Ch6 Research Strategies and Validity2021

Chapter : 6
Research Strategies and Validity

Frederick J. Gravetter, Lori-Ann B. Forzano (2018) Research Methods for the
Behavioral Sciences, 6E. Cengage Learning, Inc.
Chapter : 6
Research Strategies and Validity
. 6.1 Research Strategies
. 6.2 External and Internal Validity
. 6.3 Threats to External Validity
. 6.4 Threats to Internal Validity
. 6.5 More about Internal and External Validity

CRITICAL POINTS
• 1. Describe, compare, and contrast the five research strategies (descriptive,

correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental, and nonexperimental); the
kinds of questions they address and the data structures they produce; and
recognize examples of each.
• 2. Define research strategy, research design, and research procedures, and
describe the choices and decisions involved during these three stages in the
development of a research study.
Relationship Positive Relationship
Curvelinear Relationship
Negative Relationship
FIGURE 6.2
An Example of Data from a Correlational Study
CORRELATIONAL VERSUS NONEXPERIMENTAL
Self-Esteem Self-Esteem Academic

Grouping Achivement Low Self-Esteem High Self-Esteem
14 33
Low 14 13 16 35
Low 16 28
Low 18 33 18 36
Low 20 37 20 38
Low 21 43
High 33 78 21 40
High 35 81 Mean= 17.80 Mean= 36.40
High 36 84
High 38 88
High 40 96
CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH NONEXPERIMENTAL
DATA SET STRATEGY RESEARCH STRATEGY
RELATIONSHIP
Chapter 6 Section 1
1. Which of the following questions can be addressed with the descriptive strategy?
a. What is the average number of text messages that a typical adolescent sends in a month?
b. Is there a relationship between the number of text messages that adolescents send each month and the number of pages
of leisure reading done by adolescents?
c. Does decreasing the number of text messages sent by adolescents cause an increase in number of pages read for leisure?
d. None of these questions can be addressed with this strategy
Chapter 6 Section 1
1. Which of the following questions can be addressed with the descriptive strategy?
a. What is the average number of text messages that a typical adolescent sends in a month?
b. Is there a relationship between the number of text messages that adolescents send each month and the number of pages
of leisure reading done by adolescents?
c. Does decreasing the number of text messages sent by adolescents cause an increase in number of pages read for leisure?
d. None of these questions can be addressed with this strategy
Chapter 6 Section 1
2. A research study attempts to describe the relationship between self-esteem and birth order position by measuring self-
esteem for each individual in a group of first-born boys, and then comparing the results with self-esteem scores for a group of
later-born boys. Which research strategy is being used?
a. Nonexperimental
b. Correlational
c. Experimental
d. Quasi-experimental
Chapter 6 Section 1
2. A research study attempts to describe the relationship between self-esteem and birth order position by measuring self-
esteem for each individual in a group of first-born boys, and then comparing the results with self-esteem scores for a group of
later-born boys. Which research strategy is being used?
a. Nonexperimental
b. Correlational
c. Experimental
d. Quasi-experimental
Chapter 6 Section 1
3. Which of the following is a general plan for implementing a research strategy?
a. A research procedure
b. A research design
c. A research study
d. A research protocol
Chapter 6 Section 1
3. Which of the following is a general plan for implementing a research strategy?
a. A research procedure
b. A research design
c. A research study
d. A research protocol
CRITICAL POINTS
• 3. Define the concept of external validity and a threat to external

validity.
• 4. Define the concept of internal validity and a threat to internal
validity.
Chapter 6 Section 2
1. Results from a research study suggest that a stop-smoking program is very successful. However,
the participants who volunteered for the study were all highly motivated to quit smoking and the
researcher is concerned that the same results may not be obtained for smokers who are not as
motivated. What kind of validity is being questioned?
a. Internal validity
b. External validity
c. Experimental validity
d. Validity of measurement
Chapter 6 Section 2
1. Results from a research study suggest that a stop-smoking program is very successful. However,
the participants who volunteered for the study were all highly motivated to quit smoking and the
researcher is concerned that the same results may not be obtained for smokers who are not as
motivated. What kind of validity is being questioned?
Chapter 6 Section 2
2. The degree to which your research results generalize beyond the specific characteristics of your
study refers to
a. internal validity.
b. external validity.
c. general validity.
d. reliability.
Chapter 6 Section 2
2. The degree to which your research results generalize beyond the specific characteristics of your
study refers to
a. internal validity.
b. external validity.
c. general validity.
d. reliability.
Chapter 6 Section 2
3. A researcher measures mood for a group of participants who have listened to happy music
for 20 minutes and for a second group who have listened to sad music for 20 minutes. If
different mood scores are obtained for the two groups, the researcher would like to conclude
that music influences mood. However, the happy music group was tested in a room painted
yellow and the sad music group was in a room painted dark brown and the researcher is
concerned that the room color and not the music may influence mood scores. What kind of
validity is being questioned?
Chapter 6 Section 2
3. A researcher measures mood for a group of participants who have listened to happy music
for 20 minutes and for a second group who have listened to sad music for 20 minutes. If
different mood scores are obtained for the two groups, the researcher would like to conclude
that music influences mood. However, the happy music group was tested in a room painted
yellow and the sad music group was in a room painted dark brown and the researcher is
concerned that the room color and not the music may influence mood scores. What kind of
validity is being questioned?
CRITICAL POINTS
• 5. Identify and explain the common threats to external

