Deck 3: Age-Level Characteristics

Question 1

Hypotheses of the form "I wonder what will happen if" are formulated when:

A) we know a lot about a phenomenon.
B) we know little about a phenomenon.
C) we reason inductively.
D) we know a lot about a phenomenon and we reason inductively.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Professor Cole is discussing aggression as a dependent variable in his experiment. He says that aggression is the amount of time that a child holds a toy weapon. This best illustrates a(n):

A) operational definition of playing with a toy weapon.
B) confounding variable.
C) operational definition of aggression.
D) nominal level of measurement.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

If an operational definition has construct validity:

A) it is consistent with the hypotheses.
B) it adequately represents a concept.
C) it relies on inductive reasoning.
D) it will be uncorrelated with other variables.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of these is not an operational definition of anxiety?

A) Heart rate
B) Degree of nervousness on a math test
C) Participants' ratings of their own anxiety on a 1 to 5 scale
D) Scientist's rating of participants' anxiety on a 1 to 5 scale

Question 5

Why would a researcher want to use multiple measures of depression?

A) It would increase the chance that the research would get financial support.
B) Using multiple measures would increase test-retest reliability.
C) Because there are several operational definitions of depression.
D) It makes sense because she is studying people from different backgrounds.

Question 6

Questioning whether the time spent on a manipulation task is a valid measure of conscientiousness refers to the problem of ____ validity.

A) predictive
B) construct
C) internal
D) external

Question 7

An advantage of using operational definitions is that:

A) they allow sampling to be done randomly.
B) they allow what Wallas described as inductive reasoning to occur.
C) these definitions associate hypotheses to objects and operations in the physical world.
D) they allow confounding variables to exist.

Question 8

What is wrong with the following operational definition of concentration: time taken to run a mile?

A) It is not reliable.
B) It cannot be replicated.
C) It lacks construct validity.
D) It is too precise.

Question 9

Which of the following could not be an operational definition of intelligence?

A) Score on an IQ test
B) Number of rare words read per minute
C) GPA
D) How smart you are on several tests

Question 10

Hypotheses of the form "I expect this would happen if" are formulated when:

A) we know a lot about a phenomenon.
B) we know little about a phenomenon.
C) we reason inductively.
D) we know a lot about a phenomenon and we reason inductively.

Question 11

The chapter advises that researchers, in order to gain new perspectives, should:

A) practice formulating testable hypotheses.
B) ask subjects about their experiences in research.
C) create thoughtful operational definitions.
D) play with their thoughts.

Question 12

Imagine that a child drops a ball from her highchair and sees it fall to the ground. Later, as she sits in her bed, she holds a toy and she expects that, if she drops the toy outside of her bed, that it will fall to the floor. In fact, she believes that this type of effect will occur whenever she drops an object. This best illustrates:

A) deductive reasoning.
B) inductive reasoning.
C) theory-driven research.
D) hypothetical reasoning.

Question 13

How do scientists accurately communicate their private ideas about the world?

A) use operational definitions
B) ask their colleagues for assistance in writing research articles
C) engage in Wallas' four-stage model of creative problem-solving
D) use inductive and deductive reasoning

Question 14

Hypotheses of the form "I wonder what will happen if" are associated with:

A) deductive reasoning.
B) inductive reasoning.
C) theory-driven research.
D) deductive reasoning and theory-driven research.

Question 15

To make a hypothesis testable, you must:

A) operationally define your variables.
B) formulate a broad general question.
C) rely on inductive reasoning.
D) use valid constructs.

Question 16

A scientist has outlined a theory of attention. She formulates a hypothesis and designs an experiment to test the theory. This type of experiment is associated with:

A) deductive reasoning.
B) inductive reasoning.
C) theory-driven research.
D) deductive reasoning and theory-driven research.

Question 17

One predicts observations from a well-established theory through a process of:

A) induction.
B) incubation.
C) deduction.
D) validation.

Question 18

For any construct, there is (are):

A) only one operational definition.
B) many possible operational definitions.
C) one operational definition that is valid and one that is reliable.
D) only one true operational definition.

Question 19

Operational definitions:

A) define concepts in terms of clearly observable, concrete operations that anyone can repeat.
B) define terms conceptually.
C) define events in terms of constructs.
D) all of these

Question 20

Hypotheses of the form "I expect this would happen if" are associated with:

A) deductive reasoning.
B) inductive reasoning.
C) theory-driven research.
D) deductive reasoning and theory-driven research.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is false according to Wallas' four-stage theory of scientific problem-solving?

A) Ideas may pop into your mind even though you have never thought about the problem before.
B) Ideas may come to you suddenly as if from nowhere.
C) Insights are usually preceded by extensive study of a topic.
D) Ideas may not take years to develop.

Question 22

A measure can be:

A) accurate but not valid.
B) reliable but not valid.
C) consistent but not reliable.
D) valid but not accurate.

Question 23

What do the stories of Jude Cassidy, Lance Shotland, Nora Newcombe, and Jeffrey Parker say about science?

A) Construct validity is difficult to achieve.
B) Wallas' stage of scientific process does not always conform to reality.
C) It is difficult to formulate testable hypotheses.
D) Ideas for research can come from a variety of sources.

Question 24

The famous scientist, ____, often experienced ideas that just popped into his consciousness.

