Exam 2: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

A mechanism by which experts in a field carefully screen the work of their colleagues is known as ____________.

What does it mean to say that two variables are negatively correlated?

The __________ variable is what the experimenter manipulates (or varies).

To determine if sugar-rich diets affect hyperactivity in kids, a researcher prepared two daily menus that children would receive for a 30-day period. A high-sugar diet was given to the boys, while the girls had a menu that seemed identical but was not a high sugar diet. At the end of 30 days, the boys and girls were evaluated to determine their levels of hyperactivity. In the study, the high-sugar diet is the _______. a. placebo b. independent variable c. dependent variable d. control group

Which of the following aspects is critical the experimental but not correlational design?

Quasi-experimental designs are similar to true experimental designs, except for what difference?

The only research design that allows one to make inferences on cause-and-effect is the ________ design.

In an experiment, a researcher manipulates one variable to see how it affects a second variable. The second variable, which is observed for any possible effects, is called the __________. a. dependent variable b. control variable c. independent variable d. hypothetical variable

When people report feeling better after taking medication even though it hasn't had time to be effective, they are experiencing _________________.

Which of the following correlations represents the weakest degree of relation between two variables?

Participants in modern psychology experiments are given the right to:

If a set of data has a skewed distribution, which measure of central tendency should be used?

In a controlled experiment, the group not subjected to a change in the independent variable, and used for comparison with the group receiving the experimental change, is the __________ group. a. independent b. experimental c. dependent d. control

A correlation coefficient will always range between:

If a set of data has a normal distribution, which measure of central tendency should be used?

Research in which a carefully selected group of people is asked a set of predetermined questions in interviews or through questionnaires is known as __________. a. correlational research b. case study research c. survey research d. experimental research

What does the height of the bars on a histogram indicate?

A researcher wants to see whether she can make the typical administrative assistant job more motivating at Acme, Inc. To experimentally investigate this possibility, she randomly assigns administrative assistants to one of the following conditions: doing the job as it has always been done, having a computer performance monitoring device installed, receiving feedback about their performance on a weekly basis, or being given a say in how one's workload is structured and done. Which of the preceding conditions is an example of a control group?

A medical doctor believes that the presence of aromatherapy candles will reduce the anxiety of first-time mothers-to-be during labor and will increase their reported satisfaction with their care at his hospital. He randomly assigns mothers to give birth in a room either with or without aromatherapy candles. What is the independent variable in this example?

A researcher is interested in determining how frequently bullying behavior occurs in real-life settings. This researcher would best be advised to use the _________________.