4.2.3.T1 Experimental method Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. In a laboratory experiment, what is the main advantage over a field experiment?

   • Greater ecological validity
   • Participants are always unaware of the study
   • Greater control over extraneous variables
   • Results are always generalisable to the population

2. A field experiment is carried out in:

   • A controlled laboratory with no manipulation, where the researcher only records what occurs
   • A natural setting where the researcher still manipulates the independent variable
   • A survey conducted by post with no variables, where people report their own opinions
   • A location where the IV occurs naturally without any researcher involvement at all

3. A natural experiment is one in which:

   • Participants are tested in a laboratory with full control over every extraneous variable
   • The researcher randomly allocates participants to each condition in a controlled setting
   • The independent variable occurs naturally and the researcher does not manipulate it
   • The dependent variable is manipulated by the researcher, who changes its level directly

4. A quasi-experiment differs from a true experiment because:

   • The dependent variable is not measured at all, so the outcome is recorded only as a note
   • The independent variable is a pre-existing participant characteristic such as age or gender
   • Participants are not tested in any condition, because the study is purely observational
   • The researcher manipulates two independent variables at once, creating a factorial design

5. In an experiment, the dependent variable is:

   • The variable that the researcher changes deliberately to create the different conditions
   • The variable that is measured to see whether it is affected by the independent variable
   • A variable that is kept constant across all conditions so it cannot influence the result
   • The number of participants in each group, which is set in advance of the experiment

6. A key feature that distinguishes an experiment from a correlational study is that an experiment:

   • Records behaviour without any intervention, so the researcher never changes anything
   • Measures two variables without changing either one, simply recording how they vary
   • Uses only self-report questionnaires that ask participants about their own habits
   • Manipulates the independent variable to see its effect on the dependent variable

7. A laboratory experiment is typically criticised because it has:

   • No measurable dependent variable, so the outcome cannot be compared across groups
   • Low control over extraneous variables, which makes it hard to rule out confounds
   • No independent variable at all, so the study cannot test any cause and effect link
   • Low ecological validity, as the setting may not reflect everyday life

8. A researcher tests whether background noise affects recall. Participants are randomly allocated to noisy and quiet conditions in a lab. What type of experiment is this?

   • Field experiment in a park
   • Natural experiment in a city
   • Laboratory experiment
   • Quasi-experiment in a school

9. A researcher compares stress levels in people who lived through a flood with people who did not. What type of experiment is this?

   • Field experiment with random allocation
   • Natural experiment
   • Repeated measures design in a lab
   • Laboratory experiment

10. A researcher compares memory scores in men and women. What type of design is this?

    • Field experiment with gender manipulated by the researcher in a natural setting
    • Quasi-experiment, because gender is a pre-existing participant variable
    • Natural experiment in which gender occurs naturally and the researcher observes it
    • Laboratory experiment with random allocation of men and women to test conditions

11. A researcher increases the number of hours of revision (0, 2 and 4 hours) and measures the test score afterwards. Which is the dependent variable?

    • The test score
    • The number of hours of revision
    • The amount of time between sessions
    • The type of test

12. A researcher tests whether litter affects helping behaviour on a street, without participants knowing they are in a study. What type of experiment is this?

    • Correlational study
    • Laboratory experiment
    • Quasi-experiment
    • Field experiment

13. Why is a field experiment often preferred when a researcher wants high ecological validity?

    • It takes place in a natural setting, so behaviour is more like everyday life
    • It always uses random sampling from the whole national population, which guarantees representative results
    • It allows the researcher to control every extraneous variable in the environment
    • It eliminates the need for a dependent variable, since behaviour is only observed

14. Why are quasi-experiments limited in their ability to infer causation?

    • Quasi-experiments always use a very large number of participants, which makes causal claims unreliable
    • The IV is not manipulated or randomly assigned, so other differences between groups may explain the result
    • Quasi-experiments do not require any control group, so the comparison between groups is never made
    • The dependent variable cannot be measured in a quasi-experiment, so no comparison is possible at all

15. A natural experiment cannot use random allocation to conditions because:

    • Natural experiments never have an independent variable, so they cannot test any cause and effect
    • Random allocation is always forbidden by ethical guidelines in every type of psychological research
    • The researcher does not control which participants experience the naturally occurring event
    • Participants in natural experiments are always identical, so no allocation is needed for them

16. A critic points out that a study on students in a lab may lack population validity. What does this mean?

    • The findings may not generalise to people beyond the students who took part
    • The study measured the wrong dependent variable, so its results cannot be compared with others
    • The experiment used too many conditions, which made the design too complicated to run
    • The results are too precise to be meaningful for any group of people in the real world

17. Which feature distinguishes an experiment from a natural observation?

    • The researcher interviews participants about their habits in a structured way
    • The researcher systematically manipulates an independent variable
    • The researcher studies only one participant in depth over a long period of time
    • The researcher records behaviour without intervening, watching whatever happens naturally

18. In a lab experiment, a researcher uses a standardised script. What is the main purpose?

    • To give participants a choice about which condition they experience, so they feel in control
    • To increase the number of extraneous variables, so the design better reflects real-world complexity
    • To ensure every participant receives the same instructions, which improves control and reliability
    • To make participants believe that the study has a different aim from the real one under test

19. A researcher wants to show that a new teaching method causes better exam results. Which design is most appropriate for this aim?

    • A controlled experiment with random allocation of students to the new and standard methods
    • A content analysis of exam papers from several years, coded for the teaching style used
    • A correlational study comparing schools that already use the new method with those that do not
    • A case study of one exceptional student who improved greatly under the new teaching method

20. Evaluate the choice between a laboratory and a field experiment for a study of aggression in children. Which is the best justification for a field experiment?

    • It requires no ethical approval because the behaviour is natural and therefore harmless
    • It captures aggression in a natural setting, improving the realism of the findings
    • It removes all extraneous variables from the study, so the results are entirely clean
    • It guarantees that all children are equally aggressive, so there is no variation to explain

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