Deck 1: Introduction to Scientific Research

Question 1

Karl Popper advocated a deductive approach to science that focused on attempting to disprove hypotheses. His approach is known as

A) logical positivism
B) falsificationism
C) determinability
D) naturalism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Being an informed and critical consumer of information will help you to critically read which of the following?

A) popular magazines
B) newspaper
C) scientific journal
D) all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Logical positivists advocated as an important scientific method.

A) induction
B) deduction
C) hypothesis testing
D) naturalism

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Latané and Darnley 1969) were one of the first to conduct experiments on the now well known "bystander effect". They were prompted to conduct theses experiments by the famous case of the murder of Kitty Genovese. When a specific situation leads to a general understanding of behavior, this is called?

A) empiricism
B) deduction
C) naturalism
D) induction

Question 5

Suzy was working on her doctoral dissertation and in her social psychology class she learned that social facilitation, or the presence of others, influences performance. Based on this information she hypothesized that a person would run faster when running in a group of people than when running alone. In forming this hypothesis, Suzy used what type of reasoning process?

A) Deduction
B) Naturalism
C) Social rationalism
D) Induction

Question 6

Which of the following is the best example of using inductive reasoning?

A) Developing a hypothesis based on an established theory
B) Developing a theory of aggression based on your observation of children
C) Deducing that video games will contribute to a specific child's aggression
D) Developing a theory based on intuition

Question 7

Consulting the expertise of an Authority can be useful when

A) designing a study.
B) forming a hypothesis
C) interpreting data
D) All of the above

Question 8

If you accept your physician's explanation for your illness without researching your condition or asking how she came to her conclusion, you are relying on as a source of knowledge.

A) authority
B) reason
C) intuition
D) science

Question 9

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the intuitive approach to acquiring knowledge?

A) Intuition is takes a long time to understand and is difficult to use.
B) Intuition does not provide a mechanism to help you to separate accurate from inaccurate knowledge.
C) Intuition can lead you to two equally accurate conclusions.
D) Intuition relies entirely on memory when in use and memory can be inaccurate.

Question 10

is an important part of the scientific approach that is based on the notion that the origin of all knowledge is from our senses.

A) Rationalism
B) Intuition
C) Empiricism
D) Authority

Question 11

Jackie's friend tells her what to do in her personal life based on her "gut instincts." A more formal name for this source of knowledge is

A) rationalism.
B) hypothesis testing.
C) appeal to authority.
D) intuition.

Question 12

Whewell believed that should be designed to systematically produce reliable and valid knowledge about the national world.

A) Psychology
B) Science
C) Induction
D) Rationalism

Question 13

One approach to gaining knowledge is known as and involves using reasoning to acquire knowledge.

A) determinism
B) logic of discovery
C) rationalism
D) naturalism

Question 14

Which of the following methods is NOT useful when forming a hypothesis?

A) Intuition
B) Hoaxing
C) Rationalism
D) Authority

Question 15

was a philosophical approach that influenced the development of the scientific method because of its emphasis on verifying scientific information through experience or observation.

A) Logical positivism
B) Falsificationism
C) Rationalism
D) Revolutionary science

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a good reason for psychology students to take a research methods course?

A) It will allow you to become a better consumer of the scientific literature
B) It requires more rigorous thinking than is typically found in other psychology courses
C) The content of psychology courses is typically based on scientific findings
D) You need to be able to evaluate the adequacy of the many claims you encounter daily

Question 17

After every trip Pete takes to the automatic carwash he finds a new ding in his car. He concludes that this automatic carwash damages cars. He is relying on what source of knowledge?

A) Intuition
B) Rationalism
C) Empiricism
D) Science

Question 18

Social Learning theory states that "we learn from others." This broad theory has lead to the testing of many specific hypotheses such as "Children learn manners from their parents." This is an example of what type of reasoning?

A) empiricism
B) deduction
C) naturalism
D) induction

Question 19

Tom was experiencing dizziness just before he ate his lunch and noted that after he started eating his dizziness disappeared. From this he inferred that dizziness was due to a lack of nutrition and whenever someone complained of dizziness he encouraged them to eat. His inference that dizziness is due to lack of nutrition demonstrates what reasoning process?

A) deduction
B) hypothesis testing
C) induction
D) naturalism

Question 20

Which of the following is a reason for taking a Research Methods course?

