Practice Questions for Research Methods Final Exam

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Practice Questions for Research Methods Final
Exam Exam is Tuesday, 9 a.m.
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A researcher randomly assigns college students to
four groups that differ in the amount of money
reward they get for completing a task. Students
are also divided into three groups classified on
the basis of family income. The data consist of
the speed with which the task is completed.
Write the ANOVA summary table for this problem as
completely as you can without the calculated
numbers.
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A researcher randomly assigns college students to
four groups that differ in the amount of money
reward they get for completing a task. Students
are also divided into three groups classified on
the basis of family income. The data consist of
the speed with which the task is completed.
Write the ANOVA summary table for this problem as
completely as you can without the calculated
numbers. Source SS df MS
F Reward Family I R x FI Error
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A researcher randomly assigns college students to
four groups that differ in the amount of money
reward they get for completing a task. Students
are also divided into three groups classified on
the basis of family income. The data consist of
the speed with which the task is completed.
Write the ANOVA summary table for this problem as
completely as you can without the calculated
numbers. Source SS df MS
F Reward 3 Family I
2 R x FI 6 Error
ab(n-1)
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For the problem design an a priori comparison in
which we combine groups 1 and 2 versus group 4.
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For the problem design an a priori comparison in
which we combine groups 1 and 2 versus group 4.
f (1)M1 (1)M2 (0)M3 (-2)M4
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Distinguish between statistical significance and
effect size. How are they calculated? If a
test is significant at plt.01 is the p statistic
interpreted as a large effect?
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A researcher wishes to undertake a brain study
that involves lesioning the brain and later
sacrificing the animals. Under what
circumstances would you as a member of the local
Animal Care and Use Committee approve the
study? Under what circumstances would you
approve the study if performed on rats but not on
dogs?
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Distinguish between a between groups
independent variable and a within groups
independent variable. Discuss one threat to
internal validity that might occur in a within
groups study that would not occur in a between
groups study.
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• Define the following
• Operational definition
• Positivism
• Quasi-experiment
• Confounding variable
• Post hoc comparison
• Random assignment

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Mr. Lopatto has passed on much wisdom,
grasshopper. Explain these wise sayings. There
is no science but the science of the general. The
unusual does not happen to me. Never defend a
null hypothesis. Beware ubiquity. You can never
prove an experimental hypothesis.
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Some depressed people report that they sleep a
lot. This observation inspires a researcher to
hypothesize that sleep deprivation reduces the
symptoms of depression. Design a true experiment
that yields information about the effect of sleep
deprivation on depressive symptoms.
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Piece of Cake