Deck 7: The Basics of Experimentation

Question 1

Independent and Dependent Variables If a memory researcher presents three levels of an independent variable (e.g., problem difficulty), there must be ___ different treatment conditions.

A)2
B)3
C)4
D)6

Answer 1

3

Question 2

Independent and Dependent Variables ____ are participant characteristics that an experimenter cannot manipulate.

A)Context variables
B)Environmental variables
C)Subject variables
D)Task variables

Answer 2

Subject variables

Question 3

Independent and Dependent Variables Kayla observes that textbook publishers use different methods to highlight key vocabulary terms and she questions whether this affects word recognition.She randomly assigns subjects to read the same textbook passage with key words boldfaced in black, blue, or red, in rooms with high or low illumination, and then administers a recognition test.Identify the task variable in Kayla's experiment.

A)reading ability
B)room illumination
C)text color
D)visual acuity

Answer 3

text color

Question 4

Independent and Dependent Variables Levels of the independent variable refers to

A)the number of dependent variables in an experiment.
B)the number of independent variables in an experiment.
C)the number of treatment conditions for an independent variable.
D)the scale of measurement applied to the independent variable.

Question 5

Independent and Dependent Variables Gabriel observes that web pages use a range of font sizes and questions how this affects readability.He reproduces an actual 250-word news report in 10, 11, and 12-point fonts.Then, he randomly assigns subjects to read the report in one of the font sizes and measures their reading comprehension.Font size is the ____ in Gabriel's experiment.

A)confounding variable
B)dependent variable
C)extraneous variable
D)independent variable

Question 6

Formulate a measured operational definition for each dependent variable in question 2.

A)Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
We can define fondness as the number of hours a couple spends together
Following the experimental separation period.
B)It takes longer to recognize a person in a photograph seen upside down.
We can define recognition response time as the elapsed time between
Photograph presentation and the correct subject response.
C)People feel sadder in blue rooms than pink rooms.
We can define sadness as a score on the Beck Depression Inventory II.
D)Waiting with others reduces anxiety.
We can define anxiety as the state score on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

Question 7

Independent and Dependent Variables Investigation of ____ would require that an experimenter use an ex post facto design.

A)coping styles
B)drug dosage
C)exercise intensity
D)noise level

Question 8

Independent and Dependent Variables ____ are physical aspects of the testing situation that the experimenter directly controls.

A)Confounding variables
B)Dependent variables
C)Environmental variables
D)Extraneous variables

Question 9

Introduction An experimenter manipulates the ____ in an experiment to assess its effect on behavior.

A)confounding variable
B)dependent variable
C)extraneous variable
D)independent variable

Question 10

Independent and Dependent Variables ____ are aspects of the experimental procedure that the researcher directly controls.

A)Dependent variables
B)Environmental variables
C)Subject variables
D)Task variables

Question 11

Formulate an experimental operational definition for each independent variable in question 2.

A)Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
We can define absence as the number of days a couple is separated during an
Experiment.
B)It takes longer to recognize a person in a photograph seen upside down.
We can define photograph position as a photograph's spatial orientation
(original upright orientation or rotated 180 degrees).
C)People feel sadder in blue rooms than pink rooms.
We can define room color using a commercial color chart and then paint two
Identical rooms with blue or pink paints selected from the chart.
D)Waiting with others reduces anxiety.
We can define affiliation as the presence or absence of a confederate while a
Participant waits in a reception area.

Question 12

Independent and Dependent Variables Samantha, who reads "Dilbert" daily, wonders whether students are more productive when they study in cubicles or in open rooms.She randomly assigns subjects to read chapters of high or low difficulty in cubicle or open room conditions and then measures the number of pages they complete in an hour.What was the environmental variable in Samantha's study?

A)difficulty of reading material
B)number of completed pages
C)reading ability
D)room configuration

Question 13

List each class threat to internal validity that is intrinsic to the following designs:

A)ex post facto study: history threat, maturation threat, selection threat, statistical regression threat, and selection interactions threat.
B)longitudinal study: history threat, maturation threat, testing threat, instrumentation threat, and subject mortality threat.
C)pretest/posttest study: maturation threat, testing threat, instrumentation threat, statistical regression threat, and subject mortality threat.
D)nonequivalent groups: history threat, maturation threat, selection threat,and selection interactions threat.

Question 14

Introduction An experimenter ____ values of the independent variable in an experiment.

A)manipulates
B)measures
C)observes
D)selects already existing

Question 15

Introduction In order to conduct a psychology experiment, a researcher must create at least ___ treatment condition(s).

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question 16

Independent and Dependent Variables Which of the following could serve as a subject variable in an ex post facto study?

