First Test

Question 1

Dependent Variable

Answer 1

(Response Variable, Measured Variable):
Variable measured to see if manipulation was successful.

measured across the experiment – different between conditions

Question 2

Independent Variable

Answer 2

(Predictor Variable, Explanatory Variable):
Variable manipulated in order to produce changes in the dependent variable.
Often involves different levels (or conditions) which are then compared to evaluate manipulation.

Independent variables: manipulated between conditions – predict change in the DV

Question 3

Dr. Chocula thinks that dark chocolate is superior to milk chocolate. He rounds up a sample of volunteers (n=20), and has them consume some dark chocolate. Afterwards, he asks them to rate how delicious the chocolate was on a 1 to 10 scale (x̄=10; s=1). He then asks them to consume and rate some milk chocolate (x̄=8.78; s=1.3).

What is DV and IV?

Answer 3

DV: Rating of deliciousness is being measured

IV: Type of chocolate is being manipulated.
In this case there are two levels within the independent variable (dark chocolate, milk chocolate).

Question 4

Dr. Palmer wants to determine whether Steelers fans like beer more than Bengals fans. He administers an attitude scale that measures how much a person likes beer to a group of Steeler fans and to a group of Bengals fans.

What is the DV and IV?

Answer 4

DV: Fondness for beer is being measured

IV: Team affiliation is being manipulated.
In this case there are two levels within the independent variable (Steelers fans, Bengals fans).

Question 5

Dr. Pharma wants to see if a new nicotine patch will help smokers stop smoking at a greater rate than nicotine gum, or no nicotine substitute. Her colleagues, who work in a smoking cessation clinic conduct a study to determine cessation rates at both two months and one year after an initial attempt to quit with each option.

What is the DV and IV?

Answer 5

DV: Cessation rates are being measured.
In this case we have two conditions for this dependent variable (two months, one year).

IV: Nicotine substitute is being manipulated.
In this case there are three levels within the independent variable (nicotine patch, nicotine gum, no substitute).

Question 6

Methods and Stats

Answer 6

A set of tools we use to conduct a scientific psychology.

Our tools for asking and answering questions by testing hypotheses.

Question 7

The “scientific method”

Answer 7

A way of asking and answering questions by testing hypotheses

Question 8

Where do good research questions come from?

Answer 8

Research questions about human (or animal) behavior come from observations of behavior!
good research questions always take into account the results of past studies
literature searches on the topic of your interest are always necessary
psychological research never takes place within a vacuum

Question 9

Clinical:

Answer 9

Abnormal or pathological functioning (e.g., PTSD, autism, etc.)

Question 10

Social:

Answer 10

Influence of other individuals (e.g., attitudes, attraction, etc.)

Question 11

Neuropsych:

Answer 11

Role of nervous system and brain (e.g., localization of function)

Question 12

Industiral-organizatonal

Answer 12

Success and satisfaction in the workplace (e.g., training programs)

Question 13

Cognitive-perceptual:

Answer 13

Internal mental processes (e.g., memory, attention, etc.)

Question 14

Forensic

Answer 14

Understanding criminal behavior (e.g., expert witness, profiling, etc.)

Question 15

Induction:
What is it?
what’s the problem of induction?

Answer 15

Reasoning from specific instances (observations) to general principles (theory)

thousands of observations of birds flying → conclude that all birds can fly

what’s the problem of induction? it only takes one . . .

Question 16

Deduction:

What is it?

Answer 16

Reasoning from general principles (theory) to specific instances (observations)

start with a theory: all humans are mortal (given I am a human) → conclude I am mortal

Question 17

Positive test bias:

Answer 17

Tendency to look for confirmatory evidence

Question 18

Validation:

Answer 18

Attempt to gather evidence to support/confirm a hypothesis

Question 19

Falsification:

Answer 19

Attempt to gather evidence to refute/disconfirm a hypothesis

Question 20

Qualification:

Answer 20

Attempt to define the boundary conditions that support/refute hypothesis

Question 21

What is research design?

Answer 21

Configuration of variables involved – how they are manipulated and/or measured

Question 22

All good research designs should have . . .

1)
2)
3)
4)

Answer 22

1) Reliable and valid measurements of the dependent variable of interest
2) Good measurement/manipulation of the predictor or independent variable
3) Controls in place to eliminate (or assess the likelihood of) alternative explanations
4) Real opportunities to get patterns of results that dis-confirm the hypothesis (falsification)

Question 23

An experiment allows a research to…

Answer 23

exert control to rule out alternative explanations.

Question 24

Correlation does not imply…

Answer 24

causation

Question 25

3 Important rules of correlation?

Answer 25

1) The cause must precede the effect
2) The cause must be present when the effect occurs
3) The cause must not be present when the effect does not occur (no “third variables”)

Question 26

What are some “threats to internal validity”

Answer 26

practice, fatigue, demand characteristics, experimenter bias,
selection bias, history, maturation, differential attrition and many more

Question 27

Extraneous variables:

Answer 27

Other variables – may or may not affect the dependent variable

Question 28

Confound variables:

Answer 28

Other variables that vary systematically with the independent variable
create the possibility for alternative explanations of the effect

Question 29

Between-subject designs:

Also what is a problem with this design?

Answer 29

Different groups experience different conditions

Problem: Differences between groups other than the experimental factor

Question 30

Within-subject designs:

Also what is a problem with this design?

Answer 30

Same group experience different conditions

Problem: possibility of order or carry-over effects

Question 31

Factorial/mixed designs:

Also what is a problem with this design?

Answer 31

Multiple variables manipulated (some between, some within)

Problem: gets complicated in a hurry, same problems as single factor designs and may reduce external validity

Question 32

Random assignment:

Answer 32

Assign participants to experimental conditions at random (particularly important for between-subjects designs!)

Question 33

Matching:

Answer 33

Pair participants in one group to participants in another on some control variable (particularly important for quasi-experimental designs!)

Question 34

Counter-balancing:

Answer 34

Use all possible orders of treatment conditions (particularly important for within-subjects designs!)