PSY 429 Experimental Psychology
Sample Test for Exam 1
PSY 429 Experimental Psychology
Sample Test for Exam 1
1. After careful observation of the case histories for the first 200 patients that are treated for depression at a mental health clinic in the calendar year 1993, you conclude that depression is more prevalent among women than among men. Which method of logical thinking does this example illustrate?
a. deductionb. induction
c. parsimony
d. experimental
[ ANSWER ]
2. Suppose a study was conducted to determine the relationship between college grade point average and success in a career. Which type of basic research method does this study illustrate?
a. method of observationb. experimental method
c. naturalistic method
d. correlational method
e. case study
[ ANSWER ]
3. A researcher investigates the effects of systematic desensitization behavior therapy on claustrophobia. In this study, systematic desensitization therapy would be considered the _____ while the frequency of intensity of fear would be considered the _____.
a. dependent variable; independent variableb. independent variable; dependent variable
c. dependent variable; controlled variable
d. controlled variable; dependent variable
[ ANSWER ]
4. Random assignment to conditions in an experimental design is to insure
a. that extraneous variables that might affect the results will be balanced across conditions.b. that a representative sample will be obtained.
c. that there will be no interaction effects.
d. both a and b
e. all of the above
[ ANSWER ]
5. Suppose the water temperature in a fish tank was maintained at 30 degrees Centigrade throughout a conditioning experiment. What type of variable would the tank water temperature be?
a. dependentb. independent
c. controlled
d. extraneous
e. organismic
[ ANSWER ]
6. A case study is an example of which type of design?
a. factorialb. matched pairs
c. single subject
d. randomized blocks
e. repeated measures
[ ANSWER ]
7. Suppose a study was conducted to determine the effects of five levels of sleep deprivation on performance of a fine motor skill. If five groups of subjects were each permitted to sleep either 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 hours per 24 hours prior to the performance test, which type of design would this be?
a. within-subjects or repeated measuresb. between-subjects or independent measures
c. counterbalanced
d. matched-pairs
e. single subject
[ ANSWER ]
8. The type of design that permits direct assessment of interactions is
a. factorialb. single subject
c. repeated measures
d. between-subjects
e. case study
[ ANSWER ]
9. Reading a journal article, you come across the following statement: "The mean number of errors for the drug and placebo conditions were 23 and 8, respectively. The difference was significant, t(38) = 6.9, p < .01." This means
a. the power of the statistical test was .01.b. the probability of a Type I error was .01.
c. the probability of a Type II error was .01.
d. the obtained t score did not fall in the critical range.
[ ANSWER ]
10. A Type II error is defined as
a. concluding a difference exists when it really doesn't.b. concluding a difference exists when it really does.
c. concluding no difference exists when it really does.
d. concluding that too many confounding variables exist, making the results difficult to interpret.
[ ANSWER ]
11. If you find that changes in the value of your dependent variable are related to changes in the value of a quasi-independent variable, then you can conclude that
a. the quasi-independent variable caused the changes in the dependent variable.b. the quasi-independent variable caused unwanted changes in the dependent variable.
c. your experiment was poorly designed and conducted.
d. none of the above.
[ ANSWER ]
12. A one-tailed test is used
a. in any situation when finding statistical significance is important.b. when you want to avoid low or zero correlations.
c. if you are interested in differences between means that run in only one direction (for example, the experimental group mean is higher than the control group mean).
d. if you are interested in bidirectional differences between means (for example, the experimental group mean is either higher or lower than the control group mean).
[ ANSWER ]
13. Low correlations
a. imply a lack of causation between two variables; that is why it is important to have high correlations so that causation can be concluded.b. are found only with Pearson r coefficients.
c. may be produced by the truncated or restricted range of one or both of the variables.
d. are seldom observed in psychological research.
[ ANSWER ]
14. When using the correlational method, it is important for the variables to exhibit the property of
a. homoscedasticity.b. a lack of homoscedasticity.
c. heterogeneous or unequal variances.
d. a nonlinear relationship.
[ ANSWER ]
15. A way of reducing error variance in an experiment is to
a. take steps to control extraneous variables.b. randomize error variance across groups.
c. increase the effectiveness of your independent variable.
d. all of the above.
[ ANSWER ]
16. A measure of the amount of variability in sample means to be expected across a series of samples is provided by the
a. standard error of the mean.b. standard deviation.
c. variance.
d. standardized variability around the mean.
[ ANSWER ]
17. The _____ always retains foremost responsibility to make a careful evaluation of the ethical acceptability of the study.
a. granting agency dispensing the funds.b. university administration.
c. investigator or experimenter.
d. scientific journal agreeing to publish the findings.
[ ANSWER ]
18. In a high-risk study, it is sufficient for the investigator to provide
a. a simple debriefing before the subject leaves the experiment.b. subjects with an appropriate phone number in case of problems.
c. a guarantee of confidentiality.
d. none of the above.
[ ANSWER ]
19. One experiment tried to determine whether men prefer women who are blond or women who are brunette. The hair color of the men also was varied. The experimenter found that both blond and brunette men prefer blond women to brunettes, but the effect was much greater for dark-haired men than for blond men. Provide a brief answer to the following questions:
a. What is(are) the independent variables?b. What is(are) the dependent variables?
c. List two possible confounding variables?
d. What type of experimental design was it?
e. Was there an interaction?
[ ANSWER ]
20. 8. Draw a hypothetical scatterplot of two variables, for example, frequency of prayer and internal/external locus of control scores, in which the relationship reveals a LACK of homoscedasticity.
a. Based on your graph, for low internal/external locus of control scores (which on the Rotter Locus of Control Scale reflect an internal locus of control), will the overall correlation coefficient (consisting of both low and high scores on both variables) be underestimated or overestimated?[ ANSWER ]
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