Question 1

Suggest some techniques a budding social psychologist can use to enhance the mundane realism and the experimental realism of an experiment.

Accepted Answer

There are several techniques a budding social psychologist can use to enhance the mundane realism and experimental realism of an experiment.

1. Use naturalistic settings: Instead of conducting experiments in artificial laboratory settings, try to conduct experiments in real-world environments that mimic the actual situations being studied. This can help enhance mundane realism by providing a more natural and authentic experience for participants.

2. Use immersive simulations: If conducting experiments in naturalistic settings is not feasible, consider using immersive simulations or virtual reality environments to create a more realistic experience for participants. This can help enhance experimental realism by allowing participants to engage with the experimental stimuli in a more immersive and realistic way.

3. Use deception sparingly: While it can be tempting to use deception to enhance experimental realism, it is important to use it sparingly and ethically. Deception can help create a more realistic experience for participants, but it should be used with caution and only when necessary to avoid ethical concerns.

4. Incorporate real-world stimuli: Instead of using artificial or contrived stimuli in experiments, try to incorporate real-world stimuli that participants would encounter in their daily lives. This can help enhance mundane realism by making the experimental stimuli more relatable and relevant to participants.

5. Engage participants in meaningful tasks: Instead of using passive tasks or tasks that are unrelated to real-world experiences, try to engage participants in meaningful and relevant tasks that simulate real-life situations. This can help enhance experimental realism by making the tasks more engaging and realistic for participants.

Overall, the key to enhancing both mundane realism and experimental realism is to create an environment and experience for participants that closely mirrors real-world situations and experiences. This can help ensure that the results of the experiment are more applicable and relevant to real-life scenarios.

Question 2

When the psychological processes people rely on when taking part in an experiment as similar to those they use in daily living, the study is said to have:

Accepted Answer

A)   mundane realism
B)   experimental realism
C)   psychological realism
D)   none of the above C

Question 3

When the operationalizations of some variables can be shown to represent the theoretical constructs on which they are based, a social psychologist is demonstrating:

Accepted Answer

A)   internal validity
B)   external validity
C)   construct validity
D)   reliability C

Question 4

What is cognitive dissonance? Define this term and provide an everyday example.

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Question 5

Festinger and Carlsmith (1959) predicted that after performing a boring task and then being paid $1 for telling a lie about it to a waiting participant ("this study is really interesting"), the actual participants in the study would:

Accepted Answer

A)   demonstrate high dissonance by reporting they did not enjoy the study
B)   demonstrate high dissonance by reporting they did enjoy the study
C)   demonstrate low dissonance by reporting they did not enjoy the study
D)   demonstrate low dissonance by reporting they did enjoy the study

Question 6

Why is cognitive dissonance sometimes refereed to as an example of a consistency theory? How does dissonance impact people's perceptions of consistency?

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Question 7

How do mundane realism, experimental realism, and psychological realism relate to one another conceptually? Which is most important for research in social psychology? Explain your choice.

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Question 8

When a change in a dependent variable is causally related to the intended influence of an independent variable, an experiment is said to have:

Accepted Answer

A)   internal validity
B)   external validity
C)   construct validity
D)   reliability

Question 9

Why is construct validity an important quality for research efforts in social psychology?

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Question 10

List and discuss three ways to enhance the internal validity of a research study.

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Question 11

Discuss some approaches for enhancing the external validity of an experiment.

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Question 12

Which of the following is not a method for increasing a study's level of internal validity?

Accepted Answer

A)   run a true experiment
B)   pilot test the experiment
C)   make the research procedure involving
D)   increase the study's level of generalizability

Question 13

The mundane realism of a study can be increased by:

Accepted Answer

A)   have the experimenter look and act professional
B)   make the research space neat, orderly, and well-lit
C)   add comfortable seating and ambient noise
D)   all of the above

Question 14

Consider the common threats to internal validity: How does history differ from maturation? Use an example of each threat to illustrate the difference(s).

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Question 15

Why is external validity a desirable quality for any piece of research, especially one in social psychology?

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Question 16

Cognitive dissonance is a:

Accepted Answer

A)   self-report bias
B)   a serious validity problem
C)   a state of psychological tension
D)   a form of mundane realism

Question 17

A group of research participants takes part in an experiment after eating a heavy meal, which lowers their responsiveness to some stimuli. Which threat to internal validity might be affecting their responses?

Accepted Answer

A)   history
B)   mortality
C)   selection
D)   maturation

Question 18

Describe the "give-and-take" relationship between internal and external validity. Can you have one without the other? Why or why not? Use an example to illustrate your arguments.

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

Describe the now classic study of insufficient justification and cognitive dissonance conducted by Festinger and Carlsmith (1959). Be sure to discuss how the control condition differed from the other conditions in the study.

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Question 20

List and define at least four of the common threats to internal validity.

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Exam 9: Validity and Realism in Research