Deck 4: Research Design Fundamentals

Question 1

In the experimental method,the researcher makes sure that the influence of all extraneous variables are kept constant.This process is referred to as

A) randomization.
B) cause and effect.
C) constancy.
D) experimental control.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A researcher measured how much violent television children watched at home.These children were also observed for their aggressiveness on the playground.The researcher found that as the amount of violence watched on TV increased,the amount of playground aggressiveness increased.The type of relationship found was

A) negative.
B) positive.
C) curvilinear.
D) inconclusive.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A researcher investigated the relationship between test length and grades in a Western Civilization course.After randomly assigning students to groups,she found that students who took longer exams received better grades than students who took shorter exams.The independent variable was

A) test grades.
B) gender of the students.
C) class size.
D) length of test.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Dr.Kramer found that the average number of miles driven decreases as the price of gasoline increases.This relationship can best be described as a _______ relationship.

A) positive
B) negative
C) curvilinear
D) zero

Question 5

In graphing the results of an experiment,the independent variable is placed on the ________ axis and the dependent variable is placed on the ________ axis.

A) vertical;horizontal
B) bottom;central
C) central;bottom
D) horizontal;vertical

Question 6

The finding that a person's shoe size is not associated with their family income suggests

A) a positive relationship.
B) a negative relationship.
C) a curvilinear relationship.
D) no relationship.

Question 7

A researcher finds that the more a song is played on the radio,the greater the liking for the song.However,she also finds that if the song is played too much,people start to dislike the song.What type of relationship does this represent?

A) Positive
B) Negative
C) Curvilinear
D) No relationship

Question 8

Mr.McDonald finds the lower the price of hamburgers in his restaurant,the more hamburgers he sells.This relationship can best be identified as a _____ relationship.

A) positive
B) negative
C) curvilinear
D) dependent

Question 9

Ice cream sales increase when daily temperatures rise.This is an example of a ____ relationship.

A) positive
B) negative
C) curvilinear
D) zero

Question 10

A researcher observed that drinking coffee improved performance on complex math problems up to a point.The researcher also noted,however,that excessive coffee drinking actually interferes with problem solving.What type of relationship was observed?

A) Positive
B) Negative
C) Curvilinear
D) No relationship

Question 11

Which of the following is true of having to operationally define a variable.Operational definitions

A) can result in the realization that a variable is too vague to study.
B) allow the researcher to conceal the real variable.
C) are not easily measured.
D) may contain abstract terms.

Question 12

A researcher found that as the amount of violence watched on TV increased,the amount of playground aggressiveness increased.Based on these findings,it can be said with certainty that

A) reducing violence on television will reduce children's aggressiveness.
B) knowing the amount of violence children watch on television allows prediction of their aggressiveness.
C) aggressive children should not watch television.
D) passive children watch less television than aggressive children.

Question 13

By employing randomization,the researcher ensures that

A) one group is different than the other.
B) participants are manipulated at random.
C) any extraneous factor is as likely to affect one group as it is to affect the other.
D) participants are unable to choose their preferred group.

Question 14

Suppose a study shows there is a strong,positive relationship between learning disabilities in children and presence of food allergies.If this is so,we may conclude that

A) if a child overcomes his disabilities,the food allergies should disappear.
B) if the allergy-related foods are removed from a child's diet,the disabilities should disappear.
C) a child diagnosed as having a learning disability is very likely to have food allergies.
D) a child diagnosed as having a learning disability is not likely to have food allergies.

Question 15

The registrar at Central College finds that as tuition increases,the number of classes students take decreases.This is an example of a _____ relationship.

A) positive
B) negative
C) curvilinear
D) zero

Question 16

Which one of the following is most likely NOT a variable?

A) Gender
B) Intelligence
C) Current U.S.President
D) Religious affiliation

Question 17

A laboratory experiment uses ________ while a field experiment does not.

A) a manipulated dependent
B) specifically selected groups
C) an artificial environment
D) qualitative data

Question 18

When increases in the values of one variable are associated with both increases and decreases in the values of a second variable,what type of relationship is present?

A) Positive
B) Confounded
C) Curvilinear
D) Negative

Question 19

Igor notices that the more time he spends working in the laboratory,the more familiar he becomes with the standard laboratory procedures.What type of relationship does this observation represent?