A)drug dosage
B)level of illumination
C)noise level
D)visual acuity

Question 17

Independent and Dependent Variables Which of the following could serve as a task variable in an experiment?

A)drug dosage
B)level of illumination
C)problem difficulty
D)subject gender

Question 18

Independent and Dependent Variables Robin studied the age at which Alzheimer's symptoms were first diagnosed in men and women who reported high or low mental activity and high or low socioeconomic status during their adult lives.Which were the subject variables in this ex post facto study?

A)age when Alzheimer symptoms were diagnosed and gender
B)gender and mental activity
C)mental activity and socioeconomic status
D)gender, mental activity, and socioeconomic status

Question 19

Identify the independent variables and levels of the IV in each of the following hypotheses:

A)Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
IV: absence (separation for 1 day and no separation)
B)It takes longer to recognize a person in a photograph seen upside down.
IV: photograph position (right-side up and upside down)
C)People feel sadder in blue rooms than pink rooms.
IV: room color (blue room and pink room)
D)Waiting with others reduces anxiety.
IV: affiliation (waiting with others and waiting alone)

Question 20

Independent and Dependent Variables Which of the following could function as an environmental variable in an experiment?

A)drug dosage
B)level of illumination
C)problem difficulty
D)subject gender

Question 21

Independent and Dependent Variables Whether a variable is an independent or dependent variable in an experiment depends on

A)how the experimenter operationalizes these constructs.
B)the experimental hypothesis.
C)the extraneous variables that are present.
D)the scale of measurement used.

Question 22

Operational Definitions Schachter (1959) scored his subjects' desire to affiliate by instructing them to check off their preferences on a questionnaire, which he described in detail in his report.These instructions and his description of the questionnaire comprised the ____ for his experiment.

A)experimental operational definition
B)hypothetical operational definition
C)independent operational definition
D)measured operational definition

Question 23

Independent and Dependent Variables In the Schachter (1959) experiment that examined the relationship between anxiety and affiliation, anxiety was the

A)confounding variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)independent variable.
D)subject variable.

Question 24

Independent and Dependent Variables In the Hess (1975) experiment that examined the relationship between pupil size and attractiveness, "attractiveness" was the

A)confounding variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)independent variable.
D)subject variable.

Question 25

Operational Definitions Which of the following specifies the exact steps used to create each value of the independent variable?

A)experimental operational definition
B)hypothetical operational definition
C)independent operational definition
D)measured operational definition

Question 26

Independent and Dependent Variables In a study of how childhood exposure to attachment figures affects teenage violence, an experimenter ____ the independent variable and ____ the dependent variable.

A)manipulates; measures
B)measures; manipulates
C)selects; manipulates
D)selects; measures

Question 27

Operational Definitions Schachter (1959) defined the high-anxiety condition in terms of the presence of electrical equipment in the room, Dr.Zilstein's ominous behavior, and the explicit statement that subjects should expect painful shocks.These were all elements of the

A)experimental operational definition.
B)hypothetical operational definition.
C)independent operational definition.
D)measured operational definition.

Question 28

Independent and Dependent Variables In a true experiment, an experimenter ____ the independent variable and ____ the dependent variable.

A)manipulates; measures
B)measures; manipulates
C)selects; manipulates
D)selects; measures

Question 29

Operational Definitions Ward, Leventhal, and Love (1988) selected subjects based on their scores on a written test of repressive coping style.The ____ in this quasi-experiment included a description of the test and the cut-off scores used to place subjects into repressor or nonrepressor groups.

A)experimental operational definition
B)hypothetical operational definition
C)independent operational definition
D)measured operational definition

Question 30

Independent and Dependent Variables An experimenter provided two groups of rats different quantities of food for successfully completing the same maze.She controlled the kind of food and the amount of time the rats had access to the food.She reported that both groups of rats committed the same number of errors in learning the maze.The number of errors was

A)a confounding variable.
B)a subject variable.
C)the dependent variable.
D)the independent variable.

Question 31

Independent and Dependent Variables The ____ is the specific behavior we expect to change due to our experimental intervention.

A)dependent variable
B)extraneous variable
C)independent variable
D)subject variable

Question 32

Operational Definitions In Candace's study of the effect of facial piercing on hiring decisions, she instructed subjects to rate job candidates, with and without facial piercings, on a scale from 1 (reject) to 7 (hire immediately).This scale, along with her instructions, constituted the ____ of the dependent variable.

