Ninth Edition CoverGraziano & Raulin
Research Methods (9th edition)

Chapter 10 Multiple-Choice Questions
Single-Variable, Independent-Groups Designs

Test yourself on these multiple-choice questions. Clicking on the letter of your choice will give you immediate feedback on whether you are correct. Even when you are incorrect, you will receive feedback that will help you learn the material better so that you do well on the exam.

  1. F is a ratio of
    (a) within-groups variation divided by between-groups variation.
    (b) between-groups variation divided by within-groups variation.
    (c) external validity divided by internal validity.
    (d) internal validity divided by external validity.

  2. A manipulation check is
    (a) necessary at the naturalistic level of research.
    (b) never really important.
    (c) usually too difficult to carry out.
    (d) appropriate only at the experimental level.

  3. Which of the following is due to the effects of the independent variable?
    (a) between-groups variance divided by within-groups variance
    (b) within-groups variance
    (c) experimental variance
    (d) internal validity

  4. Between-groups variance is a function of
    (a) experimental variance only.
    (b) experimental effects and confounding variables.
    (c) error variance only.
    (d) general variance.

  5. Careful planning and general research design characteristics
    (a) are important at all levels of research.
    (b) are important only at the experimental level.
    (c) are not possible at the naturalistic level.
    (d) are not possible at the case-study level.

  6. Nonsystematic, within-groups variability is also called
    (a) error variance.
    (b) standard variance.
    (c) common deviation.
    (d) combined range.

  7. In experimental research, extraneous variables are always
    (a) between-group variables.
    (b) within-group variables.
    (c) organismic variables.
    (d) response variables.

  8. The single-group, posttest-only design
    (a) cannot be used in research with human participants.
    (b) is one of the strongest designs possible.
    (c) is weak because there is no manipulation of a variable.
    (d) includes a manipulation of an independent variable.

  9. Which level of research includes unbiased assignment of participants to conditions and the prediction of causal relationships?
    (a) naturalistic
    (b) correlational
    (c) differential
    (d) experimental

  10. Nonsystematic, within-groups variability
    (a) has differential effects on only the experimental group.
    (b) has random effects.
    (c) has no effects on the outcome.
    (d) cannot be controlled.

  11. The most universally-used measure of variation is the
    (a) range.
    (b) variance.
    (c) standard error.
    (d) average deviation.

  12. Ex post facto studies
    (a) can tell us nothing.
    (b) have value in testing causal hypotheses.
    (c) have value in generating causal hypotheses.
    (d) are the only studies possible in clinical settings.

  13. What is the major contributor to error variance?
    (a) group size
    (b) unreliable measurement
    (c) individual differences
    (d) high means

  14. Which of the following is accomplished in a within-subjects design?
    (a) reduction of error variance
    (b) increase in individual differences
    (c) improvement of external validity
    (d) increase in the alpha level

  15. In experimentation, the term "control" refers to
    (a) control of variance.
    (b) the reduction of the number of participants in a condition.
    (c) the increase in individual difference to obtain more variation.
    (d) random assignment of participants to conditions only.

  16. Which of the following must be found in order to observe an effect of the independent variable in an experiment?
    (a) high error variance
    (b) high group means
    (c) high between-group variance
    (d) high standard deviations

  17. Why are ex post facto studies weak?
    (a) Too few participants are used.
    (b) They require so long to run that responses are no longer representative.
    (c) Independent variables cannot be manipulated.
    (d) Response variables cannot be measured.

  18. Which of the following is a true experimental design?
    (a) single-group, posttest-only design
    (b) single-group, pretest-posttest design
    (c) ex post facto design
    (d) none of the above

  19. Experimental variance, extraneous variance, and sampling error
    (a) contribute to the between-groups variance.
    (b) constitute the within-groups variance.
    (c) determine the sample size.
    (d) are particularly important at the correlational level.