Deck 2: Research Methods

Question 1

Which of the following is a common weakness of experimental research?

A)The inability to draw cause-effect conclusions.
B)The difficulty of obtaining representative samples.
C)The inapplicability of statistical principles to the research findings.
D)The lack of appropriate dependent variables.
E)The presence of threats to internal validity posed by confounds.

Answer 1

The presence of threats to internal validity posed by confounds.

Question 2

"A procedure (also known as the correlational method)involving the collection of information about different variables in order to measure those variables and the relationship between them".What research method is this a glossary definition of?

A)The scientific method
B)The experimental method
C)The survey method
D)The observational method
E)The interactionist method

Answer 2

The survey method

Question 3

Which of the following is a particular advantage of the experimental method?

A)It allows researchers to examine a number of different variables at the same time.
B)It allows researchers to examine the relationship between variables in natural settings.
C)It allows researchers to make predictions based on observed relationships between variables.
D)It allows researchers to manipulate independent variables and establish their causal impact on dependent variables.
E)It is often more convenient than experimental methods.

Answer 3

It allows researchers to manipulate independent variables and establish their causal impact on dependent variables.

Question 4

What distinguishes the survey method from the quasi-experimental method?

A)The scientific status of the research.
B)The use of dependent variables in the survey method.
C)The sensitivity of the dependent variable.
D)The random assignment of participants to conditions in the quasi-experimental method.
E)None of the above.

Question 5

A researcher conducts an experiment in which she wants to look at the effects of class size on learning.To do this she randomly allocates people to two conditions: in Condition 1 people learn information in a small classroom with 4 other people, in Condition 2 people learn information in a large classroom with another 29 people.Which of the following is a potential confound, threatening the internal validity of the study?

A)The reliability of the test used to assess learning.
B)The size of the classroom in which the people learn.
C)The susceptibility of participants' in Condition 1 agoraphobia.
D)The susceptibility of participants' in Condition 2 agoraphobia.
E)The age of people in the two conditions.

Question 6

"Any variable that is not of immediate interest to a researcher but which may pose a threat to validity because it compromises the interpretation of research findings.This is usually because it obscures the measurement of processes of interest." What is this a glossary definition of?

A)A independent variable.
B)A dependent variable.
C)An extraneous variable.
D)A threat variable.
E)An obscuring variable.

Question 7

If a researcher is blind to an experimental hypothesis when they conduct some experimental research this mainly controls for which of the following?

A)Mortality effects.
B)Regression to the mean.
C)Practice effects.
D)Demand characteristics.
E)Experimenter bias.

Question 8

A researcher conducts an experiment in Germany that tests the hypothesis that 'alcohol consumption leads to impaired memory'.Which of the following statements is true?

A)Alcohol consumption is the dependent variable, memory is the independent variable.
B)Alcohol consumption is the independent variable, memory is the dependent variable.
C)Alcohol consumption is the dependent variable, Germans are the independent variable.
D)Alcohol consumption is the independent variable, Germans are the dependent variable.
E)Germans are the dependent variable, exam performance is the independent variable.

Question 9

Complete this sentence: To examine psychological characteristics researchers usually administer particular ........

A)psychological therapies.
B)psychological states.
C)psychological tests.
D)psychological resources.
E)psychological interventions.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true.

A)Psychological measurement normally involves measuring more than one person.
B)Psychological measurement normally involves measuring the same person more than once.
C)Psychological measurement always involves measuring more than one person.
D)Psychological measurement always involves or measuring the same person more than once.
E)Both (a)and (b).

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Different methods can be used to assess the same psychological state or process within the same study.
B)It is impossible to assess the same psychological state or process within the same study using different methods.
C)It is undesirable to assess the same psychological state or process within the same study using different methods.
D)It is unscientific to assess the same psychological state or process within the same study using different methods.
E)None of the above.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Experiments are always conducted in laboratories.
B)Good experiments are always conducted in laboratories.
C)Good experiments are rarely conducted in laboratories.
D)True experiments always involve manipulation of an independent variable.
E)None of the above.

