Psych 3610
Methods of Experimental Research
Take Home Final Exam

1. In which one of the following designs would it be possible to randomly assign participants to one level of each independent variable?	
	Design 1: Within-subjects 
	Design 2: Between-subjects
	Design 3: Matched groups design

	A. Design 1 only		B.  Design 2 only 		C. Design 3 only
	D. Designs 1 and 2		E.  Design 1 and 3 		F. Design 2 and 3		

2.  You are reading a study of the effect of short or long study time (IV) on performance on a psychology multiple choice test (DV). But you see a problem.  Many multiple choice test items included esoteric (obtuse or overly abstract) words, which made it difficult to understand the question unless students have a very good vocabulary.  In the analysis of the effect of study time on test performance, the variability in participants’ test scores due to the extraneous variable of esoteric words is called __________.

	A.  error variance			B.  systematic variance	C.  random variance
	D.  standard error of measurement 	E.  ceiling effect		F.   none of the above

3.  You read a report in which a researcher extols the virtues of a new drug named Nofight, designed to inhibit adolescents’ aggressive behavior.  The report states: “There was a  significant decrease in the incidence of aggression before (M = 3.16 aggressive acts per day) and after (M = 1.21 aggressive acts) having given each of the 20 aggressive adolescents a dose of Nofight, t(18) = 3.41, p<.01.”   Upon reading the report you realize that the study’s internal validity is low because it is missing which of the following three characteristics?
	Characteristic 1: Random sampling
	Characteristic 2: Placebo group
	Characteristic 3: Pretest measurement

	A. Characteristic 1 only	B.  Characteristic 2 only 	C. Characteristic 3 only
	D. Characteristics 1 and 2	E.  Characteristic 1 and 3 	F. Characteristic 2 and 3

4.  An experimental design with more than two levels of one independent variable is called a ________ design.
	A.  matched groups 		B.  single factor multigroup		C.  factorial
	D.  higher ordered 		E.  Solomon four-group		F.  mixed

5. A design used to test for the influence of the pretest in pretest-posttest design is  called a _________ design.
	A.  matched groups 		B.  single factor multigroup		C. factorial
	D.  higher ordered		E.  Solomon four-group		F.  mixed

6.  A score representing the amount of variability in a sample mean to be expected across a series of samples of the same population is called the ___________.
	A. standard deviation			B. systematic variance		C.  error variance
	D.  standard error of the mean	E. population mean (Mu)		F.  None of the above

7.  Committing a Type I error is to committing a Type II error as _________ is to ___________.
	A.  getting a bad reputation; losing an opportunity.
	B.  poor planning; poor execution 
	C.  poor internal validity; poor external validity
	D.  losing an opportunity; getting a bad reputation
	E.  poor external validity; poor internal validity
	F.  poor execution; poor planning

8.  Which of the following measurement issues could increase the likelihood of Type I errors?
	1.  Floor effects
	2.  Ceiling effects
	3.  Outliers

	A.  1				B. 2				C. 3
	D. 1 and 2			E.  1 and 3			F.  2 and 3 

9.  Using inferential statistics such as t- or f-tests to analyze the results of a study serves: 
	A.  to eliminate all error variance.
	B.  to maximize systematic variance.
	C.  to randomize the error variance across levels of the independent variable.
	D.  to test for the standard error of the means.
	E.  to test the null hypothesis. 
	F.  B and E above 

10.  The main difference between parametric and nonparametric statistics is that parametric statistics _______.
	A.  make no assumptions about the population distribution underlying a sample distribution.
	B.  compensate for the fact that the underlying population distribution is not normal. 
	C.  cannot be used with dependent measures scaled on ratio or interval scales. 
	D.  can only be used with between subject designs.

	E.  allow for estimates to be made of population means from the samples. 

	F.  all of the above.

11. A statistically significant difference between sample means implies that 
	A.  the sample means provide different estimates of the same population mean.

	B.  the difference between sample means was likely to occur by chance less than 5% of the time. 
	C.  the sample means have different probabilities of occurring.

	D.  there is a more than a 5% chance that the difference between the sample means could occur again.

	E.  the study is internally valid because the results were as predicted.
	F.  the null hypothesis must be accepted

12.  Which of the following effects would increase the likelihood of finding a significant difference between groups by increasing the value of the t statistic computed to test the difference between the groups?
	A.  Decreasing the standard deviation of each group.
	B.  Increasing the differences between the means.
	C.  Increasing the size of the samples.
	D.  Increasing the external validity
	E.  None of the above
	F.  A, B and C above

13.  The reason(s) why within-subjects designs are not more popular than they are is that:
	Reason 1: extraneous variables are more difficult to control in within- than between subject 
		     designs.
	Reason 2: independent variables are more difficult to manipulate in a within- than between-
		     subjects design.
	Reason 3: there is the potential for carryover effects in a within- but not between subject designs.

