Deck 11: Causation

Question 1

Which statement most likely represents the perspective of the spokesperson?

A)Women who really want to start businesses apply for microloans.
B)The microloans enable women to buy what they need to start a business.
C)Women who seem capable of starting business are more likely to be approved for a micro loan.
D)All of the above.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A hypothesis is that that spending time hiking in the woods improves seasonal allergies .Hikers and non-hikers were surveyed, and hikers were found to have fewer seasonal allergies .People with allergies may choose not to hike in the woods .This is an example of

A)Reverse causation
B)Common cause
C)Sample selection bias
D)All of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which study shows the best evidence of causation?

A)Hospitals that have switched to electronic medical records make more money than those using traditional records.
B)An experiment found that public housing residents randomly assigned to receive a voucher to move to a different neighborhood were more likely to get a job than those who did not.
C)Before a "get out the vote campaign," 40 percent of citizens voted in an election.After the campaign, 60 percent voteD.
D)Crime statistics showed that controlling for per capita income and poverty rates, states with harsher sentencing laws have fewer drug-related crimes.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A visitor to Earth from another planet noticed that people started to buy lighter clothing such as t-shirts and sandals .A few weeks later, the temperature increaseD .The visitor concluded that the shopping caused the change of weather .This error is called

A)Reverse causation
B)Common cause
C)Sample selection bias
D)All of the above

Question 5

Ethically, the benefits of an experiment must outweigh the risks .This involves researchers following formal principles such as:

A)Informed consent
B)Voluntary participation
C)No harm to subjects
D)All of the above

Question 6

A survey of a large population found self-reported health to be a positive significant predictor of happiness .In all likelihood, self-reported health in this study is

A)Exogenous to happiness
B)Endogenous to happiness
C)The only cause of happiness
D)Not related to happiness

Question 7

Which of the following could explain this result?

A)Women who really want to start businesses apply for microloans.
B)The microloans enable women to buy what they need to start a business.
C)Women who seem capable of starting business are more likely to be approved for a micro loan.
D)All of the above.

Question 8

Previous studies have suggested that frequent communication with parents serves as a protective factor against drug use by children .This is an example of a:

A)Conceivable mechanism
B)Relative mechanism
C)Acceptable mechanism
D)Plausible mechanism

Question 9

Researchers have to be cautious in determining whether or not a variable is a(n) _______, in that it causally comes before both the independent and dependent variables.

A)Precursor
B)Antecedent
C)Ancillary
D)Primary

Question 10

The medical director (a doctor) of a nursing care facility observes that patients seem to be livelier after doing physical activity .She decides to create a regular exercise class for all residents and recommends it to them as part of her specific medical advice .She plans to observe whether patients will become livelier over the long run .This is an example of:

A)Experimentation
B)Ethnography
C)Stimulation
D)Investigation

Question 11

A study followed charter school students to observe their progress over time .The researchers tried to figure out what would have happened if the students had not attended the charter school .This imaginary condition is called the

A)Counterfactual
B)Confounder
C)Common cause
D)Causal mechanism
The following description will be used to answer the next few questions.
A spokesperson for an organization that provides microloans to women in developing countries said, "Our clients are three times more likely to start a business than other women in their villages.Our program is having a big impact!"

Question 12

When more people walk along a waterfront, the perception that it is a safe area increases .When a waterfront area is perceived as safe, people are more likely to walk there .A researcher estimates the effect of safety perceptions on walking .Her study is an example of ignoring

A)Simultaneity bias
B)A spurious relationship
C)Chance correlation
D)All of the above

Question 13

A group of medical researchers want to study the effects of a potential new drug on a group of participants .Introducing the drug to this experimental group is referred to as an:

A)Intercession
B)Interference
C)Intervention
D)Involvement

Question 14

A study falsely concluded that eating ice cream causes drowning because both increase during the summer months .In fact, the warmer weather leads people to go swimming more often, leading to more deaths due to drowning, and more people eat ice cream as the temperature rises .The correct explanation is called

A)Reverse causation
B)Common cause
C)Sample selection bias
D)All of the above

Question 15

Professor Cortez is interested in developing a better idea of how test scores (the independent variable) and study habits (the dependent variable) are relateD .This is called the:

A)Pivotal mechanism
B)Connecting mechanism
C)Causal mechanism
D)Contributing mechanism

Question 16

According to the spokesperson, what type of variable is receiving a microloan?

A)Endogenous
B)Independent
C)Dependent
D)Control