Research Design

Question 1

A variable is an _______________________ when it is believed to affect or alter status on another variable (the dependent variable).

Answer 1

independent variable

Question 2

A variable is a _________________ when status on that variable seems to depend on status on another variable (the independent variable).

Answer 2

dependent variable

Question 3

Often referred to as the “treatment” or “intervention” and is symbolized with the letter “X”

Answer 3

independent variable

Question 4

Considered the outcome of the treatment and measured by pretests and posttests and symbolized by the letter “Y.”

Answer 4

dependent variable

Question 5

A psychologist has designed a self-control procedure that incorporates the techniques of self-monitoring, self-instruction, and self-reinforcemnt. The psychologist believes that use of the self-control procedure will improve the academic achievement of children who have received a diagnosis of ADHD. He plans to test his hypotheses by comparing the academic achievement of children with ADHD who have and have not received training in the procedure. The research question is as follows: What are the effects of a self-control procedure on the academic achievement of children who have received a diagnosis of ADHD?

Name the independent variable and the dependent variable

Answer 5

Self-control procedure (IV)
Academic achievement (DV)

Question 6

A method of behavior sampling that involves observing behavior for a period of time that has been divided into equal intervals.

Answer 6

Interval recording

Question 7

A method of behavior sampling that entails observing a behavior each time it occurs.

Answer 7

Even sampling (recording)

Question 8

An alternative to behavioral sampling and is used when the goal of the study is to observe a behavior in a number of settings.

Answer 8

Situational sampling

Question 9

Involves investigating the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable but does not provide an investigator with the same degree of experimental control as true experimental research.

Answer 9

Quasi-experimental research

Question 10

Provides the amount of control necessary to conclude that observed variability i a dependent variable is actually caused by variability in an independent variable. When conducting this type of study, an investigator is not only able to control the experimental conditions and determine which levels of the independent variable to include in the study, but, most important, is able to randomly assign subjects to different treatment groups.

Answer 10

True experimental research/study

Question 11

Helps ensure that any observed differences between groups on the dependent variable are actually due to the effects of the independent variable.

Answer 11

Random assignment of subjects to groups or “Randomization”

Question 12

The best way to make sure that a sample is representative of the population is to use a systematic sampling (selection) technique. Match the standard sampling technique to the correct definition:

a. Simple Random Sampling
b. Stratified Random Sampling
c. Cluster Sampling

1. ___ Entails selecting units of individuals rather than individuals and either including all individuals in those units in the research study or randomly selecting individuals from each unit. Useful when it is not possible to identify or obtain access to the entire population of interest.
2. ___ When using this method, every member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample, and the selection of one member from the population has no effect on the selection of another member. Reduces the probability that a sample will be biased in some way, especially when the sample size is large.
3. ____ When the population of interest varies in terms of specific characteristics that are relevant to the research hypothesis, an investigator can use this method to ensure that each characteristic is represented in the sample. This involves dividing the population into the appropriate strata and randomly selecting subjects from each stratum. Typical strata include gender, age, education level, SES, and racial, ethnic, or cultural background.

Answer 12

1. c
2. a
3. b

Question 13

Random _______ allows an investigator to be more certain that an observed effect not he DV was actually caused by the IV, while random __________ enables the investigator to generalize his/her findings from the sample to the population.

Answer 13

assignment; selection

Question 14

Any characteristic, behavior, event, or other phenomenon that is capable of varying, or existing in at least two different states, conditions, or levels

Answer 14

variable

Question 15

What is one way to help distinguish between independent and dependent variables?

Answer 15

What is the effect of (independent variable) on (dependent variable)?

Question 16

Name the independent and dependent variable(s) in the following scenario:

A psychologist has designed a selff-control procedure that incorporates the techniques of self-monitoring, self-instruction, and self-reinforcement. The psychologist believes that use of the self-control procedure will improve the academic achievement of children who have received a diagnosis of ADHD. He plans to test his hypothesis by comparing the academic achievement of children with ADHD who have and have not received the training procedure.

Answer 16

The research question would be completed in the following way for this study: What are the effects of a self-control procedure on the academic achievement of children who have received a diagnosis of ADHD? Completion of the question indicates that this study has one independent variable (self-control procedure) and one dependent variable (academic achievement).

