question 23

Tina is assigned to the group that receives the independent variable.Tina is in the group.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)control
D)experimental

Question 24

Antoine is conducting an experiment on the effects of room color on people's ability to concentrate.The dependent variable would be the

A)subjects' overall intelligence.
B)size of the room.
C)room color.
D)ability to concentrate.

Question 25

Which of the following groups serves as a point of reference for a comparison of results in an experiment?

A)independent group
B)experimental group
C)control group
D)dependent group

Question 26

In an experiment to determine if meditation increases mental concentration,the group of subjects who would be required to meditate would be the group.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)experimental
D)control

Question 27

An experiment is performed to see if background music improves learning.Two groups study the same material,one while listening to music and another without music.The independent variable is

A)learning.
B)the size of the group.
C)the material studied.
D)music.

Question 28

Nadine is in the group that does not receive the independent variable.Nadine is in the group.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)control
D)experimental

Question 29

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident. One's familiarity with the car used in the experiment would be a(n)variable.

A)independent
B)control
C)extraneous
D)dependent

Question 30

Antoine is conducting an experiment on the effects of room color on people's ability to concentrate.The independent variable would be the

A)subjects' overall intelligence.
B)size of the room.
C)room color.
D)ability to concentrate.

Question 31

In an experiment to study the effects of study skills training on academic achievement,the study skills training would be the variable.

A)dependent
B)extraneous
C)control
D)independent

Question 32

In an experiment to study the effects of fertilizer on plants,the growth rate of the plants would be the variable.

A)dependent
B)extraneous
C)experimental
D)independent

Question 33

A researcher wants to find out if taking a new antidepressant drug will decrease the symptoms of subjects suffering from social anxiety.The number of symptoms exhibited by the subjects would be the variable.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)extraneous
D)control

Question 34

Suppose you want to find out if using cell phones while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident.The number of hours that each participant slept the night before the driving test would be a(n) __________variable.

A)independent
B)control
C)extraneous
D)dependent

Question 35

A social psychologist measures aggressive responses made by people exposed to violent and nonviolent movies.All of the subjects are tested in rooms having identical room temperature.In this experiment,the room temperature is a(n)__________ variable.

A)correlated
B)independent
C)dependent
D)extraneous

Question 36

The chief function of the control group in an experiment is that it

A)allows mathematical relationships to be established.
B)provides a point of reference against which the behavior of the experimental group can be compared.
C)balances the experiment to eliminate all extraneous variables.
D)establishes causation.

Question 37

Which type of variable is measured in both the experimental and control groups of an experiment?

A)dependent
B)independent
C)extraneous
D)correlated

Question 38

An experiment is performed to test the effects of sleep deprivation on rote memory.In this experiment,the dependent variable is the

A)number of hours subjects go without sleep.
B)rote memory scores.
C)number of subjects deprived of sleep in the experimental group.
D)correlation between hours of sleep and fatigue.

Question 39

We wish to test the hypothesis that music improves learning.We compare test scores of students who study to music with those who study in silence.Which of the following is an extraneous variable in this experiment?

A)the presence or absence of music
B)the students' test scores
C)the amount of time allowed for studying
D)silence

Question 40

In an experiment to study the effects of fertilizer on plants,the fertilizer used on each plant would be the __________ variable.

A)dependent
B)extraneous
C)control
D)independent

Question 41

Experiments can determine cause-and-effect relationships with the suspected cause being the __________variable.

A)mediating
B)independent
C)correlational
D)dependent

Question 42

A researcher wants to determine the effect of sleep loss on human problem-solving.Subjects in an appropriate control group for such an experiment would be described as having

A)much more sleep than normal.
B)much less sleep than normal.
C)a normal amount of sleep.
D)the same amount of sleep as the experimental group.

Question 43

In a study of effects of alcohol on driving ability,the control group should be given

A)a high dosage of alcohol.
B)one-half the dosage given the experimental group.
C)a driving test before and after drinking alcohol.
D)no alcohol at all.

Question 44

Experiments can determine cause-and-effect relationships with the effects being measured by the __________variable.

A)extraneous
B)independent
C)correlational
D)dependent

Question 45

If you want to determine whether there is a causal relationship between using the SQ4R study method and final grades in a psychology course,you should use

A)naturalistic observation.
B)the experimental method.
C)the survey method.
D)a correlational study.

Question 46

We wish to test the hypothesis that music improves learning.Random assignment into two groups,one that listens to music and one that studies in silence,controls for

A)the students' inherent academic ability.
B)the students' use of different study strategies.
C)the amount of sleep students had prior to the experiment.
D)all of these.

