Deck 1: Thinking Critically With Psychological Science

Question 1

Imagine you are approached by a large dog. You assume the dog is unfriendly and start screaming to chase it away. The dog assumes you want to hurt it, so it defends itself by biting your ankle. This is an example of a

A) self-fulfilling belief.
B) self-defacing belief.
C) self-defense belief.
D) self-worth belief.

Answer 1

self-fulfilling belief.

Question 2

The attributions a person makes for his or her spouse's acid remark depends upon the happiness of the marriage. What concept does this portray?

A) Social behavior is a function of what we believe.
B) Social behavior is a function of an individual's general attitude in relation to the environment.
C) Social behavior is a function of how a situation is handled.
D) Social behavior is a function of the objective situation and how it is construed.

Answer 2

Social behavior is a function of the objective situation and how it is construed.

Question 3

Maslow's description of "self-actualized" people was based on a sample he personally selected. Had he selected other people to describe, his ensuing list of self-actualization characterizations may have been different. This is an example of how values can influence

A) data collection.
B) the results of a study.
C) our idea of how best to live.
D) the types of people who are attracted to various disciplines.

Answer 3

our idea of how best to live.

Question 4

After a Princeton-Darthmouth football game that ended in fistfights and injuries on both sides, two psychologists showed game films to students on each campus. The Princeton students identified twice as many Dartmouth violations as Dartmouth students did when each watched the game. This emphasizes

A) human tendency to prejudge reality based on expectations.
B) human inability to be objective when watching sports.
C) football players' brutality.
D) that humans are objective when watching sports.

Question 5

Those who consider under-the-skin (biological) and between skins (social) influences on topics such as love and hate are likely to be referred as

A) social biologists.
B) social neuroscientists.
C) social behaviorists.
D) social anthropologists.

Question 6

Social psychology is defined as the scientific study of how people

A) motivate, persuade, and interact with one another.
B) think about, influence, and relate to one another.
C) manipulate, use, and betray one another.
D) conform, help, and form attitudes about one another.

Question 7

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next is referred to as

A) nationality.
B) race.
C) religion.
D) culture.

Question 8

When explaining topics such as dating and mating, evolutionary psychologists consider how natural selection might

A) predispose our actions.
B) change our attitudes.
C) account for similarities in our behaviors.
D) reinforce our attitudes.

Question 9

You ask your academic advisor what to major in because you are finding it difficult to decide. She suggests psychology; however, it is important to remember that this answer likely reflects her

A) training.
B) education.
C) perceptions.
D) personal values.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is TRUE of intuitions?

A) Intuitions about one's own self are usually true.
B) Intuitions are carefully considered beliefs.
C) Intuition is both powerful and perilous.
D) Intuition is not important.

Question 11

What is NOT true about how values affect social psychology?

A) Values influence the topics that are researched.
B) The values that people hold influence those entering the field of study.
C) Social psychology research shows which values are right.
D) Social psychologists investigate how values influence actions.

Question 12

Social representations are

A) value commitments within a culture.
B) intuitive ideas that prove to be true.
C) widely held ideas and values, including assumptions and cultural ideologies.
D) stereotypes that are rooted in racism rather than in reality.

Question 13

Identify a true statement about attitudes and personality.

A) They influence behavior.
B) They are a result of an individual's own understanding of the world.
C) They are primary motivators for action.
D) They are inherited biologically.

Question 14

Social psychology is a(n) _____ science and one that only began to emerge as a vibrant field after _____.

A) young; the 1960s
B) young; World War II
C) old; the 1930s
D) old; the turn of the century

Question 15

Which of the following topics is NOT an example of what social psychologists study?

A) love
B) conformity
C) intelligence
D) attitudes

Question 16

Identify a true statement about social psychology.

A) It answers life's ultimate questions.
B) It helps in understanding the purpose of life.
C) It is all about beliefs, attitudes, and relationships.
D) It helps in understanding an individual's ultimate destiny.

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of how our attitudes and behaviors are shaped by external social forces?

A) Our personality disposition affects our choices.
B) Our inherited human nature predisposes us to react in certain ways.
C) Our political attitudes influence our voting behavior.
D) Our standards regarding promptness, frankness, and clothing vary with our culture.

Question 18

A society's widely held ideas and values, including our assumptions and cultural ideologies, are known as

A) national diversities.
B) racial inclinations.
C) social representations.
D) general moralities.

