AP PSYCHOLOGY

RESEARCH METHODS THINKING CRITICALLY WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND DESCRIPTION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Research participants are randomly assigned to different groups in an experiment in order to
A
minimize chances that participants in any group know each other.
B
increase chances that participants are representative of people in general.
C
minimize any differences between groups of participants.
D
increase chances that the different groups have the same number of participants.
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -reduce the likelihood of any preexisting differences between groups of participants. In a survey, psychologists select a random sample of research participants in order to ensure thatA. the participants are representative of the population they are interested in studying.

Detailed explanation-2: -To determine whether a treatment works, participants are randomly assigned to either a treatment condition, in which they receive the treatment, or a control condition, in which they do not receive the treatment.

Detailed explanation-3: -Random assignment enhances the internal validity of the study, because it ensures that there are no systematic differences between the participants in each group. This helps you conclude that the outcomes can be attributed to the independent variable.

Detailed explanation-4: -How do you randomly assign participants to a group? To implement random assignment, assign a unique number to every member of your study’s sample. Then, you can use a random number generator or a lottery method to randomly assign each number to a control or experimental group.

Detailed explanation-5: -In most cases, participants are randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. Because participants are randomly assigned to either group, we can assume that the groups are essentially identical with the exception of the manipulation of the independent variable in the experimental group.

There is 1 question to complete.