A) To develop critical and analytic thinking skills.
B) To learn how to conduct psychological research.
C) To become an informed and critical consumer of information.
D) All of the above

Question 21

Psychologists use the concept of determinism to mean

A) behaviors and mental processes are caused by prior natural factors.
B) behaviors and mental processes are predetermined from birth.
C) humans can freely choose their destiny.
D) behavior can be understood through reasoning.

Question 22

Today many scientists rely on a hybrid approach to hypothesis testing that includes both and .

A) naturalism: rationalism
B) intuition: empiricism
C) logical positivism: falsification
D) induction: deduction

Question 23

Sometimes science seems to go through a period of chaos where the current beliefs, concepts and practices, or fundamental beliefs that are typically shared by scientists are questioned and start being replaced by another set of fundamental beliefs. This period is referred to by Kuhn as science.

A) cautionary
B) paradigmatic
C) revolutionary
D) proactive

Question 24

Naturalism rejects which assumes that knowledge is a matter of deductive reasoning and that knowledge is fully certain.

A) genetic epistemology
B) the Duhem-Quine principle
C) foundational epistemology
D) empirical adequacy

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a basic assumption underlying scientific research?

A) regularity in nature
B) reality in nature
C) discoverability
D) controllability

Question 26

According to Kuhn, science reflects two types of activities, normal science and science.

A) cautionary
B) paradigmatic
C) revolutionary
D) proactive

Question 27

In order to have a science of behavior, we have to accept the basic assumption that

A) psychology focuses in perceptions, images, and other phenomena that have no real basis in nature.
B) the underlying causes of behavior are usually irrational or illogical.
C) there are lawful, deterministic relations between behavior and its causes.
D) there are no lawful relations between behavior and its causes

Question 28

One general approach to studying abnormal behavior involves focusing on the biological causes of disorders. This conceptual framework, or , includes a set of assumptions

A) paradigm
B) dogmatism
C) logic
D) theory
E)g., that mental illness has a physical basis) that enable psychologists to interpret different mental disorders.

Question 29

If, in your attempt to study science, you took an empirical approach you would take the approach which has come to be known as

A) revolutionary science.
B) logical positivism.
C) falsificationism.
D) naturalism.

Question 30

The fact that researcher have found that changes in serotonin levels cause changes in mood supports which is the belief that there are causes of mental process.

A) control
B) discoverability
C) determinism
D) operationalism

Question 31

Dr. Stokley has derived a hypothesis from Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning. Dr. Stokley wants to collect factual information and evidence to test his hypothesis. Which of the following refers to the process he will use?

A) Rationalism
B) Hypothesis Testing
C) Induction
D) Normal Science

Question 32

argued there is no such thing as the method of science.

A) Popper
B) Kuhn
C) Duhem-Quine
D) Feyerabend

Question 33

science is governed by a single paradigm, while science may be a time of shifting from one paradigm to another.

A) Normal: revolutionary
B) Mechanistic: organismic
C) Revolutionary: normal
D) Bad; good

Question 34

The fact that researchers have found that the bystander effect can be seen across different emergency situations supports which basic assumption of scientific research?

A) reality in nature
B) determinism in nature
C) uniformity in nature
D) control in nature

Question 35

Developing theories, laws, and generalizations to help our understanding of human behavior supports which basic assumption of scientific research?

A) determinism in nature
B) uniformity in nature
C) reality in nature
D) control in nature

Question 36

If we have identified a set of specific aims to arrive at knowledge of a specific kind, and methods for achieving those aims along with a set of standards for judging the extent to which they have been met, then we have probably represented

A) philosophical speculation
B) science
C) paradigmatic science
D) revolutionary science

Question 37

In the past there were a group of psychologists that were known as behaviorists because the approach they advocated was bound by a set of beliefs regarding the way behavior or responses are acquired and changed. These psychologists took the position that the responses we learn are a function of the consequences of our behavior. This position or set of beliefs would represent

A) a rigid approach to science.
B) a paradigm.
C) the period of time in which intuition was the dominant mode of thought.
D) reliance on authority

Question 38

Which of the following refers to the belief that all forms of behavior have causes that are potentially knowable?

A) determinism
B) falsifiability
C) discoverability
D) empiricism

Question 39

Which of the following is the basic assumption of science that states when researchers interact with the natural world this has a primary say in truth?

