Following the Evidence

General Knowledge · 10 questions

Following the Evidence explores inference, experimental design, correlation, and source evaluation.

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1. In an experiment, what is the variable a researcher changes to measure its effect?

   1. Control variable
   2. Confounding variable
   3. Dependent variable
   4. Independent variable
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   D) Independent variable

2. What conclusion does a correlation between two variables not support on its own?

   1. A pattern
   2. Statistical association
   3. Co-variation
   4. Causation
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   D) Causation

3. What is a factor related to both a studied variable and an outcome, potentially distorting their observed relationship?

   1. Control group
   2. Dependent variable
   3. Independent variable
   4. Confounding variable
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   D) Confounding variable

4. What risk does random assignment to experimental and control groups primarily reduce?

   1. Bias from baseline differences
   2. Participant attrition
   3. Measurement calibration error
   4. Publication bias
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   A) Bias from baseline differences

5. What is the main function of a control group in an experiment?

   1. Formulating the hypothesis
   2. Providing a comparison benchmark
   3. Setting the sample size
   4. Publishing the results
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   B) Providing a comparison benchmark

6. In a statistical test, what decision constitutes a false positive?

   1. Increasing the sample
   2. Concluding that no effect exists
   3. Concluding that an absent effect exists
   4. Repeating the measurement
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   C) Concluding that an absent effect exists

7. A researcher's original experimental data are what type of source?

   1. Popular source
   2. Secondary source
   3. Primary source
   4. Reference source
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   C) Primary source

8. To check the basis for a source's claims, what should a reader examine in its reference list?

   1. Cited studies
   2. The publisher's promotional text
   3. The author's biography
   4. The article's section headings
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   A) Cited studies

9. If a measurement instrument works differently across study groups, what problem makes their results harder to compare?

   1. Measurement bias
   2. Blinding
   3. Random assignment
   4. Sampling frame
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   A) Measurement bias

10. If independent studies using different methods reach similar findings about a claim, what does this provide?

    1. An inferential leap
    2. Converging evidence
    3. Selective reporting
    4. Repeated measurement error
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    B) Converging evidence