Exam 6: Independent Groups Designs

Which of the following is a measure of the strength of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables that is independent of sample size?

The factors that researchers control or manipulate in order to determine their effect on behavior are called the

The most common solution to the problem of forming comparable groups in the random groups design is

A statistically significant outcome is an outcome that

Which of the following conditions would lead you to recommend against the use of a matched groups design and in favor of a random groups design?

One major purpose of conducting experiments is to decide whether a treatment or program effectively changes behavior.A second major purpose for doing experiments is to provide

To differentiate experiments involving individual differences (subject)variables and those involving manipulated independent variables,those experiments involving groups selected based on individual differences (subject)variables are called

Random assignment to conditions works to balance participants' individual differences across conditions of the experiment by

Two control techniques that allow researchers to rule out alternative explanations for an outcome are balancing and

Researchers found a relationship between insults and aggressive behavior for 5-year olds.If they want to test the external validity of the conceptual relationship between insults and aggressive behavior for a sample of 35-year olds,they should

The natural groups design represents an illustration of the general research approach that is called

The nonsystematic (random)variation due to differences among subjects within each group is called

Which of the following arises when the independent variable of interest and an unintended independent variable are allowed to covary?

Identify and briefly define the three primary types of control used in experiments.

A researcher examined participants' memory following emotionally shocking events by manipulating whether participants viewed a violent or a nonviolent version of a video.The video in the two conditions was identical except for two seconds in which the violence variable was manipulated.That the video was identical except for the manipulation represents the control technique of

Subject loss (attrition)poses a problem for a random groups design because

A researcher was interested in whether divorce and remarriage influence the extent to which children are sociable.At a nearby school,the researcher classified 5^th-graders into one of three groups: intact parents (no divorce),divorced (single-parent families),and remarried parents.The researcher interviewed the 5^th-graders and rated their sociability,and also asked them to complete a questionnaire that assessed their level of comfort in different social situations. Suppose that the researcher finds that the 5^th graders in the divorce (single-parent)group are less sociable than are 5^th graders in the intact and remarried groups.The researcher concludes that divorce and living in a single-parent home causes children to be less sociable,and that remarriage causes improvements in sociability.Do you accept this researcher's conclusions? Why or why not?

Our ability to draw appropriate conclusions based on the results of an experiment depends most of all on the

Describe how partial replications can be used to establish both experimental reliability and the external validity of research findings.

Clearly and concisely describe how a researcher could minimize the likelihood of selective subject loss in an experiment-be sure to include in your answer any risks that the researcher would be taking in trying to prevent the selective loss.