A) discoverability in nature
B) control in nature
C) uniformity in nature
D) reality in nature

Question 40

According to the textbook, a scientist must be

A) creative
B) systematic
C) skeptical
D) all of the above

Question 41

Dr. Haynes finds that in her laboratory, bacterium X can be killed with antibiotic Y. However, Dr. Swensson does not observe this same result in her laboratory. What is the most plausible explanation for why this happened?

A) Dr. Haynes made up the results to survive in a publish-or-perish academic setting.
B) The results of biomedical experiments are often random, so this is not unusual.
C) Dr. Swensson made mistakes analyzing the data.
D) Dr. Swensson did not use the exact same procedure as Dr. Haynes.

Question 42

Holding factors such as temperature, lighting, and seating arrangement constant during experimental testing supports which of the following characteristics of scientific research?

A) operationalism
B) control
C) discoverability
D) replication

Question 43

Many people mistake "theory" for "guess" or for "unfounded assumption." This is an incorrect portrayal because theories

A) are actually integrated summaries of facts and findings from empirical research.
B) are widely accepted by many authorities in the relevant field.
C) have been derived by a painstaking process of operationalizing.
D) have been proved to be true.

Question 44

Which of the following is the best example of an operationalization of the construct of "hunger"?

A) feeling of emptiness or growling in the stomach
B) a desire to eat brought about by an intense image of the taste and smell of a favorite food
C) realizing it's been a long time since one has eaten anything
D) a child asking his mother whether supper is ready more than 5 times in a 15 minute period

Question 45

Dr. Nettles conducts a literature review in the area of cognitive behavioral therapy and then decided to quantitatively combine and integrate multiple research studies on this topic. This technique is called

A) replication
B) meta-analysis
C) operationalism
D) multiple operationalism

Question 46

If scientific studies are to be of general use, they should be readily reproducible by others in a procedure known as

A) replication.
B) empiricism.
C) generalization.
D) operationalism.

Question 47

Which of the following are important characteristics of scientific research in psychology?

A) operationalism
B) control
C) replication
D) all of the above

Question 48

Even though replication is accepted as an important aspect of the scientific method, few scientists actually do studies that use the exact same procedure of past experiments. Why not?

A) Replications are rarely published.
B) In reality, replication studies rarely reproduce previous results, and scientists don't want to have to deal with conflicting data.
C) Scientists do not believe that replications are important
D) Replications are typically very expensive.

Question 49

Control in an experimental situation involves

A) attempting to change an individual's behavior for their own good.
B) having a clear and precise definition of the variables that will be tested.
C) eliminating the influence of extraneous variables so that a cause and effect relationship can be established.
D) an attempt to falsify or verify a stated hypothesis.

Question 50

Which of the following best describes the relationship between empirical observation and theory?

A) empirical observation guides theory logic of discovery)
B) theory guides future research which is empirically tested logic of justification)
C) both 'a' and 'b' are true - that is, there is constant interaction between theory and empirical observation
D) theory and empirical observation are independent of one another

Question 51

In order to isolate the cause of a behavior, research psychologists rely primarily on being able to

A) get authoritative advice.
B) do statistical testing.
C) control the environment.
D) communicate their findings.

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT an operational definition of "memory"?

A) the score on a reading comprehension test
B) information that is stored in the brain
C) the number of words that a participant recalls from a list of previously studied words
D) the number of words a child can read from a list of words

Question 53

Operationalism

A) is a hindrance in scientific research because it limits researchers ability to define constructs in multiple ways.
B) is needed so that all researchers will use the same precise definition of a construct.
C) is necessary so that researchers will be clear about defining the terms of their studies.
D) is not necessary because recent advances in technology make collection of behavioral data much more precise.

Question 54

Some scientists have criticized the concept of operational definitions as being too strict stating that a single operational definition could not completely define the meaning of a term. What has been proposed to overcome this criticism?

A) eliminating operational definitions
B) replication
C) multiple operationalism
D) meta-analysis

Question 55

Which of the characteristics of scientific research indicates the reliability of operational definitions?

A) meta-analysis
B) control
C) placebo
D) replication

Question 56

Although we should be cautious when drawing conclusions from a single study, we can be more confident in the findings of research which involves combining information from multiple studies.

A) theoretical
B) inductive
C) deductive
D) meta-analysis

Question 57

Why do scientists favor operationalizing terms used in their research?

