Deck 16: Writing the Research Report

Question 1

What information would you include in the results section?

Answer 1

The results section should include the principal findings in words, the results of the statistical tests performed, and summary statistics.You should report the statistical tests used in the data analysis, the obtained values, degrees of freedom, and significance levels.You should also include all group means for important findings, a measure of group variability, and the significance level you selected before the experiment.You should also report an estimate of effect size and confidence interval where relevant to help the reader evaluate the study's research significance.

Question 2

What is a scientific writing style?

Answer 2

Answer:Answer:In contrast to a letter to a friend, scientific writing is objective (no personal feelings and/or opinions), documented (references are cited for factual statements), parsimonious (uses as few words as possible), structured, and avoids personal pronouns, slang, and biased language (sexist language).

Question 3

The Written Report: Purpose and Format A written research report should provide the following content except

A)information to enable other researchers to critically evaluate experimental procedures.
B)information to enable others to replicate and extend the findings.
C)information to permit others to judge the quality of the research.
D)raw experimental data and all statistical computations.

Answer 3

raw experimental data and all statistical computations.

Question 4

The Written Report: Purpose and Format All of the following statements use unbiased language except:

A)"The control group contained 20 chronic depressives."
B)"The control group contained 20 patients who were diagnosed with serious asthma."
C)"The control group contained 20 students who were enrolled in an Introductory Psychology course."
D)"The control group contained 20 women and 19 men."

Question 5

The Written Report: Purpose and Format A scientific writing style is parsimonious.This means that the writer

A)conveys information in as few words as possible.
B)does not make inferences about what the reader knows.
C)restricts the number of theoretic constructs discussed in the report.
D)uses shorter sentences instead of longer ones.

Question 6

The Written Report: Purpose and Format The primary purpose of a written research report is

A)advocacy of a theoretical perspective.
B)communication of research methodology and findings.
C)expression of the researcher's opinions regarding a problem area.
D)stimulation of follow-up studies.

Question 7

The Written Report: Purpose and Format A scientific writing style

A)conveys information.
B)documents statements of fact.
C)maintains objectivity.
D)all of these

Question 8

Jack is not pleased with this chapter.He says: "If I have to follow all these silly rules for writing a report, I won't have any chance to be creative." Tell him why a standard format for writing reports is important.

Question 9

What are the major sections that should be included in each report?

Question 10

What is the function of the introduction of a report? What basic information should you include in an introduction?

Question 11

The discussion section of a report serves several functions.What are they?

Question 12

What is the function of the method section of a report? What basic information should you include in the method section?

Question 13

What should be described in a good title?

Question 14

You want to divide a method section into subsections.What subsections are commonly used? What information would you include in each?

Question 15

What is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association?

Question 16

Why do we need to include a references section at the end of a report?

Question 17

The Written Report: Purpose and Format Researchers avoid ____ when writing scientific reports.

A)citing published sources
B)personal pronouns
C)slang
D)personal pronouns and slang

Question 18

The Written Report: Purpose and Format Which of these statements would be acceptable in a scientific report?

A)"I randomly selected 20 undergraduates from a Psychology class."
B)"The experimental group contained 20 alcoholics."
C)"Research subjects received academic credit for their participation."
D)"The researchers used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory which is clearly superior to other measures of state anxiety."

Question 19

What is the function of the abstract of a research report? What basic information should it contain?

Question 20

What is the purpose of a research report?

Question 21

Major Sections Which major section of a research report contains a detailed review of the studies that led to your hypothesis?

A)abstract
B)discussion
C)introduction
D)method

Question 22

The Written Report: Purpose and Format All of the following examples use unbiased language to describe participants except

A)children who were sexually abused.
B)individuals who belong to Greek fraternities.
C)patients with head injuries.
D)stroke victims.

Question 23

Major Sections By reading the introduction of a research report, a reader should learn the

A)implications of the experimental findings.
B)limitations of the experimental methodology.
C)predictions made concerning the outcome of the study.
D)statistical tests used to analyze the experimental data.

Question 24

Major Sections A descriptive title for a research report should include the

A)dependent variable.
B)independent variable.
C)relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
D)all of these

Question 25

Major Sections The ____ section introduces your hypothesis and how you will test it.

A)discussion
B)introduction
C)method
D)results

Question 26

Major Sections "Subjects filled out the Social Desirability Scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1964)" belongs in the ____ subsection.

A)materials
B)experimental design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 27

Major Sections Which of the following choices is not a major section of a research report?

A)abstract
B)discussion
C)method
D)sample description

Question 28

Major Sections The main concern when writing the method section of a research report is that the author

A)avoid details like the model numbers of commercial equipment.
B)describe the methodological limitations of the study.
C)provide sufficient detail to allow another experimenter to replicate the study.
D)use the same subsections for all studies.

Question 29

Major Sections Where will an abstract for a psychology article appear?

A)PsycINFO
B)PsycLIT
C)Psychological Abstracts
D)all of these

Question 30

Major Sections You should first state specific predictions about the outcome of your study in the ____ section.

A)discussion
B)introduction
C)method
D)results

Question 31

Major Sections A typical abstract for a research report rarely exceeds ___ words.

