Deck 8: Experimental Design

Question 1

If you cannot use all possible orders in a repeated measures design,a good alternative is to use

A) an independent groups design.
B) a Latin Square.
C) a reversal design.
D) complete counterbalancing.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Jesse states that in his experiment,he has counterbalanced his conditions.What does this mean?

A) He has an equal number of participants in all conditions.
B) All participants are exposed to all conditions.
C) All possible orders of presentation of conditions are presented.
D) Conditions are presented in a fixed order.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A researcher wants to know if a new sports drink improves physical performance.Participants are first measured on the number of sit-ups they can complete in one minute.The participants are then given eight ounces of the new sports drink,and then the number of sit-ups completed in one minute is again measured.The researcher finds that the number of sit-ups completed is less after versus before consuming the new sports drink.This finding is likely a result of a _____ effect.

A) reactive
B) practice
C) fatigue
D) contrast

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The two kinds of order effects that are associated with the passage of time are

A) practice and carry-over effects.
B) carry-over and fatigue effects.
C) fatigue and counterbalanced effects.
D) practice and fatigue effects.

Question 5

Failure of the experimenter to control some extraneous variable may result in a(n)

A) state of confusion.
B) confound.
C) conflict.
D) interaction.

Question 6

A Latin Square design is used when

A) multiple baselines must be observed.
B) repeated measures cannot be used.
C) complete counterbalancing requires too many conditions.
D) the independent groups are too costly.

Question 7

In an experimental design,if awareness of a pretest poses a problem,which of the following would a researcher be least likely do?

A) Disguise the pretest
B) Embed the pretest in a set of irrelevant measures
C) Employ a Solomon four-group design
D) Tell the participant not to pay attention to the pretest

Question 8

To control for order effects in a repeated measures design,you should ideally use

A) counterbalancing techniques.
B) an independent groups design.
C) a reversal design.
D) a long time interval between conditions.

Question 9

Mortality refers to the fact that participants sometimes

A) cheat on questionnaires.
B) refuse to participate in an experiment.
C) drop out of an experiment.
D) fail to sign the informed consent forms.

Question 10

Which one of the following is NOT a type of order effect?

A) Reactive effect
B) Practice effect
C) Fatigue effect
D) Contrast effect

Question 11

A researcher is interested in factors that influence perceptions of others.She presents participants with photographs of female super models and asks them to rate the attractiveness of each woman.She then presents participants with photographs of women of average attractiveness and again asks participants to rate the attractiveness of each woman.Surprisingly,she finds that participants rate the women of average attractiveness much lower than she expected.What effect may be responsible for the lower ratings?

A) Reactive
B) Practice
C) Fatigue
D) Contrast

Question 12

When a confounding variable is present in an experiment,one cannot tell whether the results were due to the

A) independent variable or the dependent variable.
B) independent variable or the confounding variable.
C) dependent variable or the interval variable.
D) dependent variable or the participant variable.

Question 13

Internal validity means that

A) the change in the dependent variable can be attributed to the effect of the independent variable.
B) results can be generalized to other situations.
C) confounds were not well controlled.
D) all of the variables have construct validity.

Question 14

A matched pairs design is used when

A) it is too expensive to use simple random assignment.
B) an investigator wants to "match" participants on two variables.
C) a researcher wants to ensure that independent groups are equivalent on some participant characteristic.
D) a nonexperimental design restricts the population of participants.

Question 15

Which one of the following accurately describes a disadvantage of specifically using a pretest-posttest design?

A) A pretest introduces a new confound of participant mortality.
B) If participants drop out,you no longer have equal groups.
C) A pretest can sensitize the participants to the manipulation.
D) This design does not allow you to rule out regression effects.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is least likely to be true of using Latin Square?

A) It controls for order effects.
B) It results in complete counterbalancing.
C) Each condition appears at each ordinal position.
D) Each condition precedes and follows each condition one time.

Question 17

How many participants would be needed for a repeated-measures experiment comparing four different treatment conditions,which investigated 20 participants in each treatment?

A) 20
B) 5
C) 80
D) Cannot answer without more information

Question 18

A researcher wants to find out whether campers prefer cotton or nylon sleeping bags.A troop of boy campers tried cotton and a troop of girl campers tried nylon sleeping bags.The sleeping bags were rated for softness and warmth.The confounding variable is

A) cotton or nylon material.
B) softness.
C) gender of camper.
D) campsite.