Question 47

A researcher is testing the effectiveness of a new math program.The extraneous variables,such as temperature and lighting,will best be controlled by

A)randomly assigning students to rooms of varying temperature and light intensity.
B)randomly selecting the rooms in which the students will be taught.
C)making the temperature and the amount of light the same for all the rooms.
D)letting the students select the room temperature and lighting in which they are most comfortable.

Question 48

In an experiment to test whether teaching a new memory strategy will improve students' test scores,student characteristics,such as motivation,are controlled by

A)interviewing each student concerning their motivation in the class.
B)giving each student a personality test.
C)randomly assigning students to the two groups.
D)interviewing the teachers concerning each of the students.

Question 49

Suppose you want to find out if using a cell phone while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident.The group that would take the driving test while talking on a cell phone would be the group.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)experimental
D)control

Question 50

Suppose you want to find out if using a cell phone while driving a car affects the likelihood of having an accident.The group that would NOT be talking on a cell phone while taking the driving test would be the group.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)experimental
D)control

Question 51

One way to randomly assign students to experimental and control groups for a study of academic behaviors is to

A)flip a coin for each student to determine which group she or he will be assigned.
B)divide the group sitting in the front half of the room from the group sitting in the back.
C)ask volunteers for the experimental group to raise their hands.
D)do none of these.

Question 52

A teacher wants to find out if a new problem-based history program will increase history achievement scores.The students who will NOT be exposed to this problem-based history program but will be taught the specific material in the traditional manner are part of which group?

A)extraneous
B)control
C)independent
D)dependent

Question 53

In an experiment to determine if meditation increases mental concentration,the group who would NOT meditate would be the group.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)experimental
D)control

Question 54

When subjects in an experiment are chosen so that each has an equal chance of being in either the experimental group or the control group,we say that the subjects have been assigned

A)alternately.
B)hypothetically.
C)randomly.
D)consecutively.

Question 55

To equalize the intelligence of members of the experimental and control group in an experiment,you could use

A)extraneous control.
B)random assignment.
C)independent control.
D)subject replication.

Question 56

In an experiment,control over extraneous variables,such as the time of day or the temperature of the room,can be obtained by

A)using a double-blind experiment.
B)making all conditions except the independent variable exactly the same for all subjects.
C)using repeated measures.
D)observing and recording the impact of each variable on each subject in the experiment.

Question 57

Subjects are said to be assigned randomly when

A)they are selected to participate in an experiment from a sample which is representative of the larger population.
B)they each have an equal chance of being assigned to either the experimental or control group.
C)they are assigned to experimental and control groups so that the groups differ on some critical variable before the experiment begins.
D)neither the experimenter nor the subject knows whether the subject is in the experimental or control group.

Question 58

Random assignment of subjects to groups in an experiment is used to reduce the effects of

A)the independent variable.
B)the dependent variable.
C)experimenter bias.
D)extraneous variables.

Question 59

A variable,such as the personality of a subject,that might affect the outcome of an experiment would be controlled by

A)random assignment of subjects.
B)assuming the effects of the variable are negligible.
C)manipulating the dependent variables simultaneously.
D)repeating the experiment several times until the results are consistent.

Question 60

One of the advantages of the experimental method is that

A)clear cause-and-effect relationships can be identified.
B)it allows information about large numbers of people to be gathered.
C)it allows the investigation of rare or unusual problems or events.
D)all types of behavior are easily studied in the laboratory.

Question 61

You are conducting an experiment to determine if listening to music improves learning.If there was no difference between the test performance of the experimental and control groups,then we can conclude that

A)extraneous variables were not controlled.
B)the two groups were not randomly assigned.
C)listening to music improved learning.
D)listening to music had no effect on learning.

Question 62

Placebos have such a strong effect on people because

A)only medical doctors can prescribe them.
B)their impact is immediate.
C)their impact is long-term.
D)they alter conscious and unconscious expectations.

Question 63

You are conducting an experiment to determine whether teaching students the SQ4R method will increase their test scores.So,you explain your hypothesis to your participants and then conduct the experiment.Informing the participants about your hypothesis

A)may create research participant bias.
B)violates ethical standards.
C)prevents the random assignment of subjects.
D)will have no effect on the results of the experiment.

Question 64

In a carefully controlled experiment,the only possible cause for any effect noted in the dependent variable is the

A)independent variable.
B)extraneous variable.
C)random assignment.
D)random selection.