Question 17

When conducting an experimental research study, an experimenter wants a design that will maximize variability in the dependent variable that is due to the ______________, control variability due to _______________, and minimize variability due to _____________.

Answer 17

independent variable; extraneous variables (systematic error); random error

Question 18

Experimental variability, or variability in the dependent that is due to the ___________ variable,, is maximized when groups are made as different as possible with respect to that variable, while variability due to _______ error is minimized by ensuring that random fluctuations in subjects, conditions, and measuring instruments are eliminated or equalized among all treatment groups.

Answer 18

independent; random

Question 19

A study has this when it allows an investigator to determine if there is a causal relationship between independent and dependent variables. It is threatened whenever an investigator cannot control variability.

a. External validity
b. Internal validity
c. Systemic error
d. None of the above

Answer 19

b

Question 20

The tendency of extreme scores on a measure to “regress” (move) toward the mean when the measure is readministered to the same group of people is called:

a. Selection
b. Attrition
c. Random error
d. Statistical regression

Answer 20

d

Question 21

___________ refers to changes that occur within subjects during the course of a study as the result of the passage of time and that have a systematic effect on the DV.

a. History
b. Maturation
c. Attrition
d. Selection

Answer 21

b

Question 22

A research has __________________ when its findings can be generalized to other people, settings, and conditions.

a. External validity
b. Internal validity
c. Systemic error
d. None of the above

Answer 22

a

Question 23

_______________, another potential threat to external and internal validity, occurs when research participants act differently because they know their behavior is being observed.

a. Selection
b. Demand characteristics
c. Interference
d. Reactivity

Answer 23

d

Question 24

A subject’s behavior might be altered by _________________, which are cues in the research setting that communicate to subjects what behaviors are expected of them.

a. Selection
b. Demand characteristics
c. Interference
d. Reactivity

Answer 24

b

Question 25

Multiple treatment interference can be controlled by using a ________________________ in which different subjects or groups of subjects receive the levels of the IV in a different order.

a. ANOVA
b. Multiple regression
c. Counterbalanced design
d. T-test

Answer 25

c

Question 26

In this type of research design, the effects of different levels of an independent variable are assessed by administering each level to a different group of subjects and then comparing the status or performance of the groups on the dependent variable:

a. Factorial design
b. Mixed Design
c. Between-groups design
d. Within-subjects design

Answer 26

c

Question 27

This type of between-groups design is used when a study includes two or more independent variables.

a. Factorial design
b. Mixed Design
c. Autocorrelation
d. Within-subjects design

Answer 27

a

Question 28

This is the effect of one independent variable on the dependent variable:

a. Autocorrelation
b. Interaction effect
c. Main effect
d. Baseline

Answer 28

c

Question 29

This occurs when the effects of an independent variable differ at different levels of another independent variable.

a. Autocorrelation
b. Interaction effect
c. Main effect
d. Baseline

Answer 29

b

Question 30

When using this type of research design, all levels of the independent variable are administered sequentially to all subjects:

a. Factorial design
b. Mixed Design
c. Between-groups design
d. Within-subjects design

Answer 30

d. Also called repeated measures

Question 31

This type of research design combines between-groups and within-subjects methodologies and is common in research studies that involve measuring the dependent variable over time or across trials:

a. Factorial design
b. Mixed Design
c. AB design
d. Reversal design

Answer 31

b

Question 32

This type of research design is often used to investigate the effects of an independent variable on the behavior of one subject or a small number of subjects, includes at least one baseline (no treatment) phase and one treatment phase, and the dependent variable is measured repeatedly at regular intervals throughout the baseline and treatment phases.

a. Factorial design
b. Single-subject design
c. Between-groups design
d. Within-subjects design

Answer 32

b

Question 33

This is the simplest single-subject design and includes a singe baseline phase and a single treatment phase. The dependent variable is measured at regular intervals during both phases.

a. Factorial design
b. Reversal design
c. AB design
d. Multiple baseline design

Answer 33

c

Question 34

This is an expansion of the AB design, which is one of the single-subject designs, and includes more than one baseline phase or more than one baseline and more than one treatment phase.

