Concept Review Research in Psych, 5e: Study Guide, Chapter 6 6-5
After you finish reading and studying each main section of the chapter, print out this document and answer the following questions to test your comprehension.
· Between-Subjects Designs
o The “Barbara Helm” study is a good example of a situation in which a between-subjects design must be used. Explain. (p. --)
o Aside from a “Barbara Helm” type of study, in what are other circumstance is a between-subjects design normally used instead of a within-subjects design? (p. --)
o Other than the problem of equivalent groups, what is a disadvantage of using a between-subjects design? (p. --)
o In a between-subjects design, why is it important to aim for equivalent groups? (p. --)
· The Problem of Creating Equivalent Groups
o What is the difference between random selection and random assignment? (p. --)
o Explain how random assignment accomplishes the goal of creating equivalent groups. (p. --)
o Random assignment is often accomplished through block randomization. What does this procedure guarantee? (p. --)
o What are the conditions under which matching is preferred to random assignment? (p. --)
o What determines which variables will become “matching” variables? (p. --)
· Within-Subjects Designs
o What are the advantages of within-subjects designs over between-subjects designs? (p. --)
o What is the main problem that a within-subjects design has to solve? (p. --)
o What is the difference between a progressive effect and a carryover effect? (p. --)
· The Problem of Controlling Sequence Effects
o What is the general purpose of counterbalancing? (p. --)
o What is “complete” counterbalancing? If there are five different conditions in a study, how many sequences will be needed if complete counterbalancing is going to be used? (p. --)
o What is “partial” counterbalancing? What are two ways to accomplish partial counterbalancing? (p. --)
o What are the unique features of a Latin square? (p. --)
o If you test each condition more than once in a within-subjects design, what are two ways of accomplishing counterbalancing? (p. --)
o Consider the Carello study, which examined a participant’s ability to judge dowel length from sound. Explain how she used block randomization to accomplish counterbalancing. (p. --)
o Explain what asymmetric transfer. If it is likely to be a problem in an experiment, how might it be eliminated? (p. --)
· Control Problems in Developmental Research
o What is a cross-sectional design? (p. --)
o What are cohort effects and how might they make the interpretation of cross-sectional designs difficult? (p. --)
o What is a longitudinal design? (p. --)
o Describe how a cohort sequential design combines elements of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. (p. --)
o Describe how Terman’s famous research on giftedness avoiding the major problem with longitudinal designs. (p. --)
· Problems with Biasing
o What is experimenter bias and how can it be demonstrated experimentally? (p. --)
o What are two ways to control experimenter bias? (p. --)
o What is the Hawthorne effect (as it is traditionally defined)? (p. --)
o Contrary to what has traditionally been described as happening at the Hawthorne plant, what actually happened there? (p. --)
o What is the good subject effect, how does it relate to demand characteristics, and how might it influence the outcome of a study? (p. --)
o Give an example of how evaluation apprehension might influence the outcome of a study. (p. --)
o How can participant bias be controlled? (p. --)
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