Exam 2: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

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 __________.

An administrator believes that the placement of motivational posters on the walls in classrooms of academic buildings will lead to increased GPAs (grade point averages)at his school.To test his theory,he randomly assigns certain classrooms within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to have the posters while others do not.None of the remaining four academic colleges have any posters placed in their classrooms.What is the independent variable in this study?

Asking participants to write about upsetting or traumatic experiences puts them at risk for cognitive and emotional stress.

Which of the following is one of the questions that a researcher should ask herself before conducting a research study?

To obtain objective information,researchers sometimes must deceive their subjects.Ethically,research involving deception must always _________.

Dr.Potter,an English professor,is curious about his students' attitudes toward one of his favorite books.What research method is he most likely to use to gather this information?

Although sometimes controversial,animal research plays an important role in psychology research.Explain four reasons psychologists use animal subjects.

Naturalistic observation is ____________________.

In a single-blind study,the participants do not know the purpose of the study or the condition to which they are assigned.What is the difference in a double-blind study?

A psychologist wanted to see if people are more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm.He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that,as part of the study,they would receive electric shocks.He did not frighten the other group of subjects.Finally,he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone.In this study,the group that was NOT frightened would be called the ____________ group.

A hypothesis test is conducted after an experiment to:

Ecological validity refers to:

Professor Todd decides to test her hypothesis that eating chocolate prior to exams increases students' test scores.She randomly assigns students to two groups at the beginning of the semester.One group receives a bar of chocolate before each test,while the other group receives another type of candy.She compares their scores at the end of the year,and finds that the students who ate the chocolate scored an average of ten points higher on their exams.What is a fair conclusion that can be drawn from this experiment?

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 researcher is able to conduct an experiment on study habits in his laboratory and he finds some exciting results.What is one possible shortcoming of using this method?

The right to give informed consent stays with a volunteer throughout the entire study,and they should be able to withdraw at any point.

Imagine Dr.Martin finds that sense of humor is positively correlated with psychological well-being.From this,we can conclude that:

An important danger of the various types of research bias discussed in Chapter 2 is that they lead us:

For security and confidentiality reasons,once the results of a study are reported in a journal or at a conference the data should be destroyed.

In research,the object,concept,or event being measured is called a ____________.