Deck 2: Developing a Good Research Idea and Conducting an Ethical Project

Question 1

If you were a member of an IRB, would you find this experiment ethical as described? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Answers will vary.
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Multiple Choice

Question 2

Your textbook lists several sources of research ideas . Which source apparently seems to have been the source of the research described in this article? How do you know?

Answer 2

It appears as though past research (specifically, Milgram's obedience experiments) was the impetus for this research question. Milgram is mentioned in the first sentence of the article.

Question 3

Tara read several journal articles that examined the topic of cognitive dissonance theory and then came up with her own research idea that extended that theory. This represents which source of research ideas?

A) Classroom lecture
B) Everyday occurrence
C) Serendipity
D) Past research

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How can researchers increase their chances of success in their research projects?

A) They should only conduct experiments in a laboratory setting.
B) They should only conduct experiments, but in both a laboratory and field setting.
C) They should decrease the testability of their projects.
D) Their project should come as close as possible to approximating reality.

Question 5

Would the participants in this study be considered participants at risk or participants at minimal risk? Why?

Question 6

Skinner came up with the idea of extinction curves when his pellet dispenser unexpectedly malfunctioned. This represents which source of research ideas?

A) Inspiration
B) Serendipity
C) Everyday occurrence
D) Theory

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a nonsystematic source of research ideas?

A) Serendipity
B) Everyday occurrences
C) Inspiration
D) Past research

Question 8

No mention in the article was made of an informed consent, but based on the description of the method, do you think the informed consent followed all of the guidelines listed in Table 2-4 on p. 34? Why or why not?

Question 9

If a research idea just "pops" into your mind unexpectedly, you have gotten your research idea through

A) serendipity.
B) past research.
C) inspiration.
D) a systematic source.

Question 10

Joanna, a budding undergraduate researcher, is interested in studying whether people see bright lights after they die. Why is this a poor research idea?

A) Everyone already knows that people see bright lights after they die.
B) It is too big of an idea for an undergraduate to tackle.
C) This project is not testable.
D) None of the above.

Question 11

Whitney decided to do an undergraduate research project on the bystander effect after learning about the phenomenon in her social psychology course. This represents which source of research ideas?

A) Serendipity
B) Inspiration
C) Classroom lecture
D) Everyday occurrence

Question 12

For Albert Einstein, many of his ideas just popped into his head while he was sailing. This represents which source of research ideas?

A) Serendipity
B) Theory
C) Everyday occurrence
D) Inspiration

Question 13

_______ refers to those situations where we look for one phenomenon but find something else.

A) Validity
B) Reliability
C) Testability
D) Serendipity

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a systematic source of research ideas?

A) Theory
B) Everyday occurrences
C) Classroom lectures
D) Past research

Question 15

According to your text, "You find a research idea when you identify a gap in the current knowledge base…" . What was the gap in the knowledge base, according to the authors?

Question 16

Good research ideas

A) Are testable.
B) Have a high likelihood of success.
C) Both (a) and (b) are correct.
D) None of the above.

Question 17

Brad got the idea to do research on why young couples break up after his roommate experienced a painful break-up. This represents which source of research ideas?

A) Everyday occurrence
B) Serendipity
C) Theory
D) Inspiration

Question 18

Sources for research ideas that present themselves in an unpredictable manner are known as

A) nonsystematic sources.
B) systematic sources.
C) theories.
D) research articles.

Question 19

Sources for research ideas that are thoroughly examined and carefully thought out are known as

A) everyday occurrences.
B) inspiration.
C) systematic sources.
D) nonsystematic sources.

Question 20

In what ways was deception used in this research? Was the deception justified, in your opinion? Why or why not?

Question 21

Which of the following experiments did NOT lead to the development of ethical guidelines by the APA?

A) Milgram obedience experiments
B) Willowbrook hepatitis project
C) Zajonc social facilitation project
D) Tuskegee syphilis project

Question 22

The medical experiments during World War II were

A) conducted on healthy volunteers in order to test the effectiveness of new drugs.
B) instrumental for our current understanding of surgical techniques.
C) ethical because a full debriefing was provided for each participant.
D) unethical because the participants had no choice regarding whether they wanted to participate.