Question 65

Responding to a substance,such as a sugar pill or a saline injection,as if it were the real drug is referred to as

A)the placebo effect.
B)an anthropomorphic error.
C)the somatization variable.
D)a psychosomatic complication.

Question 66

In an experiment,if the obtained results would occur by chance in less than five experiments out of 100,the results

A)were randomly assigned.
B)cannot be replicated.
C)were statistically significant.
D)were part of a meta-analysis.

Question 67

Changes in the behavior of research subjects that is caused by the unintended influence of the subjects' own expectations is called the

A)research participant bias.
B)observer bias.
C)confirmation bias.
D)anthropomorphic error

Question 68

Research findings become more convincing when the results are statistically significant and when the findings

A)showed a positive correlation.
B)showed a negative correlation.
C)constitute a natural clinical trial.
D)are replicated by other researchers.

Question 69

An inactive substance,such as a sugar pill or a saline injection,that is given to subjects to make them think they've taken a drug is called a(n)

A)placebo.
B)extraneous variable.
C)dependent variable.
D)control drug.

Question 70

Regarding placebos,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)In a drug study,the participants in the experimental group get the placebo and those in the control group get the real drug.
B)Doctors sometimes prescribe placebos,especially for complaints that seem to have no physical basis.
C)If a placebo has any effect,it must be based on suggestion,rather than chemistry.
D)Placebos have been shown to affect pain,anxiety,depression,alertness,tension,sexual arousal,and cravings for alcohol.

Question 71

Giving placebos in drug experiments is necessary to

A)counteract the random assignment of subjects.
B)counteract the side effects of the drug.
C)control for the effects of suggestion and expectation.
D)keep control subjects from knowing they have been given the real drug.

Question 72

You are conducting an experiment to determine if listening to music improves learning.If the average test score of the experimental group is higher than the average of the control group,then we can conclude that

A)extraneous variables were not controlled.
B)the two groups were not randomly assigned.
C)listening to music improved learning.
D)listening to music does not improve learning.

Question 73

In research reports,a statement that "the results of the experiment were statistically significant" means that the difference must be large enough so that it would occur by chance in how many experiments out of 100?

A)less than five
B)less than 20
C)more than five
D)more than 20

Question 74

An experimenter conducts an experiment on the effects of a drug to control hallucinations.The experimenter declares the results to be "statistically significant," which usually means that

A)even though appropriate statistics were used,no differences could be detected between the experimental and control groups.
B)the results have important implications for theory or practice.
C)differences of this size between the experimental and control groups would occur by chance only five times out of 100 (or less).
D)differences between the experimental and control groups were so large they could never occur by chance alone.

Question 75

The placebo effect is a form of

A)anthropomorphic error.
B)somatization variable.
C)research participant bias.
D)researcher bias.

Question 76

After a person takes a placebo,there is

A)a reduction in brain activity linked with pain.
B)usually only a small,insignificant effect for most people.
C)initially an increase in pain,followed by mild relief.
D)an immediate relief of pain,but no change in brain activity linked with this pain.

Question 77

To replicate an experiment means to

A)use control groups and experimental groups.
B)use statistics to determine the effect of chance.
C)control for the effects of extraneous variables.
D)repeat the experiment using either identical or improved research methods.

Question 78

In a weight-reduction experiment,an overweight individual was given what the researcher called a new type of diet pill that would help curb the desire to eat.In fact,the pill really contained powdered milk,but ever since the individual started taking the diet pill,he has reported that his desire to eat has decreased.This illustrates the

A)curvilinear relationship.
B)effect of extraneous variables.
C)natural experiment.
D)placebo effect.

Question 79

A researcher hypothesized that the drug amphetamine (a stimulant)improves learning.She explains her hypothesis to her participants and gives experimental group participants an amphetamine pill before they begin studying.Control group members get nothing.Later,she assesses how much each participant learned.Because of the hypothesis explanation and because the experimental group was given a pill that the other group did not receive,the experimental group will most likely expect to learn more.Thus,any observed differences between groups may reflect differences in expectation,not the actual effect of the drug,a problem known as the

A)anthropomorphic error.
B)research participant bias.
C)courtesy bias.
D)double-blind experimental effect.

Question 80

In one study,a saline injection was shown to be 70 percent as effective as morphine in reducing pain.This is an example of

A)a placebo effect.
B)physiological blocking.
C)the random-assignment effect.
D)a double-blind effect.