Question 1

You are conducting a study using mood (happy, sad) and the presence of plants (plants present, plants not present) as the IVs and donation to charity as your DV. Specifically, (a) create a research design for this study that is high in relevance but low in ecological validity; (b) be sure to explain how your design demonstrates high relevance and low ecological validity. Furthermore, (c) what is robustness, and (d) what would you do with this study to increase its robustness, and why would that increase its robustness?

Accepted Answer

(a) The research design for this study would involve conducting a controlled laboratory experiment where participants are randomly assigned to different conditions. In one condition, participants would be exposed to a happy mood induction (e.g., watching a funny video), while in another condition, they would be exposed to a sad mood induction (e.g., watching a sad movie). Additionally, in one set of conditions, plants would be present in the room, while in another set of conditions, plants would not be present. Participants would then be asked to make a donation to a charity, with the amount of their donation serving as the dependent variable.

This design demonstrates high relevance because it allows for the manipulation of mood and the presence of plants, which are both factors that have been shown to influence prosocial behavior, such as charitable donations. However, it is low in ecological validity because it takes place in an artificial laboratory setting, which may not accurately reflect real-world situations where mood and the presence of plants may interact in more complex ways.

(b) Robustness refers to the ability of a study's findings to hold up under different conditions or when subjected to different analyses. To increase the robustness of this study, one could consider conducting the same experiment in a more naturalistic setting, such as a public space or a community event, to see if the results hold up outside of the laboratory. This would increase the robustness of the study by providing evidence that the effects of mood and the presence of plants on charitable donations are not limited to the artificial conditions of the lab, but can be observed in real-world settings as well. Additionally, conducting the study with a larger and more diverse sample of participants would also increase its robustness by ensuring that the findings are not specific to a particular group of individuals.

Question 2

The type(s) of external validity that are important in an experiment sometimes vary depending on the ultimate goals of that study. For example, in descriptive research of a social phenomenon, _____(a)_____ would be crucial. Determining the extent to which an experimental effect can be found in different experimental settings is important for establishing the _____(b)_____ of that effect.

Accepted Answer

A)   robustness; relevance
B)   relevance; ecological validity
C)   ecological validity; robustness
D)   ecological validity; relevance C

Question 3

What types of participants are most likely to try to figure out the hypotheses of an experiment so that they can respond accordingly? (circle all that apply)

Accepted Answer

A)   good participants
B)   faithful participants
C)   apprehensive participants
D)   negative participants A,D

Question 4

Study 1 investigated whether lack of sleep influences people's information processing using a college sample and paper and pencil measures. Study 2 replicated the study using a convenience sample gathered from a sleep clinic (of middle-aged and elderly adults), and measured information processing using fMRI images. Study 3 conducted a third study on sleep and information processing in school children, using behavioral observations and verbal responses to several information processing questions. Studies 1 and 2 were consistent with hypotheses, while Study 3 found no differences. This series of studies would likely be high in which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   robustness
B)   ecological validity
C)   relevance
D)   A and B
E)   A and CF)  none of the above

Question 5

In a field experiment, researchers experimentally manipulated a sign next to the trash cans in a park. In one condition, the sign read "DON'T LITTER," in the other condition, the sign read "Please keep your park clean." Researchers found that on average, park goers tended to throw less trash in the trash can (i.e., they littered more) when the DON'T LITTER sign was posted. The park goers in this experiment would be considered what type of participants?

Accepted Answer

A)   apprehensive participants
B)   nonvoluntary participants
C)   involuntary participants
D)   voluntary participants

Question 6

Researchers were interested in testing whether a new experimental therapeutic technique would reduce people's interest in Internet pornography. To do so, they recruited all of the residents of an assisted living facility (for the elderly) and randomly assigned them to the experimental treatment or control group. The treatment worked! People in the therapy group scored 0.05 on interest in Internet pornography, while people in the control group scored significantly higher (mean = 0.50). This study would likely be high in which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   robustness
B)   ecological validity
C)   relevance
D)   A and B
E)   B and CF)  none of the above

Question 7

In a double-blind study examining the effects of a new cola-flavored energy drink on people's physiological arousal, participants in the experimental drink condition demonstrated significantly greater arousal than the control group. However, upon further investigation, a third, placebo group (using flavored Coca-Cola), also showed significantly greater arousal than the control group. Which of the following may have influenced the results of this study?

