MODULE EXERCISES
(Answers to odd-numbered questions appear in Appendix B.)
1. After describing your medical symptoms to your doctor, he claims he has a possible “theory” to explain your symptoms. What is wrong with his statement? How might he better state his beliefs?
2. Identify and briefly describe the three goals of science.
3. Identify advantages and disadvantages of naturalistic observation versus laboratory observation.
4. Identify the two predictive (relational) methods and describe each.
5. In a study of the effects of type of study on exam performance, participants are randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In one condition, participants study alone using notes they took during class lectures. In a second condition, participants study in interactive groups with notes from class lectures. The amount of time spent studying is held constant. All students then take the same exam on the material.
a. What is the independent variable in this study?
b. What is the dependent variable in this study?
c. Identify the control and experimental groups in this study.
d. Is the independent variable manipulated or a participant variable?
6. Researchers interested in the effects of caffeine on anxiety have randomly assigned participants to one of two conditions in a study, the no caffeine condition or the caffeine condition. After drinking two cups of either regular or decaffeinated coffee, participants will take an anxiety inventory.
a. What is the independent variable in this study?
b. What is the dependent variable in this study?
c. Identify the control and experimental groups in this study.
d. Is the independent variable manipulated or a participant variable?
7. Gerontologists interested in the effects of aging on reaction time have two groups of participants take a test in which they must indicate as quickly as possible whether a probe word was a member of a previous set of words. One group of participants is between the age of 25 and 45, whereas the other group of participants is between the age of 55 and 75. The time it takes to make the response is measured.
a. What is the independent variable in this study?
b. What is the dependent variable in this study?
c. Identify the control and experimental groups in this study.
d. Is the independent variable manipulated or a participant variable?
CRITICAL THINKING CHECK ANSWERS
Critical Thinking Check 1.1
1. Jim is incorrect because he is inferring causation based on correlational evidence. He is assuming that because the two variables are correlated, one must be causing changes in the other. In addition, he is assuming the direction of the inferred causal relationship—that a lower income level causes psychological disorders, not that having a psychological disorder leads to a lower income level. The correlation simply indicates that these two
variables are related in an inverse manner. That is, those with psychological disorders also tend to have lower income levels.
2. a. The independent variable is exercise.
b. The dependent variable is life satisfaction.
c. The independent variable is a participant variable.
3. a. Naturalistic observation
b. Quasi-experimental method
c. Correlational method
d. Experimental method