Stats and research design (Planning research, methods of control)

Question 1

Research can be categorized as ________ or quantitative, and quantitative research is further categorized as non-experimental or experimental

Answer 1

qualitative

Question 2

Non-experimental research is conducted to collect data on variables, while experimental research is conducted to test ________ about relationships between variables

Answer 2

hypotheses

Question 3

variables are behaviours or other characteristics that ________ from person to person or situation to situation

Answer 3

vary

Question 4

researchers distinguish between several types of variables: A person’s status on the _______ variable is assumed to affect his/her status on the ________ variabel

Answer 4

independent; dependent

Question 5

if a psychologist conducts a study to test the hypothesis that children who watch violent films are more aggressive that children who watch a nonviolent film, the study’s independent variable is ________ and its dependent variable is _______

Answer 5

Type of file (violent/non-violent); Aggressiveness

Question 6

to assess the effects of an independent variable on a dependent variable, the independent variable must have at least two ________

Answer 6

levels

Question 7

researchers are sometimes interested in identifying the effects of mediator and/or moderator variables. A mediator variable _______ the relationship between independent and dependent variables, while the moderator variable _________ the relationship between independent and dependent variables

Answer 7

explains or accounts for; affects the strength of

Question 8

an important decision when using observation to identify or measure a behaviour is how to record the behaviour. One way is to obtain a narrative record of the behaviour. For example, _______ analysis involves recording a subject’s verbalizations whens she has been instructed to “think aloud” while solving a complex cognitive problem

Answer 8

protocol

Question 9

_______ recording is particularly useful when the target behaviour has no clear beginning or end

Answer 9

interval

Question 10

________ sampling is a useful technique when the behaviour occurs infrequently or leaves a permanent record

Answer 10

event

Question 11

Experimental research is categorized as true experimental or quasi-experimental. The primary feature that distinguishes true experimental research from quasi-experimental research is that, in the former, the experimenter can _________ subjects to different treatment groups

Answer 11

randomly assign

Question 12

randomly assigning subjects to treatment groups allows the experimenter to be more certain that subjects in different groups are initially similar and, consequently, that any observed differences between them on the ______ variables were caused by the _______ variables

Answer 12

dependent; independent

Question 13

Researchers do not ordinarily have access to the entire population of interest and must draw a _______ from that population

Answer 13

sample

Question 14

so that any observed relationship between variables in the sample can be generalized to the _______, the people in the sample must be as _______ of the population as possible in terms of relevant characteristics such as age, gender, and severity of symptoms

Answer 14

population; representative

Question 15

the simplest way to get a representative sample of participants is to draw a __________ sample, in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for inclusion in the sample

Answer 15

simple random

Question 16

in contrast to other sampling techniques, ______ sampling involves selecting units (groups) of individuals rather than individuals from the populations

Answer 16

cluster

Question 17

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:

Answer 17

protocol analysis

Question 18

Cluster sampling involves:

Answer 18

randomly selecting pre-existing groups of individuals from the population

Question 19

Interval recording is most useful for:

Answer 19

studying behaviors that have no fixed beginning or end

Question 20

Scores on an extraneous variable:

Answer 20

correlate with scores on the dependent variable

Question 21

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

Answer 21

participants are randomly assigned to treatment groups

Question 22

To assess the effects of a stimulus control procedure on eating behaviors, Dr. Barry Buvette obtains a sample of 20 overweight females and 20 overweight males and determines their average daily caloric intake and satisfaction with their food consumption during the seven days before and seven days after training in the procedure. The dependent variable(s) in this study is or are:

Answer 22

caloric intake and satisfaction with food consumption

Question 23

When using the technique known as blocking:

Answer 23

an extraneous variable is treated as an independent variable

Question 24

Protocol analysis is also referred to as the “think aloud” exercise and is used to:

Answer 24

obtain information about cognitions associated with a particular type of problem or other phenomenon.

Question 25

Event sampling is a type of behavioral sampling that involves:

Answer 25

observing and recording information about a behavior when it occurs (e.g., observing a conflict between group therapy members).

Question 26

Situational sampling involves:

Answer 26

observing a behavior in multiple settings.

Question 27

Sequential analysis is used to:

Answer 27

encode behavioral sequences and is useful for studying complex social behaviors.

Question 28

When conducting and experimental research study, an investigator 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 28

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

Question 29

experimental variability, or variability in the dependent variable 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 29

independent; random

Question 30

a number of techniques are used to control the effects of extraneous variables which are irrelevant to the research hypothesis but correlate with the _________ variable

Answer 30

dependent

Question 31

the random ________ of subjects to different levels of the independent variable is considered the most powerful method of control because it helps ensure that groups are initially _______ with regard to all known and unknown extraneous variables

Answer 31

assignment; equivilant

Question 32

matching is useful for controlling an extraneous variable when the number of subjects is too _______ to guarantee that random assignment will equalize the groups in terms of and extraneous variable

Answer 32

small

Question 33

when using blocking, subjects are not individually matched but are _______ in terms of their status on the extraneous variables, and subjects within each __________ are randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups

Answer 33

blocked (grouped); block (group)

Question 34

the ANCOVA or other statistical technique can be used to statistically ______ the effects of an extraneous variable on the DV

Answer 34

remove