All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Identify the design flaw: different thermometers are used for each treatment group.
Answer: Instrument difference introduces systematic bias. Different instruments create systematic measurement bias.
Flashcard 2: Which option best reduces experimenter bias: double-blind procedure or larger beakers?
Answer: Double-blind procedure. Prevents conscious or unconscious researcher bias.
Flashcard 3: Identify the best reason to randomize trial order when testing multiple temperatures.
Answer: To reduce order effects and time-related confounding. Random order prevents time-dependent confounding.
Flashcard 4: Which option best matches a negative control: a condition expected to produce no effect?
Answer: A condition expected to produce no response. Confirms no false positive responses occur.
Flashcard 5: What is a controlled variable in an experiment?
Answer: A factor kept constant across all experimental conditions. These prevent confounding effects from other variables.
Flashcard 6: How does blinding reduce bias in an experiment?
Answer: Prevents expectations from influencing results. Eliminates unconscious influence on data collection.
Flashcard 7: What is meant by 'external validity' in experiments?
Answer: The extent to which results generalize to other contexts. High external validity means results apply beyond the specific study conditions.
Flashcard 8: Identify the dependent variable: Testing fertilizer's effect on crop yield.
Answer: Crop yield. Crop yield is the outcome measured to assess fertilizer effectiveness.
Flashcard 9: Which aspect of an experiment is manipulated by the researcher?
Answer: Independent variable. The researcher controls this to test its effects.
Flashcard 10: What is an independent variable in an experiment?
Answer: A variable that is manipulated to observe its effect. This is the cause or input that researchers control.
Flashcard 11: What is a dependent variable in an experiment?
Answer: A variable that is measured and affected in the experiment. This is the outcome or response being studied.
Flashcard 12: Define 'randomization' in the context of experimental design.
Answer: Assigning subjects to groups by chance to reduce bias. Ensures each participant has equal chance of any group.
Flashcard 13: What is meant by 'double-blind' in experiments?
Answer: Neither participants nor researchers know group assignments. Prevents bias from expectations of both groups.
Flashcard 14: Identify the role of a placebo in an experiment.
Answer: A harmless substance given to control group to mimic treatment. Controls for psychological effects of receiving treatment.
Flashcard 15: What does 'replication' mean in scientific research?
Answer: Repeating an experiment to verify results. Confirms findings are consistent and reliable.
Flashcard 16: What is a 'confounding variable' in an experiment?
Answer: An extraneous variable that affects the outcome, obscuring results. Makes it impossible to determine true cause of results.
Flashcard 17: What is the effect of increasing sample size in an experiment?
Answer: Increases reliability and reduces sampling error. Larger samples better represent the target population.
Flashcard 18: What is the purpose of random sampling in experiments?
Answer: To ensure that each member of the population has an equal chance of selection. Prevents selection bias in choosing participants.
Flashcard 19: Identify a key feature of quantitative data in experiments.
Answer: Numerical and can be measured. Allows statistical analysis and precise comparisons.
Flashcard 20: What type of graph is best for showing changes over time?
Answer: Line graph. Shows trends and patterns in continuous data.
Flashcard 21: What kind of variable is manipulated to observe effects on the dependent variable?
Answer: Independent variable. This is what the researcher changes or controls.
Flashcard 22: Identify the variable measured in an experiment to assess the effect of manipulation.
Answer: Dependent variable. This shows the effect of the manipulation.
Flashcard 23: What does it mean if an experiment is 'controlled'?
Answer: Variables are regulated to prevent confounding effects. Eliminates alternative explanations for results.
Flashcard 24: What is the importance of an operational definition in research?
Answer: Defines how variables are measured and observed. Ensures consistent measurement across all studies.
Flashcard 25: Which variable is the outcome or response variable in an experiment?
Answer: Dependent variable. This measures what happens due to treatment.
Flashcard 26: Identify the group that receives the treatment in an experiment.
Answer: Experimental group. This group gets the treatment being tested.
Flashcard 27: Which method ensures that experimental results are not biased?
Answer: Randomization. Random assignment eliminates systematic differences.
Flashcard 28: What strategy is used to minimize the placebo effect in an experiment?
Answer: Double-blind procedure. Neither group knows treatment status to prevent bias.
Flashcard 29: What is a 'single-blind' experiment?
Answer: Participants do not know their group assignment. Only participants are unaware of their group.
Flashcard 30: Why is it important to have a large sample size in an experiment?
Answer: To increase the generalizability of results. Results apply more broadly with diverse samples.