Exam 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically

One of the primary techniques for reducing both the placebo effect and experimenter expectancy effects is random selection.

Considering the following data set: (3, 4, 4, 0, 4, 1, 5), which of the following statements is false?

Dr. Jung argues that increases in temperature are related to increases in aggression. To support his claim, he recorded the temperature each day and noted the number of reported assaults. More assaults were recorded on hotter days. In this study, temperature and aggression are

Producing a socially acceptable response as opposed to a true response is called?

Dr. Ross is conducting an experiment in which the information being collected from the participants is highly sensitive. If anyone outside the study gained access to the information, it could be damaging for the participants in that they would be treated differently by other people. This particular aspect of the study is most relevant to which ethical consideration?

Danny owns an ice cream stand near the beach. He knows that he sells more ice cream on sunny days than on days when it is cloudy. Danny has some researchers collect data for him so that he can be more efficient when he orders his ice cream. This example illustrates which of the primary functions of correlational research?

The problem of participant placebo effects and experimenter expectancy effects are both minimized by

A company manager believes that there should be a relationship between total sales for a month (in dollars) and the number of sales people on the floor. Which of the following correlation coefficients shows the strongest support for her belief?

The research method in which the researcher observes behaviour occurring in a natural setting is called a case study.

Deeba is conducting a study and is concerned about a possible social desirability bias. What kind of study is she conducting?

The statement, "If patients are given Drug X, then they will be less depressed," is an example of a(n) ___________.

Dr. Mitchell has just had a paper rejected from the Canadian Journal of Psychology. The editor suggested that there was likely a third-variable problem with the study. Most likely, what kind of study did Dr. Mitchell conduct?

A humanistic psychologist believes that people who don't have a clear sense of meaning in their lives are more vulnerable to depression and physical illness. This psychologist's beliefs are best viewed as an example of

Examining the social behaviours of whales as they migrate is an example of

A statistic that indicates the strength and direction of a relation between two variables is called the _____________.

One day, after their psychology class, Olivia and Hannah are talking about dreaming. Most mornings Olivia doesn't remember any of her dreams, but occasionally she has vivid recollections when she wakes. Hannah says she has the same experience and wonders why. When they talk to friends about the phenomenon, they notice a pattern related to the stress of the previous day. They verbalize this pattern as, "When people feel stressed out over something one day, they are more likely to remember their dreams the following day." Olivia and Hannah have just formed a

The independent variable is the variable administered to the experimental group and the dependent variable is the variable administered to the control group.

An operational definition defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to measure it.

After writing his Biology exam, Sam's professor announces that the grades from the exam were normally distributed with a mean of 60 and a standard deviation of 10. Sam's grade on the exam was 70. Approximately what percentage of the class had a grade on the exam that was higher than Sam's?

It is difficult to draw causal inferences in correlational research because