Deck 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically

Question 1

Hypotheses typically specify lawful relations between certain behaviours and their causes, and tend to be broader than theories.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The three key scientific attitudes displayed by John Darley and Bibb Latané were curiosity, skepticism, and reason.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

An unobtrusive measure assesses behaviour without participants being aware that they are being observed.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The optimum operational definition for exam stress would be to focus on the psychological variable of self-reported anxiety.

Question 5

The problem in which we can't tell which of two variables causes the other (e.g., does A cause B or does B cause A) is called the third-variable problem.

Question 6

A hypothesis is a tentative explanation or prediction about some phenomenon.

Question 7

A major disadvantage of correlational research is that the correlation coefficient tells you the direction of a correlation (i.e., whether X and Y are negatively or positively correlated) but not how strongly the two variables are related.

Question 8

Random assignment is used to ensure that a sample is representative of the population from which it is drawn.

Question 9

Case studies enable us to make better generalizations than do naturalistic observations.

Question 10

All other things being equal, a simpler theory is considered to be better than a more complex theory.

Question 11

In both correlational research and experimental research, the experimenter manipulates a variable

Question 12

In an experiment, the independent variable is the one that is manipulated by the researcher.

Question 13

Researchers often manipulate more than one independent variable in experiments because it better captures the complexity of human behaviour.

Question 14

Self-report measures inform us about the behaviour of an individual, by asking for information from the people around him/her.

Question 15

A correlation of.53 is considered to be stronger than a correlation of -.78.

Question 16

An operational definition defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to measure it.

Question 17

The independent variable is the variable administered to the experimental group and the dependent variable is the variable administered to the control group.

Question 18

In correlational research, the experimenter measures all of the variables and statistically determines whether there is an association between them.

Question 19

Random sampling occurs when every member of a target population has an equal chance of being in a survey.

Question 20

The research method in which the researcher observes behaviour occurring in a natural setting is called a case study.

Question 21

A psychodynamic psychologist assumes that people with unresolved childhood issues are more susceptible to stress and anxiety. This psychologist's assumption is best viewed as an example of

A)a hypothesis
B)a theory
C)correlational research
D)a dependent variable

Question 22

When the experimenter's subtle or unintentional behaviours influence the behaviour of participants in his/her experiment, the placebo effect occurs.

Question 23

Which of the following lists the steps of the scientific process in the proper order?

A)Conduct research, ask question, create hypothesis, analyze data, build theory
B)Ask question, create hypothesis, conduct research, analyze data, build theory
C)Ask question, conduct research, create hypothesis, build theory, analyze data
D)Create hypothesis, ask question, conduct research, analyze data, build theory

Question 24

Sitting in class one day, Ben wonders aloud to his friend James, why the multiple-choice exams seem harder than essay exams. James, whose older sister is a college professor, tells him that research shows that it is easier to trick students with multiple-choice questions so they are in fact harder. "Wow!" Ben thinks, "So that explains it." Ben would have been better off seeking another opinion, or at least asking James about the research he is talking about. If he had, Ben would be demonstrating a healthy scientific attitude of

A)liberalism
B)skepticism
C)open-mindedness
D)creativity

Question 25

What three key attitudes did John Darley and Bibb Latané display in their research on "bystander apathy"?

A)Curiosity, skepticism, open-mindedness
B)Curiosity, optimism, open-mindedness
C)Creativity, optimism, curiosity
D)Rationality, curiosity, skepticism

Question 26

On the first day of school, Ted's fifth grade teacher asks her students to introduce themselves and tell the class what they did on their summer vacation. Ted notes that all of the smart kids had gone on great trips; so travel, he reasons, must make you smart. Ted gathers information from the students in his school and analyzes it. Ted is testing this ________.

A)theory
B)fact
C)hypothesis
D)formal explanation

Question 27

According to the ethical guidelines, deception is justified when there are no other alternatives and the potential benefits of a study outweigh the risks.

Question 28

One of the primary techniques for reducing both the placebo effect and experimenter expectancy effects is random selection.

Question 29

The first step in the scientific process is to

A)create a hypothesis
B)form a question about something interesting
C)propose a prediction
D)test a theory

Question 30

A hypothesis is best considered as

A)a tentative explanation about some phenomenon
B)a specific prediction, often in the form of an "if-then" statement
C)a set of formal statements that explain how certain events are related to one another
D)an empirical or correlational statement

Question 31

Many people doubted Sigmund Freud and his psychodynamic theory. They wanted to know what evidence Freud was basing his conclusions on and wondered if there might be a better explanation for the causes of human behaviour. These people's doubts are most similar to which key scientific attitude?

A)Curiosity
B)Skepticism
C)Liberalism
D)Creativity

Question 32

As part of their research on bystander apathy, John Darley and Bibb Latané created fake "emergencies" in their experimental laboratory and observed people's responses. When making these observations, what step of the scientific process were they engaged in?

