Revision: Research methods Terms

What is the main goal of an experiment in psychological research?

• To establish a correlation between two variables

• To explore participants' subjective experiences

• To establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables

• To describe a phenomenon in great detail

In an experiment, the variable that is manipulated by the researcher is called:

• Dependent variable

• Confounding variable

• Control variable

• Independent variable

What is random allocation, and why is it used in experiments?

• Assigning participants based on their preferences to increase reliability

• Randomly assigning participants to different groups to minimize bias

• Selecting participants randomly from a population to increase sample size

• Randomly assigning participants to different conditions to increase validity

Which of the following is an example of a repeated measures design?

• Participants are randomly assigned to different groups and only participate in one condition

• Participants are matched based on characteristics, and each group takes part in different conditions

• The same participants take part in all conditions of the experiment

• Different participants are selected for different conditions, ensuring no overlap

Which term refers to how well a study measures what it intends to measure?

• Reliability

• Generalizability

• Validity

• Operationalization

Which of the following best defines internal validity?

• The degree to which an experiment can be generalized to real-world settings

• The extent to which results can be replicated by other researchers

• The extent to which the effects in an experiment are caused by the manipulation of the independent variable

• The degree to which the study accurately measures the intended psychological construct

What is a key disadvantage of using a laboratory experiment?

• Low level of control over extraneous variables

• The presence of high ecological validity

• It is expensive and difficult to replicate

• The artificial setting may lead to unnatural behavior

What does 'informed consent' mean in psychological research?

• Participants must be told exactly what the study will involve before taking part

• Participants must be paid for their participation

• Participants must agree to participate after being given information about the study

• Participants must be debriefed after the study

Which of the following is NOT a type of experimental design?

• Independent measures design

• Matched pairs design

• Case study design

• Repeated measures design

What is the purpose of a control group in an experiment?

• To eliminate the need for random assignment

• To manipulate variables for comparison

• To serve as a baseline for comparison to the experimental group

• To ensure every participant receives the same treatment