validity and identify threats when they appear in a research
report.
30 PRE-TEST POST-TEST
participants MEASUREMENT MEASUREMENT
Psycho-education
Chapter 6 Section 3
1. A journal article reports that a new teaching strategy is very effective for first-grade students. A teacher
wonders if the same strategy would be effective for a class of third-grade students.
What is the teacher questioning?
a. The external validity of the report
b. The internal validity of the report
c. The reliability of the report
d. The accuracy of the report
Chapter 6 Section 3
1. A journal article reports that a new teaching strategy is very effective for first-grade students. A teacher
wonders if the same strategy would be effective for a class of third-grade students.
What is the teacher questioning?
a. The external validity of the report
b. The internal validity of the report
c. The reliability of the report
d. The accuracy of the report
Chapter 6 Section 3
2. How can sensitization threaten external validity of a study?
a. The results may be limited to the novel situation of the research study.
b. The results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a pretest.
c. The results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a series of different treatment conditions.
d. The results may be limited to participants taking on different subject roles.
Chapter 6 Section 3
2. How can sensitization threaten external validity of a study?
a. The results may be limited to the novel situation of the research study.
b. The results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a pretest.
c. The results may be limited to individuals who have experienced a series of different treatment conditions.
d. The results may be limited to participants taking on different subject roles.
CRITICAL POINTS
• 6. Describe how extraneous variables can become confounding variables and

threaten the internal validity of a research study; identify threats when they
appear in a research report.
• 7. Describe how environmental variables can be threats to internal validity for
all studies, how some variables can threaten studies that compare different
groups, and how other variables can threaten studies that compare scores for
one group over time.
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE
Confounding
Variables
FIGURE 6 . 3
The Structure of a Research Study Designed to Explain the Relationship between Variables
Chapter 6 Section 4
1. Which of the following describes a variable that exists in a study but is not being directly examined?
a. Independent
b. Dependent
c. Extraneous
d. External
Chapter 6 Section 4
1. Which of the following describes a variable that exists in a study but is not being directly examined?
a. Independent
b. Dependent
c. Extraneous
d. External
Chapter 6 Section 4
2. A study examining the relationship between humor and memory compares memory performance scores for
one group presented with humorous sentences and a second group presented with nonhumorous sentences. The
participants in one group are primarily 8-year-old students and those in the second group are primarily 10-year-
old students. In this study, age is potentially a(n) ________ variable.
a. independent
b. dependent
c. extraneous
d. confounding
Chapter 6 Section 4
2. A study examining the relationship between humor and memory compares memory performance scores for
one group presented with humorous sentences and a second group presented with nonhumorous sentences. The
participants in one group are primarily 8-year-old students and those in the second group are primarily 10-year-
old students. In this study, age is potentially a(n) ________ variable.
a. independent
b. dependent
c. extraneous
d. confounding
Chapter 6 Section 4
3. What aspect of a study is threatened if the participants are tested in one treatment condition at one time and
then tested in a second treatment condition at a different time?
c. Reliability
d. Accuracy
Chapter 6 Section 4
3. What aspect of a study is threatened if the participants are tested in one treatment condition at one time and
then tested in a second treatment condition at a different time?
c. Reliability
d. Accuracy
CRITICAL POINTS
• 8. Define experimenter bias, demand characteristics, and reactivity, and explain

how these artifacts can threaten both internal and external validity.
Exaggerated
difference
70C 90C
Chapter 6 Section 5
1. Cues given to participants about how they are expected to behave define which of the following terms?
a. Reactivity
b. Demand characteristics
c. Experimenter bias
d. Volunteer bias
Chapter 6 Section 5
1. Cues given to participants about how they are expected to behave define which of the following terms?
a. Reactivity
b. Demand characteristics
c. Experimenter bias
d. Volunteer bias
Chapter 6 Section 5
2. Experimental research studies tend to have very _______ internal validity but often have
relatively _______ external validity.
a. high; low
b. low; high
c. high; high
d. low; low
Chapter 6 Section 5
2. Experimental research studies tend to have very _______ internal validity but often have
relatively _______ external validity.
a. high; low
b. low; high
c. high; high
d. low; low
KEY WORDS
• research strategy • internal validity

• research design • threat to internal validity
• research procedure • extraneous variable
• external validity • confounding variable
• threat to external validity • individual differences
KEY WORDS
• research strategy • multiple treatment interference
• sensitization, or assessment sensitization, or pretest
• linear relationship
• sensitization
• curvilinear relationship • participant variables
• positive relationship • time-related variables
• negative relationship • fatigue
• practice
• correlational research strategy
• artifact
• experimental research strategy • experimenter bias
• quasi-experimental research strategy • single-blind
• nonexperimental research strategy • double-blind
• demand characteristics
• selection bias
• reactivity
• volunteer bias • laboratory
• novelty effect • field
The End

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Chapter : 6

Research Strategies and Validity

. 6.1 Research Strategies

. 6.2 External and Internal Validity

. 6.3 Threats to External Validity

. 6.4 Threats to Internal Validity

. 6.5 More about Internal and External Validity

• 1. Describe, compare, and contrast the five research strategies (descriptive,

Relationship Positive Relationship

Self-Esteem Self-Esteem Academic

• 3. Define the concept of external validity and a threat to external

• 5. Identify and explain the common threats to external

• 6. Describe how extraneous variables can become confounding variables and

• 8. Define experimenter bias, demand characteristics, and reactivity, and explain

• research strategy • internal validity

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