Deck 2: Research Methodology

Question 1

One of the four main goals of science is description.The main goal of scientists addressing this goal is to describe:

A) what laws are needed to reduce dangerous behaviors.
B) what measures to use to assess a phenomenon.
C) which types of research studies would best address the phenomenon.
D) what a phenomenon is.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

How are a theory and a hypothesis different?

A) A hypothesis is more specific than a theory.
B) A hypothesis and a theory are the same thing.
C) A theory can only be used for one study while a hypothesis can be used for several.
D) A theory is unchanging while a hypothesis can be altered.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Another word for a theory is a/an:

A) explanation or model.
B) experiment or study.
C) prediction or guess.
D) data point or finding.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Dr.Sherman is studying marital relationships and wants to be able to determine which types of couples are at the highest risk for divorce.Which of the four primary goals of science is he addressing?

A) description
B) control
C) prediction
D) explanation

Question 5

Psychologist Jean Piaget observed children to see how they solved problems.Over the course of many studies,he was able to spot general patterns of behavior.This led him to connect different concepts and behaviors within a single:

A) theory.
B) hypothesis.
C) experiment.
D) sample.

Question 6

One of the four main goals of science is prediction.The main goal of scientists addressing this goal is to predict:

A) what might control a behavior.
B) how many scientific studies are needed to study a phenomenon.
C) when a phenomenon will occur.
D) which type of researchers will investigate a phenomenon.

Question 7

Dr.Meyers is investigating the relationship between stress and obesity.In his latest study,he found that stress often leads to obesity because it causes overeating and has slowing effects on metabolism.Which of the four primary goals of science is he addressing with his most recent work?

A) description
B) control
C) prediction
D) explanation

Question 8

Clara is working on a study to examine shy children's behavior with peers they have not met before.She is developing theories,forming hypotheses,and conducting research to determine if her theory is supported by the data.In what process is she engaged?

A) random selection
B) correlational studies
C) directionality
D) the scientific method

Question 9

Which of the following formal elements of the scientific method consists of a set of interconnected ideas or concepts?

A) a theory
B) a hypothesis
C) an experiment
D) none of the above

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true of theories in science?

A) Good theories lead to a number of testable hypotheses.
B) A good hypothesis will support a number of different theories.
C) Good theories are likely to be supported by research findings.
D) Both A and C are true.

Question 11

According to your textbook,which of the following lists the steps of the scientific method in the correct order?

A) conduct literature review,design study,conduct study,analyze data,form hypothesis,report results
B) form hypothesis,conduct literature review,design study,conduct study,analyze data,report results
C) design study,conduct study,conduct literature review,form hypothesis,report results,analyze data
D) conduct study,analyze data,form hypothesis,report results,design study,conduct literature review

Question 12

One of the four main goals of science is explanation.The main goal of scientists addressing this goal is to explain:

A) why a behavior occurs.
B) the steps of the scientific method.
C) how data collection works.
D) why a researcher wants to study a behavior.

Question 13

A researcher studying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is gathering information on how many children receive an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis each year.Which of the four primary goals of science is she addressing?

A) description
B) control
C) prediction
D) explanation

Question 14

How are the scientific goals of description and explanation different?

A) Description aims to identify the state of a research field; explanation aims to discuss the future of a research field.
B) Description aims to characterize what a phenomenon is; explanation aims to illustrate why a phenomenon occurs.
C) Explanation aims to identify the state of a research field; description aims to discuss the future of a research field.
D) Explanation aims to characterize what a phenomenon is; description aims to illustrate why a phenomenon occurs.

Question 15

How do theories reflect the law of parsimony?

A) Good theories should be based on the smallest amount of data possible.
B) Theories should be supported by several researchers.
C) Theories usually do not need to be tested if they are concise.
D) Good theories tend to be the simplest explanations that fit the data.

Question 16

One of the four main goals of science is control.The main goal of scientists addressing this goal is to control:

A) the causes of a phenomenon.
B) access to publications about a phenomenon.
C) the institutions that research a phenomenon.
D) the literature on a certain phenomenon.

Question 17

Based on your text's discussion of scientific inquiry,the goals of psychological science include each of the following EXCEPT ________ behavior and mental processes.

A) explaining
B) controlling the causes of
C) synthesizing
D) predicting

Question 18

Another word for a hypothesis is a/an:

A) theory.
B) prediction.
C) outcome.
D) naturalistic observation.

Question 19

A group of policymakers are working to address issues of public safety in a residential neighborhood by increasing police presence.Which of the four primary goals of science are they addressing?

