Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Intro to Psyc Research > Chapter 10 Simple Experiments > Flashcards

Chapter 10 Simple Experiments Flashcards

1
Q

basic definition of an experiment

A

a study where at least 1 variable is manipulated and others are measured

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

control variables are also known as what?

A

extraneous variables or confounds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

extraneous variable vs confound vs third variable

A

extraneous: variables that are not the focus of the research but may impact the variables being studied
confound: extraneous variable in EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH that provides an alternative explanation
third variable: extraneous variable in CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH that provides an alternative explanation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

how are confounds and third variables related to the variables of interest in their respective studies?

A

confounds vary systematically with the IV and MAY impact the DV
third variables are associated with both IV and DV (could be a spurious correlation)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what does “treatment” refer to in experiments?

A

the manipulated condition that researchers are most interested in; not necessarily medicine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

IV levels vary. what are 3 types of groups seen in experimental studies?

A

treatment groups, comparison groups and control groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

comparison group

A

level of IV that differs from the treatment in a meaningful way

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

control group

A

neutral/no treatment condition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

main type of control group

A

placebo group: group receives an inert treatment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

true or false: every experiment needs a control condition

A

false

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

true or false: every experiment needs a comparison group

A

true

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

adding a control condition to an experiment may help tell what?

A

the direction of effects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

confounds threaten which validity?

A

internal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what may be the cause of design confounds?

A

the IV operationalization/aspects of experimental procedure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

systematic variability

A

the levels of a third variable vary alongside IV variation/dif levels of the IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

unsystematic variability

A

the levels of a variable vary independently of experimental groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

selection effects

A

characteristics of participants in one level of the IV are systematically different than that of participants in the other levels of the IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

2 ways to avoid selection effects

A

random assignment & matched groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

2 types of confounds

A

design confounds and selection effects

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

blocked random assignment

A

ensuring equal numbers of people are in each condition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

goal of matched groups

A

ensuring groups are as equal as possible on important variables

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

3 steps to attaining matched groups

A
  1. measure an important participant variable
  2. put people with comparable scores in pairs
  3. within each pair, randomly assign 1 person to each condition
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

how is control of the IV obtained in experiments?

A

manipulation of the IV

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

how is control of extraneous variables and confounds obtained?

A

random assignment & holding variables constant on purpose

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

control over the IV can establish what?

A

temporal precedence

26
Q

what 3 things are controlled in good experiments?

A

IV, confounds and extraneous variables

27
Q

2 main points of independent-groups designs

A

-different groups of participants are on different levels of the IV
-participants’ characteristics are not matched

28
Q

independent groups designs are AKA what?

A

between-groups design, betweem-subjects design

29
Q

2 types of independent groups designs

A

posttest only
pretest/posttest

30
Q

posttest-only design

A

participants are randomly assigned to IV groups and are tested on the DV ONLY ONCE

31
Q

pretest/posttest design

A

participants are randomly assigned to IV groups and are tested on the DV TWICE (once before and once after IV exposure)

32
Q

goals of pretest/posttest

A

show that RA made groups equal
track change in the DV over time

33
Q

why is it sometimes problematic to use a pretest/posttest design?

A

the pretest may change participants behavior, at risk for bias

34
Q

main point of within groups design

A

each participant is exposed to all levels of the IV

35
Q

2 types of within groups designs

A

repeated-measures
concurrent-measures

36
Q

repeated-measures design

A

participants are measured on a DV more than once, after exposure to each level of the IV

37
Q

concurrent-measures design

A

participants are exposed to all levels of the IV at roughly the same time, and a preference is the measured DV

38
Q

advantages of within-groups design

A
  1. participants are their own control group
  2. very powerful in the sense that the study can show a statistically significant result when an IV truly has an effect on the DV
  3. fewer participants required
39
Q

which design typically has more power?

A

within groups

40
Q

how can order effects threaten internal validity of w/in groups designs?

A

the order in which IV levels are presented creates a confound because one IV level can affect participants’ reactions to later IV levels

41
Q

3 main types of order effects

A

practice effects, fatigue effects and carryover effects

42
Q

practice effects

A

performance improves in later conditions only because participants were able to practice on the DV in earlier conditions (not because of the IV)

43
Q

fatigue effects

A

tiredness and boredom can lead to worse performance in later conditions (as time goes on)

44
Q

carryover effects

A

contamination carries over from one condition to the next/ effects of one condition carryover to other conditions

45
Q

counterbalancing

A

different participants are exposed to different orders of the conditions

46
Q

goal of counterbalancing

A

to control for order effects

47
Q

full vs partial counterbalancing

A

full: all possible sequences of conditions are presented
partial: only some possible sequences are presented

48
Q

when is partial counterbalancing typically used more often?

A

when there is a large number of conditions (by 4 conditions theres already 24 sequences, 5 conditions 120 sequences, etc)

49
Q

what is a Latin square generator?

A

used for partial counterbalancing; it ensures each condition appears once at each serial position in the sequence and that each condition follows and precedes each other condition once

50
Q

disadvantages of w/in groups designs

A
  1. order effects
  2. might not be practical or possible
  3. demand characteristics
51
Q

demand characteristics

A

cues that lead participants to guess the experiment’s hypothesis

52
Q

construct validity in experiments

A

how well were the DVs measured and how well were the IVs manipulated

53
Q

manipulation check

A

an extra dependent measure to test the effectiveness of manipulation

54
Q

pilot study

A

very simple study to test the effectiveness of manipulations of the IV

55
Q

external validity in experiments

A

can the causal claim be GENERALIZED to other people/situations?

56
Q

there is said to be a trade off b/w which 2 validities? why?

A

internal and external; bc experimental control may require artificial situations in the lab

57
Q

internal validity in experiments

A

are there design confounds, selection effects or order effects?

58
Q

statistical validity for experiments

A

how large is the effect?

59
Q

Cohen’s d

A

the standardized difference b/w 2 means

60
Q

more thorough explanation of Cohen’s d

A

consider the mean difference b/w groups and the spread of scores within each group

61
Q

the larger d is, the larger the _______ is

A

effect

62
Q

Cohen’s d cutoffs

A

0.2- small effect size
0.5- moderate
0.8- large

Intro to Psyc Research (15 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions