Deck 2: Scientific Methods in Psychology

Question 1

In an experiment on the effects of watching violent television on aggressive behavior,the type of television program viewed would be the dependent variable.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A population is the entire group of individuals to be considered.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Consider the following set of scores on a quiz: 2,2,3,5,8.The mode for this set of scores is 2.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Replicable results are those that anyone can obtain,at least approximately,by following the same procedures.

Question 5

Demand characteristics can be reduced by using a double-blind procedure.

Question 6

A falsifiable theory is a theory that scientists have tested and proved to be false.

Question 7

Consider the following set of scores on a quiz: 2,2,3,5,8.The mean for this set of scores is 3.

Question 8

Case histories are a type of naturalistic observation that focus on a single individual.

Question 9

All else being equal,scientists always prefer the most parsimonious theory.

Question 10

Consider the following set of scores on a quiz: 2,2,3,5,8.The median for this set of scores is 4.

Question 11

When we are looking at small trends in the data,researchers use a meta-analysis.

Question 12

A correlation coefficient of -.7 represents a stronger relationship between variables than a correlation coefficient of +.5.

Question 13

The ganzfeld procedure is one demonstration of psychic abilities that has consistently been replicated in the laboratory.

Question 14

Experimenter bias is the tendency of an experimenter (unintentionally,in most cases)to distort or misperceive the results of an experiment based on the expected outcome.

Question 15

Asking participants to give their informed consent prior to participating in a study is no longer required under ethical guidelines.

Question 16

The mean is especially useful if the scores approximate the normal distribution.

Question 17

An operational definition for hunger is the number of hours since the person last ate a meal.

Question 18

The smaller the random sample,the smaller the probability that the results will differ significantly from the whole population.

Question 19

Properly conducted experiments allow researchers to draw conclusions about cause and effect.

Question 20

The burden of proof concept argues that it is up to the skeptic to prove that no person can demonstrate psychic abilities.

Question 21

In general,the smaller the p value,the more impressive the results.

Question 22

Mathematical summaries of results are known as ____________________.
descriptive statistics

Question 23

Group A receives the following scores: 14,15,15,15,16.Group B receives the following scores: 4,8,12,16,20.The standard deviation for Group B is higher than it is for Group
A.

Question 24

Sometimes an inert pill is given to experimental participants,but they are told that the pill is effective.This pill is called a ____________________.
placebo

Question 25

Professor Smith conducts a study,and he finds that his results are not statistically significant.This means that Professor Smith must conclude that his hypothesis was wrong.

Question 26

The word science derives from a Latin word meaning ____________________.
knowledge

Question 27

If every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected for a sample,the sample is said to be a/an ____________________ sample.
random

Question 28

A ____________________ study is a procedure in which investigators measure the correlation between two variables without controlling either of them.
correlational

Question 29

A ____________________ involves selecting so that every individual has an equal chance of being chosen.
random sample

Question 30

To say that a theory is ____________________ is to say that it makes simple,acceptable assumptions.
parsimonious

Question 31

The goal of scientific research is to establish comprehensive explanations of observable events.These explanations are called ____________________.
theories

Question 32

Before conducting any experiment on humans,a psychological investigator must obtain ____________________.
informed consent

Question 33

A ____________________ is one of the most difficult to obtain,but is best-suited for generalizing to the whole population?
random sample

Question 34

____________________ is a highly desirable feature of a scientific study.
Replicability

Question 35

The ____________________ is the item that an experimenter measures to determine how it was affected.
dependent variable

Question 36

A ____________________ is the entire group of individuals to be considered.
population

Question 37

If an increase in one variable is not associated with any consistent increase or decrease in a second variable,then the correlation between the two variables is ____________________.
zero or
0

Question 38

Participants in an experiment are often kept blind about the condition to which they have been assigned.This will help prevent ____________________.
demand characteristics

Question 39

Two serious objections to claims of extrasensory perception are that the explanations are not ____________________ and that the results are not ____________________.
parsimonious;replicable

Question 40

A ____________________ theory is one that makes clear,easily tested predictions.
falsifiable

Question 41

A falsifiable theory

A)disagrees with known,replicable data.
B)makes clear,unambiguous predictions.
C)is widely debated and disputed.
D)has not yet been tested.