A) they reduce research questions to manageable, albeit ambiguous, levels
B) they minimize ambiguity by requiring empirical referents
C) it allows them to avoid less "scientific" concepts like emotions
D) they lead to multiple definitions of the same concept

Question 58

Finding a cure for cancer or Autism are being investigated by science. The assumption of science that these cures are potentially knowable is called

A) control
B) operationalism
C) discoverability
D) determinism

Question 59

Suppose that a student taking research methods proposes to test the hypothesis that "playing violent video games leads men to have negative attitudes toward women." After being asked to operationalize her variables the student proposes the following hypotheses. Which one provides the best operational definitions of her variables?

A) Playing video games that advocate violence leads men to have bad feelings toward women.
B) Playing video games does not lead men to have negative feelings toward women.
C) Playing the violent video game Battle Warrior for 2 hours a day for one week will cause men to have negative attitudes toward women as measured by the Hostility Toward Women scale.
D) Playing Nintendo for more than 3 hours a day leads college-aged men to have negative feelings toward women.

Question 60

Theory plays an important role in science. Which of the following is NOT generally seen as a function of theory?

A) stating a scientist's philosophy about the world
B) summarizing a group of related facts into a coherent statement
C) integrating groups of facts into a whole
D) generating new hypotheses for experiments

Question 61

A psychology professor surveyed college students on his campus to determine their attitudes toward binge drinking. His work fulfilled which objective of science?

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

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT an example of control in an experiment?

A) making sure the room temperature, lighting, and noise are the same for all participants in an experiment on study techniques
B) arranging to be the only person with access to all data files once the data have been collected
C) making sure all the rats in a maze-running experiment have equal access to food in their cages
D) arranging to test all the participants in an alertness study at the same time of day

Question 63

Control is an objective of psychological science. In this context, control refers to

A) our ability to manipulate conditions that affect behavior in order to change behavior.
B) our ability to override peoples' free will and make them do what we want them to do.
C) our ability to explain the effects of extraneous factors on behavior.
D) our ability to give a complete description of what a certain behavior looks like.

Question 64

Put the objectives of science in the correct logical order:

A) control, describe, predict, explain
B) describe, explain, predict, control
C) explain, control, predict, describe
D) predict, describe, control, explain

Question 65

"Good" candidates for becoming scientists are those who have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT

A) curiosity.
B) obstinacy.
C) patience.
D) objectivity.

Question 66

In a classic study by Jellinek 1946) research participants who thought they were drinking alcohol but were not) behaved in a drunken manner very similar to participants that did in fact drink alcohol. This finding is a good illustration of

A) multiple operationalism.
B) the placebo effect.
C) meta-anlysis.
D) the impact of an extraneous variable.

Question 67

Which of the following is not an objective of scientific research?

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

Question 68

After research shows that anxiety can be reduced through a new type of cognitive therapy, therapists begin using the technique more frequently. This illustrates which of the following objectives of psychological research?

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

Question 69

Which of the following is not an objective of science?

A) Explanation of how a phenomenon works.
B) Prediction of what will happen in the future, under certain conditions.
C) Proving a theory is true.
D) Controlling conditions that determine a phenomenon

Question 70

Many people make use of hand-writing analysis or astrology to assess personality. Others believe that extrasensory phenomenon exist and that they may even possess such ability. Such beliefs and the knowledge imparted by individuals possessing such beliefs represent

A) historical facts.
B) ritualistic knowledge.
C) pseudoscientific beliefs.
D) empirical beliefs.

Question 71

Jean Piaget's theory of the cognitive development was initially based on his observation of children. This is an illustration of the idea that empirical observations generate theories and has been referred to as

A) logic of discovery.
B) logic of justification.
C) logic of theory development.
D) logic of empirical observation.

Question 72

Roberta is interested in whether people communicate differently when utilizing technology

A) prediction
B) explanation
C) description
D) replication
E)g., online chatting or e-mail) than in face-to-face conversations. She begins by simply observing conversations that occur in the two environments to get a better sense of the variables that should be investigated. This initial step of simply observing behavior would correspond to which of the following objectives of psychological research:

Question 73

If extraneous variables are not controlled in an experiment, what major problem will the researcher face?

A) not having enough data to allow for valid statistical analysis
B) the results will be stated in subjective, and possibly biased terms
C) it cannot be known which variables) produced the observed results
D) not having enough participants