Question 19

If a repeated measures experiment produces 50 scores in treatment 1 and 50 scores in treatment 2,then the experiment must have employed

A) 50 participants.
B) 100 participants.
C) 25 participants.
D) 200 participants.

Question 20

Lauren usually receives excellent ratings of her performance on the basketball court.However,her coach rates her performance in today's game much lower than normal because her teammates had an exceptionally good game.What effect may be responsible for today's lower rating?

A) Practice
B) Contrast
C) Fatigue
D) Carry over

Question 21

Improvement of performance as a result of repeated exposure to a task is referred to as a _____ effect.However,deterioration of performance as a result of repeated exposure to a task is referred to as a _____ effect.

A) reactive;non-reactive
B) fatigue;practice
C) practice;contrast
D) practice;fatigue

Question 22

To study the effect of type of stimulus on memory recall,Hayden has participants receive either an auditory or visual presentation of a poem.After the presentation,participants are asked to answer several questions about the poem.Hayden has employed which type of experimental design?

A) Pretest-posttest
B) Pretest only
C) One-group posttest
D) Posttest only

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a step in the posttest-only design?

A) Use of experimental control
B) Implementation of selection differences
C) Implementation of a manipulation
D) Use of randomization

Question 24

A matched pairs design involves

A) randomly assigning participants to groups and then matching pairs of participants.
B) matching pairs of participants on a variable and then randomly assigning one member of each pair to each group.
C) matching pairs of participants on a variable and then randomly assigning half the pairs of each group.
D) an attempt to control for order effects.

Question 25

A researcher wants to find out how much fins increase swimming speed.This hypothesis could be tested with a counterbalanced repeated measures design by

A) randomly assigning half the swimmers to the no-fin condition and half to the fin condition.
B) having all swimmers first swim without fins,then swim with fins.
C) having half the swimmers first swim without fins and then with fins,and having the other half swim first with fins and then without fins.
D) having some swimmers swim with fins,some swimmers swim with only one fin,and some swimmers swim with no fins.

Question 26

A researcher wants to know whether wearing sunglasses improves driving performance.If an independent groups design is used,the researcher would manipulate the variable by

A) randomly assigning half the drivers to a sunglasses condition and half to a no-sunglasses condition.
B) having all drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses.
C) having half the drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses and having the other half first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.
D) selectively placing half the drivers to a sunglasses condition and half to a no-sunglasses condition.

Question 27

In testing the effect of noise on performance of a task,Ernie tests half of the participants in a cool,comfortable,quiet room,and the other half in a hot,noisy room.Ernie's failure to control for temperature of the room may result in a(n)

A) externally valid study.
B) internally valid study.
C) interaction.
D) confound.

Question 28

At the end of a three-year study,Susan finds that 12 percent of her participants did not take part in the final survey because they moved away.In research terms,Susan is experiencing a _____ problem.

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

Question 29

If a greater percentage of heart surgeons than family doctors are sued for malpractice,can it be concluded that heart surgeons are less competent than family doctors?

A) Yes,if the difference is statistically significant.
B) Yes,if the same number of heart and family doctors are being compared.
C) No,because being sued is confounded with the potential risk of the doctor's work.
D) No,because there are more heart surgeons than family doctors.

Question 30

Gabriel measures participants on a variable of interest and rank orders them according to their scores.He then places them in pairs in which each member has approximately the same score as the other member in the pair.The members of each pair are then randomly assigned to the conditions in the experiment.Gabriel's method of participant assignment is an example of a _____ design.

A) posttest only
B) repeated measures
C) Latin Square
D) matched pairs

Question 31

A graduate student randomly assigns students in a class to taste either Coke or Pepsi.Students rate their liking for the soda on a scale from 1 to 10.This is an example of a(n)________ design.

A) one-group pretest-posttest
B) posttest-only
C) pretest only
D) pretest-posttest

Question 32

A research psychologist has participants serve as their own control group by having them take part in every condition of his study.This experimental approach is an example of a(n)

A) one-shot case study.
B) simple random design
C) independent groups design.
D) repeated measures design.

