N-Research 4

Front 1

Experimental designs that study two or more independent variables at the same time are called

Back 1

Experimental designs that study two or more independent variables at the same time are called factorial designs.

Front 2

By randomly assigning subjects to treatment conditions, many extraneous variables are automatically _______ across conditions.

Back 2

By randomly assigning subjects to treatment conditions, many extraneous variables are automatically balanced across conditions. Balancing is a technique used to control the impact of extraneous variables by distributing their effects equally across treatment conditions.

Front 3

Russ suffers from social anxiety and participated in a 6-month study of a drug believed to treat the disorder. While the physician who provided his medication knew that Russ was in the experimental group and not the control group, he did not disclose this information to Russ until the study was completed. In which of these did Russ participate?

Back 3

Russ participated in a single-blind experiment. A single-blind experiment is an experiment in which subjects are not told which of the treatment conditions they are in. This procedure used to control demand characteristics.

Front 4

Nate studies the effect of wearing single-strap and double-strap backpacks on shoulder muscle contraction. He tests the same subjects in both single-strap and double-strap conditions to control individual differences in trapezius muscle activity. Nate is using a _______ design.

Back 4

Nate is using a within-subjects design. A within-subjects design is one in which the same subjects take part in each condition of the experiment.

Front 5

In clinical psychopathology research, small N designs help solve the ethical dilemma of

Back 5

In clinical psychopathology research, small N designs help solve the ethical dilemma of untreated control groups.

Front 6

The principal difference between a factorial experiment and a two-group experiment is that a factorial design

Back 6

The principal difference between a factorial experiment and a two-group experiment is that a factorial design has more than one independent variable.

Front 7

Tammy's experiment compared the effectiveness of videotape and textbook presentation of a history lesson. Unexpectedly, her demeanor changed with each treatment condition. She appeared worried during the videotape condition because the audiovisual equipment periodically broke down. In contrast, she seemed relaxed in the textbook condition during which subjects read from a book. Which problem does this illustrate?

Back 7

This illustrates the problem of experimenter bias. Experimenter bias involves any behavior of the experimenter that can create confounding in an experiment.

Front 8

What are social variables?

Back 8

Social variables are the qualities of the relationships between subjects and experimenters that can influence the results of an experiment. Demand characteristics and experimenter bias are social variables.

Front 9

What is a techniques to control demand characteristics that involves deception?

Back 9

A cover story involves deception. A cover story is a plausible but false explanation of the procedures in an experiment told to disguise the actual research hypothesis so that subjects will not guess what it is.

Front 10

What does between subjects mean in a between-subjects experiment?

Back 10

Experimenters compare the performance of different groups on the dependent variable. A between-subjects design is one in which different subjects take part in each condition of the experiment.

Front 11

If we do not randomly assign subjects to treatment conditions,

Back 11

If we do not randomly assign subjects to treatment conditions, confounding may occur. Confounding is an error that occurs when the value of an extraneous variable changes systematically along with the independent variable in an experiment; an alternative explanation for the finding that threatens internal validity.

Front 12

A sample's representativeness affects

Back 12

A sample's representativeness affects external validity. External validity is the degree to which research observations are generalizable or applicable to other settings and other people.

Front 13

We use a control group in an experiment to

Back 13

We use a control group in an experiment to measure the dependent variable without the experimental manipulation. A control group receives a zero value of the independent variable.

Front 14

Anna participates in a experiment in which she observes pairs of lights that are briefly turned on and off in a darkened room. Although the distance between each pair of lights is always identical, the experimenter asks, "Is the first pair of lights farther apart or closer together than the second pair?" This question, which implies that Anna should perceive different spacing, illustrates the concept of a

Back 14

This question, which implies that Anna should perceive different spacing, illustrates the concept of a demand characteristic. Demand characteristics are the aspects of the experimental situation itself that demand or elicit particular behaviors; can lead to distorted data by compelling subjects to produce responses that conform to what subjects believe is expected of them in the experiment.

Front 15

Increasing the sample size

Back 15

Increasing the sample size increases statistical power. Statistical power is the chance of detecting a genuine effect of the independent variable.

Front 16

_______ are aspects of the testing conditions that need to be controlled.

Back 16

Physical variables are aspects of the testing conditions that need to be controlled.

Front 17

Experimenters generally want subjects to be as naive as possible concerning the experimental hypothesis to reduce confounding by

Back 17

Demand characteristics are the aspects of the experimental situation itself that demand or elicit particular behaviors; can lead to distorted data by compelling subjects to produce responses that conform to what subjects believe is expected of them in the experiment.

Front 18

When the independent variable creates larger group differences on the dependent variable than we would see if we randomly assigned subjects to groups and only measured them, this demonstrates

Back 18

Statistical significance means meeting the set criterion for significance; the data do not support the null hypothesis, confirming a difference between the groups that occurred as a result of the experiment.

Front 19

Renee studied the effect of praise on her dog Snoopy's obedience. During the first baseline phase, she measured how long it took for Snoopy to arrive after she called his name. During the treatment phase, she praised him when he arrived within 30 seconds. Finally, during the second baseline phase, she returned to only measuring his arrival time. Which approach did Renee use?

Back 19

In a small N design, one or a very few subjects are used. Typically, the experimenter collects baseline data during an initial control condition, applies the experimental treatment, and then reinstates the original control condition to verify that changes observed in behavior were caused by the experimental intervention.

Front 20

When you are the only experimenter, the best way to control the effect of your personality on subject performance is to

Back 20

When you are the only experimenter, the best way to control the effect of your personality on subject performance is to minimize face-to-face contact.