Psych 10 quick questions Experiments

Which of the following is the primary goal of a true experiment?

• To collect qualitative data about human behavior.

• To describe correlations between two variables.

• To establish a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables.

• To explore individuals' subjective experiences.

In an experiment investigating 'The picture superiority effect,' if a researcher aims to see if presenting information as images versus text affects recall, what would be the independent variable (IV)?

• The level of recall.

• The number of items recalled.

• The type of information presented (image vs. text).

• The participant's memory capacity.

What does it mean for a variable to be 'operationalized' in an experiment?

• It means the variable is only measured qualitatively.

• It means the variable is defined clearly so it can be measured or manipulated.

• It means the variable is kept constant throughout the experiment.

• It means the variable is randomly assigned to participants.

A null hypothesis typically states that:

• The independent variable will have a significant effect on the dependent variable.

• There will be no effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable, or any observed change is due to chance.

• The results of the experiment will be inconclusive.

• The experimental design is flawed and needs revision.

Which type of hypothesis predicts that an effect will go in a specific direction (e.g., 'Students will recall more items from images')?

• Null hypothesis

• Two-tailed hypothesis

• Correlational hypothesis

• One-tailed hypothesis

What is a key advantage of using a 'repeated measures design' in an experiment?

• It eliminates the need for operationalization of variables.

• It controls for participant variables as each participant is compared to themselves.

• It ensures that participants will not guess the hypothesis.

• It allows for the use of the exact same materials across all conditions.

A potential limitation of the 'repeated measures design' is the occurrence of 'order effects.' What is the 'practice effect' an example of?

• Participants getting worse at a task due to boredom.

• Participants improving their performance over time by developing strategies.

• Participants being influenced by the order in which materials are presented.

• Participants dropping out of the study due to fatigue.

In a true experiment, why is 'random allocation' of participants to conditions crucial?

• It allows researchers to use qualitative data.

• It guarantees that all participants have similar intellectual abilities.

• It lessens the potential for individual characteristics to influence the results.

• It speeds up the data collection process.

According to the text, what is the purpose of a 'control group' in an experiment?

• To receive all manipulations of the independent variable.

• To provide a baseline for comparison where the independent variable is not manipulated.

• To ensure that all participants are equally motivated.

• To help standardize the experimental procedure across all conditions.

The 'replication crisis' in psychology primarily raises questions about the _______ of original research findings.

• Ethics

• Qualitative nature

• Reliability

• Generalizability to different populations