Elements of an Experiment
What variable is manipulated in an experiment in an effort to observe an effect on another variable?
Independent Variable
the extent to which a research study accurately measures the cause-and-effect relationship it intends to investigate, without the influence of confounding variables or biases is referred to as ________ validity
Internal Validity
Researchers are interested in investigating how sleep deprivation affects memory retention. They randomly assign people to sleep-deprived and non-sleep-deprived conditions before having them take a recall task. What type of research design is this?
Experimental Design
A cognitive psychologist is measuring attention by administering a test in her lab. Loud construction is taking place outside which affects performance scores. What type of variable would the construction noise be?
Confounding/Extraneous Variable
______ validity refers to the extent to which the results of a research study can be generalized to settings, populations, times, and situations beyond the specific conditions under which the study was conducted.
External Validity
Researchers are interested in understanding the relationship between social media use and feelings of loneliness among adolescents. They ask students to report their social media use and levels of loneliness in a survey. What type of experiment is this?
Correlational Design
To investigate the effects of alcohol on attention, a cognitive psychologist subjected two groups of participants to an attention-measuring test. One group consumed a moderate amount of alcohol, while the other group was not administered any alcohol at all. What is the dependent variable in this research study?
Scores on the test measuring attention
_______ _________ ensures every subject has an equal chance of being in the experimental or control group.
Random Assignment
The group that does not receive the independent variable (intervention, substance, task, etc.)
Control Group
What type of research averages the results of two or more studies to see if the effect of an independent variable is reliable?
Meta-Analysis
What research method is frequently employed to analyze the outcomes of written responses, where a representative sample of individuals is questioned about their attitudes or behavior? [Hint: this is often used in a correlational design]
Survey
The only way to determine causal relationships is with what design?
Experimental