Question 33

A researcher wants to know whether wearing sunglasses improves driving performance.In a counterbalanced repeated measures design,presence or absence of sunglasses would be varied by

A) randomly assigning half the drivers to a sunglasses condition and half to a no-sunglasses condition.
B) having all drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses.
C) having half the drivers first drive without sunglasses and then with sunglasses and having the other half first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.
D) having all drivers first drive with sunglasses and then without sunglasses.

Question 34

An experiment has internal validity when

A) the dependent variable is measured reliably.
B) the dependent variable is valid.
C) only the independent variable could have caused the results.
D) the independent variable is strongly manipulated.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is incorrect? In an experimental design,mortality can refer to the

A) death of a participant.
B) loss of participants due to illness.
C) length of time the individual participates.
D) loss of participants in a study.

Question 36

A researcher wants to find out how much fins increase swimming speed.If an independent groups design is used,the researcher would manipulate the variable by

A) randomly assigning half the swimmers to the no-fin condition and half to the fin condition.
B) having all swimmers first swim without fins,then swim with fins.
C) having half the swimmers first swim without fins and then with fins,and having the other half swim first with fins and then without fins.
D) having some swimmers swim with fins,some swimmers swim with only one fin,and some swimmers swim with no fins.

Question 37

An investigator wants to see whether packaging information affects the way people rate breakfast cereal.The same cereal is put in three packages: (a)a brown box that says,"To start your day off with a smile";(b)a yellow box that says,"For extra energy all day";and (c)a white box that says,"Fortified with B complex and iron." In this study the

A) kind of cereal is confounded with colour of the box.
B) package information is confounded with colour of the box.
C) package information is confounded with kind of cereal.
D) package information is confounded with colour blindness.

Question 38

Participants solve several anagram puzzles over the course of 30 minutes.Even though the puzzles were known to be of equal difficulty,participants solved the puzzles in less and less time as the 30-minute period progressed.This is likely the result of a _____ effect.

A) contrast
B) fatigue
C) practice
D) boredom

Question 39

When a confound is discovered in an experiment,

A) internal validity can be assumed.
B) external validity can be assumed.
C) internal validity is challenged.
D) external validity is challenged.

Question 40

A confounding variable is devastating to an experimental design because it

A) increases the variability in the data.
B) increases the internal reactivity of the experiment.
C) makes possible alternative explanations for the results.
D) eliminates alternative explanations for the results.

Question 41

A design that has two conditions with different participants in each condition is a(n)______ design.

A) independent groups
B) repeated measures
C) Solomon four-group
D) pretest-posttest

Question 42

Jeff woke up with a headache.He took two orange-flavoured aspirins.When he still had the headache an hour later,he then took two cherry-flavoured aspirins and his headache was gone in 45 minutes.What factor might have been theoretically responsible for alleviating Jeff's headache?

A) The flavouring in the aspirin and the passage of time.
B) The passage of time and the cumulative effect of four aspirin tablets.
C) The cumulative effect of four aspirin tablets
D) The flavouring in the aspirin,the passage of time,and the cumulative effect of four aspirin tablets.

Question 43

In order to examine environmental factors that influence alcohol consumption,Henry asks the same set of participants to come to the laboratory on several consecutive occasions and fill out a questionnaire before drinking any alcohol.Henry finds that over time,fewer and fewer participants show up to fill out the questionnaire.This lack of continued participant involvement is an example of a _____ problem.

A) selection
B) mortality
C) regression toward the mean
D) testing

Question 44

A design that has two conditions with the same participants in each condition is a(n)________ design.

A) independent groups
B) repeated measures
C) Solomon four-group
D) random time series

Question 45

A researcher wants to examine the effect of room temperature on task performance.She places one group of participants in a room that is 54 degrees,a second group in a room that is 72 degrees,and a third in a room that is 90 degrees.She then measures the amount of time it takes each group to complete an identical task.This design would best represent a(n)_______ design.

A) independent groups
B) repeated measures
C) three-group pretest-posttest
D) pretest-posttest

Question 46

An investigator wanted to see whether packaging information affects the way teenagers rate the effectiveness of soap.The same soap was put in three packages: (a)a pink wrapper that says "For Keeping Your Skin Baby Soft";(b)a red wrapper that says "For Eliminating Acne";and (c)a white wrapper that says nothing.Each teenager was asked to rub his or her face with dirt and wash with soap A;each teenager then followed the same procedure for soaps B and then C.The time it took to get the face clean was recorded each time.What type of design is this?