Question 42

The ____________________ is the sum of all the scores divided by the total number of scores.
mean

Question 43

Which of the following is a desirable feature of a scientific theory?

A)The theory simply restates the facts it is supposed to explain.
B)The theory is based on illusory correlations.
C)The theory makes complex assumptions.
D)The theory is falsifiable.

Question 44

"Falsifiability" is considered a desirable characteristic for a scientific theory because a falsifiable theory

A)avoids independent variables.
B)makes clear,testable predictions.
C)disagrees with common sense.
D)relies on anecdotal evidence.

Question 45

A psychic claims that he can read the minds of people on the planet Zipton,which is millions of light years away.The main scientific objection is that this claim

A)confuses correlation with causation.
B)ignores the role of demand characteristics.
C)is based on a negative correlation.
D)is not falsifiable.

Question 46

To say that a theory is falsifiable means that

A)evidence is already available that contradicts the theory.
B)one can imagine evidence that would contradict the theory.
C)various scientists disagree on whether the theory is correct.
D)the theory depends on assumptions that are not parsimonious.

Question 47

After defining the variables involved in a study,scientists have to identify individuals to study.The population is the group of individuals to whom we hope our conclusions will apply.Researchers generally hope that their conclusions will apply to a large population,such as all 5-year-olds or all people with schizophrenia.Because it is not practical to examine everyone in the population,researchers study a sample of people and assume that the results for the sample apply to the whole population.Briefly define the following types of samples and give one example for each;convenience sample,representative sample,random sample,and cross cultural sample.

Question 48

The goal of scientific research is to establish comprehensive explanations of observable events.These explanations are called

A)theories.
B)facts.
C)predictions.
D)hypotheses.

Question 49

A falsifiable theory is one that

A)makes clear,easily tested predictions.
B)disagrees with well-established evidence.
C)makes unnecessary assumptions.
D)is too vague to be useful.

Question 50

A scientist has formed the following hypothesis;individuals who eat a late lunch consume more food than individuals who eat an early lunch.Once she has constructed her hypothesis,what are the three steps that she should follow to complete her experiment? State the steps and give an example of how to complete each step.

Question 51

The ____________________ is a measurement of the amount of variation among scores in a normal distribution.
standard deviation

Question 52

Falsifiability,independent variables,dependent variables,blind observers,and demand characteristics are all potential characteristics of an experiment.Which of these would an experimenter try to minimize or avoid and why?

Question 53

A solid theory would be one that

A)predicts many observations.
B)makes many assumptions.
C)is not falsifiable.
D)avoids independent variables.

Question 54

Statements about a large population based on an inference from a small sample,is called ____________________.
inferential statistics

Question 55

Describe three examples of the following situations: one in which two variables are positively correlated,one in which two variables are negatively correlated,and one in which there is zero correlation.

Question 56

Which of the following do researchers generally regard as desirable?

A)illusory correlations
B)selective attrition
C)demand characteristics
D)falsifiable theories

Question 57

Which of the following would NOT be falsifiable?

A)"Children who spend much time in day care centers before age one year develop about the same personality as those reared at home by their parents."
B)"Dreams are motivated by wish fulfillment and are usually disguised to hide their true meaning."
C)"Behaviors followed by reinforcement increase in frequency."
D)"People identify the direction of a sound source by comparing the response in the left ear with the response in the right ear."

Question 58

To say that a theory is falsifiable is to say that

A)it is based on results that are not replicable.
B)investigators have replaced it with a simpler or more accurate theory.
C)we can imagine results that would contradict it.
D)it is so vague that it fits any and all possible results.

Question 59

A mother is attempting to minimize the number of times that her toddler pulls on his kitty's tail.She wants to assess whether different types of discipline have any effect on his behavior.For three weeks during the month,the mother gives the toddler one week of one specific type of discipline.One week the toddler receives time outs,one week he has a toy taken away,and one week he is told to clean the kitty's bowl for each kitty tail pull.At the end of each week,the mother tallies up the number of kitty tail pulls for the week.Identify the independent variable and the dependent variable.

Question 60

If a theory is "falsifiable," then it

A)makes specific,testable predictions.
B)contradicts other well-established theories.
C)contradicts common sense.
D)requires more new assumptions than necessary.

