PSYCHOLOGY 255 UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Dr. Robinson designs an intervention that is meant to reduce college students' risky
sexual decisions. She hypothesizes that shaming college students about their risky
sexual decisions will improve their decision making. She recruits participants and
randomizes them to two conditions—the intervention group and the control group. The
sexual behavior of all participants is measured in an interview with Dr. Robinson. After
the pretesting, participants who are randomized to the intervention group are scheduled
for an individual shaming session with Dr. Robinson. The control group does not
participate in the shaming session. One week after the intervention, both groups are
interviewed with Dr. Robinson about their sexual behavior over the past week. She finds
that the intervention group reported less risky sexual decisions during the posttest
interview. How could Dr. Robinson improve the internal validity of her study? - ✔✔She
could make it a masked design.
✔✔Frances did a study to investigate the effect of concreteness on memory. She
created a list of 12 items that are very concrete (such as pencil and table) and a list of
12 items that are very abstract (such as justice and freedom). Each item was viewed for
one second, then participants recalled them in order. Ten participants were tested in
each condition. The study showed null effects, and almost all of the participants
remembered all of the words on both lists. What is a likely solution? - ✔✔change the
design to be within-groups
, ✔✔Frances did a study to investigate the effect of concreteness on memory. She
created a list of 12 items that are very concrete (such as pencil and table) and a list of
12 items that are very abstract (such as justice and freedom). Each item was viewed for
one second, then participants recalled them in order. Ten participants were tested in
each condition. The study showed null effects, and large variability within the groups.
What is a likely solution? - ✔✔add more participants
✔✔On the first exam in an Introductory Psychology class, the grades are lower than
Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans
computers and cell phones from her class between the first and the second exam.
When she compares the scores on the two exams, she finds a significant improvement
on the second exam. What is the formal name for this type of design? - ✔✔one-group,
pretest/posttest
✔✔On the first exam in an Introductory Psychology class, the grades are lower than
Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans
computers and cell phones from her class between the first and the second exam.
When she compares the scores on the two exams, she finds a significant improvement
on the second exam. When Professor Mutola rechecks her data, she finds that the five
students with the lowest scores on the first exam have dropped the class. What threat to
internal validity is this? - ✔✔attrition
✔✔On the first exam in an Introductory Psychology class, the grades are lower than
Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans
computers and cell phones from her class between the first and the second exam.
When she compares the scores on the two exams, she finds a significant improvement
on the second exam. Professor Mutola looks back over the second exam and begins to
wonder if it was just an easier exam. What threat to internal validity is she considering?
- ✔✔instrumentation
✔✔An instructor hypothesizes that doing jumping jacks will improve his students' quiz
performance. On Monday, he has his class sit in their chairs for five minutes before
completing a multiple-choice quiz on their reading assignment. On Wednesday, he has
his class do two minutes of jumping jacks before completing the same quiz that they
took on Monday. The students performed better on the quiz on Wednesday. What is a
possible threat to internal validity in this study? - ✔✔testing threat
✔✔A researcher's attempt to control sounds, smells, and even temperature in a testing
environment is meant to reduce which of the following? - ✔✔Situation noise
✔✔A decrease in participants' scores on a measure from pretest to posttest could
suggest all of the following threats to internal validity EXCEPT? - ✔✔Attrition
EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Dr. Robinson designs an intervention that is meant to reduce college students' risky
sexual decisions. She hypothesizes that shaming college students about their risky
sexual decisions will improve their decision making. She recruits participants and
randomizes them to two conditions—the intervention group and the control group. The
sexual behavior of all participants is measured in an interview with Dr. Robinson. After
the pretesting, participants who are randomized to the intervention group are scheduled
for an individual shaming session with Dr. Robinson. The control group does not
participate in the shaming session. One week after the intervention, both groups are
interviewed with Dr. Robinson about their sexual behavior over the past week. She finds
that the intervention group reported less risky sexual decisions during the posttest
interview. How could Dr. Robinson improve the internal validity of her study? - ✔✔She
could make it a masked design.
✔✔Frances did a study to investigate the effect of concreteness on memory. She
created a list of 12 items that are very concrete (such as pencil and table) and a list of
12 items that are very abstract (such as justice and freedom). Each item was viewed for
one second, then participants recalled them in order. Ten participants were tested in
each condition. The study showed null effects, and almost all of the participants
remembered all of the words on both lists. What is a likely solution? - ✔✔change the
design to be within-groups
, ✔✔Frances did a study to investigate the effect of concreteness on memory. She
created a list of 12 items that are very concrete (such as pencil and table) and a list of
12 items that are very abstract (such as justice and freedom). Each item was viewed for
one second, then participants recalled them in order. Ten participants were tested in
each condition. The study showed null effects, and large variability within the groups.
What is a likely solution? - ✔✔add more participants
✔✔On the first exam in an Introductory Psychology class, the grades are lower than
Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans
computers and cell phones from her class between the first and the second exam.
When she compares the scores on the two exams, she finds a significant improvement
on the second exam. What is the formal name for this type of design? - ✔✔one-group,
pretest/posttest
✔✔On the first exam in an Introductory Psychology class, the grades are lower than
Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans
computers and cell phones from her class between the first and the second exam.
When she compares the scores on the two exams, she finds a significant improvement
on the second exam. When Professor Mutola rechecks her data, she finds that the five
students with the lowest scores on the first exam have dropped the class. What threat to
internal validity is this? - ✔✔attrition
✔✔On the first exam in an Introductory Psychology class, the grades are lower than
Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans
computers and cell phones from her class between the first and the second exam.
When she compares the scores on the two exams, she finds a significant improvement
on the second exam. Professor Mutola looks back over the second exam and begins to
wonder if it was just an easier exam. What threat to internal validity is she considering?
- ✔✔instrumentation
✔✔An instructor hypothesizes that doing jumping jacks will improve his students' quiz
performance. On Monday, he has his class sit in their chairs for five minutes before
completing a multiple-choice quiz on their reading assignment. On Wednesday, he has
his class do two minutes of jumping jacks before completing the same quiz that they
took on Monday. The students performed better on the quiz on Wednesday. What is a
possible threat to internal validity in this study? - ✔✔testing threat
✔✔A researcher's attempt to control sounds, smells, and even temperature in a testing
environment is meant to reduce which of the following? - ✔✔Situation noise
✔✔A decrease in participants' scores on a measure from pretest to posttest could
suggest all of the following threats to internal validity EXCEPT? - ✔✔Attrition
