GRE Subject Test: Psychology : Construction, Reliability, & Validity of Testing Methods
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Psychology
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Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Measurement & Methodology
After much success with her initial experiments (i.e. Groups A and B) and pilot test, Dr. Crawford wanted to further test the effects of a “smart pill." She recruited a new group of twenty students, Group C, for this next experiment. In the first trial, she gave the students the smart pill, and then waited five minutes to give them the list of forty words. Students were instructed to memorize the list in any order and were given five minutes to study it. The students were then asked to verbally recite all of the words they could remember within three minutes. One week later, Dr. Crawford repeated the experiment with the same group and same list of words. However, on the second trial, students were given the sugar pill instead of the smart pill.
On the first trial, students from Group C recalled an average of seventeen words. On the second trial, students recalled an average of twenty words.
Which of the following experimental designs best describes this particular study?
Repeated measures
Separate variables
Counterbalancing method
Independent variables
Independent measures
Repeated measures
The students in Group C undergo the experiment two separate times, and experience both conditions. No other students than the 20 in Group C are used in this experiment. They act as both the control group and the experimental group.
Example Question #21 : Other Areas
After much success with her initial experiments (i.e. Groups A and B) and pilot test, Dr. Crawford wanted to further test the effects of a “smart pill." She recruited a new group of twenty students, Group C, for this next experiment. In the first trial, she gave the students the smart pill, and then waited five minutes to give them the list of forty words. Students were instructed to memorize the list in any order and were given five minutes to study it. The students were then asked to verbally recite all of the words they could remember within three minutes. One week later, Dr. Crawford repeated the experiment with the same group and same list of words. However, on the second trial, students were given the sugar pill instead of the smart pill.
On the first trial, students from Group C recalled an average of seventeen words. On the second trial, students recalled an average of twenty words.
What should Dr. Crawford have done to improve the experiment?
Use a list of different words between trials to avoid confounding results.
Do the second trial of the experiment in the morning, when students are more awake.
Give the students the “smart pill” during both trials of the experiment.
Give the students a shorter amount of time to study the list during the second trial.
Instruct the students to memorize the words in order during the second trial to increase difficulty.
Use a list of different words between trials to avoid confounding results.
By using the same list, Dr. Crawford is not giving students new material to memorize. Students may still remember the words on the list from the previous trial, possibly compromising results. Using a new list would test students’ ability to remember forty new words within five minutes during both trials.
Example Question #11 : Measurement & Methodology
After much success with her initial experiments (i.e. Groups A and B) and pilot test, Dr. Crawford wanted to further test the effects of a “smart pill." She recruited a new group of twenty students, Group C, for this next experiment. In the first trial, she gave the students the smart pill, and then waited five minutes to give them the list of forty words. Students were instructed to memorize the list in any order and were given five minutes to study it. The students were then asked to verbally recite all of the words they could remember within three minutes. One week later, Dr. Crawford repeated the experiment with the same group and same list of words. However, on the second trial, students were given the sugar pill instead of the smart pill.
On the first trial, students from Group C recalled an average of seventeen words. On the second trial, students recalled an average of twenty words.
The students’ improved recall on the second trial is likely due to which of the following?
Students being nervous during the first trial of the experiment.
Students wanting to perform better on the second trial.
The effects of the “smart pill” improving student memorization.
The second trial taking place during the day, when students are more awake.
Already having been exposed to the list of words during the first trial.
Already having been exposed to the list of words during the first trial.
During the second trial, students in Group C were given the sugar pill instead of the smart pill. It is highly unlikely that the sugar pill improved memory, so we must search for what else may be causing this improvement. The students had previous exposure to the list of 40 words from the first trial. This may have made it easier for them to memorize a second time.
Example Question #21 : Other Areas
A researcher is interested in studying the cognitive development of children. She administers an appropriate instrument to three groups of children at a school: 8-year olds, 9-year olds, and 10-year olds. She tests the students only once. This study is an example of a __________.
cross-sectional study
sequential cohort study
longitudinal study
case study
cross-sectional study
Example Question #22 : Other Areas
What is the difference between reliability and validity?
Validity measures accuracy, reliability measures consistency.
Reliability measures veracity, validity measures accuracy.
Reliability measures accuracy, validity measures veracity.
There is no difference.
Reliability measures accuracy, validity measures consistency.
Validity measures accuracy, reliability measures consistency.
A reliable measure consistently produces similar answers, and a valid measure produces correct or accurate answers. Imagine a soccer player shooting on an empty goal. If the player consistently misses to the left of the goal, their shooting is reliable, because they continue to miss in the same place, but not valid, because they are not scoring goals. If, on the other hand, the player scores on most of their shots, but scores all over the goal, they are valid, because they continually hit the intended target, but not reliable, because they do not score in the same place. If the player were to score in the same place on the goal over and over, they would be both consistent AND reliable. Veracity, or truthfulness, does not factor into reliability and validity.
All GRE Subject Test: Psychology Resources
