Question 1

Describe a few ways in which researchers measure aggression in a laboratory setting.

Accepted Answer

(1) Shock intensity/noise blasts/heat pulses administered to a confederate, (2) Subtraction of pay for a confederate, (3) Verbal aggression against a confederate, (4) Negative written comments about a confederate

Question 2

A study with good internal validity

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study can demonstrate a causal relationship between variables, which means it should be free from confounds that could affect the results.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a threat to internal validity?

Accepted Answer

Multiple-treatment interference is a threat to external validity, not internal validity. It occurs when participants are exposed to more than one treatment, making it difficult to determine which treatment is causing the observed effect.

Question 4

Jerry is concerned about whether his independent variable is the only possible explanation for the results of his experiment. Jerry is concerned about

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study can rule out alternative explanations for its findings, ensuring that the independent variable is the cause of the observed effects.

Question 5

In general, which has higher internal validity: experiments or correlational studies? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, which has higher internal validity:...

Question 6

__________ refers to events that occur between repeated measurements of the dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

History refers to events that occur between repeated measurements of the dependent variable, potentially affecting the outcome.

Question 7

Dependent variable measurements that actually change the dependent variable being measured are known as

Accepted Answer

Reactive measures are those that influence the dependent variable being measured, potentially altering the outcome.

Question 8

Ron is conducting an experiment that lasts several hours. During part of the experiment, a noisy power saw operates outside the room. Ron is concerned that responses may be influenced by the power saw instead of his independent variable. This example illustrates the potential problem of

Accepted Answer

The noise from the power saw is an external event that could affect the experiment's outcome, which is an example of a history effect.

Question 9

Anderson and Bushman (1997) argue that if a study has low internal validity, a discussion of external validity is meaningless. Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Anderson and Bushman (1997) argue that if...

Question 10

Bonnie conducts an experiment to examine the effects of media on college women's body image. She gives a sample of women a body image questionnaire, then a week later exposes them to magazine photos of very thin models. Then a week later she administers a posttest designed to assess any changes in body image. Right before the posttest, a famous supermodel is reported to be suffering from anorexia; the story is on the cover of several magazines. Bonnie is concerned that the women's responses on the posttest may be influenced by the supermodel story instead of her independent variable. This example illustrates the potential problem of

Accepted Answer

The supermodel story is an external event that occurred during the experiment, which could influence the participants' responses, illustrating the history effect.

Question 11

On the surface, it seems as though indeed, laboratory settings have little relation to the outside world (note, for instance, the differences in your answers for questions 5 and 6). How do Anderson and Bushman (1997) refute this claim?

Accepted Answer

The answer of On the surface, it seems as though...

Question 12

________ refers to a threat to internal validity that occurs because measuring the dependent variable causes a change in the dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

Testing refers to a threat to internal validity where the act of measuring the dependent variable influences or changes it, potentially due to participants becoming familiar with the test or altering their behavior.

Question 13

Explain why sometimes, the artificial laboratory environment may be preferable to real world settings.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why sometimes, the artificial laboratory environment...

Question 14

Describe a few ways in which researchers measure aggression in the real world.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe a few ways in which researchers...

Question 15

Changes in participants that occur over time during an experiment are referred to as

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to the natural changes that occur in participants over time, which can affect the outcome of an experiment.

Question 16

According to Anderson and Bushman (1997), in what way is aggression in the laboratory similar to aggression in the real world? Why is it important to note these similarities?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Anderson and Bushman (1997), in...

Question 17

In general, which has higher external validity: field research or laboratory research? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, which has higher external validity:...

Question 18

Tad takes the SAT twice and his scores improve by a few points the second time. Tad's improvement is most likely due to

Accepted Answer

Tad's improvement is most likely due to a practice effect, which refers to the improvement in performance resulting from repeated exposure to the same test or similar tasks.

Question 19

Maturational changes are most likely to occur in an experiment that has

Accepted Answer

Maturational changes refer to natural changes that occur over time, such as aging or development. Repeated measurements of the dependent variable over time are more likely to capture these changes, as they allow for observation of changes that occur naturally as time progresses.

Question 20

Stanley conducts a study in which he assesses teasing in a sample of first-graders during the first week of school and again three months later. Because the study is longitudinal, Stanley has to worry about which of the following threats to internal validity?

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to the natural changes that occur in participants over time, which can affect the results of a longitudinal study like Stanley's.

Quiz 8: Internal and External Validity