a. Factorial design
b. Reversal design
c. AB design
d. Multiple baseline design

Answer 34

b

Question 35

If a reversal design is inappropriate for ethical or practical reasons, an investigator might use this, which does not require withdrawal of a treatment during the course of the study but, instead, involves sequentially applying the treatment to different behaviors of the same subject; to the same subject in different settings; or to the same behavior of different subjects. Once treatment has been applied to a “baseline”, it is not withdrawn from that baseline during the course of the study.

a. Factorial design
b. Reversal design
c. AB design
d. Multiple baseline design

Answer 35

d

Question 36

Interval recording is most useful for:

a. studying behaviors that have no fixed beginning or end
b. studying behaviors that have a long duration
c. maximizing a study’s external validity
d. obtaining a detailed narrative description of a behavior

Answer 36

a. There are numerous methods for recording behavior when conducting an observational study. Interval recording is a type of time sampling and involves noting whether or not behavior occurred during each interval of time. It is considered useful for behaviors that have no clear beginning or end

Question 37

Scores on extraneous variables:

a. correlate with scores on the DV
b. correlate with scores on the IV
c. correlate with scores on the IV and the DV
d. do not correlate with scores on the IV or the DV

Answer 37

a. By definition, an extraneous variable correlates with (has a systematic effect on) the dependent variable

Question 38

Cluster sampling involves:

a. randomly selecting individuals from pre-defined groups in the population
b. randomly selecting individuals who have been identified as belonging to the target groups
c. randomly selecting pre-existing groups of individuals from the population
d. randomly assigning pre-existing groups to different levels of the IV

Answer 38

c. When using cluster sampling, clusters (groups) of subjects rather than individual subjects are selected from the population

Question 39

A research participant is instructed to “think aloud” while solving complex geometry problems in order to identify the thought processes that underlie successful and unsuccessful problem-solving. The participant’s verbalizations will be recorded and analyzed. This technique is known as:

a. behavioral sampling
b. protocol analysis
c. situation sampling
d. process analysis

Answer 39

b. The goal of protocol analysis is to identify the “heeded cognitions” that underlie problem-solving or other cognitive tasks. When using this technique, a complete record of an individual’s verbalizations while problem-solving is obtained and the record (protocol) is later analyzed

Question 40

The primary characteristic that distinguishes true experimental research from quasi-experimental research is that, in the former:

a. participants are randomly selected from the population
b. participants are randomly assigned to treatment groups
c. the levels of the independent variable are systematically selected
d. a parametric statistical test can be used to analyze the data

Answer 40

b. Random assignment is the characteristic that distinguishes true experimental research from quasi-experimental research

Question 41

Dr. Angst is using a repeated measures design to compare the effects of different techniques for reducing free-floating anxiety. To control potential carryover effects, Dr. Angst should use with of the following:

a. an unobtrusive measure
b. blocking
c. counterbalancing
d. a cross-sequential design

Answer 41

c

Question 42

An interviewer unintentionally nods whenever research participants answer his questions in ways that confirm the study’s research hypothesis. The interviewer’s behavior is best described as an example of which of the following:

a. demand characteristics
b. Hawthorne effect
c. halo effect
d. reactivity

Answer 42

a

Question 43

A psychologist evaluates the effects of a 15-month training program on the conservation of skills of preoperational children by administering a measure of conservation to the same group of children before and at the end of training. The psychologist finds that a significantly greater number of children conserve after the program than before. The biggest threat to this study’s internal validity is:

a. maturation
b. history
c. selection
d. statistical regression

Answer 43

a

Question 44

In which of the following types of research studies do participants act as their own “controls?”

a. cross-sectional
b. factorial
c. analogue
d. single-subject

Answer 44

d

Question 45

A psychologist obtains a statistically significant F-ratio for the interaction between two independent variables. This means that:

a. the effects of one variable are significant across all levels of the second variable
b. the effects of one variable are contingent on the level of the second variable
c. the main effects of both variables are statistically significant
d. the two variables are statistically significant only when considered jointly

Answer 45

b. This is another way of saying that the effects of one variable are different at different levels of another variable, which is the definition of an interaction