A) Albert Einstein
B) Graham Wallas
C) Karl Popper
D) Thomas Kuhn

Question 25

If a measure is accurate, it is said to be:

A) consistent.
B) valid.
C) precise.
D) reliable.

Question 26

Which of the following is not one of Wallas' four stages of scientific problem solving?

A) illumination
B) induction
C) incubation
D) verification

Question 27

As the a researcher sets up an hypothesis, it often takes the form of a(n):

A) quote.
B) greater than less than statement.
C) if then statement.
D) theory.

Question 28

You've recently become interested in dreaming and have read many articles about it. In which of the following stages are you most likely to be in?

A) illumination
B) induction
C) incubation
D) preparation

Question 29

Professor James uses a system that requires a subject to press a button as soon as they see a light blink. He is measuring their reaction time. Unfortunately, his equipment is not working properly and every reaction time recorded randomly fluctuates by plus or minus 10%. You would conclude that the readings obtained with the equipment are:

A) not reliable and not valid.
B) reliable but not valid.
C) not reliable but valid.
D) reliable and valid.

Question 30

You hear one of your classmates say, "Scientists can't use their own experiences in the scientific method. They have to be objective!" What is your reasoned reaction to this statement?

A) The classmate is wrong since scientists often use their own experiences to create hypotheses.
B) The classmate is wrong since science never attempts to be objective.
C) The classmate is correct since personal experiences are always subjective.
D) The classmate is right. One's own experiences are always seen from a particular point of view.

Question 31

The clock on the classroom wall is exactly one hour off. You would conclude that the clock is:

A) not reliable and not valid.
B) reliable but not valid.
C) not reliable but valid.
D) reliable and valid.

Question 32

The stage in Wallas' four-stage model that is associated with testing of the hypothesis is called:

A) incubation.
B) induction.
C) verification.
D) revelation.

Question 33

Which of the following is the best formulated hypothesis?

A) A psychologist wonders if caffeine affects attention.
B) Does caffeine affect attention?
C) If caffeine is ingested, attention will be enhanced.
D) Caffeine and attention: a relationship?

Question 34

The research approach that tests two competing theories in order to falsify one of them is referred to as:

A) induction.
B) illumination.
C) strong inference.
D) verification.

Question 35

According to Wallas, the solution to a problem begins to come into consciousness during:

A) preparation.
B) illumination.
C) incubation.
D) verification.

Question 36

Wallas found that one of the things that scientists do to solve problems is to learn all they can about a problem and to examine it from varied perspectives. This stage of scientific problem-solving is called:

A) preparation.
B) incubation.
C) illumination.
D) verification.

Question 37

If a measure is reliable, it:

A) accurately measures what it is supposed to measure.
B) is consistent.
C) is valid.
D) is both consistent and valid.

Question 38

A psychologist thinks that he has come up with a new and improved intelligence test. He gives the test to some subjects several times and finds that there is a lot of fluctuation in how well a person scores. The fluctuation seems indicate that the new test lacks:

A) measurement.
B) validity.
C) integrity.
D) precision.

Question 39

Scientists get their research ideas from:

A) reading the work of others.
B) talking about their ideas with colleagues.
C) prior experience.
D) all of these

Question 40

Which of the following is not a characteristic of a testable research hypothesis?

A) It is stated in terms of operational definitions.
B) It states how the independent variable is manipulated.
C) It specifies the relation between the independent and dependent variables.
D) It reflects both inductive and deductive reasoning.

Question 41

Information about psychological research may be found in:

A) Psychological Abstracts.
B) World Wide Web.
C) PsycINFO
D) all of these

Question 42

Discuss why research described as "theory driven" is based on deductive reasoning.

Question 43

Discuss the relation between different kinds of hypotheses and inductive and deductive reasoning.

Question 44

Describe the tools that a scientist has to conduct library research.

Question 45

Outline the steps that should be taken to translate a general research question into a testable research hypothesis.

Question 46

Professor Barrios is currently testing a hypothesis regarding psychotherapy. He is in Wallas' stage of:

A) verification.
B) incubation.
C) induction.
D) validation.

Question 47

Describe the importance of reliability and validity in measurement.

Question 48

When searching in PsycINFO, it is best to use search terms that are:

A) general
B) popular
C) specific
D) none of these

Question 49

Describe the four stages of Wallas' model of scientific problem-solving.

Question 50

What do the stories of the researcher described in the chapter tell us about the source of ideas in science?

Question 51

If you wanted to find relevant research of the past five years on the effects of nicotine on motor performance, which of the following would be the best source?

A) Index Medicus
B) Journal of Developmental Psychology
C) PsycINFO
D) the website of Harvard's Department of Psychology

Question 52

How and why does the scientist convert private ideas into specific behaviors?

Question 53

A researcher is interested in flashbulb memory research. If using PsycINFO, it might be useful to use the following search term:

A) memory.
B) flashbulb.
C) types of memory.
D) flashbulb memory.

Question 54

How have electronic resources, such as databases and the Internet, changed how scientists conduct research?

Question 55

Operationally define the independent and dependent variables in the following hypothesis and restate it in testable form: Practice makes perfect.

Question 56

Describe the rationale of having multiple measures of the dependent variable.

Question 57

Discuss the relation between operational definitions and construct validity.