You're studying the effect of stereotype threat on test performance. You randomly assign your participants to either a control condition (in which they are given the test with simple instructions on how to complete it) and an experimental condition (in which you first inform participants that women tend to perform worse than men on these kinds of tests). Later, you learn that your control condition included only one math major but your experimental condition included nine math majors. This difference in participant characteristics is a threat to ___________.

Question

You're studying the effect of stereotype threat on test performance. You randomly assign your participants to either a control condition (in which they are given the test with simple instructions on how to complete it) and an experimental condition (in which you first inform participants that women tend to perform worse than men on these kinds of tests). Later, you learn that your control condition included only one math major but your experimental condition included nine math majors. This difference in participant characteristics is a threat to ___________.

a.
reliability

b.
external validity

c.
internal validity

d.
accuracy

my answer is D am i correct

Answer 1

No, your answer is not correct. The correct answer is c. internal validity.

Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study is able to establish a causal relationship between the independent variable (in this case, the information about women performing worse) and the dependent variable (test performance). In this scenario, the difference in participant characteristics between the control and experimental conditions (i.e., having more math majors in the experimental condition) can create a confounding variable that may influence the results. Therefore, the internal validity of the study is threatened because the participant characteristics are not equivalent between the two conditions.

Answer 2

No, your answer is not correct. The correct answer is option C: internal validity.

Internal validity refers to the extent to which the experimental results can be attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable and not influenced by other factors. In this scenario, the difference in participant characteristics between the control and experimental conditions (i.e., one math major in the control condition and nine math majors in the experimental condition) threatens the internal validity of the study.

By having a higher number of math majors in the experimental condition compared to the control condition, it is difficult to determine if any differences in test performance between the two conditions are due to the stereotype threat manipulation or the participant characteristics. This discrepancy in participant characteristics introduces a potential confounding variable that could impact the results, making it challenging to draw accurate conclusions about the effect of stereotype threat on test performance.