AP®PsychologyCollege BoardExam QuestionsResearch MethodsResearch Issues, Controls & Pilot Studies

Research Issues, Controls & Pilot Studies (College Board AP® Psychology): Exam Questions

2 mins2 questions
1
1 mark

A researcher is conducting an experiment on the effects of caffeine on memory. Participants in the caffeine group are tested in a brightly lit room in the morning, while participants in the control group are tested in a dimly lit room in the afternoon. A colleague points out that any difference in memory performance could be due to the lighting or time of day rather than caffeine.

Which of the following best describes the colleague's concern?

  • Demand characteristics are influencing participants' responses

  • The placebo effect is improving performance in the caffeine group

  • Random assignment has not been used to allocate participants to groups

  • Confounding variables make it impossible to establish a causal relationship between caffeine and memory

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

In an experiment testing the effects of a new study technique on test scores, the researcher randomly assigns 60 participants to either the new technique group or the traditional technique group.

Which of the following best explains the purpose of random assignment in this study?

  • To ensure that participant variables are evenly distributed across the experimental and control groups

  • To ensure that the sample is representative of the general population

  • To prevent participants from guessing the purpose of the study

  • To increase the sample size of the study

Choose your answer