Question 61

Several years ago,researchers examined the effect of listening to music from Mozart on psychological test performance.It appeared that those people who had listened to Mozart performed better on tasks of spatial reasoning than did those people who listened to a relaxation tape or had experienced silence.Later research revealed some problems with these findings.Specifically,

A)the results were not consistently replicable.
B)no control group had been used.
C)the original study was a double-blind study.
D)the independent variable was not operationally defined.

Question 62

Which of the following is a highly desirable feature of a scientific study?

A)selective attrition
B)demand characteristics
C)replicability
D)illusory correlation

Question 63

To determine whether a theory is parsimonious,psychologists pay attention to whether

A)its assumptions are simple and consistent with those of other theories.
B)the results on which it is based are statistically significant.
C)it has the potential to lead to practical applications.
D)investigators have replicated the results on which it is based.

Question 64

Suppose some unscrupulous researcher made up results and got them published.In the long run,people will not take them seriously because presumably the false results will not be

A)parsimonious.
B)replicable.
C)falsifiable
D)psychoanalytic.

Question 65

The word science derives from a Latin word meaning?

A)knowledge
B)test
C)fact
D)statistics

Question 66

Any scientific study goes through four steps.Which of the following is NOT one of those steps?

A)hypothesis
B)interpretation
C)method
D)proof

Question 67

According to the principle of parsimony,we should prefer the theory that

A)is most popular among the population as a whole.
B)makes fewer or simpler assumptions.
C)fits any data that we could possibly imagine.
D)relies on anecdotal evidence.

Question 68

A testable prediction of what will happen under a specific set of conditions is known as a/an

A)replication.
B)hypothesis.
C)demand characteristic.
D)correlation.

Question 69

In both science and the legal system,the "burden of proof" is on the side that

A)agrees with common sense.
B)disagrees with common sense.
C)should find it possible to present convincing evidence,if in fact it is right.
D)should find it harder to present convincing evidence,if in fact it is right.

Question 70

A result is replicable if

A)the results are statistically significant.
B)other competent investigators can repeat the results.
C)the interpretation is consistent with other scientific theories.
D)it agrees with common sense.

Question 71

In both the U.S.legal system and in scientific disputes,the "burden of proof" falls on

A)someone who has been accused of doing something wrong.
B)someone who is defending traditional beliefs or values.
C)someone who is politically unpopular.
D)someone who should be in the better position to provide convincing evidence.

Question 72

If competent researchers consistently get similar results whenever they follow a particular procedure,then the results are

A)replicable.
B)correlational.
C)representative.
D)operational.

Question 73

The preference of scientists for the theory that makes the fewest unfamiliar or untested assumptions is known as the principle of

A)parsimony.
B)statistical significance.
C)normal distribution.
D)informed consent.

Question 74

Psychologists have the greatest confidence in their results if the results have been

A)replicated using the same method in multiple studies.
B)replicated using multiple methods in multiple studies.
C)replicated using the same method in a single study.
D)falsified using the same method in multiple studies.

Question 75

A result is replicable if

A)appropriate research methods are used.
B)the experimental group behaves the same way as the control group.
C)it is statistically significant.
D)researchers who repeat the procedure get similar results.

Question 76

In both our legal system and in science,which side of a dispute bears the "burden of proof"?

A)the one defending the current state of affairs
B)the one that should be able to present convincing evidence,if its position is correct
C)the one that has more to lose,if its position is rejected
D)the one that has the smaller number of supporters

Question 77

What is a hypothesis?

A)a statistical procedure
B)a testable prediction
C)an established fact
D)a method of investigation

Question 78

In both science and a criminal trial,who has the "burden of proof"-that is,the obligation to demonstrate that their claims are correct?

A)the side that should be able to produce good evidence,if they are right
B)the side that has more to lose,if they fail to convince others
C)the side with more money to spend
D)the side that is defending the status quo (that is,the current set of beliefs)

Question 79

Why do investigators sometimes repeat an experiment that other researchers have already completed?

A)to try to eliminate the independent variables
B)to check whether the results are replicable
C)to check whether the explanation is parsimonious
D)to increase the demand characteristics of the experiment

Question 80

An investigator repeats the procedures of another researcher's experiment but obtains different results.Scientists would say that the results of the first experiment were not

A)correlational.
B)parsimonious.
C)statistically significant.
D)replicable.