Question 19

The best statement about objective reality is

A) that it is constant.
B) that it does not exist.
C) that it is an unchanging set of perceptions.
D) that it is viewed through our values and beliefs.

Question 20

Values enter the work of social psychology when researchers

A) collect data for their studies.
B) present the results of their studies.
C) summarize their studies.
D) choose the topics of their studies.

Question 21

A _____ is an integrated set of principles that can explain and predict observed events.

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) fact
D) correlation

Question 22

Whether we label a woman as "ambitious" or "aggressive" is a reflection of our

A) gender.
B) values.
C) intuitions.
D) age.

Question 23

The study by Douglas Carroll and his colleagues (1994) examined the link between socioeconomic status and health using grave markers. Which type of research was this?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) controlled research
D) hypothetical research

Question 24

Identify a true statement about facts and theories.

A) Facts explain theories.
B) Theories explain facts.
C) Facts are ideas, whereas theories are explanations.
D) Theories are statements, whereas facts are assumptions.

Question 25

When asked who you think will win the next presidential election, you reply that you do not know. However, after the election results are reported, you claim that it was obvious all along. This is an example of the

A) retrospective bias.
B) information bias.
C) prediction bias.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 26

Which of the following is a disadvantage of correlational research?

A) It cannot be used to study everyday situations.
B) It provides ambiguous interpretation of cause and effect.
C) It fails to analyze whether two variables are associated.
D) It takes place in a laboratory.

Question 27

A psychology professor wants to determine if there is a relationship between hours spent on studying and grades. Therefore, the professor collects data on the time spent for studying by each student and then compares it with their grades. Which type of research is this?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) controlled research
D) hypothetical research

Question 28

Laboratory research is an example of research in a(n) _____.

A) correlational context
B) everyday environment
C) controlled situation
D) field setting

Question 29

Theories imply testable predictions called

A) assumptions.
B) hypotheses.
C) ideologies.
D) values.

Question 30

Your decision to call someone a "terrorist" rather than a "freedom fighter" depends on your view of the cause. This is an example of how values can influence not only social psychology, but also

A) internal emotions.
B) possible actions.
C) natural intuitions.
D) everyday language.

Question 31

The study of naturally occurring relationships among variables is referred to as

A) correlational research.
B) experimental research.
C) laboratory research.
D) field research.

Question 32

A testable proposition that describes a relationship which may exist between events is a

A) statement.
B) bias.
C) correlation.
D) hypothesis.

Question 33

Which of the following is one of the purposes of hypotheses?

A) Hypotheses allow us to test a theory.
B) Hypotheses provide explanations for research results.
C) Hypotheses prove theories.
D) Hypotheses communicate the results of research studies.

Question 34

Errors in judging the future's foreseeability and in remembering our past combine to create

A) information bias.
B) hindsight bias.
C) prediction bias.
D) retrospective bias.

Question 35

Another name for the "I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon" is the

A) retrospective bias.
B) information bias.
C) prediction bias.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 36

The analogy used in the text to describe what happens when old theories are discarded employs a discussion of how

A) old cars are kept as antiques.
B) old cars are replaced by newer and better models.
C) new cars are often not built as well as older models.
D) new cars are frequently more fuel efficient than older models.

Question 37

Research done in natural, real-life settings outside the laboratory is referred to as

A) correlational research.
B) experimental research.
C) qualitative research.
D) field research.

Question 38

Good theories do all of the following EXCEPT

A) summarize observations.
B) make assumptions about concepts.
C) make predictions that generate new research projects.
D) suggest practical applications.

Question 39

A theory

A) is an agreed-upon statement.
B) summarizes and explains facts.
C) cannot be tested.
D) is less than fact.

Question 40

Standing in the campus courtyard with a clipboard to record your observations of university students' usage of cellular
Phones is an example of what type of research?

A) qualitative research
B) experimental research
C) laboratory research
D) field research

Question 41

Research indicates that survey results often depend on the

A) number of questions asked.
B) gender of the surveyor.
C) gender of the respondent.
D) wording of the questions.

Question 42

Douglas Carroll and his colleagues (1994) found that the height of graveyard markers in a Glasgow cemetery was positively correlated with

A) gender.
B) race.
C) poverty.
D) longevity.