A) description
B) control
C) prediction
D) explanation

Question 20

According to the text,how do hypotheses relate to theories?

A) Hypotheses are specific predictions used to test a theory's prediction.
B) Hypotheses are formulated after a research study and later made into theories.
C) Theories are specific predictions used to test a theory's prediction.
D) Hypotheses always become theories after a study is complete.

Question 21

Something that can be measured or manipulated by an experimenter is considered:

A) a descriptive statistic.
B) data.
C) a confound.
D) a variable.

Question 22

Operational definitions make it possible for researchers to:

A) think about abstract qualities of their measures.
B) randomly assign participants to different conditions.
C) identify variables and record their quantities.
D) none of the above.

Question 23

It would NOT be possible for a researcher to study creativity in an experiment if the researcher:

A) had to rely on inferential statistics.
B) did not account for the directionality problem.
C) did not create an operational definition to measure creativity.
D) did not measure event-related potential.

Question 24

Another word for replication is:

A) reviewing.
B) generalizing.
C) repeating.
D) analyzing.

Question 25

The precise way a researcher measures and defines a variable is known as the:

A) operational definition.
B) response accuracy.
C) stimulus judgment.
D) central tendency.

Question 26

According to some psychologists,Sigmund Freud's theory of the meaning of dreams was not a successful theory because:

A) it was too socially controversial.
B) he developed the theory from previous ideas.
C) it did not lead to many testable hypotheses.
D) it was based on research later shown to be invalid.

Question 27

Dr.Henderson wants to conduct research to test her theory that there is an association between sleep patterns and depressive thoughts.What must she do to test this theory?

A) conduct naturalistic observation
B) use self-report methods
C) collect data systematically
D) rely on positive correlations rather than negative correlations

Question 28

According to your text,physiologists David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel's Nobel Prize-winning research on the function of visual cells in cats' brains illustrates the value of ________ in scientific research.

A) serendipity
B) replication
C) objectivity
D) abstraction

Question 29

A researcher believes that presenting possible suspects in a lineup one at a time instead of in a group would lead to more accurate identification of the true suspect.This belief represents a(n):

A) hypothesis.
B) independent variable.
C) response performance.
D) theory.

Question 30

Psychologists have greater confidence in research results when:

A) the data involve stimulus judgments.
B) the research has used participant observation.
C) the results are replicated.
D) there is an experimenter expectancy effect.

Question 31

If a researcher defined happiness based on the number of times a person smiled in a 15-minute period,the number of smiles would be:

A) an open-ended measurement.
B) the operational definition of happiness.
C) a meta-analysis of the variable.
D) a measure of reaction time.

Question 32

Dr.Smith reads about a research study investigating whether a reading intervention has a positive effect on children's performances in school.She decides to repeat the same study to see if she obtains similar results.She is engaging in:

A) meta-analysis.
B) experience sampling.
C) replication.
D) correlational research.

Question 33

What does it mean for a theory to be falsifiable?

A) It should not be necessary to collect data to address the theory.
B) It should be based on an extensive literature review.
C) It should be the simplest of competing theories.
D) It should be possible to prove the theory incorrect.

Question 34

According to your text,variables,by definition,can:

A) have no operational definition.
B) be changed or evaluated.
C) involve random assignment.
D) be constants.

Question 35

A(n)________ is a specific,testable prediction about the result that,if the theory is correct,will support the theory.

A) replication
B) hypothesis
C) experiment
D) all of the above

Question 36

Scientists conduct ________,which involves the careful and systematic collection of data.

A) hypotheses
B) replication
C) research
D) reliability

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true of serendipity in science?

A) Serendipity plays no important role in science because unexpected findings have always been unimportant.
B) Serendipity has led to groundbreaking discoveries that immediately resulted in the Nobel Prize for researchers.
C) Serendipitous findings in science illustrate that research does not always proceed in an orderly fashion.
D) None of the above are true.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is true of variables in studies?

A) A variable is something that can change but is not measured in a study.
B) A variable is something that can be measured but rarely changes.
C) A variable is that aspect of a study that is unchanging.
D) A variable is something that can change and be measured.

Question 39

Which of the following alternatives is the closest meaning to the term serendipitous?

A) erratic
B) unexpected
C) significant
D) systematic

Question 40

George is looking for a research project.He could make use of theory because:

A) theories are shown to be true,so subsequent research is successful.
B) one of the benefits of theories is that they lead to testable hypotheses.
C) a theory can be successfully replicated by researchers.
D) theories are likely to result in serendipity,which leads to successful research.