Question 23

Which of the following ways are recommended in your text for obtaining relevant publications?

A) Making photocopies from publications found in your library
B) Using interlibrary loan
C) Request a reprint from the author
D) All of the above.

Question 24

The Milgram obedience experiments had ethical problems because

A) Milgram failed to debrief his participants.
B) the project was not conducted by scientifically qualified personnel.
C) the participants were under extreme emotional distress.
D) the participants did not know they were in a study.

Question 25

What is the last step in conducting a search of the literature?

A) Obtaining relevant publications
B) Doing a computerized search of the literature
C) Integrating the results of the literature search
D) Selecting the index terms

Question 26

In the Willowbrook hepatitis project,

A) mentally retarded individuals were purposely infected with hepatitis in order to understand how the disease develops.
B) mentally retarded individuals with hepatitis were denied treatment so that researchers could understand the course of hepatitis in untreated individuals.
C) mentally retarded individuals with hepatitis were randomly assigned to receive one of three treatments in order to compare the effectiveness of the different treatments.
D) participants were fully informed about the nature of the research project and had the right to discontinue their participation at any time.

Question 27

In the Milgram obedience experiments,

A) participants thought they were shocking another participant at very high, painful shock level.
B) Nazi doctors ordered prisoners of war to submit to various unethical medical experiments.
C) doctors ordered patients to refuse medication for their hepatitis.
D) doctors ordered patients to refuse medication for their syphilis.

Question 28

Which of the following best describes the APA guideline regarding inducements for research participation?

A) It is unethical to pay people to participate in research.
B) Researchers should avoid excessive inducements to participate in research.
C) Research participation should be a course requirement for college students in introductory psychology classes.
D) Researchers cannot, under any circumstances, offer professional services as an inducement for research participation.

Question 29

Which ethical guidelines does deception violate?

A) Full debriefing
B) Informed consent
C) Gaining IRB approval
D) All of the above.

Question 30

Which of the following circumstances would be exempt from having to acquire informed consent?

A) A researcher compares the effectiveness of two different drugs to treat depression.
B) A researcher compares the self-esteem of boys versus girls in an inner-city elementary school.
C) A researcher compares the aggression of college students who watch either violent or nonviolent television programs.
D) A teacher compares active versus passive learning strategies in two sections of her Abnormal Psychology course.

Question 31

Why was the Tuskegee syphilis project considered unethical?

A) Participants were not told the real purpose of the study.
B) There were excessive risks for the participants.
C) Participants did not have the right to discontinue participation.
D) All of the above.

Question 32

The informed consent contains all of the following EXCEPT:

A) a statement about the deception used in the research.
B) a sentence stating that participants are free to leave the experiment at any time.
C) a line for the participant's signature.
D) a list of any risks associated with the study.

Question 33

What is the Nuremburg Code?

A) An example of a research study in which participants were not provided with an informed consent.
B) An example of a research study in which participants were not provided with a debriefing.
C) An example of a research study in which participants were not allowed to discontinue their participation at any time.
D) An ethics code that resulted from the trials of Nazi doctors.

Question 34

Where should you look if you needed to know synonyms for your key terms in a literature search?

A) Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms
B) PsycINFO
C) Google Scholar
D) Psychological Abstracts

Question 35

Under which of the following circumstances would deception be allowed in a research project?

A) Deception is allowed when the research project will involve significant risk, such that otherwise, few people would volunteer to be in the study.
B) Deception is allowed when a full debriefing will not be used.
C) Deception is allowed when participants are not permitted to withdraw their data from the study.
D) Deception is allowed when the results of a study would be contaminated by participants' knowledge of the experiment.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT part of the Nuremburg Code?

A) Participants should consent to participate in research.
B) Risks should be avoided whenever possible.
C) Projects should be conducted by scientifically qualified personnel.
D) Deception in research is unethical and should be avoided.

Question 37

In summarizing journal articles, which of the following guidelines is NOT recommended?

