Exam 2: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

Dr. Schott's scatterplot reveals no real patterns or clusters. In fact, the data seems to fall randomly on the graph. This pattern of results is most likely from which type of correlation?

The variable that an experimenter assesses or measures is called the _______________.

In an experiment, a researcher manipulates one variable to see how it affects a second variable. The manipulated variable is called the: a. dependent variable. b. experimental variable. c. independent variable. d. placebo.

A histogram is created that presents data on the number of mistakes participants in a research study made on a memory test. The vertical axis indicates:

When psychologists question how well the results of a study apply to other samples or perhaps other situations, they are inquiring about the _____ of the study.

The __________________ is a commonly occurring distribution that is characterized by its symmetrical shape with values clustered around a mean value.

Case studies, naturalistic observation, and surveys and questioners are all types of ________________ research, because they can only be used to collect observations.

Which of the following is true?

In general, what should researchers do with data after the results of a study have been published?

According to your text, which of the following is true of the use of animal research in psychology?

Why is it difficult to make generalizations based on the results of case study research?

In a memory study, researchers have participants study a list of words, and then tell them it was the wrong list and that they should forget it. This deception is meant to see how effectively participants can forget something they have already studied. If the researchers plan to debrief the participants afterward, would this design meet the standards of an ethical study?

If you are interested in examining the relationship between the number of class days missed and one's subsequent semester grade point average, you would be best served to use a(n) ________ to study this relationship.

In a single-blind study, who is "blind" to the treatment?

Alex, a freshman in college, wants to know how many of her dorm mates have tried marijuana, so she decides to survey everyone on her floor. Despite rumors to the contrary, the results suggest that fewer than ten percent of her classmates have tried the drug. What is the most likely explanation for her findings?

Claims based on common sense:

The perception of a statistical association between two variables where none exists is known as ______________.

A psychologist wanted to see if people are more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm. He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that, as part of the study, they would receive electric shocks. He did not frighten the other group of subjects. Finally, he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone. What was the dependent variable in this study? a. the two groups b. the level of anxiety c. preference for being alone or in a group d. manipulation of anxiety

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee that determines:

What effect does the planned use of deception have on the approval of a study?