Practice Test Geeks(FAST) Future Aptitude Selection Tool Practice Test
← All FAST Flashcard Decks

Experimental Design Flashcards

7 cards from real FAST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Experimental Design flashcards as text

  1. A researcher discovers that the instrument used to measure outcomes was recalibrated midway through data collection. Which internal validity threat does this represent?

    Answer: Instrumentation

    Instrumentation refers to changes in measurement tools or procedures over the course of a study that can produce apparent effects unrelated to the treatment.

  2. Why is it important to pre-register a study's hypotheses and analysis plan before data collection?

    Answer: It prevents HARKing (hypothesizing after results are known) and reduces false positives

    Pre-registration locks in hypotheses and methods before data collection, preventing researchers from selectively reporting favorable analyses after seeing the data.

  3. A study uses a matched-pairs design in which participants are paired by IQ before being assigned to conditions. What is the primary benefit of this approach?

    Answer: It reduces variability within pairs, increasing statistical sensitivity

    Matching on a relevant variable reduces error variance within pairs, making it easier to detect the true treatment effect.

  4. Which of the following exemplifies a Type II error in hypothesis testing?

    Answer: Failing to reject the null hypothesis when a real effect exists

    A Type II error (false negative) occurs when the statistical test fails to detect an effect that genuinely exists in the population.

  5. A researcher uses convenience sampling by recruiting only students from a single university. What is the most significant limitation?

    Answer: Results may not generalize beyond college student populations

    Convenience samples often lack diversity, making it unclear whether findings apply to broader or more varied populations.

  6. In a crossover design, participants are randomly assigned to receive Treatment A then Treatment B, or Treatment B then Treatment A. What is the primary purpose of this counterbalancing?

    Answer: To control for order and sequence effects across participants

    Counterbalancing in a crossover design ensures that order effects (practice, fatigue) are distributed evenly across conditions rather than confounded with treatment.

  7. Statistical power in an experiment is most directly increased by which of the following?

    Answer: Increasing sample size and using sensitive measurement instruments

    Larger samples reduce sampling error and more sensitive measures reduce noise, both directly increasing the probability of detecting a true effect.