A) Positive
B) Negative
C) Curvilinear
D) No relationship

Question 20

An experimenter had one group of participants eat ice cream that was packaged in a red carton,whereas another group of participants ate the same flavoured ice cream from a green carton.Participants then indicated how much they liked the ice cream by rating the taste on a 1-5 scale.The independent variable in this experiment was the

A) ice cream ratings.
B) gender of the participant.
C) colour of the carton.
D) flavour of the ice cream.

Question 21

When increases in the values of one variable are associated with increases in the values of a second variable,what type of relationship is present?

A) Positive
B) No relationship
C) Negative
D) Curvilinear

Question 22

Which one of the following represents a critical difference between the non-experimental and experimental methods?

A) Non-experimental methods involve operational definitions while experimental methods do not.
B) Experimental methods involve operational definitions while non-experimental methods do not.
C) Non-experimental methods involve the manipulation of variables while experimental methods do not.
D) Experimental methods involve the manipulation of variables while non-experimental methods do not.

Question 23

The more people in a group that perform a behaviour,the more likely a person is to also perform the behaviour because it is the "norm" of behaviour.This interpretation of group behavior as the "norm" is an example of a(n)_____ variable.

A) reliable
B) conceptual
C) mediating
D) operational

Question 24

If a researcher finds that younger students contributed more to a discussion on human sexuality than did older students,what type of relationship between age and participation was found?

A) Negative
B) Positive
C) No relationship
D) Curvilinear

Question 25

Research is aimed at reducing random variability or error variance by identifying relationships between variables.This variability is called error because

A) it accounts for the errors made in conducting the research.
B) we do not understand it.
C) it fails to indicate any direction of relationship.
D) there is randomness in events that occur in the world.

Question 26

What is the primary advantage of the laboratory experiment over the field experiment?

A) Variables are investigated in more natural conditions.
B) Participants know they are in an experiment.
C) It is easier to hold extraneous variables constant.
D) Confounding variables can interfere.

Question 27

The process of clearly identifying how a variable is measured or manipulated is referred to as the _______ of the variable.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) level
D) operational definition

Question 28

What two problems arise when interpreting results obtained using the non-experimental method?

A) Second variable problem and third variable problem
B) Third variable problem and direction of cause and effect
C) Direction of cause and effect and second variable problem
D) Dependent variable problem and independent variable problem

Question 29

Dr.Zilstein examines the effect of fear (low or high)on a college student's desire to affiliate with others.Some students are told they will receive a very painful electrical shock,others a very mild shock.The intensity of the electrical shock the students are to receive is the _____ of the fear variable.

A) mediating definition
B) conceptual definition
C) hypothetical construct
D) operational definition

Question 30

A behavioral scientist will usually accept which condition for a variable to be labeled a cause? The variable is the cause if its presence is

A) intuitive.
B) observable.
C) necessary and sufficient.
D) neither necessary nor sufficient.

Question 31

The non-experimental (correlational)method involves

A) manipulation of an independent variable.
B) random assignment to groups.
C) measurement of participants on two variables.
D) elimination of the third-variable problem.

Question 32

_____ refers to the cause being present for the effect to occur,while _____ refers to the cause always producing the effect.

A) Sufficient;necessary
B) Sufficient;control
C) Necessary;sufficient
D) Necessary;control

Question 33

If rats in a maze run faster when food is present than when food is absent,this demonstrates a(n)___________________.

A) temporal precedence
B) covariation between variables
C) elimination of possible causes
D) negative correlation

Question 34

A researcher investigated the relationship between age and participation in a discussion on human sexuality.She found that younger students contributed more to the discussion than did older students.What was the research method used in this study?

A) Non-experimental
B) Experimental
C) Operational
D) Generational

Question 35

A researcher measured how much violent television children watched at home and also observed their aggressiveness on the playground.The researcher used the ________ method.

A) experimental
B) control
C) inverse
D) non-experimental

Question 36

A newspaper reports the results of a correlational study suggesting that an increase in the amount of violence watched on TV by children may be responsible for an increase in the amount of playground aggressiveness they display.However,the parents' aggression may actually be responsible for the increase in playground aggression.In this example,the confounding variable would be the

A) amount of TV watched.
B) amount of playground aggression.
C) newspaper report.
D) parents' aggression.

Question 37

When increases in the values of one variable are associated with decreases in the values of a second variable,what type of relationship is present?