A)experimental operational definition
B)hypothetical operational definition
C)independent operational definition
D)measured operational definition

Question 33

Operational Definitions Variables like anxiety cannot be directly observed and must be inferred from
Observable behaviors.These variables are called

A)hidden variables.
B)hypothetical constructs.
C)nonconstruct variables.
D)sham variables.

Question 34

Operational Definitions An operational definition defines a variable in terms of

A)conceptual definitions.
B)hypothetical constructs.
C)nonconstruct variables.
D)observable operations, procedures, and measurements.

Question 35

Independent and Dependent Variables Affiliation was the ____ in the Schachter (1959) experiment that examined the relationship between anxiety and affiliation.

A)confounding variable
B)dependent variable
C)independent variable
D)subject variable

Question 36

Operational Definitions _____exactly describe the procedures used to assess the impact of different treatment conditions.

A)Experimental operational definitions
B)Hypothetical operational definitions
C)Independent operational definitions
D)Measured operational definitions

Question 37

Independent and Dependent Variables Pupil size was the ____ in the Hess (1975) experiment that examined the relationship between pupil size and attractiveness.

A)confounding variable
B)dependent variable
C)independent variable
D)subject variable

Question 38

Operational Definitions The experimental operational definition used in quasi-experiments is a

A)conceptual definition of the independent variable.
B)hypothetical construct.
C)procedure for manipulating an independent variable.
D)procedure for selecting subjects for the required levels of the independent variable.

Question 39

Independent and Dependent Variables Based on Schachter's (1959) findings, Renee randomly assigned subjects to either wait alone or with a confederate for 20 minutes.She measured their anxiety at the end of the waiting period.Affiliation was the ____ in this experiment.

A)confounding variable
B)dependent variable
C)independent variable
D)subject variable

Question 40

Operational Definitions ____ operational definitions explain the meaning of independent variables.

A)Experimental
B)Hypothetical
C)Independent
D)Measured

Question 41

Operational Definitions Mack claims to have a revolutionary way to measure intelligence.He places a cloth tape around a subject's forehead and calculates the circumference.This procedure is a(n) ____ operational definition of intelligence.

A)accurate
B)inconsistent
C)reliable
D)valid

Question 42

Operational Definitions Which scale of measurement provides the least information about a variable?

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Question 43

Operational Definitions Since brightness can be directly measured using a light meter, brightness is a(n)

A)hypothetical construct.
B)intervening variable.
C)nonconstruct variable.
D)sham variable.

Question 44

Evaluating Operational Definitions Professor Smith's class was stunned.She mistakenly included questions from
Chapter 5 on an exam that was supposed to cover chapters 1-4.In appealing
Their low grades, the students should diplomatically question the ____of this
Exam.

A)construct validity
B)content validity
C)face validity
D)predictive validity

Question 45

Evaluating Operational Definitions When a researcher constructs a multiple-item questionnaire to measure a single construct like anxiety, she can measure ____ to evaluate the scale's internal consistency.

A)content reliability
B)interitem reliability
C)interrater reliability
D)test-retest reliability

Question 46

Operational Definitions Which measurement scale provides the most complete description of a variable's magnitude or quantitative size?

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Question 47

Operational Definitions A panel of beer drinkers participated in a blind taste test in which each participant ranked craft brews from first to fifth place.Which scale of measure did the contestants use?

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Question 48

Evaluating Operational Definitions A procedure has ____ if it yields information that enables us to forecast actual behavior.

A)construct validity
B)content validity
C)face validity
D)predictive validity

Question 49

Operational Definitions The concept of levels of measurement applies to

A)dependent variables.
B)extraneous variables.
C)independent variables.
D)both dependent and independent variables.

Question 50

Operational Definitions ____ are unseen processes postulated to explain behavior.

A)Hidden variables
B)Hypothetical constructs
C)Nonconstruct variables
D)Sham variables

Question 51

Operational Definitions Schachter (1959) measured affiliation using a ____ scale, since subjects selected among three categories: wait alone, wait with others, or no preference.

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Question 52

Operational Definitions In the play, The Devil and Daniel Webster, Webster agreed to plead for his client's soul before a jury composed of "the quick and the dead." His criteria for jury selection implied a ____ scale of measurement.

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Question 53

Operational Definitions Sarnoff and Zimbardo's (1961) 0-100 scale is a frequently used ____ scale.

A)nominal
B)ordinal
C)interval
D)ratio

Question 54

Evaluating Operational Definitions An operational definition is ____ when it measures what we intend it to measure.

A)internally consistent
B)objective
C)reliable
D)valid

Question 55

Evaluating Operational Definitions Which kind of reliability can be measured when several psychologists score the same subject's essay for aggressiveness?

