Define and explain confounding variables.
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: A confounding variable is one that affects the scores in our samples differently, but which is not the independent variable of interest. For example, if rats raised in the smoke-free environment were allowed more exercise than those raised in the smoke-filled environment, we would say that the effect of smoke is confounded with the effect of exercise. In this case exercise is a confounding variable. Another example would be assigning the first 20 volunteers to the treatment condition of an experiment and the next 20 to the control condition. There may be something different about those who volunteer early and those who volunteer late that confounds our ability to assess the effect of the independent variable. In this case, time-to-enroll is the confounding variable.
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Structured interviews __________
A) do not yield the same depth of information as a clinical interview B) are flexible because questions are phrased differently for each participant C) bring together a wide range of information on one person D) tell researchers little about the reasoning behind participants’ responses
Forcing an organism to make impossible discriminations in a classical
conditioning paradigm tends to result in: (a) circular reasoning (b) experimental neurosis (c) generalization (d) neutral acquisition
How are reading and the understanding of mathematics related to a societal advantage?
A. Reading and math are tied to comparisons between countries, so higher reading and math scores mean higher status for the United States. B. Reading and math are the main components of standards-based testing in schools. C. Reading and math are fundamental to advancement in science and technology, which improve economic opportunities for both individuals and the society at large. D. Reading and math are skills that all children must accomplish.