Comprehensive Psychology and Research Methods Quizlet: Validity, Design, and Ethics

What are the two main reasons to conduct a factorial study?

To increase internal validity and to establish external validity.

What is true about an interaction in a study?

It can exist even if there are no main effects.

What changes when switching from a 2 × 4 independent-groups factorial design to a 2 × 4 within-groups factorial design?

The number of participants needed.

How many independent variables are in a 3x3 between groups factorial design?

2

How many levels does the first IV have in a 2x3x2 between groups design?

2

In a study testing the effects of time of day and season on focus, which conclusion would be incorrect if there is a main effect of time of day and an interaction effect?

On average, people are focused more during the summer than the winter.

In a study comparing younger and older participants' reaction times, what is age considered?

Participant variable.

What threat to internal validity does a wait-list control help address?

Selection effects.

What is an advantage of using quasi-experimental designs?

They have greater external validity.

Why do quasi-experiments tend to have very good construct validity for the independent variable?

They use real-world manipulations/experiences.

What is a consequence of questionable research practices?

They result in findings that are difficult to replicate.

What protects against questionable research practices?

Open data protects against p-hacking.

What should researchers do to avoid HARKing?

Pre-register their study.

When does preregistration occur in the scientific process?

Before data collection.

Which study is most likely conducted in generalization mode?

Determining how frequently students cheat during online exams.

What is the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) a test of?

Face validity.

Which research question is about a frequency claim?

How common is OCD among new moms?

What kind of survey question asks for marital status options?

Forced-choice question.

What does a correlation coefficient of r = .52 indicate?

The strength and direction of the effect.

What is Max's belief about meditation based on?

Authority.

What is the null hypothesis regarding phone use before bed?

People who use their phones before bed get less sleep than people who don't.

What is the ecological validity of studies conducted in real-world settings?

They are high in ecological validity.

Do studies conducted in real-world settings require as many participants as in-lab studies?

No, they don't require as many participants.

What is a common issue with questionable research practices?

They inflate p-values.

What is the file drawer problem in research?

It refers to the tendency to not publish negative results.

What is HARKing in research?

Hypothesizing After the Results are Known.

What is the importance of pre-registering a study?

It helps to avoid HARKing.

What does a high degree of internal validity mean?

The study accurately establishes a causal relationship.

What is the significance of effect sizes in research findings?

They indicate the magnitude of an effect.

What is the role of expert ratings in survey validity?

They assess the face validity of the survey.

What is the purpose of a government census question about marital status?

To gather demographic data.

What is the relationship between sample size and statistical power?

Larger sample sizes increase statistical power.

What is the difference between Type I and Type II errors?

Type I errors involve false positives, while Type II errors involve false negatives.

What does it mean if a study has high external validity?

The findings can be generalized to other settings.

What is the purpose of using a Likert scale in surveys?

To measure attitudes or opinions.

What is the impact of using open materials in research?

It enhances transparency and reproducibility.

What is the main goal of conducting a literature review?

To summarize existing research on a topic.

What is the significance of peer review in research?

It ensures the quality and credibility of published studies.

Do people who use their phones before bed get more sleep?

No, they get less sleep than those who don't use their phones before bed.

Is there a relationship between phone use before bed and sleep amount?

Yes, there is a relationship.

What does an r value of .08 and p value of .40 indicate in a study comparing CBT and antidepressants?

There is no significant difference between the two treatments.

What conclusion should the clinical psychologist draw based on the results of the CBT study?

Retain the null hypothesis: there is no difference between CBT and antidepressants.

What ethical principle is violated when a researcher interviews children without parental consent?

Respect for Persons.

What does the need to balance potential costs and benefits in research address?

Concern for welfare.

What is the most common tradeoff made between validities in studies?

Internal and external validity.

Which validity is being evaluated with the question: 'Who are the participants in this study?'

External validity.

What ethical principle is violated if students are asked to participate in a study conducted by their professor?

Concern for welfare due to undue influence.

What is the result of a study that shows no difference in working memory between bilingual and monolingual children?

The researcher may have committed a Type II error.

What is construct validity?

The degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

What is external validity?

The extent to which research findings can be generalized to real-world settings.

What is statistical validity?

The degree to which conclusions drawn from statistical analyses are accurate.

What is internal validity?

The extent to which a study can establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

What is an example of an interval scale?

A person's interest in a subject on a scale of 1 (none) to 10 (a lot).

What does a Cronbach's alpha of 0.70 indicate?

70% of the variance in the observed scores is due to systematic variance.

What should a researcher test to ensure consistency across items in a survey?

Internal reliability.

What is interrater reliability?

The degree to which different raters give consistent estimates of the same phenomenon.

What are some ways to improve the reliability of a survey?

Add more items, ensure item consistency, clearly word instructions, and pilot test the survey.

What might be a threat to construct validity in a study?

Behavioral reactivity.

What type of research claim is it when testing if student performance is higher on online tests compared to in-person tests?

Association claim.

How can caffeine consumption be operationalized categorically?

By defining categories such as 'none', 'low', 'moderate', and 'high' consumption.

What is the number of cups of coffee consumed in a day?

The number of cups of coffee consumed in a day.

What is the number of milligrams of caffeine consumed during the study?

The number of milligrams of caffeine consumed during the study.

What is the frequency of buying energy drinks?

The frequency of buying energy drinks.

Did the participant drink coffee in the 24 hours prior to the study?

Whether or not the participant drank coffee in the 24 hours prior to the study.

What is a quantitative way to operationalize problem-solving ability?

Time spent solving a math problem.

What is a way to prevent observer bias?

Make sure the observer is blind to the purpose of the study.

What kind of observational study involves observing groups completing tasks?

Structured observation.

What does it mean when people are fence-sitting while responding to survey questions?

Giving the same, neutral response to each item.

How can behavioral reactivity be prevented?

Waiting for participants to habituate, i.e., become used to the observer.

What question is relevant to evaluating statistical validity?

How large is the effect?

In a study, what is age considered when its relationship with life satisfaction varies by group?

Moderator.

What threat to internal validity can be addressed by adding a comparison group?

Regression threat.

What are practice effects and carryover effects examples of?

Order effects.

What solution can be recommended to a researcher concerned about carryover effects in a repeated measures design?

Implement counterbalancing.

What is counterbalancing?

A technique used to control for order effects in experiments.

What is random assignment?

A method used to assign participants to different groups in an experiment.

What is a double-blind design?

A study design where neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment.

What is a placebo control group?

A group in an experiment that receives a placebo instead of the treatment being tested.

What do experiments use random assignment or matched-group designs to avoid?

Selection effects.

In a study, what is GPA considered when participants are matched and assigned to groups?

A control variable.

What is exploratory research?

Research conducted without specific hypotheses, exploring various variables.

What is cultural psychology?

A sub-discipline of psychology that works primarily in the generalization mode.

What kind of study is it when a researcher repeats a study exactly to confirm results?

Direct replication.

What kind of study is it when a researcher varies the original study's tasks?

Conceptual replication.

What constitutes a shift from theory-testing mode to generalization mode?

Conducting a study on dog ownership using a sample of elderly participants from a local retirement home.