A)content reliability
B)interitem reliability
C)interrater reliability
D)test-retest reliability

Question 56

Operational Definitions All of the following could qualify as hypothetical constructs except

A)anxiety.
B)frustration.
C)hunger.
D)noise level.

Question 57

Evaluating Operational Definitions Psychologists can evaluate ____ when they administer the MMPI-2 twice to the same subjects two weeks apart.

A)content reliability
B)interitem reliability
C)interrater reliability
D)test-retest reliability

Question 58

Evaluating Operational Definitions Based on positive correlations between the length of women's skirts and the Gross National Product, several economists have claimed that skirt length can be used to measure the health of the economy.This measure would seem to lack

A)concurrent validity.
B)face validity.
C)internal consistency.
D)interrater reliability.

Question 59

Operational Definitions Jesse, who is a very capable student, almost panicked when asked to answer a homework question in class.His instructor inferred from Jesse's discomfort that he suffers from public speaking anxiety.In this example, public speaking anxiety is a

A)hidden variable.
B)hypothetical construct.
C)nonconstruct variable.
D)sham variable.

Question 60

Operational Definitions ____ can be directly observed.

A)Hypothetical constructs.
B)Intervening variables.
C)Nonconstruct variables.
D)Sham variables.

Question 61

Evaluating Operational Definitions Researchers should anticipate the possibility of a ____ threat when they assign subjects to conditions using extreme test scores and retest these subjects after administering a treatment.

A)history
B)maturation
C)statistical regression
D)testing

Question 62

Evaluating Operational Definitions Jay's experiment was a disaster.He assigned the most attractive female subjects to the experimental condition and then lost several of them due to his shameless flirting.In contrast, he lost none of the control subjects.Jay endangered his experiment with a ____ threat.

A)maturation
B)selection
C)selection interaction
D)subject mortality

Question 63

Evaluating Operational Definitions _____ means that our inventory assesses the hypothetical entity we want to
Measure.

A)Content validity
B)Construct validity
C)Face validity
D)Predictive validity

Question 64

Evaluating Operational Definitions When we are confident that the changes in behavior that we observe across the different treatment conditions of our experiment were actually caused by our independent variable, our experiment

A)is externally valid.
B)is internally valid.
C)can be replicated.
D)all of these

Question 65

Evaluating Operational Definitions Heath participated in a study of the effect of meditation on blood pressure.Since he had never used a self-inflating cuff, he was afraid that the cuff would keep inflating and cut off blood to his arm.This fear caused his blood pressure to rise when he was measured during the pretest phase of the experiment.The experimenter also measured Heath's blood pressure after meditation training during the posttest phase.Since he was now used to the self-inflating cuff, his blood pressure was lower due to lack of panic.Based on Heath's experience, a ____ threat may have confounded this experiment.

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

Question 66

Evaluating Operational Definitions Alyssa is studying the effectiveness of a new method of strength training.
If she measures the experimental group before "happy hour" and the control
Group after "happy hour," her results would be confounded by a ____ threat.

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

Question 67

Evaluating Operational Definitions An experiment is internally valid if

A)differences in the dependent variable are caused by changes in the independent variable.
B)extraneous variables systematically vary with one or more of the independent variables.
C)the data are consistent with the theory underlying the experimental hypothesis.
D)the findings apply to situations that were not directly tested.

Question 68

Evaluating Operational Definitions A longitudinal study that observes first-born children's behavior before and after the birth of a sibling is particularly vulnerable to a ____ threat since rapid cognitive and physical change normally occur at this age.

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

Question 69

Evaluating Operational Definitions Psychologists evaluate ____ by comparing scores on a new test with those from a widely-accepted standardized instrument.

A)concurrent validity
B)construct validity
C)face validity
D)predictive validity

Question 70

Evaluating Operational Definitions When an extraneous variable changes value across conditions along with the independent variable, the experiment

A)can be replicated.
B)is confounded.
C)is externally valid.
D)is internally valid.

Question 71

Evaluating Operational Definitions When a researcher develops an assessment scale to help parole boards decide which prisoners would be safest to parole, she should be most concerned with the measure's

A)construct validity.
B)content validity.
C)face validity.
D)predictive validity.

Question 72

Evaluating Operational Definitions If a team of observers gradually changes its criteria for judging the aggressiveness of children's play as they became more familiar with the procedure, the study's internal validity could be jeopardized by a(n) _____ threat.

A)history
B)instrumentation
C)statistical regression
D)testing

Question 73

Evaluating Operational Definitions When an experimenter fails to randomly assign subjects to different experimental conditions, a ____ threat is present since treatment groups may differ on subject variables.

A)selection
B)statistical regression
C)subject mortality
D)testing