	A. Reason 1 only		B.  Reason 2 only 		C. Reason 3 only
	D. Reason 1 and 2		E.  Reason 1 and 3 		F. Reason 2 and 3	

14. Subjects in a two-group within-subjects experiment using reaction time as the dependent variable respond to 2,000 stimuli in the first condition and then immediately respond to another 2,000 more in the second condition. You notice that the subjects perform much more poorly in the second than the first condition. The best account of the confounding variable(s) here is:

	A. Learning			B.  Adaptation		C. Fatigue	
	D. Enjoyment			E.  A and B above 		F. C and D above
	
15. __________ involves assigning various treatments of the experiment in a different order for different participants.

	A. Equalizing			B. Balancing			C.  Random assignment	
	D. Counterbalancing		E. Randomizing		F.  D and E above		

16.  Which of the following designs could be run as a partially counterbalanced within-subject design?
	Design 1:  Latin square
	Design 2:  Combined
	Design 3:  Factorial

	A. Design 1 only		B.  Design 2 only 		C. Design 3 only
	D. Designs 1 and 2		E.  Design 1 and 3 		F. Design 2 and 3	

17. An experimenter designed a within-subjects test of single independent variable (alcohol level)  on a dependent variable (driving skill). The independent variable has 5 levels (0%, 1%, 3%, 5% 7% alcohol).  She is computing the number of different orders in which the level of the IV can be presented.  The number of orders are_______?

	A.  40		B.  16		C.  24		D.  32.  	E  120		F. None of these

18.  No amount of counterbalancing will eliminate ________carryover effects.
	A.  Differential
	B.  Subject-induced
	C.  Within-group
	D.  Nonequivalent
	E.  All of the above
	F.   None of the above

19.  Which of the following is a/are viable alternative(s)  to counterbalancing?
		Alternative 1: Run only one treatment order.
		Alternative 2: Assume that there are no carryover effects
		Alternative 3: Make treatment order an independent variable in the study

	A.  Alternative 1		B.  Alternative 2		C. Alternative 3
	D.  Alternative 1 and 2	E.  Alternative 1 and 3	F.  Alternative 2 and 3

20.  A main effect in a statistical analysis is:	
	A. the effect of one independent variable on the dependent variable.
	B. the effect of the most important independent variable on the dependent variable
	C. the change in the effect of one independent variable over levels of a second.
	D. never interpreted because it yields no valid information.
	E. the effect of both independent variables on the dependent variable.
	F. the finding that one independent variable but not the other influences the dependent variable

21.  In a 2 by 2 by 2 factorial design there are ______ effects and _______ effects.
	A.  3 main; 3 interaction
	B   3 main; 4 interaction 
	C.  3 main; 5 interaction
	D.  2 main; 3 interaction
	E.  6 main; 4 interaction
	F.  2 main; 3 interaction

The following 5 questions (22-26) are about the graph below (Figure 1)

Figure 1:  Mean GPA score by Major and Sex (these are hypothetical data)

22.  Which of the following is/are the dependent variable(s) of the study, the results of which are graphed in Figure 1?
	A.  Major
	B.  Sex
	C.  GPA
	D.  The participants
	E.  A and B above
	F.  None of the above
	
23.  Which of the following is/are the independent variable(s)?
	A.  Major
	B.  Sex
	C.  GPA
	D.  The participants
	E.  A and B above
	F.  None of the above

24.  The graph suggests the existence of a statistically significant:  
	1. main effect of Sex	
	2. main effect of Major
	3. interaction effect of Major and Sex.
	
	A. 1				B. 2			C. 3
	D. 1 and 3			E.  2 and 3		F. 1 and 2		G. 1, 2, and 3

25.  The study depicted in the graph is which of the following (choose one from each pair of choices):
	1:  Factorial or Combined (mixed) design.   
	2:  Experimental or Non-experimental research design.
	3:  True or Subject independent variables.

	A.  F, E, T			B.  F, E, S			C. F, N, T		D. F, N, S
	E.  C, E, T			F.  C, E, S			G. C, N, T		H. C, N, S

26.  Put verbally, the graph suggests that:
	A.  Whether males and females have a higher GPA depends on their major.
	B.  Females have a higher GPA than males, but whether males or females have a higher GPA 
                  depends on their major
	C.  Males have a higher GPA than females, but whether males or females have a higher GPA 
                  depends on their major
	D.  Psychology majors have a higher GPA than Zoology majors, although whether males or 
	     females have a higher GPA depends on their major
	E.  Males have a higher GPA than Females and Psychology majors have a higher GPA than 
                  Zoology majors
	F.  Psychology majors have a higher GPA than Zoology majors.  

27.  A national study was run examining the effects of living condition on drug use.  The researchers sample 2 Grades ( 6th and 10th Grade) from schools in 3 Environments (Urban, Suburban, or Rural) and looked at children from 4 types of households (Never married, Married, Divorced, Widowed). If a total of 100 students were in each condition of this factorial study, how many students were sampled in total?

