Deck 1: Research in Psychology: Objectives and Ideals

Question 1

Which of the following is associated with use of the scientific method in psychological research?

A)Systematic observation.
B)Controlled experimentation.
C)Concern with the reliability of findings.
D)Both (b)and (c).
E)All of the above.

Answer 1

All of the above.

Question 2

Theory A explains phenomenon L and phenomenon M using principles X and Y.Theory B explains phenomenon L and phenomenon M using principle X.Theory C explains phenomenon L using principles X and Y.Which of the following statements is true?

A)Theory A is the most parsimonious.
B)Theory B is the most parsimonious.
C)Theory C is the most parsimonious.
D)Theory A and Theory C are equally and most parsimonious.
E)Theory A and Theory B are equally and most parsimonious.

Answer 2

Theory B is the most parsimonious.

Question 3

If an experimental finding is invalid:

A)It should be reliable.
B)It did not occur for the reason hypothesised by the researcher.
C)It does not support a researcher's experimental predictions.
D)It contradicts a researcher's theory.
E)The experiment must have been badly conducted.

Answer 3

It did not occur for the reason hypothesised by the researcher.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true?

A)The person credited with performing the first experiment in psychology is Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig
B)The person credited with performing the first experiment in psychology is Sigmund Freud at his clinic in Vienna
C)The person credited with performing the first experiment in psychology is Stanley Milgram at Yale University.
D)The person credited with performing the first experiment in psychology is Thomas Kuhn at University of California, Berkeley.
E)None of the above.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true?

A)The best research is rarely made public.
B)Only good research is made public.
C)The public has no role to play in the evaluation of research.
D)Most psychological research is irrelevant to the public.
E)None of the above.

Question 6

What was Thomas Kuhn's main contribution to our understanding of theory development in science?

A)He proposed that scientific theory develops backwards.
B)He proposed that scientific theory develops through phases of 'normal science' followed by 'scientific revolution'.
C)He proposed that science develops through a chaotic process.
D)He proposed that the process through which scientific theory develops is largely random.
E)None of the above.

Question 7

Which of the following does not contribute to the development of knowledge and theory in psychology?

A)Evidence that supports a hypothesis.
B)Evidence that contradicts a hypothesis.
C)Evidence that tests a hypothesis.
D)Falsified evidence.
E)Both (b)and (d).

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true?

A)A psychological theory can be falsified by a single finding.
B)A psychological theory can only be falsified by a large number of findings.
C)Psychological theories can never be falsified.
D)Psychologists should not be interested in falsifying theory, as this is dishonest.
E)None of the above.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is false?

A)A key goal of science is to identify as many facts as possible.
B)A key goal of science is to develop as many theories as possible.
C)A key goal of science is to develop as many theories as possible on the basis of the smallest number of facts.
D)Both (a)and (b).
E)All of the above.

Question 10

Which of the following would be of interest to a behaviourist?

A)A person's mental state.
B)A person's mental processes.
C)A person's reaction time.
D)(a)and (b)only.
E)All of the above.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Experiments are the most scientific form of psychological research
B)Surveys are the most scientific form of psychological research.
C)Case studies are the most scientific form of psychological research.
D)Quasi experiments are the most scientific form of psychological research.
E)None of the above (no method of conducting psychological research is superior to all others).

Question 12

Which of the following is a not physiological measure?

A)A measure of blood flow through a person's brain.
B)A person's heart rate.
C)A person's response to questions on a survey.
D)A measure of skin conductance.
E)Both (c)and (d).

Question 13

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Case studies have no place in psychological research.
B)Case studies are only of use when larger samples of participants cannot be obtained.
C)There are almost no examples of influential case studies in psychology.
D)Case studies are only used in clinical psychology.
E)None of the above.

Question 14

According to Popper, what is the key way in which psychological theory progresses?

A)The falsification of incorrect theories.
B)The replacement of falsified theories with superior ones.
C)Scientific revolution which leads to the rejection of old ways of thinking.
D)Both (a)and (b).
E)All of the above.

Question 15

Brenda Milner's neuropsychological studies of HM - a man who had had brain surgery for epilepsy that left him with almost no ability to create long-term memories - are an example of what type of research method?

A)Experimental
B)Survey
C)Archical
D)Case study
E)None of the above

Question 16

"An association between two or more things, such that one causes the other (i.e.makes it happen)." What is this a glossary definition of?

A)Reification
B)Causal relationship
C)Theory
D)Experimental induction
E)Induction

Question 17

Which of the following is not an accepted feature of good research?

A)It should be cumulative.
B)It should be contribute to the development of theory
C)It should be valid.
D)It should be reliable.
E)None of the above (all are accepted features of good research).

Question 18

According to Thomas Kuhn, which of the following statements is false?

A)Science always progresses steadily and in a linear direction.
B)Science sometimes involves revolutions in thinking.
C)Science mainly involves steady progression, but is occasionally punctuated by revolutions in thinking.
D)Both (c)and (b).

Question 19

If an experimental finding is reliable, which of the following statements is true?

A)Other researchers should able to replicate it.
B)It supports a researcher's experimental predictions
C)It supports a researcher's theory
D)It occurred for the reason hypothesised by the researcher
E)It will make a significant contribution to scientific knowledge

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true?

A)It is easy to publish psychological research in peer-reviewed journals.
B)All psychological research is published in peer-reviewed journals.
C)Only experimental research is published in peer-reviewed journals.
D)There are no peer-reviewed journals in psychology.
E)None of the above.

Question 21

"The extent to which a given finding shows what it is believed to show.A valid finding is one that has been logically and correctly interpreted." What construct is this a glossary definition of?

A)Validity
B)Believeabilty.
C)Causal inference.
D)Deduction.
E)Reliability.

Question 22

"A procedure for acquiring and testing knowledge through systematic observation or experimentation (e.g., through use of empirical methods)." What 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

Question 23

"The goal of accounting for the maximum number of empirical findings in terms of the smallest number of theoretical principles".What research principle is this a glossary definition of?

A)Minimalism.
B)Maximalism.
C)Hypothetico-minimalism.
D)Parsimony.
E)None of the above.

Question 24

"Both (a)the process of attempting to reproduce a previously obtained finding and (b)a research finding which reproduces another that has been obtained previously." What does this glossary entry define?

A)Replication
B)Validation
C)Extension
D)Reproduction
E)Experimental validation

Question 25

"The process of rejecting conclusions and theories on the basis of evidence that is inconsistent with them." What research principle is this a glossary definition of?

A)Falsification.
B)Rejectionism.
C)Hypothetico-deductivism.
D)Defensiblity.
E)Evidential determinism.