Psychology Quasi-Experimental Designs

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Questions and Answers

What is one important characteristic of ecological validity?

It focuses on the internal consistency of the experiment.

It emphasizes repeating experiments in varied settings. (correct)

It is only concerned with laboratory experiments.

It requires the use of identical operational definitions.

Which type of replication aims to repeat a study with the same design?

Exact replication (correct)

Systematic replication

Field replication

Conceptual replication

What does a meta-analysis primarily utilize to evaluate existing studies?

Narrative summaries of each study

Survey feedback from participants

Qualitative assessments of study methodologies

Effect size statistics (correct)

What limitation does every hypothesis test potentially face?

They can be invalid due to type 1 error. Signup and view all the answers

What is a distinguishing feature of research programs?

They systematically study a topic over time through various experiments. Signup and view all the answers

What is a participant-variable design primarily concerned with?

Pre-existing characteristics of the participants Signup and view all the answers

What does regression to the mean refer to?

And tendency for extreme scores to become less extreme Signup and view all the answers

Which design is aimed specifically at assessing the effectiveness of intervention programs?

Program-evaluation research Signup and view all the answers

What does internal validity measure in an experiment?

Impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes a confounding variable?

A variable that systematically differs across experimental conditions Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a manipulation check in an experiment?

To assess if the independent variable has been manipulated as intended Signup and view all the answers

Why are pilot tests conducted prior to the main experiment?

To refine the experimental design and troubleshoot potential problems Signup and view all the answers

What are demand characteristics in the context of an experiment?

Cues that inform participants about how they are expected to behave Signup and view all the answers

How does external validity differ from internal validity?

Internal validity concerns the accuracy of the effects within the study, while external validity concerns generalizability beyond the study Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of baseline measures in research designs?

To provide a standard for comparison before a manipulation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Quasi-Experimental Designs

Used to compare groups that cannot be randomly assigned
Participant-variable design uses pre-existing characteristics to group participants
Participant-variable is the characteristic that differs across participants
Regression to the mean: extreme scores tend to become less extreme over time
Single-participant designs track individual behavior over time to understand changes
Program evaluations study the effectiveness of interventions

Experimental Control

The extent to which an experimenter can eliminate effects on the dependent variable, other than those of the independent variable
Internal validity: how well the dependent variable is affected by the independent variable
Extraneous variables are other variables that influence the dependent variable (can be due to random error)
Confounding variables similarly affect one or more conditions in the experiment(systematic error)

Validity and Generalization

External validity refers to the extent to which findings can be generalized to other situations and populations.
Generalization across participants is the goal of some experimental research, to understand causal relationships among variables
Generalizing requires consideration of the setting of the experiment
Ecological validity is about the extent to which the experiment can be generalized to other settings or contexts

Experimental Artifacts and Control

Artifacts are aspects of research methodology that can go unnoticed and confound results
Cover stories (false information) can prevent participants from guessing the hypothesis
Demand characteristics are unrelated experimental techniques that influence results
Demand characteristics can make participants aware of the experiment and its goals leading to different behaviors
Experimenter bias means an experimenter subconsciously influences or creates a difference between participants in the experiment due to their knowledge of the hypothesis.
Non-reactive control measures ensure participant awareness does not influence data

Research Design Improvements

Multiple group before-after designs control for variability among participants
Matched-group research designs match participants based on a variable of interest prior to the experiment

Replication and Analysis

Replication, repeating an experiment, helps confirm findings
Conceptual replication uses different operational definitions of variables, checking if the relationship holds
Meta-analysis statistically combines results from multiple studies to draw broader conclusions.
Research programs are series of experiments focused on a specific topic

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Description

This quiz covers key concepts related to quasi-experimental designs in psychology, including participant-variable designs, experimental control, and the importance of validity. Test your understanding of how these designs compare groups without random assignment and explore the implications for research outcomes.