Question 13

Which of the following is not identified as a problem associated with observational methodology?

A)The lack of experimental control.
B)The limited reliability of findings.
C)The possibility of observer bias.
D)The subjectivity of dependent measures.
E)The subjectivity of independent variables.

Question 14

Which of the fllowing statements is true?

A)Behavioural trace measures involve obtaining physical traces of people's behaviour to inform researchers about what people are currently doing or have done in the past.
B)Behavioural trace measures involve obtaining psychological traces of people's behaviour to inform researchers about what people are currently doing or have done in the past.
C)Behavioural trace measures involve obtaining physical traces of people's behaviour to inform researchers about what people will do in the future.
D)Behavioural trace measures involve obtaining physical traces of people's psychology to inform researchers about what people were thinking in the past.
E)Behavioural trace measures involve obtaining physical traces of people's psychology to inform researchers about what people will do in the future.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is false?

A)The appropriateness of any research method is always determined by the research question and the research environment.
B)Experiments always involve manipulations of independent variables.
C)Experiments do not need to be conducted in laboratories.
D)Quasi-experiments are never conducted in laboratories.
E)None of the above (all are true).

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true?

A)The fact that a psychological process cannot be seen means that hypotheses about its nature cannot be put forward and tested.
B)The fact that a psychological state cannot be seen means that hypotheses about its nature cannot be put forward and tested.
C)The fact that a psychological process cannot be seen generally means that hypotheses about its nature cannot be put forward and tested.
D)The fact that a psychological state cannot be seen does not mean that hypotheses about its nature cannot be put forward and tested.
E)Both (c)and (d).

Question 17

The challenges associated with generalizing particular research findings relate to issues of which of the following?

A)Internal validity.
B)External validity.
C)Extraneous validity.
D)Generalized validity.
E)Homeostatic validity.

Question 18

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Psychological measurement can involve the measurement of participants' behaviour.
B)Psychological measurement can involve participants' self-reports of their feelings.
C)Psychological measurement can involve collection of physiological data (e.g., skin conductance).
D)Psychological measurement cannot involve direct examination of psychological states and processes.
E)None of the above (all are true).

Question 19

A researcher conducts a study in which participants are asked to administer electric shocks to a participant in what they believe to be a memory experiment, but which in fact is a study of obedience.In a number of different conditions the proximity of the researcher to the participant is varied to see if this has an impact on participants' willingness to administer shocks of different intensity.Which of the following statements is true.

A)This study has no independent variable and no dependent variable.
B)In this study memory is the independent variable, shock intensity is the dependent variable.
C)In this study proximity is the independent variable, shock intensity is the dependent variable.
D)In this study proximity is the independent variable, memory is the dependent variable.
E)In this study proximity is the dependent variable, memory is the independent variable.

Question 20

If the manipulation of an independent variable inadvertently manipulates a second variable that is actually responsible for observed effects on a dependent variable, which of the following statements is true?

A)The second variable should be included as a factor in the experimental design.
B)The second variable is a threat to the study's internal validity.
C)This is an example of extraneous manipulation.
D)This is an example of confounding.
E)Both (b)and (d).

Question 21

"A piece of research in which one or more independent variables are systematically manipulated and all others are controlled.This assesses the impact of manipulated (independent)variables on relevant outcome (dependent)variables." What type of study is this a glossary definition of?

A)An experiment.
B)A survey.
C)A manipulation.
D)A quasi-experiment.
E)A validated survey.

Question 22

"A measure of the nature and strength of the relationship between two variables." What is this a glossary definition of?

A)Relationality
B)Inductive association.
C)Associative strength.
D)Correlation.
E)Inferential significance.

Question 23

"An aspect of a person, animal subject, or a situation that can change." What construct is this a glossary definition of?

A)A factor.
B)A characteristic.
C)A trait.
D)An indeterminate quality.
E)A variable.

Question 24

"A piece of research that is conducted in a natural (non-artificial)setting." What type of study is this a glossary definition of?

A)Real-world study.
B)Field study.
C)Reality experiment.
D)Laboratory study.
E)Experiental study.