Seatwork-5-chapter-8

1. What are physical variables in an experiment?
Physical variables are elements of the testing conditions that need to be controlled (the
room, the noise, etc.)
2. How is elimination used as a control procedure? Give two examples of variables that
could be controlled by elimination.
Elimination is a technique to control extraneous variables by removing them from an
experiment.
If noise might confound the
results, we test in a quiet location or soundproof rooms.
If we do not want interruptions, we hang a sign on the door saying, “Do not disturb.
Experiment in progress.”
3. What is constancy of conditions? Give two examples of variables that could be controlled
through constancy of conditions.
Constancy of conditions is a control procedure used to avoid confounding; keeping all

aspects of the treatment conditions identical except for the independent variable that is
being manipulated.
If room color might confound results, have subjects take test in exact same room.
keep lighting the same, keep comfort of chairs the same, keep everything the same
except for your manipulation
have voice recording of participant instructions talk at the same speed, stay at the same
volume, etc. for both conditions
4. What is balancing? Give two examples of variables that could be controlled by

balancing.
Balancing is a technique used to control the impact of extraneous variables by

distributing their effects equally across treatment conditions.
If you only have access to one quiet room and a loud room, randomly assign participants
to a room
randomly assign subjects in each room to get treatment A, then the rest will get B.
5. You are doing a study at a local school. Because of the way things are scheduled, you
can have one small testing room in the morning and another, much larger testing room in
the afternoon. If you have two treatment conditions (A and B), how can you assign
subjects to the testing rooms so that the type of room will not lead to confounding in your
experiment?
You can use balancing to control for effects of the two different rooms and times of day.
Randomly assign half the subjects to the small room (the other half will go to the larger
room). Randomly assign half the small-room subjects to A and half to B; do the same for
the larger room.
6. What are demand characteristics? How do they affect our data? How can they be
controlled?
Demand characteristics are the aspects of the experimental situation itself that demand
or elicit particular behaviors; can lead to distorted data by compelling subjects to
produce responses that conform to what subjects believe is expected of them in the
experiment.
7. A researcher says, “I want my experiment to be a success. I’m sure my hypothesis is

correct, so I’ll just give my subjects a couple of hints here and there. You know, maybe a
wink now and then if they give a good answer. That way I’ll really be able to show that
my independent variable had an effect.”
a. How would you convince her that her plan is faulty?
She'll be guilty of experimenter bias that will influence the results.
b. What is a double-blind experiment? Would you recommend that she use it? Why
or why not?
In a double-blind experiment neither the subject nor the experimenter know who is
receiving the treatment. You would recommend it so that there can be no experiementer
bias, and so that neither woudl know which group they were in.
8. Dr. L. is planning a large-scale learning experiment. He would like to have 100 rats in
one treatment group and another 100 in the other group. Because he needs so many
rats, he says, “Well, I can’t test all these animals by myself. I’ll ask Dr. P. to help me. He
can run the animals in the one group while I test the animals in the other group.”
a. Knowing what you know about confounding, is Dr. L.’s solution a good one? What can
happen if one experimenter tests all the subjects in one group while another tests all the
subjects in another group?
Dr. L’s idea is a poor one because each treatment condition would be run by a different
experimenter, confounding the experiment. It would not be possible to tell if effects were
produced by the two different treatments or by the two different experimenters.
b. Given what you know about balancing procedures, work out a better plan for Dr. L.
Instead, randomly assign half the rats in each condition to Dr. L and the other half to the
additional experimenter.
9. When should a cover story be used? When

shouldn’t one be used? Discuss the ethical
problem raised by the use of cover stories.
A cover story is plausible however, it is not the true explanation of the systematic
approach in an experiment. It is used by the experimenter to disguise the original
research hypothesis to make sure that the subjects will not be able to guess what the
hypothesis of the study would be. However, a cover shouldn't be used if it could harm
participants or compromise their autonomy. The ethical issue with cover stories lies in
potentially manipulating participants' trust and autonomy, raising concerns about
informed consent and participant well-being.
10. Why is it important that an experimenter

behave in the same way toward all subjects
in the experiment? What precautions can be
taken to ensure that the experimenter does
this?
Experimenter behavior can influence how subjects respond in an experiment. If
experimenters behave differently toward subjects, they will produce variability in
subjects’ responses, making it more difficult to detect
treatment effects. (If their behavior is systematically different across treatment
conditions, they become a confound.)
11. In what ways are volunteer subjects different from nonvolunteers? What difference
does it make?
Volunteers are usually more liberal, have higher IQs, and be less authoritarian. This
affects their responses and doesn't give a good population representation.
12. Find out the names of several experiments

that are being conducted in your department this term. Evaluate each name for its potential to
bias the sample.
13. Think of two things an experimenter could

do to safeguard against fatigue effects during the experiment.
To safeguard against fatigue effects during an experiment, the experimenter could

implement regular breaks to allow participants to rest and recharge, reducing the
likelihood of fatigue impacting their performance or responses. Another is, randomize
the order of stimuli or tasks to prevent monotony and reduce the potential for
fatigue-induced bias in responses.

Seatwork-5-chapter-8

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Seatwork-5-chapter-8

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Seatwork-5-chapter-8

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1. What are physical variables in an experiment?

Constancy of conditions is a control procedure used to avoid confounding; keeping all

4. What is balancing? Give two examples of variables that could be controlled by

Balancing is a technique used to control the impact of extraneous variables by

7. A researcher says, “I want my experiment to be a success. I’m sure my hypothesis is

9. When should a cover story be used? When

10. Why is it important that an experimenter

12. Find out the names of several experiments

13. Think of two things an experimenter could

To safeguard against fatigue effects during an experiment, the experimenter could

You might also like