Accepted Answer

A)   participants' expectations about the effects of an experimental energy drink
B)   experimenters' expectations about the effects of the experimental energy drink
C)   the drink that was used as a placebo
D)   A and B
E)   A and CF)  all of the above

Question 8

Researchers in Los Angeles, CA, were interested in the predictors of aggressive driving. To investigate the potential antecedents of aggressive driving, these researchers developed a full-emersion driving simulator (i.e., in a real car adapted for a simulator, and with screens in all of the windows to resemble the available visual field one has in a car) where participants were subjected to several driving scenarios that reflected everyday driving situations in Los Angeles, including morning rush-hour, moderate traffic on a weekend, and busy nighttime driving. In other words, the driving simulator was designed to be as close to the real experience of driving as possible. Furthermore, the researchers were painstakingly thorough in making sure they recruited a sample of drivers that was representative of Los Angeles. The dependent variables were various observational and unobtrusive measures throughout the simulation (e.g., distance between the front of the participant's car to the rear of the car ahead of the participant; number and severity of fluctuations in speed; the amount of pressure applied to the gas and brake pedal). Is this study high in all three major aspects of external validity? Why or why not? Specifically, (a) identify and describe the major aspects of external validity, and (b) explain how and why the present study would be high or low on these three dimensions of external validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Researchers in Los Angeles, CA, were interested...

Question 9

If you conduct a field study in a place where people are known to behave slightly to extremely differently than they would otherwise behave (e.g., in Las Vegas), how ecologically valid are the results of that study? In other words, is what happens in Las Vegas truly representative of what would likely happen in "real life" situations outside of Las Vegas? Would the goal of a Vegas field study be to generalize to other similar contextual environments (e.g., Atlantic City) rather than to general "real life" contexts? If you are trying to achieve a high degree of ecological validity with your field study, should you plan to conduct it somewhere that is more likely to reflect people's everyday interactions and experiences, or does it matter where your field study is conducted as long as your sample is large enough?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you conduct a field study in...

Question 10

Experimenters can unknowingly influence the results of their own studies through very subtle, unconscious cues. Which of the following techniques would be least likely to reduce the risk of experimenter bias in a study?

Accepted Answer

A)   using a double-blind procedure
B)   video-recording the experimenter's instructions prior to anyone participating
C)   using a computer program to administer the experimental treatments
D)   having another equally qualified experimenter monitor and record the interactions between experimenter and participants.

Question 11

Providing an explanation of the goals of a study, as well as participants' role in reaching that goal, is often used to reduce the risk of __________participants actively trying to sabotage the results of a study.

Accepted Answer

A)   voluntary participants
B)   involuntary participants
C)   nonvoluntary participants
D)   faithful participants

Question 12

In Milgram's (1963; 1965) obedience experiments, participants who proceeded to administer shocks to confederates to the highest level of shock possible, were most likely being ________ participants.

Accepted Answer

A)   apprehensive
B)   good
C)   negative
D)   faithful

Question 13

Researchers were interested in determining whether feelings of self-uncertainty actually cause people to seek out and join more extreme groups (a relationship that had not previously been established). For this study, which of the following would likely be the most important?

Accepted Answer

A)   robustness
B)   ecological validity
C)   relevance
D)   internal validity

Question 14

The use of extreme politically left- or right-wing participants has the potential to bias, or undermine the generalizability of, the results in which of the following investigations? (circle all that apply)

Accepted Answer

A)   investigating the role of political attitudes on volunteering behavior
B)   investigating the effects of caffeine on people's neurological processes (e.g., the level of serotonin and dopamine in the brain) 
C)   using a prime that induces feelings of individualism and autonomy as an effective treatment for low self-esteem
D)   investigating the role of communication in couple's sexual satisfaction

Question 15

If naïve researchers and participants alike are prone to try to figure out what a study is trying to investigate, how do we know the extent to which participants' responses are due solely to our experimental treatments rather than to some sort of informal cues by researchers and good guesses by participants? Even if participants are unable to articulate their suspicions regarding what they thought the study was about, does that mean they were not actively trying to figure it out while participating? Does the process of random assignment solve, or at least help to address, this problem, and if so, why and how? Do biased responses by "good participants" essentially get balanced out by biased responses by "negative participants?"

Accepted Answer

The answer of If naïve researchers and participants alike are...

Question 16

Which participants have the potential to bias the results of a study:

Accepted Answer

A)   voluntary participants
B)   involuntary participants
C)   nonvoluntary participants
D)   A and B
E)   B and CF)  all of the above

Question 17

____________ refers to whether or not a phenomenon of interest occurs across a variety of settings and people.

Accepted Answer

A)   representativeness
B)   relevance
C)   ecological validity
D)   robustness
E)   none of the above

Question 18

Laboratory experiments conducted with college student samples are likely to have low:

Accepted Answer

A)   robustness
B)   ecological validity
C)   experimental realism
D)   relevance
E)   response rates

Question 19

A person who adjusts his or her responses to a scale designed to measure racist attitudes in order to not appear racist to the experimenter is an example of a __________ participant.

Accepted Answer

A)   negative
B)   good
C)   apprehensive
D)   faithful

Question 20

How does the use of college student samples in social research affect external validity?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does the use of college student...

Exam 7: External Validity of Laboratory Experiments