A) Positive
B) No relationship
C) Negative
D) Curvilinear

Question 38

Dr.George examines the relationship between students' distance to school and the amount of time they spend studying.If no relationship between the variables exists,then

A) as distance to school increases,time spent studying increases.
B) as distance to school increases,time spent studying decreases.
C) distance has no effect on time spent studying.
D) as distance to school increases,time spent studying first increases and then decreases.

Question 39

Random assignment is a critical element of the experimental method because it

A) always leads to equal group sizes.
B) increases the construct validity of the dependent variable.
C) eliminates consistent effects of extraneous variables.
D) enables generalization of the results.

Question 40

When a researcher can make a strong inference that one variable caused another,the study is said to have _____ validity.

A) inferential
B) external
C) internal
D) reliable

Question 41

An exercise physiologist examines the relationship between the number of sessions of weight training and the amount of weight a person loses in a month.If a curvilinear relationship exists,what should the results be like?

A) The more sessions of weight training,the more weight that is lost
B) The more sessions of weight training,the less weight that is lost
C) The fewer sessions of weight training,the less weight that is lost
D) The more sessions of weight training,the more weight that is lost,followed by a decline in weight loss

Question 42

A researcher asks male and female participants to rate the guilt of a defendant on the basis of their physical attractiveness.Which of the following is a response variable?

A) Gender of the research participant
B) Guilt ratings
C) The defendant's physical attractiveness
D) The defendant's gender

Question 43

Which one of the following is a situational variable?

A) Reasoning ability
B) Temperature in the room
C) Performance on a weight-lifting task
D) Ratings for the humor of several comic strips

Question 44

Random variability exists because

A) relationships between variables can only be positive or negative.
B) curvilinear relationships exist.
C) relationships between variables are rarely perfect.
D) relationships between variables can only be monotonic.

Question 45

Dr.King asks student teachers to assign a punishment for misbehavior displayed by an attractive versus unattractive child.The response variable would be

A) the student teachers.
B) assigned punishment.
C) the child's attractiveness.
D) the misbehaviour.

Question 46

A researcher is interested in the effect of caffeine on a driver's braking speed.She takes four groups of participants and gives each group a different dose of caffeine,then measures their reaction time.Which of the following statements is true?

A) The dependent variable has four levels.
B) The independent variable has four levels.
C) The independent variable is reaction time.
D) The dependent variable is the number of groups.

Question 47

A researcher asks male and female participants to rate the desirability of potential neighbors on the basis of the potential neighbour's occupation.Which one of the following is a situational variable?

A) Gender of the research participant
B) Desirability ratings
C) Potential neighbour's occupation
D) Number of participants who responded

Question 48

A researcher observed that people who have a large number of pets also live in houses with more bathrooms than people with fewer pets.Which of the following conclusions might be correct?

A) Having a large number of bathrooms causes people to buy fewer pets.
B) Having many pets causes people to buy houses with fewer bathrooms.
C) Some other variable may cause people to buy larger houses and to have more pets.
D) Having many pets causes people to spend more time in the bathroom.

Question 49

What is the primary advantage of a field experiment over a laboratory experiment?

A) Variables are investigated in a natural context.
B) The third variable problem is eliminated.
C) Randomization procedures are simpler.
D) Mediating variables are considered.

Question 50

A researcher investigated the relationship between alcohol intake and reaction time in a driving simulation task.Participants drank either one ounce or three ounces of alcohol and were then measured on braking speed at a simulated red light.The dependent variable was the

A) amount of alcohol.
B) braking speed.
C) red light.
D) degree of intoxication.

Question 51

Dr.Sears observes that the more time a person spends in a department store,the more purchases they tend to make.The research method used in this study can best be described as

A) experimental.
B) non-experimental.
C) operational.
D) departmental.

Question 52

A researcher had participants eat the same flavoured ice cream packaged in a round or square carton.The participants then indicated how much they liked the ice cream.The dependent variable is

A) ice cream rating.
B) gender of the participant.
C) shape of the carton.
D) flavor of the ice cream.

Question 53

When a researcher manipulates temperature of a room in order to examine the effect it has on task performance,the different temperature conditions are referred to as the _____ of the variable.

A) subjects
B) responses
C) reliability
D) levels

Question 54

Professor Bonds asked students to name different factors that may change with a person's age.The students identified weight,height,and number of friends.These factors would be examples of

A) variables.
B) mediators.
C) operational definitions.
D) constants.

