Question 1

The John Henry effect is a type of contamination in experimental and quasi-experimental designs that occurs when control group members become aware that others are being denied some advantage and they increase their efforts by compensating.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately describes the John Henry effect.

Question 2

Before-and-after designs are types of quasi-experimental designs.

Accepted Answer

Before-and-after designs are quasi-experimental designs that involve measuring a participant's response before and after an intervention. This design can be used to assess changes over time but lacks the control group necessary for a true experimental design.

Question 3

Endogenous change occurs when the subjects develop or change during an experiment as part of an ongoing process independent of the experimental treatment.

Accepted Answer

Endogenous change is natural and independent of the experimental treatment, meaning it can occur regardless of whether or not the treatment is being administered.

Question 4

Social experiments are always conducted in a laboratory or controlled environment.

Accepted Answer

Social experiments can be conducted in both laboratory and real-world settings, depending on the research question and methodology.

Question 5

The Hawthorne effect is named after a famous experiment where workers became aware that others had been denied some advantage so they slowed their productivity as a result.

Accepted Answer

The Hawthorne effect is actually named after a series of experiments conducted at the Hawthorne Works factory in the 1920s and 1930s, where researchers found that workers' productivity increased simply because they were being observed and studied. The experiment did not involve workers being denied any advantage.

Question 6

In a double-blind procedure, neither the subjects nor staff overseeing the experiment know which subjects are receiving the experimental treatment and which are receiving the placebo.

Accepted Answer

In a double-blind procedure, both the subjects and the staff responsible for the experiment are unaware of which subjects are receiving the experimental treatment and which are receiving the placebo.

Question 7

In a quasi-experimental design, a comparison group is predetermined to be comparable to the treatment group in critical ways.

Accepted Answer

In a quasi-experimental design, the comparison group is chosen to be similar to the treatment group in key characteristics that could affect the outcome being studied. This is done to create a valid comparison between the two groups, but it is not always possible to randomly assign participants to groups as in a true experimental design.

Question 8

A source of causal invalidity known as regression effect occurs when subjects have extreme scores on the dependent variable and the scores become less extreme on the posttest due to the natural cyclical change in the variable.

Accepted Answer

The statement accurately describes the regression effect.

Question 9

The groups in ex post facto designs are designated after the treatment has occurred.

Accepted Answer

In ex post facto designs, the groups are designated based on the presence or absence of a particular variable or condition that has already occurred in the past, rather than being randomly assigned before the treatment.

Quiz 6: Causation and Experimentation