Question 43

In 1936, the news magazine Literary Digest obtained the opinions of over two million Americans regarding the presidential election. The results suggested that Landon would win in a landslide over Franklin D. Roosevelt. A few weeks later, FDR won in a landslide. The results of the survey were not valid, and this was due to

A) a lack of random assignment.
B) an unrepresentative sample.
C) poor wording of questions' variables.
D) a lack of experimental control.

Question 44

Ann Landers' 1984 survey of women readers' opinions about romantic affection and sex was probably

A) not valid because it did not include men.
B) flawed because it was not representative of the population.
C) worthless because the sample size was too small.
D) as valid and informative as other more "scientific" surveys.

Question 45

A serious shortcoming of a correlational study is that it cannot

A) predict one variable from another.
B) determine when there is a lack of a relationship between two variables.
C) identify which variable causes the other variable.
D) show relationships between naturally occurring factors.

Question 46

A great strength of correlational research is the

A) cause-effect sequencing of events.
B) ambiguity of the results.
C) ability to extract the influence of confounded variables.
D) fact that it occurs in real-world settings.

Question 47

To get information from a survey that you can generalize to the whole country, you will need to get information from at least _____ people.

A) 150
B) 1,200
C) 5,000
D) 10,000

Question 48

Correlational research allows us to

A) infer cause and effect.
B) make predictions.
C) uncover independent variables.
D) control variables.

Question 49

The postal code areas of Scotland that have the least overcrowding and the least amount of unemployment also have the

A) greatest longevity.
B) least longevity.
C) greatest loneliness.
D) least loneliness.

Question 50

Variable X is correlated with Variable Y. Which of the following could explain this correlation?

A) X causes Y.
B) Y causes X.
C) A third variable causes or influences both X and Y.
D) All of these are possible explanations.

Question 51

In the context of four potentially biasing influences on surveys, the meat lobby rejecting a new U.S. food labeling law that requires declaring meat as "30 percent fat" rather than "70 percent lean, 30 percent fat" is an example of how _____ may influence human decisions and expressed opinions.

A) framing of questions
B) order of questions
C) limited options
D) response options

Question 52

If you ask conservative, liberal, independent, and green party voters their opinions of political candidates, rather than just conservative voters, you are attempting to ensure that your sample is

A) fair.
B) sufficient.
C) representative.
D) random.

Question 53

Suppose you ask all the students who are failing a class if they believe the course is too difficult, and you find that they indeed think it is. Although you have conducted a basic survey, the results of it are limited because of your sample

A) fairness.
B) strategy.
C) size.
D) representativeness.

Question 54

A sample in which every person in the population being studied has an equal chance of inclusion is called a _____ sample.

A) mixed
B) diverse
C) fair
D) random

Question 55

Studies have shown that in Britain, occupational status is _____ correlated with longevity.

A) positively
B) negatively
C) inversely
D) not

Question 56

Time-lagged correlations are an advanced correlational technique that can reveal the _____ variables or events, such as achievement and self-esteem.

A) relationship between
B) differences between
C) sequence of
D) confounding

Question 57

The finding that obese women earned lower salaries than women in a non-obese comparison group was most likely the result of which type of research study?

A) experimental
B) correlational
C) laboratory
D) qualitative

Question 58

In the context of correlation and causation, the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement concludes that

A) self-esteem causes academic achievement.
B) academic achievement causes self-esteem.
C) both self-esteem and academic achievement are likely caused by a third variable.
D) self-esteem is negatively correlated with academic achievement.

Question 59

Research on the wording of survey questions suggests that

A) how questions are framed can influence how they are answered.
B) how questions are framed has very little influence on how they are answered.
C) wording is an unimportant element of survey research.
D) framing the questions differently will not influence the results.

Question 60

If you wanted more people to donate organs upon their death, you would

A) put nothing on their drivers' license about organ donation.
B) give a default option of 'yes' and a space to check to "opt out."
C) give a default option of 'no' and a space to check to donate.
D) give them a 'yes' or 'no' choice to check.

Question 61

Random assignment helps researchers _____.

A) collect large amounts of data
B) generalize to a population
C) infer cause and effect
D) develop correlations

Question 62

In Boyatzis' (1995) study of the influence television has on aggressive behavior in children, the results indicated that the viewers of Power Rangers committed _____ aggressive acts per two-minute interval compared to those children who did not watch this program.

