Question 1

Which of the following investigation types does not represent the descriptive method of scientific inquiry?

Accepted Answer

A)  Surveying 
B)  Case study 
C)  Naturalistic observation 
D)  Laboratory experimentation 
A)  Surveying 
B)  Case study 
C)  Naturalistic observation 
D)  Laboratory experimentation

Question 2

Although a researcher was hoping data from his personality questionnaire would have a normal distribution, the median and mode are both quite a bit higher than the mean. This means his data are

Accepted Answer

A)  positively skewed. 
B)  negatively skewed. 
C)  invalid. 
D)  unreliable. 
A)  positively skewed. 
B)  negatively skewed. 
C)  invalid. 
D)  unreliable.

Question 3

In which of the following situations would a correlation coefficient be highly misleading?

Accepted Answer

A)  The variables do not covary. 
B)  The causal connection between the variables is unknown. 
C)  The variables are associated in a nonlinear pattern. 
D)  There is a perfect, but negative, correlation. 
A)  The variables do not covary. 
B)  The causal connection between the variables is unknown. 
C)  The variables are associated in a nonlinear pattern. 
D)  There is a perfect, but negative, correlation.

Question 4

A researcher is designing an experiment intended to study the effects of the physical environment on reading comprehension. Which of the following factors would be best characterized as an independent variable in such an experiment?

Accepted Answer

A)  The number of subjects participating in the experiment 
B)  The manner in which the researcher records observable data 
C)  The level of lighting in settings where test subjects are asked to read 
D)  The performance of subjects on reading tests administered by the researcher 
A)  The number of subjects participating in the experiment 
B)  The manner in which the researcher records observable data 
C)  The level of lighting in settings where test subjects are asked to read 
D)  The performance of subjects on reading tests administered by the researcher

Question 5

Use the following to answer questions :
  
-The psychologist running this experiment could best uphold standards for double-blind assessment by taking which of the following measures?

Accepted Answer

A)  Having each of the test subjects take the test in complete isolation 
B)  Verifying that the placebo will have no positive effects on the subjects 
C)  Ensuring that subjects who take the test have no prior knowledge of its subject matter 
D)  Keeping the researcher who administers treatments from knowing which ones are placebos 
A)  Having each of the test subjects take the test in complete isolation 
B)  Verifying that the placebo will have no positive effects on the subjects 
C)  Ensuring that subjects who take the test have no prior knowledge of its subject matter 
D)  Keeping the researcher who administers treatments from knowing which ones are placebos

Question 6

Students _______ would be the most representative sample for a study of competitiveness in high school.

Accepted Answer

A)  competing in sports 
B)  in a required health class 
C)  in advanced math classes 
D)  who agree to do the study during lunch 
A)  competing in sports 
B)  in a required health class 
C)  in advanced math classes 
D)  who agree to do the study during lunch

Question 7

The Tuskegee syphilis study raised serious concerns about ethical research because the researchers

Accepted Answer

A)  distorted the data gathered from observation. 
B)  infected test subjects with a dangerous disease. 
C)  withheld information from test subjects about their condition. 
D)  failed to create randomized control groups for comparison. 
A)  distorted the data gathered from observation. 
B)  infected test subjects with a dangerous disease. 
C)  withheld information from test subjects about their condition. 
D)  failed to create randomized control groups for comparison.

Question 8

A researcher is designing an experiment to look at the effects of food consumption on the quality of social interaction. A dependent variable in such an experiment would be the

Accepted Answer

A)  amount of food that subjects consume. 
B)  specific tasks that subjects are instructed to perform. 
C)  ability of subjects to maintain conversations with others. 
D)  criteria used to determine the quality of communication by subjects. 
A)  amount of food that subjects consume. 
B)  specific tasks that subjects are instructed to perform. 
C)  ability of subjects to maintain conversations with others. 
D)  criteria used to determine the quality of communication by subjects.

Question 9

A cross-country runner wants to know how consistent her race times have been this season. The most useful measure of her race times would be the

Accepted Answer

A)  range. 
B)  standard deviation. 
C)  mode. 
D)  difference between the median and the mode. 
A)  range. 
B)  standard deviation. 
C)  mode. 
D)  difference between the median and the mode.

