Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between reliability and validity in psychological measurement?

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure, while validity refers to its accuracy.

Question 2

A researcher wants to ensure that their sample of college freshmen accurately reflects the age distribution of all freshmen at their university. Which sampling method should they use?

Accepted Answer

Stratified random sampling

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of criterion validity?

Accepted Answer

A depression inventory correlates with future clinical diagnoses of depression.

Question 4

A researcher conducts an experiment with three groups and calculates the F-ratio using an ANOVA. If the null hypothesis is true, what value should the F-ratio approach?

Accepted Answer

$$F = 1$$

Question 5

Which of the following is a threat to internal validity that occurs when participants are assigned to groups in a biased way?

Accepted Answer

Selection threat

Question 6

In a double-blind study, who is unaware of the group assignments?

Accepted Answer

Both the participants and the experimenters

Question 7

A researcher uses a questionnaire that superficially appears to measure anxiety but does not actually assess the construct. This questionnaire has:

Accepted Answer

High face validity

Question 8

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of regression to the mean?

Accepted Answer

Participants with extremely high scores on a pretest tend to score closer to the average on a posttest.

Question 9

A researcher wants to minimize experimenter-participant contact to reduce bias. Which control procedure should they use?

Accepted Answer

Automation

Question 10

Which research design is most appropriate when the researcher is concerned that taking a pretest might influence participants’ responses to the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

Solomon’s four-group design

Question 11

A study uses a one-way between-group ANOVA to compare three groups. If there are 60 participants, what are the degrees of freedom between groups ($$df_{between}) $$and within groups ($$df_{within}$$)?

Accepted Answer

$$df_{between} = 2$$, $$df_{within} = 57$$

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a method for achieving representativeness in participant selection?

Accepted Answer

Matched random assignment

Question 13

A researcher matches participants on age before randomly assigning them to experimental groups. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Matched random assignment

Question 14

Which of the following best describes a non-experimental approach?

Accepted Answer

No random assignment and no manipulation of the independent variable

Question 15

A researcher is concerned that participants may behave in ways they think are expected of them due to social roles. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Demand characteristics

Question 16

Which of the following is a way to control for confounding categorical variables in an experiment?

Accepted Answer

All of the above

Question 17

In the context of validity, which type is concerned with how well a test samples broadly across the domain of interest?

Accepted Answer

Content validity

Question 18

A researcher finds that their anger manipulation worked for males but not for females. What procedure should they use to verify that the independent variable was effectively manipulated?

Accepted Answer

Manipulation check

Question 19

Which of the following is a threat to internal validity that involves changes in the dependent variable due to the passage of time?

Accepted Answer

Maturation

Question 20

A researcher uses a placebo group, a true control group, and an experimental group in a drug study. Which statistical test is most appropriate to compare the groups?

Accepted Answer

One-way between-group ANOVA

Hypothesis Testing, Validity, and Experimental Controls in Psychological Research

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