A) slightly less
B) significantly more
C) about the same number of
D) significantly less

Question 63

The results of Boyatzis' (1995) research indicated that _____ can be one cause of children's aggressive behavior.

A) sugar consumption
B) poor impulse control
C) lack of parental guidance
D) television viewing

Question 64

In Snyder and Haugen's research on obesity and social status (1994, 1995), male students were shown a picture of a normal or obese female student before having a phone conversation with the female student. In this study, the dependent variable was the

A) phone conversation.
B) status of the male student.
C) man's response to the picture.
D) woman's weight status.

Question 65

A study of _____ women, by Gortmaker and colleagues (1993), found that these women were less likely to be married and less likely to earn high salaries than women in a comparison group.

A) aggressive
B) illiterate
C) obese
D) disabled

Question 66

_____ helps researchers generalize to a population.

A) Random sampling
B) Random assignment
C) Random surveying
D) Informed consent

Question 67

The major purpose of random assignment in an experiment is to

A) maximize the differences between groups.
B) minimize the differences between groups.
C) control the independent variable.
D) control the dependent variable.

Question 68

Which of the following was the dependent variable in Boyatzis' (1995) research study on the effects of television viewing on children?

A) lying to parents
B) aggressive behavior
C) poor academic performance
D) early sexual promiscuity

Question 69

You conduct a study on a group of individuals to examine the role of exercise on depression alleviation. You assign the first 50 people who are motivated to sign up to the experimental group, and the second group of 50 people, who sign up much later, to the control group. After one month, you find that the experimental group (who exercised three times a week on average) is significantly less depressed than the control group (who exercised one time a week on average). Although you may be tempted to conclude that exercise helps stave off depression, you cannot because of a lack of _____ in your study.

A) random sampling
B) random assignment
C) random surveying
D) random control

Question 70

Studies that seek clues to cause-effect relationships by manipulating one or more factors while controlling others describes
What type of research?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) laboratory research
D) field research

Question 71

The experimental factor that a researcher manipulates in a study is called the _____ variable.

A) control
B) independent
C) dependent
D) correlational

Question 72

You've noticed that as the temperature drops outside, more students wear sweaters and heavy coats. Your observation is most similar to a(n)

A) correlational research.
B) experimental research.
C) controlled research.
D) hypothetical research.

Question 73

An important factor in survey research is how closely the sample reflects the population under study. This is referred to as sample

A) fairness.
B) strategy.
C) size.
D) representativeness.

Question 74

You are interested in finding out the effect that crowding has on people's moods. You conduct a study in a psychology research lab using two types of participants - participants who have to wait in a crowded waiting room before completing a measure of their mood, and participants who wait in an empty room before completing the same measure. Which type of research did you conduct?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) laboratory research
D) both experimental and laboratory research

Question 75

A psychiatrist is interested in determining if the condition of individuals who are clinically depressed improves with either 20 or 40 milligrams of Prozac. She administers 20 milligrams to a random half of her clients and 40 milligrams to the other half. She finds that, after six months, the clients who took 40 milligrams of Prozac are significantly less depressed than those clients who took 20 milligrams of Prozac. Which type of study did the psychiatrist conduct?

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) controlled research
D) hypothetical research

Question 76

Which of the following was the independent variable in Boyatzis' (1995) research study on the effects of television viewing on children's aggressive behavior?

A) aggressive behavior
B) poor academic performance
C) television viewing
D) early sexual promiscuity

Question 77

In an experiment, the variable being measured is called the _____ variable.

A) experimental
B) control
C) independent
D) dependent

Question 78

Which of the following researches involves manipulating some factor to see its effect on another?

A) survey research
B) correlational research
C) experimental research
D) qualitative research

Question 79

As a result of random assignment, the people in both groups of an experiment

A) differ in important ways.
B) do not know which group they are in.
C) are less likely to be alike.
D) are more likely to be about the same in every way.

Question 80

In Snyder and Haugen's research on obesity and social status (1994, 1995), male students were shown a picture of a normal or obese female student before having a phone conversation with the female student. In this study, the independent variable was the

A) normal or overweight woman's picture.
B) social skills of the woman being interviewed.
C) conversation topic chosen by the students.
D) status of the male student.