Question 41

If a researcher wanted to study the behavior of protesters who were in a closed group and did not easily admit new people,the researcher would probably use which of the following approaches to study them?

A) naturalistic observation
B) participant observation
C) meta-analysis
D) closed-ended questions

Question 42

When researchers collect data in a study,if they unconsciously code a person's behavior to match their expectations,we say there is:

A) a directionality problem.
B) an observer bias.
C) a sampling error.
D) reactivity.

Question 43

When a researcher's bias affects the coding of data,there is a problem with:

A) the Hawthorne effect.
B) experimenter expectancy.
C) a third variable.
D) confounds.

Question 44

In which of the following types of study do researchers examine the extent to which variables are naturally related in the real world (that is,there is NO attempt by the researcher to influence the relation among the variables)?

A) descriptive
B) case
C) experimental
D) correlational

Question 45

In correlational studies,we cannot interpret which variable may be the cause and which variable may be the effect.This phenomenon is known as:

A) observer bias.
B) experimenter expectancy effects.
C) the directionality problem.
D) the third variable problem.

Question 46

When a researcher joins a social group and talks to the members in order to study that group,the approach is referred to as:

A) a self-report method.
B) participant observation.
C) experience sampling.
D) response performance.

Question 47

Gwen is studying the effects of comedic film on depressed participants.She is concerned that the data collectors will produce biased observations if they know the purpose of the study.She addresses this problem by using a(n)________ study.

A) blind
B) correlational
C) experimental
D) descriptive

Question 48

In scientific research,a researcher's expectations about a study can lead to systematic errors in observation.This phenomenon is called:

A) observer bias.
B) critical thinking skills.
C) the third variable problem.
D) the directionality problem.

Question 49

If a researcher does not have a clear operational definition of the behavior he or she is studying,he or she might experience:

A) observer bias.
B) reactivity.
C) confounds.
D) a directionality problem.

Question 50

When a researcher collecting data does NOT know a study's hypothesis,the study is a ________ study.

A) blind
B) confounded
C) meta-analytic
D) reactivity

Question 51

If a psychologist's goal is to describe behavior or mental processes,he or she might conduct a(n)________ study.

A) experimental
B) descriptive
C) inferential
D) correlational

Question 52

In which of the following types of descriptive studies do researchers involve themselves in the situation of interest?

A) naturalistic observation
B) participant observation
C) longitudinal study
D) cross-sectional study

Question 53

Which of the following activities would NOT be considered a descriptive study?

A) taking notes on the behavior of members in a cult
B) measuring the selection of food items in a cafeteria
C) examining the effects of a new medication in alleviating depression
D) counting the number of mating behaviors in baboons in the natural habitat

Question 54

When two variables are correlated,it is not clear which one is a causal variable and which is an effect.This ambiguity reflects:

A) the third variable problem.
B) random error.
C) selection bias.
D) the directionality problem.

Question 55

Data collection is particularly problematic when a researcher uses participant observation because:

A) the researcher is able to make use of only closed-ended questions.
B) the researcher fails to recognize the third variable problem.
C) random error occurs in the initial stages of observation.
D) the researcher loses objectivity in participating with a group.

Question 56

Which of the following is likely to be associated with observer bias?

A) reactivity
B) experience sampling
C) experimenter expectancy
D) the Hawthorne effect

Question 57

In which of the following types of descriptive studies does a researcher remain separated from the situation and make no attempt to change it?

A) naturalistic observation
B) participant observation
C) longitudinal study
D) cross-sectional study

Question 58

The psychologist Robert Rosenthal told student researchers that some rats in a study would learn a task quickly and others would learn the task slowly.In reality,there was no difference in the rats' abilities to learn the task.When the students tested the rats,the animals' learning matched what the students were told.These results reflect the:

A) Hawthorne effect.
B) experimenter expectancy effect.
C) directionality problem.
D) third variable problem.

Question 59

Researchers are likely to choose a correlational design when:

A) they are concerned that there will be a third variable problem.
B) the directionality problem is likely.
C) it is impossible to control the variables being studied.
D) they are using psychophysiological assessments.

Question 60

Using correlational studies,psychologists have studied whether exposure to violence in the media leads to violent behavior.They have found that participants who have been exposed to more violence in the media are,in general,more violent.It is not clear from such research which one causes the other.The problem in interpreting these results involves:

A) directionality.
B) selection bias.
C) sampling error.
D) confounds.

