What This Document Is
This document is a third exam for PSY 3213C, Research Methods in Psychology with Laboratory, offered at Florida State University. It serves as a review of key concepts related to experimental design and causal inference, specifically focusing on simple experiments, internal validity, and different experimental approaches like between-subjects and within-subjects designs.
Why This Document Matters
This exam is crucial for students enrolled in PSY 3213C to demonstrate their understanding of research methodologies. It’s used to assess comprehension of how to establish causality, identify threats to internal validity, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various experimental designs. Successful performance on this exam is a key component of the course grade.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This document is a *preview* of the exam content. It does not provide complete explanations of the concepts, nor does it include practice questions or solutions. It’s designed to help you gauge the scope of the material covered on the exam, not to replace studying the course materials or attending lectures. It will not teach you how to *apply* these concepts, only what topics are covered.
What This Document Provides
The document includes notes on:
* The distinction between moderators and mediators in research.
* The three criteria for establishing causality in simple experiments (covariance, temporal precedence, and internal validity).
* Common threats to internal validity, such as confounds, lack of random assignment, and unsystematic variability.
* A comparison of between-subjects and within-subjects experimental designs, including their advantages and disadvantages.
* Strategies for addressing carryover effects in within-subjects designs, such as counterbalancing (complete, partial, and random order).
* Definitions of total variance, error variance, and systematic variance.
This preview *does not* include the actual exam questions, detailed explanations of statistical analyses, or comprehensive examples of research studies. It also does not cover all topics potentially included on the exam.