A)60
B)75
C)90
D)250

Question 32

Major Sections The ____ will appear in computer resources like PsycINFO.

A)abstract
B)discussion section
C)introduction
D)method section

Question 33

Major Sections "The present study examined the effect of trash container availability on the littering of public beaches.The authors predicted that the presence of trash containers would reduce litter." Where should you first see these statements?

A)discussion section
B)introduction section
C)method section
D)results section

Question 34

The Written Report: Purpose and Format Select biased language from the choices below.

A)a paraplegic
B)he/she
C)s/he
D)all of these

Question 35

Major Sections "Two subjects dropped out of the control condition, and none dropped out of the experimental condition" belongs in the ____ subsection of the method section.

A)experimental design
B)experimental findings
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 36

Major Sections Select the least informative title from the examples below.

A)"An Attributional Explanation for the Effect of Audience Laughter on Perceived Funniness."
B)"Anxiety, Fear, and Social Affiliation."
C)"The Effect of Crowding on Maze Performance in the Cockroach."
D)"The Effect of Classical Music on Intelligence Test Performance."

Question 37

The Written Report: Purpose and Format Which of the following examples is biased?

A)"Male and female homosexuals …"
B)"Patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia were given 10 minutes to complete a crossword puzzle."
C)"The experimental group contained 15 patients diagnosed with obsessive- compulsive disorder."
D)"When the subjects arrived, they …"

Question 38

Major Sections The ____ should be the major focus of an introduction.

A)conclusions and implications of the experimental findings
B)experimental methodology
C)research hypothesis
D)significant statistical findings

Question 39

Major Sections All of the following information should be included in the participants subsection except

A)how the researchers assigned subjects to the experimental conditions.
B)how the researchers recruited subjects.
C)whether men and women differed on the dependent variable.
D)whether participants dropped out of the study.

Question 40

Major Sections When an experiment requires very little beyond basic supplies and equipment like paper, pencils, tables, chairs, and stopwatches, the apparatus subsection would be called

A)apparatus.
B)equipment.
C)materials.
D)supplies.

Question 41

Major Sections After completing the procedure subsection, readers should know

A)the level of significance you selected to test the null hypothesis.
B)the statistical tests you used to analyze experimental data.
C)whether or not the experimental data supported your research hypothesis.
D)your research design.

Question 42

Major Sections "A t test indicated that attitude scores were significantly different after violent videos than after nonviolent ones, t (34) = 3.12, p < .01, partial η² = .22" should be placed in the ____ section of a research report.

A)introduction
B)method
C)procedure
D)results

Question 43

Major Sections Which of the following method subsections is usually optional?

A)apparatus
B)design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 44

Major Sections You should place the instructions you gave to experimental subjects in the ____ subsection.

A)apparatus
B)design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 45

Major Sections When reporting a t test, t (34) = 3.12, p < .01, partial η² = .22), (34) represents the

A)degrees of freedom.
B)number of pairs of subjects.
C)number of subjects.
D)variance.

Question 46

Major Sections You should place a complete description of extremely complex equipment or materials in

A)an appendix.
B)the apparatus subsection.
C)the materials subsection.
D)the apparatus or materials subsection.

Question 47

Major Sections All of the following information should be placed in the results section except

A)computed test statistic values.
B)interpretations of experimental findings.
C)significance levels.
D)summary data.

Question 48

Major Sections Researchers usually do not report individual scores unless

A)there is a high level of within-groups variability.
B)they study subject variables.
C)they use a small N design.
D)they use a within-subjects design.

Question 49

Major Sections What should you report after the obtained statistical value and probability level?

A)the critical value of the statistical test
B)the effect size
C)the null hypothesis tested
D)the number of participants in the study

Question 50

Major Sections "The experiment was a 6 X 4 X 3 (Reinforcement X Food Deprivation X Age) between-subjects factorial design" belongs in the ____ subsection.

A)apparatus
B)design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 51

Major Sections "To control for order effects, the film clips were presented in counterbalanced order" belongs in the ____ subsection.

A)apparatus
B)design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 52

Major Sections You should describe special steps taken to control extraneous variables in the ____ subsection.

A)apparatus
B)design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 53

Major Sections When reporting the use of standardized tests, the author should

A)cite the published source of the standardized test.
B)include normative data in the appendix to help the reader interpret test scores.
C)place a copy of the test in the appendix.
D)all of these

Question 54

Major Sections "Subjects were seated in a chair located approximately 2.85 m from the television monitor" should be placed in the ____ subsection.

A)apparatus
B)design
C)participants
D)procedure

Question 55

Major Sections In which order should we report statistical results?

A)Report all effects from statistical tests and the relevant summary data for each effect, then state in words what you found.
B)Report the relevant summary data for each effect and all effects from statistical tests, then state in words what you found.
C)State in words what you found, then report all effects from statistical tests and the relevant summary data for each effect.
D)State in words what you found, then report the relevant summary data for each effect and all effects from statistical tests.

