Question 1

If an experiment does NOT get participants psychologically involved and engaged, even though the setting of the experiment closely resembles the real world physically, then the experiment would be said to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Experimental realism refers to the extent to which an experiment is engaging and involves its participants psychologically, while mundane realism refers to how much an experiment physically resembles the real world. If participants are not psychologically involved, the experiment is low in experimental realism, but if the setting closely resembles the real world, it is high in mundane realism.

Question 2

In which of the following situations would Igor be MOST likely to experience reactance?

Accepted Answer

Reactance is the feeling of resistance or rebellion when one's freedom is threatened or taken away. In this situation, Igor's privacy has been violated, and he may feel a sense of anger, defiance, or frustration. A and C do not involve a threat to his freedom or autonomy, and D may elicit a different emotional response such as sadness or shock.

Question 3

When findings from a study are likely to generalize to other people and other settings, the study is said to have ____.

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the ability to generalize findings from a study to other people and settings outside of the specific study. Internal validity refers to the accuracy and strength of the causal relationship between variables within the study. Construct validity refers to the extent to which a measure accurately reflects the theoretical construct it is intended to measure. Mundane realism refers to how closely a study reflects real-world situations.

Question 4

The term "reactance" is used to refer to the tendency for people to ____.

Accepted Answer

Reactance refers to the emotional response people have when they perceive their freedom is being limited or threatened. This can lead them to feel angry, defensive, or resistant to following rules or instructions.

Question 5

The purposes of the oral or written statement participants receive at the end of a psychological study include _____.

Accepted Answer

The purpose of the oral or written statement at the end of a psychological study is to reduce or eliminate harm caused by the participant's participation in the study. This could include providing information on how to seek any necessary follow-up care or resources if they experience any negative effects as a result of participating in the study. A and D are not accurate as participants should have been informed about informed consent prior to their participation and their decision to participate already indicates their agreement to allow their data to be used. Compensation may also be addressed, but it is not the primary purpose of the statement.

Question 6

Using more than one exemplar of a stimulus (such as more than one violent video game in a study investigating violent video content on aggression) is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

Using more than one exemplar of a stimulus is known as stimulus (or sample) sampling. Meta-analysis involves combining the results of multiple studies. Factorial design involves examining the effects of multiple independent variables. The interaction effect refers to the effect of the combination of two or more independent variables on the dependent variable.

Question 7

If an experiment gets participants psychologically involved and engaged, but the setting does not resemble the real world, then the experiment would be said to be ____.

Accepted Answer

The experiment is high in experimental realism as it is able to engage participants psychologically, but low in mundane realism as the setting does not resemble the real world.

Question 8

Can correlational studies or experiments ever be conducted outside of the laboratory?

Accepted Answer

Both correlational studies and experiments can be performed in the lab or in the "real world." While experiments are often conducted in a carefully controlled environment like a lab, they can also be conducted outside the lab in the field. Similarly, correlational studies can be conducted in the "real world" by researchers collecting data from natural settings or pre-existing data sets. However, these studies may still require some level of control to ensure accuracy and minimize extraneous variables.

Question 9

Almost all research requires that researchers provide participants with a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

Informed consent is a critical ethical consideration in research involving human participants. A consent form outlines the purpose, procedures, potential risks and benefits, and participant rights involved in the study. It is the responsibility of the researcher to provide this information to potential participants and obtain their informed consent before starting the study.

Question 10

After participants have been deliberately deceived in an experiment, ethical standards require that they be ____.

Accepted Answer

Ethical standards require that participants who have been deceived in an experiment be debriefed. This means that they must be informed of the true nature of the study and provided with an explanation of why deception was necessary. They should also be given the opportunity to ask questions and to withdraw their data if they choose to do so. Compensation may be appropriate in some cases but is not required. Confronting the experimenter is not necessary or recommended.

Question 11

Researchers often attempt to design studies that will be high in both experimental realism and mundane realism. However, ____.