Question 10

A research team wants to know if sugar consumption is related to hyperactivity. Researchers give fifty children cupcakes made with real sugar and another fifty children cupcakes made with zero-calorie sugar substitutes. They then observe each child individually to assess his or her level of activity after eating the cupcakes. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  a case study. 
B)  naturalistic observation. 
C)  experimental research. 
D)  correlational research. 
A)  a case study. 
B)  naturalistic observation. 
C)  experimental research. 
D)  correlational research.

Question 11

A researcher tested the hypothesis that exposure to nature would improve mood. Half of the participants watched a nature documentary and the other half watched a documentary about cities. Then all participants completed a measure of their mood. In this study, _______ was the dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher tested the hypothesis that exposure...

Question 12

A correlation of -0.80 between meditation and anxiety symptoms would indicate

Accepted Answer

A)  meditation and anxiety symptoms are unrelated. 
B)  meditation effectively reduces anxiety symptoms. 
C)  anxious people are more likely to meditate. 
D)  meditation predicts lower levels of anxiety. 
A)  meditation and anxiety symptoms are unrelated. 
B)  meditation effectively reduces anxiety symptoms. 
C)  anxious people are more likely to meditate. 
D)  meditation predicts lower levels of anxiety.

Question 13

After a bad day dealing with rude people shutting doors in her face and cutting in line, Professor Green wanted to explore the idea that men are less considerate to strangers than women are. Write a testable hypothesis related to this idea, and outline a strategy for using naturalistic observation to test your hypothesis. Be sure to specify your study population, sampling frame, and key variables.

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary, as there are many rea

Question 14

Which approach would be most appropriate for testing the hypothesis that taking practice tests improves learning more than studying alone does?

Accepted Answer

A)  Experimental research 
B)  Correlational research 
C)  Surveys of representative samples of students 
D)  Case studies of high-achieving students 
A)  Experimental research 
B)  Correlational research 
C)  Surveys of representative samples of students 
D)  Case studies of high-achieving students

Question 15

A researcher testing a new medication for attention deficit disorder randomly assigns half of the participants to get the actual medication and half to get a sugar pill. Neither the researcher nor the participants know who is getting what. This study design will

Accepted Answer

A)  increase measurement reliability. 
B)  increase explicit bias. 
C)  reduce study validity. 
D)  reduce unconscious bias. 
A)  increase measurement reliability. 
B)  increase explicit bias. 
C)  reduce study validity. 
D)  reduce unconscious bias.

Question 16

Your research methods class requires you to design a study. Your partner wants to use the hypothesis "Dogs have souls identical to human souls." What is the problem with this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

It is not a scientific hypothe

Question 17

A therapist believed so strongly in his treatment approach that he tended to imagine improvements in his clients that had not actually happened. This _______ is why treatment outcome research requires _______.

Accepted Answer

unconsciou

Question 18

Which of the following correlations has the strongest predictive value?

Accepted Answer

A)  +0.50 
B)  +0.30 
C)  0.00 
D)  -0.75 
A)  +0.50 
B)  +0.30 
C)  0.00 
D)  -0.75

Question 19

In an analysis testing differences between an experimental and a control group on the dependent variable, a p-value of 0.07 means there is a

Accepted Answer

A)  statistically significant difference between the groups. 
B)  statistically significant validity problem with the measure of the dependent variable. 
C)  7 percent chance that differences between the two samples are due to chance alone. 
D)  93 percent chance that differences between the two samples are due to chance alone. 
A)  statistically significant difference between the groups. 
B)  statistically significant validity problem with the measure of the dependent variable. 
C)  7 percent chance that differences between the two samples are due to chance alone. 
D)  93 percent chance that differences between the two samples are due to chance alone.

Question 20

In order to collect opinion data on key issues in one small city, a research company is planning to send a survey-taker to every hundredth home listed in an alphabetical city directory. The survey-taker will interview all adults living at each selected household. In this situation, the adults interviewed are best characterized as a

Accepted Answer

A)  random and representative sample. 
B)  representative sample but not a random sample. 
C)  study population. 
D)  theoretical population. 
A)  random and representative sample. 
B)  representative sample but not a random sample. 
C)  study population. 
D)  theoretical population.

Which of the following investigation types does not represent the descriptive method of scientific inquiry?

Although a researcher was hoping data from his personality questionnaire would have a normal distribution, the median and mode are both quite a bit higher than the mean. This means his data are

In which of the following situations would a correlation coefficient be highly misleading?