Question 56

Major Sections Whenever you list physical measurements in a method section, they should be

A)referenced with a published source.
B)reported in metric units unless another measure is standard.
C)reported in U.S.units.
D)underlined.

Question 57

Major Sections A printed journal article represents group means using

A)M.
B)µ.
C)X.
D)Φ.

Question 58

Major Sections You should consider including a design subsection whenever your design

A)contains more than two levels of an independent variable.
B)obtains repeated measures.
C)is complex and contains more than one independent variable.
D)is simple and easily constructed from written instructions.

Question 59

Major Sections One easy way to write a procedure subsection is to

A)only provide an overview of the procedure.
B)place procedural details in an appendix.
C)report everything step by step in chronological order.
D)summarize procedural details in a table.

Question 60

Major Sections You should describe the statistical tests used to analyze experimental data in the ____ section of a research report.

A)introduction
B)method
C)procedure
D)results

Question 61

Major Sections "The results of the current experiment supported the hypothesis that exposure to violent music videos would produce greater acceptance of violent behavior" belongs in the ____ section.

A)discussion
B)introduction
C)method
D)results

Question 62

Major Sections Which order is recommended for reporting statistical results?

A)main effects, interactions, post hoc tests
B)main effects, post hoc tests, interactions
C)interactions, post hoc tests, main effects
D)post hoc tests, main effects, interactions

Question 63

Major Sections Jack's experiment almost achieved significance at the .05 level.He believes that if he adds 20 subjects to his sample, he will obtain a significant outcome.What should he do?

A)Apologize for the limited sample used in his experiment.
B)Relax the significance level to .06.
C)Run 20 additional subjects.
D)State "If more subjects had been tested, the results probably would have been significant."

Question 64

Looking at a Journal Article The term running head refers to the

A)affiliation of the author(s).
B)brief version of the manuscript title.
C)manuscript section headings.
D)page number.

Question 65

Major Sections In which order should we report experimental findings?

A)Explain whether the results supported the hypothesis; explain how your findings fit with the most important findings from past studies; summarize
Your results.
B)Explain whether the results supported the hypothesis; summarize your results; explain how your findings fit with the most important findings
From past studies.
C)Summarize your results; explain how your findings fit with the most important findings from past studies; explain whether the results supported
The hypothesis.
D)Summarize your results; explain whether the results supported the hypothesis; explain how your findings fit with the most important findings
From past studies.

Question 66

Major Sections Why do trends in the right direction not guarantee a significant outcome with a larger sample?

A)Increasing the sample size increases the risk of Type 1 error.
B)Increasing the sample size increases the risk of Type 2 error.
C)Very small samples are unreliable and trends may reverse with additional subjects.
D)Very small samples have limited statistical power.

Question 67

Major Sections You should report the cell sizes when

A)the number of subjects in each group is not equal.
B)you perform post hoc tests.
C)you report the results of a nonparametric test.
D)you report the results of a parametric test.

Question 68

Major Sections The overall purpose of the discussion section is to

A)evaluate and interpret the results of your experiment.
B)explain how you developed the research hypothesis.
C)review prior research in the area.
D)summarize the study.

Question 69

Major Sections All of these statements would be appropriate in a discussion section except:

A)"If more subjects had been tested, the results probably would have been significant."
B)"It is not possible to rule out age as a possible source of confounding."
C)"There was no evidence that subjects who dropped out differed in physical health from those who completed the experiment."
D)"These results may hold implications for jobs requiring repetitive motion."

Question 70

Looking at a Journal Article In a printed journal article, tables and figures are placed in the

A)appendix.
B)discussion section.
C)method section.
D)results section.

Question 71

Looking at a Journal Article The names and affiliations of the authors of a study are listed

A)after the abstract.
B)beneath the title.
C)in the references section.
D)in the top left hand corner of the article.

Question 72

Looking at a Journal Article A running head contains a maximum of ____ characters.

A)15
B)25
C)50
D)75

Question 73

Looking at a Journal Article Which section is labeled in some psychology journals and not in others?

A)discussion
B)introduction
C)method
D)references

Question 74

Looking at a Journal Article You should always represent test statistics in a manuscript using

A)boldfaced letters.
B)capital letters.
C)italics.
D)underlining.

Question 75

Major Sections Figures and tables should

A)always be included in a research report.
B)be placed on the same manuscript page.
C)be used sparingly to amplify information reported in the results section.
D)repeat findings summarized in words in the results section.

Question 76

Looking at a Journal Article You should capitalize the first letter of ____ of a book title.

A)all significant words
B)the first word
C)the first word following a colon
D)the first word and the first word following a colon

Question 77

Looking at a Journal Article Which of these describes the abstract as it appears in a published article?

A)conspicuously indented
B)not labeled
C)set off by smaller type
D)all of these

Question 78

Looking at a Journal Article Which part of a reference is not italicized?

A)book edition
B)book title
C)journal title
D)journal volume number

Question 79

Looking at a Journal Article A sample description subsection belongs in the ____ section of a research report.

A)introduction
B)method
C)procedure
D)results

Question 80

Looking at a Journal Article You should report degrees of freedom using

A)boldfaced type.
B)italics.
C)parentheses.
D)underlining.