9.2 Measuring The Dependent Variable

Question 0

____-____ can be used to measure attitudes and many other aspects of human thought and behaviour. Rating scales with descriptive anchors (endpoints) are most commonly used.

Answer 0

Self-reports

Question 1

The ____ ____ in most experiments is one of three general types: self-report, behavioural, or physiological.

Answer 1

dependent variable

Question 2

____ ____ are direct observations of behaviours.

Answer 2

Behavioural measures

Question 3

____ ____ are recordings of responses of the body.

Answer 3

Physiological measures

Question 4

Many such physiological measures are available; examples include the ____ ____ ____ (GSR), ____ (EMG), and ____ (EEG).

Answer 4

galvanic skin response, electromyogram, and electroencephalogram

Question 5

The GSR is a measure of general and emotional arousal and anxiety; it measures the ____ ____ of the skin, which changes when sweating occurs.

Answer 5

electrical conductance

Question 6

The EMG measures ____ ____ and is frequently used as a measure of tension or stress.

Answer 6

muscle tension

Question 7

The EEG is a measure of ____ ____ of brain cells. It can be used to record general brain arousal as a response to different situations.

Answer 7

electrical activity

Question 8

____ ____ ____ (MRI) provides an image of an individual’s brain structure.

Answer 8

Magnetic resonance imaging

Question 9

A ____ ___ (fMRI) allows researcher to scan areas of the brain while a research participant performs a physical or cognitive task.

Answer 9

functional MRI

Question 10

Although it is convenient to describe single dependent variables, many studies include more than one dependent measure. One reason to use ____ ____ stems from the fact that a variable can be measured in a variety of concrete ways.

Answer 10

multiple measures

Question 11

The issue of ____ is particularly important when measuring human performance. The dependent variable should be sensitive enough to detect differences between groups.

Answer 11

sensitivity

Question 12

Sometimes a task is so easy that everyone does well regardless of the conditions. This results in what is called a ____ ____ – the independent variable appears to have no effect on the dependent measure only because participants quickly reach the maximum performance level.

Answer 12

ceiling effect

Question 13

Opposite to the ceiling effect is a problem that occurs when a task is so difficult that hardly anyone can perform well: this is called a ____ ____.

Answer 13

floor effect