Name: __________________________ Date: _____________
1. What are important differences between case studies and single-subject experiments?
Describe
... [Show More] the advantages and disadvantages of each.
2. Which steps would a researcher take to analyze the collected data from a correlational
study to determine whether a correlation exists and whether the correlation is positive or
negative? Include in your answer a description of each type of correlation: unrelated,
positive, and negative.
3. A major shortcoming of a correlational study is that even when a correlation between
two variables is statistically significant, one cannot infer causation. For example, a
significant correlation exists between life stress and depression, yet one cannot say for
sure that life stress causes depression. Given this major shortcoming, what are some
specific reasons one might still wish to conduct a correlational study, as opposed to an
experimental study (from which one might infer a cause-and-effect relationship)?
4. Suppose a researcher found a strong positive correlation between college grade-point
average (GPA) and self-esteem. Describe three possible and distinctly different causal
explanations for this relationship.
5. Assume that a researcher wishes to do research designed to pinpoint early childhood
events related to later development of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Which
type of investigation might the researcher use? What would be potential strengths and
weaknesses of that type of investigation? Are there any ethical concerns the researcher
ought to address?
6. A researcher is designing a study to compare school achievement in children whose
mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy and children whose mothers did not drink
alcohol during pregnancy. Briefly describe two ways the researcher could ensure that
the study has good internal validity and two ways the researcher could ensure that it has
good external validity.
7. Design an experiment to test the hypothesis that older women who take estrogen are less
likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Be sure to identify the control group,
experimental group, independent variable, and dependent variable [Show Less]