A Researcher Is Interested in Examining Whether Offering Children Candy

question 95

Multiple Choice

A researcher is interested in examining whether offering children candy as an incentive to share will increase preschoolers' sharing behaviour. A group of preschoolers is brought into the laboratory to play with some interesting toys. The preschoolers are split into two groups through random assignment. Group A is told that they will get candy each time they share, and Group B is not told anything about candy or sharing. Results indicate that preschoolers in Group A share more than do preschoolers in Group B, and the researcher concludes that offering children candy for sharing caused the children in Group A to share more. Which statement BEST describes a possible limitation of this study?

• A) Children in Group A may have been naturally kinder than children in Group B.
• B) Causation cannot be inferred from this type of study.
• C) These findings may not generalize beyond the laboratory setting.
• D) There may be a third-variable problem.

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Definitions:

Modern Psychology

The scientific study of the mind and behavior, incorporating contemporary theories and methodologies to understand psychological phenomena.

Wilhelm Wundt

Recognized as the father of experimental psychology, he established the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879, marking the formal beginning of psychology as a scientific discipline.

Structuralism

Wundt’s approach to discovering the basic elements, or structures, of mental processes.

Wilhelm Wundt

A German psychologist and philosopher, often considered the father of experimental psychology, who founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research.