Exam 2: A--Scientific Methods in Psychology

The burden of proof concept argues that it is up to the skeptic to prove that no person can demonstrate psychic abilities.

The mean is especially useful if the scores approximate the normal distribution.

All else being equal, scientists always prefer the most parsimonious theory.

Consider the following set of scores on a quiz: 2, 2, 3, 5, 8. The mode for this set of scores is 2.

In an experiment on the effects of watching violent television on aggressive behavior, the type of television program viewed would be the dependent variable.

Describe three examples of the following situations: one in which two variables are positively correlated, one in which two variables are negatively correlated, and one in which there is zero correlation.

Case histories are a type of naturalistic observation that focus on a single individual.

Properly conducted experiments allow researchers to draw conclusions about cause and effect.

Two serious objections to claims of extrasensory perception are that the explanations are not ____________________ and that the results are not ____________________.

Consider the following set of scores on a quiz: 2, 2, 3, 5, 8. The median for this set of scores is 4.

A scientist has formed the following hypothesis; individuals who eat a late lunch consume more food than individuals who eat an early lunch. Once she has constructed her hypothesis, what are the three steps that she should follow to complete her experiment? State the steps and give an example of how to complete each step.

The smaller the random sample, the smaller the probability that the results will differ significantly from the whole population.

A correlation coefficient of -.7 represents a stronger relationship between variables than a correlation coefficient of +.5.

Asking participants to give their informed consent prior to participating in a study is no longer required under ethical guidelines.

Statements about a large population based on an inference from a small sample, is called ____________________.

A ____________________ theory is one that makes clear, easily tested predictions.

An operational definition for hunger is the number of hours since the person last ate a meal.

Experimenter bias is the tendency of an experimenter (unintentionally, in most cases) to distort or misperceive the results of an experiment based on the expected outcome.

Group A receives the following scores: 14, 15, 15, 15, 16. Group B receives the following scores: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20. The standard deviation for Group B is higher than it is for Group A.

Consider the following set of scores on a quiz: 2, 2, 3, 5, 8. The mean for this set of scores is 3.