Cognitive Psychology: Experimental Design

Which of the following statements best describes the role of control conditions in experimental design?

How might an experimenter control for the 'self' perspective bias in a task requiring participants to adopt another person's viewpoint?

In the context of the scientific method, what distinguishes a theory from a hypothesis?

Imagine a study investigating the impact of violent video games on aggression levels in adolescents. What potential confounding variable would be the MOST critical to control, and why?

Considering Neisser's definition of cognition, how does the concept of 'elaboration' apply to cognitive processing?

In an experiment examining the effects of mindfulness meditation on cognitive performance, participants are randomly assigned to either a meditation group or a control group. Participants in the meditation group practice mindfulness for 30 minutes daily, while those in the control group read a book. All cognitive performance tests are administered online. What is the most significant threat to internal validity in this study design?

Based on the diagram representing cognitive science in 1978, what interdisciplinary inquiry is MOST directly represented by the intersection of psychology and computer science?

A researcher aims to study the effect of sleep deprivation on decision-making. Participants are kept awake for 24 hours, and their decision-making abilities are then assessed using a complex problem-solving task. However, several participants become highly stressed and anxious due to the sleep deprivation, which also impacts their performance. Which of the following best describes the primary ethical concern in this study?

In designing a study to investigate the impact of a new teaching method on student performance, a researcher decides to use a pre-test/post-test control group design. Students in one class receive the new teaching method, while students in another class receive the standard teaching method. The researcher discovers that the students receiving the new method already had a solid foundation with the content. Which threat to internal validity is the most concerning given this scenario?

A cognitive psychologist is designing an experiment to investigate the effects of emotional arousal on memory recall. Participants are shown a series of images, some neutral and some emotionally charged, and are later asked to recall as many images as possible. To enhance the study's ecological validity, the psychologist incorporates background sounds and dim lighting to replicate a real-world environment. However, this may inadvertently introduce extraneous variables. What is the MOST critical concern regarding the introduction of these additional stimuli?

A team of researchers is conducting a study to determine the effectiveness of a new cognitive training program on improving working memory capacity in older adults. Participants are randomly assigned to either the training group or an active control group that engages in mentally stimulating activities unrelated to working memory. What ethical consideration should the research team prioritize to address the possibility that the cognitive training program is highly effective?

Which statement captures the essence of the iterative relationship between theories, experiments, and data in the scientific method?

A researcher conducts an experiment to assess the effectiveness of a new drug on reducing anxiety symptoms. Participants are recruited through advertisements, and those who report experiencing high levels of anxiety are included in the study. The researcher randomly assigns participants to either the treatment group (receiving the new drug) or the placebo group (receiving a sugar pill). Anxiety levels are measured using a self-report questionnaire before and after the intervention. However, the researcher notices that participants in both groups show a reduction in anxiety symptoms, regardless of whether they received the active drug or the placebo. How would you explain this?

Building on the concept of embodied cognition, how might a researcher design an experiment to test the hypothesis that physical posture influences decision-making?

Suppose a researcher is running an experiment to examine the impact of room temperature on test performance. One group of students take a mathematics test in a 20 degree C room, and the other in a 30 degree C room. What is the MOST effective way to ensure equality or control for differences between the groups?

A researcher is replicating a classic experiment but finds inconsistencies between the results of their study and of the original study. Assuming there were no experimental errors, what is the MOST likely explanation for this finding?

How does building theories benefit from the iterative process of the scientific method?

What statement is MOST accurate concerning the relationship between dependent and independent variables?

A pharmaceutical company is testing a new drug to improve cognitive function. They divide participants into a treatment group and a control group. Both groups are given a cognitive test before and after the treatment period. However, the treatment group knows they are receiving the actual drug, while the control group knows they are receiving a placebo. What is the MOST prominent issue that this study design faces?