A) Independent groups
B) Repeated measures
C) Short-term longitudinal
D) Reversal

Question 47

A developmental psychologist measures aggressive behaviour in a group of second-grade children before and then again after viewing an aggressive cartoon.This design would best represent a(n)_______ design.

A) independent groups
B) repeated measures
C) Solomon four-group
D) random time series

Question 48

McKenna designs a study in which she has two control and two experimental groups.In her design,one control group receives a pretest while the other does not,and one experimental group receives a pretest while the other does not.McKenna's design is an example of a _____ design.

A) four-group pretest-posttest
B) Solomon four-group
C) two-group control
D) one-group control-one-group experimental

Question 49

A researcher wants to find out whether gross motor coordination is better in the morning or in the afternoon.To measure coordination,participants balance a book on their heads first in the morning and then in the afternoon.What is confounded with the independent variable?

A) Practice is confounded with the time of day.
B) Practice is confounded with participants.
C) The participants aren't matched.
D) There is no confound for the independent variable.

Question 50

Madison wants to examine the effect of a defendant's appearance on judgment of guilt for a crime.She has participants read an identical account of a crime except for the defendant's appearance.A group of high school students receive a description of an attractive defendant while a group of senior citizens receive a description of an unattractive defendant.Both groups are then asked to rate the defendant's guilt on a 7-point scale.A major confound in Madison's experiment is

A) the manipulation of appearance.
B) the measure of guilt.
C) the description of the crime.
D) the age of the participants.

Question 51

In a _____ design,half of the participants receive only a posttest,and the other half receive both a pretest and a posttest.

A) pretest-posttest
B) one-group pretest-posttest
C) Solomon four-group
D) two-group pretest-posttest

Question 52

When individuals participate in only one condition,it is a(n)_____ design.When individuals participate in all conditions,it is a(n)_____ design.

A) pretest-posttest;posttest only
B) posttest only;pretest-posttest
C) repeated measures;independent groups
D) independent groups;repeated measures

Question 53

One problem with the pretest-posttest design is that

A) participants cannot be randomly assigned to groups.
B) the pretest may sensitize participants to the true purpose of the experiment.
C) pretests typically confuse participants.
D) twice the number of participants will be required.

Question 54

Which of the following statements is least likely to be correct? A researcher might employ a pretest-posttest design when

A) the sample size is relatively small.
B) there is an extraneous variable.
C) you want assurance that the groups are equivalent at the beginning of the experiment.
D) mortality may affect the results.

Question 55

In a Solomon four-group design,if there is no effect of the pretest,

A) the posttest scores will be different for all the groups.
B) the pretest scores will be different for all the groups.
C) the posttest scores will be the same in both control groups and in both experimental groups.
D) the posttest scores will not be affected by any manipulation.

Question 56

An investigator wanted to see whether packaging information affects the way teenagers rate the effectiveness of soap.The same soap was put in three packages: (a)a pink wrapper that says "For Keeping Your Skin Baby Soft";(b)a red wrapper that says "For Eliminating Acne";and (c)a white wrapper that says nothing.Each teenager was asked to rub his or her face with dirt and wash with soap A;the same procedure was followed for soaps B and then C.The time it took to get the face clean was recorded each time.What is the intended independent variable?

A) Packaging information
B) Soap effectiveness
C) The identity of the teenager
D) Soap

Question 57

Which one of the following accurately describes an advantage of using a pretest-posttest design over using a posttest-only design? With a pretest-posttest design,one can

A) demonstrate the equivalence of the groups.
B) be confident that the dependent measure does not decay.
C) use more time to conduct the experiment.
D) minimize demand characteristics.

Question 58

A psychologist is interested to know which of two sorting techniques leads to better memory performance in 6-year-olds.Each participant first sorts a set of pictures any way he or she would like.Recall is then tested.After this,each participant is required to sort an equivalent set of pictures into five predetermined categories.Recall for the items in this test is then tested.What procedure does this study represent?

A) Independent groups
B) Repeated measures
C) Simple random assignment
D) Combined assignment