Question 1

Which of the following is an example of an extraneous variable in a study examining the effect of sleep on test performance?

Accepted Answer

The noise level in the testing room

Question 2

A researcher wants to determine if caffeine improves memory. Which variable is the confounding variable if participants who consume caffeine also tend to sleep less?

Accepted Answer

Amount of sleep

Question 3

Which of the following best describes a causal claim?

Accepted Answer

Stress causes an increase in illness.

Question 4

Which criterion is NOT required to establish causation according to psychological research methods?

Accepted Answer

Replication of results in multiple studies

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a participant effect that could threaten the validity of a psychological study?

Accepted Answer

Participants guessing the study's purpose and changing their behavior

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the 'Big Four' types of research validity?

Accepted Answer

Experimental validity

Question 7

A study finds a significant relationship between exercise and mood, but fails to account for participants' diet. Which type of validity is most threatened?

Accepted Answer

Internal validity

Question 8

Which equation best represents the relationship between an independent variable ($IV$), a dependent variable ($DV$), and an extraneous variable ($EV$) in a psychological experiment?

Accepted Answer

$DV = IV + EV$

Question 9

A researcher manipulates the type of therapy (cognitive vs. behavioral) and measures anxiety levels. What is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

Type of therapy

Question 10

Which threat to internal validity occurs when participants drop out of a study at different rates across experimental groups?

Accepted Answer

Attrition

Question 11

A study on the effects of meditation on stress uses self-report questionnaires. Which type of validity is most relevant to the accuracy of the measurement?

Accepted Answer

Construct validity

Question 12

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a threat to external validity?

Accepted Answer

The study sample consists only of college students from one university.

Question 13

If a researcher wants to control for extraneous variables, which method is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Random assignment

Question 14

Which of the following is a real-world example of a confounding variable in a study examining the effect of diet on weight loss?

Accepted Answer

Participants' exercise habits

Question 15

Which threat to validity is best described by the following equation: $Observed\ Score = True\ Score + Error$?

Accepted Answer

Measurement error

Question 16

A researcher finds that the results of a study are statistically significant, but the operational definitions of the variables are unclear. Which type of validity is most at risk?

Accepted Answer

Construct validity

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the experimenter effect?

Accepted Answer

The researcher's expectations influence participants' behavior

Question 18

Which of the following is a multi-step approach to evaluating the validity of a psychological study?

Accepted Answer

Assess construct validity, then internal validity, followed by external validity, and finally statistical conclusion validity.

Question 19

In a study examining the effect of music on concentration, which variable is most likely to be the dependent variable?

Accepted Answer

Concentration scores

Question 20

Which of the following is a threat to statistical conclusion validity?

Accepted Answer

Using a small sample size that reduces statistical power

Research Methods in Psychology: Causation, Control, and Validity

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