A researcher is designing an experiment intended to study the effects of the physical environment on reading comprehension. Which of the following factors would be best characterized as an independent variable in such an experiment?

Use the following to answer questions : -The psychologist running this experiment could best uphold standards for double-blind assessment by taking which of the following measures?

Students _______ would be the most representative sample for a study of competitiveness in high school.

The Tuskegee syphilis study raised serious concerns about ethical research because the researchers

A researcher is designing an experiment to look at the effects of food consumption on the quality of social interaction. A dependent variable in such an experiment would be the

A cross-country runner wants to know how consistent her race times have been this season. The most useful measure of her race times would be the

A researcher tested the hypothesis that exposure to nature would improve mood. Half of the participants watched a nature documentary and the other half watched a documentary about cities. Then all participants completed a measure of their mood. In this study, _______ was the dependent variable.

A correlation of -0.80 between meditation and anxiety symptoms would indicate

Which approach would be most appropriate for testing the hypothesis that taking practice tests improves learning more than studying alone does?

A researcher testing a new medication for attention deficit disorder randomly assigns half of the participants to get the actual medication and half to get a sugar pill. Neither the researcher nor the participants know who is getting what. This study design will

Your research methods class requires you to design a study. Your partner wants to use the hypothesis "Dogs have souls identical to human souls." What is the problem with this hypothesis?

A therapist believed so strongly in his treatment approach that he tended to imagine improvements in his clients that had not actually happened. This _ is why treatment outcome research requires _.

Which of the following correlations has the strongest predictive value?

In an analysis testing differences between an experimental and a control group on the dependent variable, a p-value of 0.07 means there is a

Introduction: Principles of Psychology

The Neuroscience of Behavior

Genes, Environment, and Behavior

Developmental Psychology

Sensation and Perception

Consciousness

Learning

Memory

Language and Cognition

Intelligence

Motivation and the Regulation of Behavior

Emotions, Stress, and Health

Personality

Social Psychology

Clinical Psychology

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Exam 2: Psychology As a Science

Which of the following investigation types does not represent the descriptive method of scientific inquiry?

Although a researcher was hoping data from his personality questionnaire would have a normal distribution, the median and mode are both quite a bit higher than the mean. This means his data are

In which of the following situations would a correlation coefficient be highly misleading?

A researcher is designing an experiment intended to study the effects of the physical environment on reading comprehension. Which of the following factors would be best characterized as an independent variable in such an experiment?

Use the following to answer questions : -The psychologist running this experiment could best uphold standards for double-blind assessment by taking which of the following measures?

Students _______ would be the most representative sample for a study of competitiveness in high school.

The Tuskegee syphilis study raised serious concerns about ethical research because the researchers

A researcher is designing an experiment to look at the effects of food consumption on the quality of social interaction. A dependent variable in such an experiment would be the

A cross-country runner wants to know how consistent her race times have been this season. The most useful measure of her race times would be the

A researcher tested the hypothesis that exposure to nature would improve mood. Half of the participants watched a nature documentary and the other half watched a documentary about cities. Then all participants completed a measure of their mood. In this study, _______ was the dependent variable.

A correlation of -0.80 between meditation and anxiety symptoms would indicate

Which approach would be most appropriate for testing the hypothesis that taking practice tests improves learning more than studying alone does?

A researcher testing a new medication for attention deficit disorder randomly assigns half of the participants to get the actual medication and half to get a sugar pill. Neither the researcher nor the participants know who is getting what. This study design will

Your research methods class requires you to design a study. Your partner wants to use the hypothesis "Dogs have souls identical to human souls." What is the problem with this hypothesis?

A therapist believed so strongly in his treatment approach that he tended to imagine improvements in his clients that had not actually happened. This _______ is why treatment outcome research requires _______.

Which of the following correlations has the strongest predictive value?

In an analysis testing differences between an experimental and a control group on the dependent variable, a p-value of 0.07 means there is a

Introduction: Principles of Psychology

The Neuroscience of Behavior

Genes, Environment, and Behavior

Developmental Psychology

Sensation and Perception

Consciousness

Learning

Memory

Language and Cognition

Intelligence

Motivation and the Regulation of Behavior

Emotions, Stress, and Health

Personality

Social Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Filters

A therapist believed so strongly in his treatment approach that he tended to imagine improvements in his clients that had not actually happened. This _ is why treatment outcome research requires _.