Question 55

Which of the following alternatives is NOT correct?

A) Randomization is used in the experimental method to assign participants to groups.
B) Randomization is used in the non-experimental method to eliminate the influence of third variables.
C) Randomization is used to ensure that participant characteristics will be evenly distributed between different groups.
D) Randomization is used when it is difficult or impossible to hold an extraneous variable constant.

Question 56

To assess the strength of relationship between beer sales and outdoor temperatures,Adolph would want to

A) sell beer only on cold days.
B) sell beer only on hot days.
C) stop selling beer.
D) calculate a correlation coefficient.

Question 57

A psychological process that is responsible for the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable is referred to as a(n)_____ variable.

A) operational
B) hypothetical
C) process
D) mediating

Question 58

Which of the following is least true of an operational definition? It

A) allows the researcher to translate the variable into specific techniques used to measure or manipulate a variable.
B) forces the researcher to discuss abstract concepts in concrete terms.
C) prevents others from replicating one's results.
D) allows a variable to be studied empirically.

Question 59

Two researchers tested the hypothesis that college students' grades and happiness are related.One researcher operationally defined happiness as the number of hours spent at leisure activities.The other researcher defined happiness as the amount of achievement one feels as measured on a 10-point scale.Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) Because their hypotheses are identical,the two researchers should obtain similar results.
B) The only valid definition is the number of hours spent at leisure activities because it is the only objective measure.
C) The difference in operational definitions of happiness could lead to quite different results.
D) Only the study that measured happiness through achievement can prove that happiness is caused by good grades.

Question 60

Law students who scored low versus high on a measure of dominance were asked to assign punishment to a drunken driver involved in an accident.The participant variable would be

A) the dominance of the students.
B) the assigned punishment.
C) the drunken driver.
D) the accident.

Question 61

A researcher asks male and female college students to rate the quality of the food offered in the cafeteria versus the food offered in the vending machines.Which one of the following is a participant variable?

A) Gender of the participant
B) Quality ratings
C) The type of food offered
D) The source of food offered

Question 62

Experimental control is accomplished by

A) treating participants in all groups alike except for the independent variable.
B) using a control group as a standard to measure against.
C) using careful operational definitions.
D) paying attention to the sensitivities of the participant.

Question 63

If a positive relationship between the amount of candy consumed and the amount of weight gained in a month exists,what should the results be like?

A) The more candy consumed,the less weight that is gained
B) The more candy consumed,the more weight that is gained
C) The less candy consumed,the more weight that is gained
D) Amount of candy consumed has no effect on the weight that is gained

Question 64

Rats learning a maze are tested after varying degrees of food deprivation,to see if it affects the time it takes for them to complete the maze.Some rats are deprived of food for 4 hours before they run the maze,others for 8 hours,and others for 12 hours.In this study

A) duration of food deprivation is the independent variable.
B) the rats are a situational variable.
C) time to complete the maze is the independent variable.
D) food deprivation is the dependent variable.

Question 65

Participants read an account of a crime in which the perpetrator was described as an attractive or unattractive woman.They then assigned the length of prison sentence they felt the woman deserved.The _____ would be a _____ variable.

A) woman's attractiveness;response
B) account of the crime;situational
C) woman's attractiveness;situational
D) account of the crime;response

Question 66

An operational definition of the variable "anxiety" would not be

A) a physiological measure of sweating.
B) the score on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale.
C) the number of "ums" and "ahs" in a person's speech.
D) the colour of the participant's hair.

Question 67

A study examined the relationship between years spent smoking and attitudes toward quitting by asking participants to rate their optimism for the success of a treatment program.If there were a negative relationship between these variables,what should the results of the study be like?

A) The more years spent smoking,the more optimistic for success.
B) The fewer years spent smoking,the less optimistic for success.
C) The more years spent smoking,the less optimistic for success.
D) The fewer years spent smoking,the fewer participants they could find.

Question 68

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) A laboratory experiment uses the experimental method and a field experiment uses the non-experimental method.
B) The independent variable is manipulated in the laboratory experiment and measured in the field experiment.
C) The laboratory experiment allows greater control of extraneous variables than the field experiment.
D) A laboratory experiment's results are more significant that the results obtained in a field experiment.