A) Include complete reference information in APA format.
B) Retype the reference section from the article.
C) Summarize the conclusions reached by the author.
D) All of the above are recommended guidelines for summarizing journal articles.

Question 38

Why was the Willowbrook hepatitis project considered unethical?

A) The participants were not protected against risks.
B) The project was not conducted by scientifically qualified personnel.
C) The lack of deception caused the results to be invalid.
D) All of the above.

Question 39

In the Tuskegee syphilis project,

A) African American men were purposely infected with syphilis in order to understand how the disease progresses.
B) African American men with syphilis were recruited to be in a study designed to test the effectiveness of current treatments for syphilis.
C) Researchers were interested in understanding how syphilis operated in untreated individuals and so did not allow their sample of infected African American men to receive available treatment.
D) Researchers provided a full debriefing for their participants.

Question 40

What is the first step in conducting a search of the literature?

A) Obtaining relevant publications
B) Doing a computerized search of the literature
C) Integrating the results of the literature search
D) Selecting the index terms

Question 41

What is the term for participants who are placed under some type of emotional or physical risk?

A) Participants at minimal risk
B) Participants at risk
C) Participants at no risk
D) Subjects

Question 42

What is the single greatest reason regarding why researchers engage in plagiarism?

A) Pressure to publish
B) Not understanding what plagiarism is
C) Sociopathic tendencies
D) All of the above.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT one of the APA guidelines regarding the humane care and use of animals in research?

A) Psychologists should only subject animals to pain when there are no alternative procedures.
B) Psychologists should perform surgical procedures under appropriate anesthesia.
C) All individuals who come in contact with animals should be trained in the appropriate care and handling of the animals.
D) Psychologists are not permitted to use primates for research purposes.

Question 44

Any deception involved in the experiment is explained to participants

A) in the informed consent.
B) in the debriefing session.
C) before they agree to participate in the experiment.
D) during the experimental session.

Question 45

Using someone else's work without giving credit to the original source is known as

A) debriefing.
B) plagiarism.
C) the Nuremberg Code.
D) fabrication of data.

Question 46

Which of the following occurs LAST in the research process?

A) IRB approval
B) Informed consent
C) Debriefing
D) Identification of vulnerable populations

Question 47

What is the main goal of the debriefing session?

A) To gain IRB approval
B) To identify at risk participants
C) To explain the nature of the experiment and remove any harmful effects
D) To deceive participants as to the true nature of the experiment

Question 48

Which of the following is FALSE regarding ethical conduct by researchers?

A) Research with animals needs to undergo ethical review by an IRB.
B) Research conducted by student researchers does not need to undergo ethical review by an IRB.
C) Even research categorized as minimal risk should be reviewed by an IRB.
D) Research involving deception should undergo ethical review by an IRB.

Question 49

What is the term for participants who are not placed under physical or emotional risk?

A) Participants at minimal risk
B) Participants at risk
C) Participants at no risk
D) Subjects

Question 50

Researchers must reference every statement of fact and every idea or opinion not their own UNLESS

A) The information came from a secondary source.
B) The information came from a primary source.
C) The information came from an internet source.
D) The information is part of common knowledge.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT one of the recommendations given in the textbook regarding debriefing sessions?

A) The researcher should repeat all guarantees of confidentiality and anonymity.
B) The researcher should send an explanation of the results at a later date rather than conducting the session right after the experiment.
C) The researcher should alleviate any discomforts faced by participants during the experiment.
D) All of the above are recommendations for the debriefing session.

Question 52

British psychologist Cyril Burt's research on twins has become famous as an example of

A) plagiarism.
B) lying with statistics.
C) fabricating data.
D) citing his references incorrectly.

Question 53

All of the following may be considered to be vulnerable populations EXCEPT:

A) people for whom English is a second language.
B) children.
C) patients with mental disorders.
D) college students.

Question 54

When a researcher either deliberately alters or creates research data, he or she has engaged in

A) lying with statistics.
B) plagiarism.
C) fabricating data.
D) citing references incorrectly.

Question 55

Which of the following ethical violations occurs AFTER data has already been collected?

