Research Methods

The variable measured in an experiment is:

• The independent variable
• A null hypothesis
• The dependent variable
• An alternative hypothesis

An extraneous variable:

• is deliberately changed in an experiment
• is an uncontrolled variable that could affect the DV
• Is measured in an experiment
• Occurs only in field studies

Selecting participants who just happen to be available is called:

• Opportunity sampling
• Volunteer sampling
• Random sampling
• Quota sampling

A laboratory experiment:

• Is easier to repeat
• Is more realistic
• Has no ethical issues

The independent variable in  study is:

• The one that is excluded
• The one that is changed by the experimenter
• The one that is observed or measured
• Not of interest to the experimenter

A student plans to investigate the effects of practice on IQ test performance. Some participants are given two practice tests prior to the IQ test whereas others do the test beforehand. The dependent variable in this study is:

• The participants
• The effects of practice
• IQ test performance before the study
• IQ test performance at the end of the study

In an independent groups design:

• There are two groups of participants
• The analysis involves comparing measures from two groups of people
• The analysis involves comparing two measures from the same person

One advantage of doing a matched pairs design is:

• You need fewer participants than for a repeated measures
• You can control some participant variables
• Order effects are not a problem

Which of the following is a random sample?

• Names drawn from a hat
• Asking people if they would like to take part
• Every 10th name in the register
• Taking whoever happens to be there

The person who designs an experiment is called the:

• Investigator
• Experimenter
• Participant
• Designer