	A. 100		B. 900		C. 1900	D. 2400	E. 3200	F. None of the above

28.  If you were to analyze transcripts of congressional hearings for instances of certain types of comments, you would be using 
	A. case history method
	B. within subjects design
	C. content analysis
	D. quasi-experiment
	E. participant observation
	F. naturalistic observation

29.  In an observational study, multiple observers of the same behavior are used to:
	A. establish the reliability of observations.
	B. increase complexity.
	C. ensure the validity of observations.
	D. reduce task demands.
	E. provide a variety of interpretations.
	F. determine whether there is any influence of any one observer on participants.  

30. As discussed in class, which order of the following statistical techniques reflects the most to least conservative ways of establishing reliability in an observational study?
	Technique 1:  Interrater correlation
	Technique 2:  Cohen’s Kappa 
	Technique 3:  Interrater agreement 
	
	A.  Technique 1, Technique 2, Technique 3	
	B.  Technique 1, Technique 3, Technique 2	
	C.  Technique 2, Technique 3, Technique 1
	D.  Technique 2, Technique 1, Technique 3			
	E.  Technique 3, Technique 1, Technique 2		
	F.  Technique 3, Technique 2, Technique 1

31. In all likelihood, a naturalistic observational study which was performed very well could have AT BEST which of the following characteristics?
	1. Relatively _____internal validity
	2. Relatively _____external validity
	3. Relatively _____interrater reliability

	A.  high; low; high		B.  low; high; low		C. low; high; high
	D.  low, low, high		E.  low, low, low		F.  high, low, low		

32. Which of the following is an example of naturalistic observation as opposed to participant observer or ethnographic research?
	A. A police officer infiltrates the executive team of a paramilitary group.
	B. A teacher notes which of her nursery school children plays cooperatively
	C. A biologist watches hunting behavior of wolves from a distance.
	D. A researcher studies military death records during the Civil War.
	E. Only choices b and c are examples of naturalistic observation.
	F.  None of the above are examples

33.  Making use of a naturally occurring group of participants (e.g., those who are signed up to go to preschool vs. those who are not) is the major feature of:
	A. quasi-experimental research.
	B. archival research.
	C. content analysis.
	D. naturalistic observation.
	E.  case study.
	F.  participant observation.

34.  A major drawback of quasi-experimental research is that
	A. you can only study one group of people at a time.
	B.  tight experimental controls often disrupt naturally occurring behavior.
	C.  the results have too much external validity.
	D.  there is not sufficient control over extraneous variables.
	E.  all of the above.
	F.  none of the above.

35. Which of the following problems lowers the internal validity of a cross-sectional research design?
	A.  Cohort or generation effects confounding the age differences.
	B.  Participants refusing to do the study at different rates in different age groups.
	C.  Differential understanding of the task by members of the different aged children.
	D.  Biases in the selection of children of different age groups.
	E.   Education effects confounding the age differences.
	F.   All of the above
	
36.  One unique characteristic of developmental designs discussed in class is that, unlike most other designs:  
	A.  sometimes it is in your best interest to use different dependent variables for younger children 
	     than older children.
	B. sometimes it is in your best interest to change the scaling properties of the dependent variable 
                 for younger than older children.
	C.  sometimes it is in your best interest to use different statistical tests to compare the younger 
	      and older children.

	D.  sometimes it is in the best interest of your study to give task instructions differently to 
	      younger children and older children.
	E.  All of the above
	F.  None of the above

37. According to lecture and text, you can increase the reliability of a questionnaire with which of the following techniques?
	Technique 1: Reduce the number of items on the questionnaire.
	Technique 2: Standardize the administration procedure.
	Technique 3: Write clear and appropriate questions.

	A.  Technique 1		B. Technique 2		C. Technique 3
	D.  Techniques 1 and 2	E.  Techniques 1 and 3	F.  Techniques 2 and 3

38. Which of the following would minimize the problems inherent in a restricted type questionnaire item?
	Characteristic 1: Generate many response alternatives and make them as specific as possible.
	Characteristic 2: Allow enough overlap in response categories to make respondents comfortable.
	Characteristic 3:  Include an “other” response category.

	A. Characteristic 1 only	B.  Characteristic 2 only 	C. Characteristic 3 only
	D. Characteristics 1 and 2	E.  Characteristic 1 and 3 	F. Characteristic 2 and 3		

39. A type of scale which involves participants rating their degree of agreement or disagreement with a statement is called a(n):
	A. Unnumbered rating scale.
	B. Restricted rating scale.
	C. Likert scale.
	D. Personalized rating scale.
	E. Partially open-ended rating scale
	F. Five-point rating scale

40.  In __________ , you select every kth element after a random start.
	A. stratified sampling 
	B. random sampling
	C. proportionate sampling
	D. systematic sampling
	E. balanced sampling
	F. stratified sampling