PS11: experimental design

Question 1

cross-sectional study

Answer 1

sample is recruited based on both exposure and outcome simultaneously; observational study

Question 2

longitudinal study

Answer 2

conducted over a long period of time; uses specific people

Question 3

case-control study

Answer 3

individuals with and condition (cases) are matched to those without (controls) in order to identify factors that lad to their condition

Question 4

confounding variable

Answer 4

variable aside from the independent variable that influences the dependent variable

Question 5

moderating variable

Answer 5

affects the strength of the relationship between two variables

Question 6

mediating variable

Answer 6

explains why two things are related

Question 7

external validity

Answer 7

the degree to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and people

Question 8

internal validity

Answer 8

extent to which a causal conclusion based on a study can be warranted, which depends on the extent to which the study minimized systematic error or bias

Question 9

face validity

Answer 9

extent to which a test is viewed subjectively as examining the concept that it claims to measure

Question 10

content validity

Answer 10

extent to which a measure represents all aspects of a given social construct

Question 11

construct validity

Answer 11

extent to which a test measures what it claims to be measuring

Question 12

reliability

Answer 12

he overall consistency of a measure and whether the measure produces similar results under consistent conditions

Question 13

hindsight bias

Answer 13

the tendency after an event has occurred to see the event as having been predictable, even if there is no objective evidence for predicting it

Question 14

normalcy bias

Answer 14

causes people to underestimate the possibility of a disaster occurring and its potential impact

Question 15

selection bias

Answer 15

occurs when the selection of subjects for analysis is not randomized, thereby resulting in a sample that is not representative of the population intended to be analyzed

Question 16

reconstructive bias

Answer 16

related to memory, and the particular memory of interest may be difficult to recall when exposed to stress

Question 17

social desirability bias

Answer 17

the tendency of survey respondents to respond to questions in a way that may be viewed favorably by others, which may lead to over-reporting positive behaviors and under-reporting negative behaviors

Question 18

subject validation bias (personal validation effect)

Answer 18

cognitive bias in which a person considers a piece of information to be correct if it has personal significance to them

Question 19

case study

Answer 19

subjects are hand-picked for a detailed analysis of their unique situation; random selection does not occur here
focuses on constructing a narrative arc about a single individual or handful of individuals, and does not include aspects such as experimental controls or statistical analysis

Question 20

correlational study

Answer 20

attempts to determine if there is a relationship between two variables

Question 21

hawthorne effect

Answer 21

occurs when individuals change an aspect of their behavior as a result of their awareness of being observed

Question 22

negative controls

Answer 22

not expected to produce any results or difference in outcome

Question 23

positive controls

Answer 23

known to produce a difference in outcome

Question 24

cohort study

Answer 24

subset of a longitudinal study in which subjects are chosen because they have some shared characteristic or experience within a defined period of time

Question 25

retrospective cohort study

Answer 25

the outcome has already occurred for the people in the cohort at the beginning of the study

Question 26

prospective cohort study

Answer 26

the outcome of interest has not yet occurred for the people in the cohort at the beginning of the study

Question 27

single-blinded study

Answer 27

participant is not told what group they are in to determine whether the independent variable impacts the outcome

Question 28

double-blinded study

Answer 28

both the experimenters and the participants do not know which group the participants are in (prevents observer bias)