A) Lying with statistics
B) Plagiarism
C) Citing references incorrectly
D) All of the above.

Question 56

Ethical responsibilities by participants in research studies include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Participants should not ask questions of the researcher, especially during the informed consent procedure.
B) Participants should not discuss the experiment with others who may be participants in the future.
C) Participants should take the research seriously and cooperate with the experimenter.
D) Participants should be on time for their research appointments.

Question 57

Which of the following would be considered plagiarism?

A) The exact words from a source are put in quotes with the author's last name, year of publication, and page number of the quote indicated.
B) A paragraph from a source is used and the writer rearranges a few words in each sentence so that quote marks are unnecessary.
C) A writer summarizes an article in her own words and uses a parenthetical reference with no quote marks.
D) All of the above would be considered plagiarism.

Question 58

What is an IRB?

A) A committee responsible for determining whether a proposed research project conforms to ethical standards.
B) A committee responsible for determining whether a proposed research project is scientifically sound.
C) A government panel responsible for evaluating grant proposals.
D) A judicial committee responsible for evaluating plagiarism cases.

Question 59

Suppose you wish to summarize information from a published journal article. You do so by essentially keeping the same sentence structure and terminology of the original article, but you change a few words here and there and omit some phrases. According to your textbook, this is

A) acceptable for student papers but not for professional scientists.
B) considered plagiarism.
C) acceptable paraphrasing as long as you use a parenthetical citation like this: (Johnson, 2013).
D) considered a secondary citation.

Question 60

A committee responsible for determining whether a proposed research project conforms to ethical standards is known as a(n)

A) Ethical Research Committee.
B) Committee for the Ethical Treatment of Participants.
C) Institutional Review Board.
D) Governmental Oversight Committee.

Question 61

Explain why deception may be necessary in some studies.

Question 62

A secondary source refers to an article

A) read by a researcher and cited in his/her manuscript.
B) consulted by a researcher as background but not actually cited in his/her manuscript.
C) discussed in another reference and the reader does not have access to the original article.
D) that has been plagiarized from another source.

Question 63

Briefly summarize the four steps in conducting a search of the literature.

Question 64

Briefly describe the medical experiments during World War II. What ethical principles did these experiments violate?

Question 65

Describe and give examples of several nonsystematic sources of research ideas.

Question 66

Describe what is meant by a research idea being testable.

Question 67

Briefly describe the components of the informed consent document.

Question 68

Describe some ways to increase your likelihood of success with your research project.

Question 69

According to the APA Ethical Standards on publication credit,

A) faculty advisors should be listed as principal authors on any articles published with students, even if the article is based on a student's doctoral dissertation.
B) the department chair should be listed as a co-author on any publications from faculty in that department.
C) all contributions to an article, whether major or minor, should result in authorship credit.
D) psychologists should take authorship credit only for work to which they have substantially contributed.

Question 70

Under what circumstances are participants considered "at risk?" Under what circumstances are participants considered "at minimal risk?"

Question 71

Briefly describe the guidelines spelled out in the Nuremberg Code.

Question 72

Briefly describe the Willowbrook hepatitis project. What ethical principles did this study violate?

Question 73

Describe several guidelines for effective debriefing and explain why a debriefing session is necessary.

Question 74

Briefly describe the Milgram obedience studies. What ethical principles did these experiments violate?

Question 75

Describe and give examples of several systematic sources of research ideas.

Question 76

Describe the animal research controversy. Why do some researchers advocate using animals in research? Why are some animal-rights activists opposed to using animals in research?

Question 77

Identify examples of "vulnerable populations" and the safeguards that must be implemented for these individuals.

Question 78

Briefly describe the Tuskegee syphilis project. What ethical principles did this study violate?

Question 79

After Paul collects his data, he conducts a number of analyses and only presents the results that support his hypothesis, ignoring results that run contrary to his hypothesis. Paul is guilty of

A) plagiarism.
B) lying with statistics.
C) incorrectly citing his references.
D) putting his participants "at risk."

Question 80

Briefly describe how to summarize a journal article in one page. What information should you include in such a summary?