Question 61

Samir is conducting a correlational study,and he cannot determine whether one variable causes another.One reason for this indetermination is that the additional variables that he did not study could influence the variables he did study.This result reflects the problem with:

A) selection bias.
B) response accuracy.
C) the third variable problem.
D) the occurrence of random error.

Question 62

Bai is conducting a study on learning.When she manipulates an independent variable,it is possible that some other factor,such as noise in the hall,can affect learning in one of the groups but not in the other.This possibility reflects the presence of:

A) a confound.
B) a dependent variable.
C) selection bias.
D) random assignment.

Question 63

When a researcher manipulates a variable to see what effect the manipulation has on a study participant's behavior,the research design involves:

A) a correlational study.
B) an experiment.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) participant observation.

Question 64

There is a correlation between depression and memory: When people suffer from depression frequently,they often display worse memory than people who suffer from depression less frequently.Genetics,however,may have an effect on a study participant's depression and memory.This combination of factors is known as:

A) selection bias.
B) the experimenter expectancy effect.
C) the directionality problem.
D) the third variable problem.

Question 65

Which of the following sampling techniques gives each member of the population an equal and independent chance of being selected to participate?

A) random sampling
B) convenience sampling
C) random assignment
D) selection bias

Question 66

The variable that a researcher measures in an experiment to see if it has changed after a treatment is called the:

A) independent variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) confounding variable.
D) stimulus.

Question 67

One criticism that is made of many experimental studies in psychology is that:

A) human behavior is almost impossible to study scientifically.
B) human behavior is seldom related to animal behavior.
C) experimental studies are conducted in artificial laboratory settings.
D) it is very difficult to separate the effects of independent and dependent variables.

Question 68

Which of the following types of studies allows the researcher to establish causality between an independent variable and a dependent variable?

A) descriptive studies
B) correlational studies
C) experiments
D) none of the above

Question 69

When an experiment lacks the proper control,which of the following unintended variables can influence the outcome of a study?

A) confound
B) independent variable
C) dependent variable
D) all of the above

Question 70

The variable that a researcher manipulates in an experiment is called the:

A) independent variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) confounding variable.
D) stimulus.

Question 71

If a researcher wants to be able to generalize about a population using data pulled from a sample,it is best to use:

A) a convenience sample.
B) experience sampling.
C) a descriptive study.
D) a random sample.

Question 72

When confounds are present in an experiment,they result in:

A) an increase in the possibility of selection bias.
B) a decrease in the reactivity of the experimental participants.
C) possible alternative explanations for the results of the experiment.
D) the same treatment for experimental and control groups in the experiment.

Question 73

In correlational studies,it is always possible that an unmeasured variable is responsible for the relation of interest.This complication is known as:

A) observer bias.
B) experimenter expectancy effects.
C) the directionality problem.
D) the third variable problem.

Question 74

Paloma randomly assigns participants to two groups.She wants to compare a group that receives a treatment with a group that receives no treatment.The group that gets no treatment is the ________ group.

A) variable
B) confounded
C) experimental
D) control

Question 75

Because psychologists regularly use college students as research participants,the research does NOT involve:

A) random sampling.
B) convenience sampling.
C) selection bias.
D) populations.

Question 76

Researchers assess people's performances with respect to a given behavior at the beginning of a study before manipulating a variable so they can identify what happens to behavior when they manipulate a variable.The use of control groups and groups that experience a manipulation of a variable is characteristic of:

A) correlational studies.
B) longitudinal research.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) experimental research.

Question 77

When identifying the pool of participants who will be in a research project,psychologists most often use ________ even though it is not preferred.

A) random assignment.
B) random sampling.
C) convenience sampling.
D) control participants.

Question 78

Researchers investigated whether mood affects participants' ratings of jokes.Participants in the first mood group read sad statements.In the second group,participants read neutral statements.In this study,the participants who read the sad statements constituted the:

A) control group.
B) population.
C) experimental condition.
D) observational group.

Question 79

A research team told one group of people it would hear a set of jokes that were funny and a second group that it would hear jokes that were not funny.A third group was not told anything about the jokes.The jokes in all conditions were the same.Research with this design is:

A) observational.
B) correlational.
C) experimental.
D) psychophysiological.

Question 80

Wilhelm randomly assigns participants to two groups and compares the group that receives a treatment with the group that receives no treatment.The group that gets the treatment is the ________ group.

A) variable
B) confounded
C) experimental
D) control