Deck 8: D: Two-Group Design: Texting: I Cant Get You Out of My Mind

Question 1

How can a researcher increase the internal validity of an experiment?

Answer 1

A researcher can increase internal validity by minimizing the impact of extraneous variables.One way an experimenter may do this is by randomly assigning participants to the experimental and control conditions.A researcher could also conduct his/her experiment in a controlled environment like a research laboratory.Finally,using a confederate could help to ensure that participants' experiences are standardized (as similar as possible on all factors other than the variable under investigation)across conditions.

Question 2

How would you operationalize the variables in an experiment examining the impact of sleep deprivation on sense of humor?

Answer 2

An operational definition provides a specific,observable description for experimental variables.Although answers for this question can vary considerably,they should all give measurable explanations for variables.For example,sleep deprivation could be defined as getting less than 4 hours of sleep the preceding night.Sense of humor could be operationally defined as how funny on a scale from 1 (not at all)to 7 (extremely)people rate a set of comical pictures.

Question 3

Katherine is interested in designing an experiment to examine whether people who use online dating websites are more likely to find satisfying relationships than individuals who do not use such websites.To do so,she designs a study where people in the experimental condition are those who have used online dating websites to find their current romantic partner.Participants in the control condition are individuals who met their partners in person.She measures and compares their current level of relationship satisfaction to reveal that participants who met online are more satisfied than those who met face-to-face.Imagine that you are a journal editor who received her manuscript claiming that online dating causes more satisfying relationship.What is the fatal flaw in her experimental design that would lead you to reject this paper for publication?

Answer 3

The current study does not randomly assign participants to condition.It allows participants to self-select whether they have (or have not)met their romantic partner using an online dating website.By letting participants self-select into conditions,the study fails to meet the criteria for an experimental research design.The researcher would not be able to draw causal conclusions from this study.Rather,the researcher is examining a naturally occurring relationship,making this a nonexperimental (correlational)study.

Question 4

What is a convenience sample? List some advantages and disadvantages of using this type of sample for an experimental study.

Question 5

Although Armand has not conducted any formal studies on the matter,he has noticed a positive correlation between the number of treats he gives his dog and the number of tricks his dog will do.Design a two-group experimental study examining the cause-and-effect relationship between treats and tricks.

Question 6

You are interested in conducting a research study to investigate whether the smell of cookies makes people happy.In your experimental condition,you have people complete a mood assessment with the smell of freshly baked cookies in the air.Design a control condition for this experiment.

Question 7

How would you create a manipulation check for an experiment testing whether wearing an activity tracker increases participants' persistence with a 90-day training program?

Question 8

Give an example of an experimental hypothesis that a researcher would want to examine using a matched-pair design.

Question 9

When would it be appropriate for a researcher to use an experimental design as opposed to a nonexperimental design?

Question 10

Define covariation and then list three examples of covariation that occur in your own life.

Question 11

As a pop-culture expert you have noticed that when celebrities wear the color black on the red carpet they receive more positive feedback than when they wear other colors.As a researcher,you decide to design an experimental study to test this observation.What would be your null hypothesis and your experimental hypothesis for the experimental study you design?

Question 12

Professor Robinson found that students who sit in the front row of his class receive better grades than students who sit in the back row of his class.Before he jumps to the conclusion that students in the front are smarter than those who sit in the back,he remembers that correlation does not equal causation.What are some extraneous variables that may explain the observed relationship between where a student sits and his/her class performance?

Question 13

What are acceptable ways to randomly assign participants to the control and experimental conditions?

Question 14

What is a confederate,and how might an experimenter use a confederate to help administer a study on conformity to inexplicable fashion trends,like the rise in popularity of leggings among college-aged females?