Exam 2: Psychology As a Science

In a depression-treatment study, neither the participants nor the researcher know who is taking medication and who is taking a sugar pill. This is an example of a

Refer to the graph below. The mean score for this distribution is _______ and the median score is _______.

The best way to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship is through _______ research.

Researchers are testing the hypothesis that high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood trigger panic attacks. Half of the participants breathe carbon dioxide-enriched air, and the other half breathe normal air, then measured panic attack symptoms. In this study _______ is the independent variable and _______ is the dependent variable.

Random assignment to experimental and control conditions involves being assigned

A researcher is testing the hypothesis that an herbal supplement improves concentration. Before taking a concentration test, the first group gets the supplement. Which of the following reflects the highest quality research design for this hypothesis?

Professor Ryan wanted to test the hypothesis that childhood physical abuse increases risk for violent behavior in adults. She asked people convicted of a violent crime in the past year about their childhood exposure to physical abuse, as well as their violent behavior as adults. Analyses showed that greater exposure to abuse predicted more adult violence, leading Professor Ryan to conclude that most children exposed to childhood physical abuse will go on to perpetrate violence as adults. What type of research design was used? Was it a reasonable choice for this research question? Explain why or why not. What flaws, if any, do you see in the researcher's study design and conclusion?

A researcher had college students complete questionnaires about their personality traits and about how likely they would be to keep a secret. Results showed that people high in conscientiousness are less likely to reveal secrets. In addition to being survey research, this was an example of _______ research design.

Use the following to answer questions : -Which numbered arrowheads in the figure represent instances of spurious causation?

A perfect, negative correlation has a value of _______.

Scientists use laboratory experiments primarily to

Jeff has volunteered to take place in a pain management study. Neither he nor the researchers know whether he is taking the pain killer or a sugar pill. This experiment is an example of a _______ research design.

In experimental research, which of the following variables is controlled by the researcher?

In which of the following distributions would the mean, median, and mode be most alike?

A group of medical students looked at heights of a large sample of ten- and eleven-year-old children. For ten-year-olds, the mean height was 54.5 inches and the standard deviation was 0.5 inches. For eleven-year-olds, the mean height was 56.6 inches and the standard deviation was 1.2 inches. Compared with the data for ten-year-olds, data for the eleven-year-olds showed a higher mean and greater _______.

"Green is the prettiest color" is a _______ hypothesis because it is _______.

What is the primary difference between a hypothesis and a theory?

The principle of Occam's razor compares _______ in terms of the _______.

The key purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to

In a phobia treatment study, the participants spend three hours facing their fears. Post-treatment scores show significant improvement in overall distress levels when handling the feared objects, so the treatment is judged as effective by the researcher. To improve the study's design, the researcher can