Accepted Answer

Experimental realism is often prioritized because it focuses on the extent to which the experiment impacts participants and leads them to behave naturally and seriously, which is crucial for the validity of the experiment's findings.

Question 12

In the ____, medical doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service studied the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African American men who thought they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government from 1932-1972.

Accepted Answer

The Tuskegee study is a well-known study conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service in which rural African American men were studied to observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis, while the men were misled into thinking that they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government. The study lasted from 1932 to 1972 and led to many ethical concerns and reforms in research ethics. The Stanford experiment, obedience experiment, and Hastings study are unrelated to the Tuskegee study.

Question 13

Suppose that you are a research participant in a laboratory study that is looking at fear and social support. The researcher shows you an extremely scary movie and then asks you whether you feel like talking to anyone (and if so, who) once the movie is over. Although you are in a laboratory setting the whole time, which does not resemble "real life" at all, you become engrossed in the procedures of the study and almost forget that you are in a study. Thus, in your experience, this study is ____.

Accepted Answer

The study is high in experimental realism because the researcher creates a scenario that puts the participant in a realistic situation (watching a scary movie), and asks them about their feelings and behavior. However, it is low in mundane realism as the laboratory setting is not a typical or natural environment for watching a scary movie, and the participant may not have the same reactions as they would in real life.

Question 14

Research studies that withhold information from participants or intentionally mislead them about the purpose of the study are referred to as ____ studies.

Accepted Answer

Studies that intentionally withhold information or mislead participants about the purpose of the study are referred to as deception studies. This type of research is subject to ethical guidelines and requires careful consideration of potential harm and benefits to the participants.

Question 15

Compared to laboratory experiments, field experiments tend to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Field experiments are conducted in more natural settings and therefore have higher external validity, but they may be harder to control and measure compared to laboratory experiments, leading to lower internal validity.

Question 16

Suppose that a researcher decided to study everyday altruism towards men versus towards women by leaving (fake) fully addressed college applications in airport lobbies (identical except with male versus female applicant names), and then tracking the number of people who send in the application. What kind of study of this?

Accepted Answer

This is a field experiment, as the researcher is observing behavior in a natural setting (airport lobbies) and manipulating the independent variable (gender of the applicant name) to see if it affects the dependent variable (number of people who send in the application).

Question 17

Suppose that a researcher asked you to answer a series of incredibly personal questions about your sexual life. You might (justifiably) feel annoyed and intruded upon, and find yourself being rude to the researcher, or even purposely giving the researcher incorrect information. Your response would be an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

Reactance is a psychological response to the perceived threat to or loss of one's freedoms or autonomy, resulting in a person feeling a strong desire to assert their independence and potentially engage in behaviors that go against the demands or expectations of others. In this scenario, the personal questions are perceived as a threat to privacy and autonomy, leading to the respondent engaging in behaviors that assert their independence from the researcher's demands.

Question 18

When the effects of two variables cannot be separated, ____ has been said to occur.

Accepted Answer

Confounding occurs when the effects of two variables cannot be separated and it becomes difficult to determine the true relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. Confounding can occur when there is an outside variable that affects the dependent variable and is related to the independent variable. This outside variable can create a false relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable, which can make it difficult to determine what is the true cause of the change in the dependent variable.

Question 19

When experiments are conducted outside of the laboratory, in real-world settings, they are called ____.

Accepted Answer

Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings outside of the laboratory, while correlational studies are focused on measuring the relationship between variables rather than manipulating them, quasi-experiments only partially meet the criteria for a true experiment, and deception studies involve deliberately misleading participants about the true purpose of the study.

Question 20

Today, ____ studies conducted at universities must first obtain institutional review board approval.

Accepted Answer

All studies conducted at universities, regardless of their funding status, must obtain institutional review board (IRB) approval to ensure ethical standards are met, especially when human subjects are involved.

Quiz 1: The Mission and the Method