A)Creating a hypothesis
B)Creating a prediction
C)Generating a theory
D)Conducting research

Question 33

A humanistic psychologist believes that people who don't have a clear sense of meaning in their lives are more vulnerable to depression and physical illness. This psychologist's beliefs are best viewed as an example of

A)scientific skepticism
B)a hypothesis
C)a theory
D)conducting research

Question 34

If an experiment has a confounding variable, this significantly lowers its internal validity.

Question 35

External validity is concerned with how generalizable the results of a study are to other people and settings.

Question 36

A researcher, who is always willing to consider criticisms of his theory and to make theoretical revisions and adjustments when the evidence supports it, is demonstrating behaviour most consistent with which key scientific attitude?

A)Skepticism
B)Curiosity
C)Rationality
D)Open-mindedness

Question 37

John Darley's and Bibb Latané's statement, "IF an emergency occurs, THEN the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely any one bystander will be to intervene" is best considered an example of a(n)

A)specific prediction
B)proven theory
C)behavioural correlation
D)initial research question

Question 38

Bruce notices that on the days that he eats lunch at Archie's diner, people are less likely to ask him to join them for the afternoon coffee break. Bruce wonders why this is happening and thinks that his co-workers must assume that he doesn't want coffee after a hearty lunch. If Bruce were to use the scientific process, now that he has a tentative explanation, he would translate this into a(n)

A)specific prediction
B)trial
C)theory
D)experiment

Question 39

John Darley and Bibb Latané made the following assumption: "diffusion of responsibility reduces the likelihood of any single bystander feeling responsible to intervene in an emergency." This assumption is an example of a(n)

A)dependent variable
B)operational definition
C)independent variable
D)hypothesis

Question 40

According to the results of the study done by John Darley and Bibb Latané, if you are robbed at gunpoint while walking home from the grocery store, your best chance of receiving help from witnesses would be when

A)the robber wears a mask and thinks he is not recognized by the bystanders
B)one person across the street witnesses the crime
C)several people getting off of a bus across the street see what is happening
D)it is broad daylight and the street is very crowded

Question 41

Professor Smith has developed a theory that is rather straightforward compared to the complex theory of Professor Jones. Both theories generate a number of new hypotheses from other researchers. Even though both theories predict the same phenomena well, the preferred theory is ________.

A)Professor Smith's because it conforms to the law of parsimony
B)Professor Smith's because it will be easiest to prove
C)Professor Jones' because it is complex and will generate more hypotheses
D)Professor Jones' because its complexity allows for more testability

Question 42

Scientists typically test their understanding through

A)prediction and control
B)the use of narrative research
C)examining existing variables
D)the use of survey research

Question 43

Which of the following is a characteristic of a good theory?

A)A good theory is complex and sophisticated.
B)A good theory is difficult to test through empirical science.
C)A good theory organizes information in a meaningful way.
D)A good theory uses operational definitions.

Question 44

After a visit to her doctor, Kristen is told she has a rare disease and needs surgery immediately. When Kristen seeks a second opinion, she avoids a hindsight understanding from her second doctor. What did Kristen do to avoid the second doctor's hindsight understanding?

A)She told the second doctor the first doctor's diagnosis so that she has all of the information necessary to make her own diagnosis.
B)She told the second doctor the first doctor's diagnosis because it is rare and the symptoms might be easily missed.
C)She did not tell the second doctor the first doctor's diagnosis, as the second opinion is costing her just as much as the first.
D)She did not tell the second doctor the first doctor's diagnosis so that he/she is not influenced by the first doctor's explanation.

Question 45

When presented with the findings of psychological research, it is not uncommon for people to comment that the results are trivial and obvious. This tendency illustrates one of the limitations of

A)hypotheses
B)hindsight understanding
C)theories
D)independent variables

Question 46

A distinction between theories and hypotheses is that

A)theories tend to be broader than hypotheses
B)hypotheses tend to be broader and more externally valid than theories
C)theories tend to be externally valid while hypotheses tend to be internally valid
D)theories use operational definitions while hypotheses do not

Question 47

A formal set of statements that explains why and how certain events are related to one another is called a(n) ____________.

A)hypothesis
B)specific prediction
C)theory
D)operational definition

Question 48

A researcher is interested in studying what factors influence interpersonal attraction. In a study designed to explore this variable, the researcher uses a very attractive person for an assistant. Interpersonal attraction is then assessed by whether the people participating in the study call up the attractive assistant to ask the person on a date. In this example, the means used to assess interpersonal attraction would be considered a(n)

A)correlational study
B)hypothesis
C)case study
D)operational definition

Question 49

A(n) ________ definition defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to measure it.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)operational
D)representative

Question 50

A psychologist is interested in studying stress. Since stress can mean different things to different people, she decides that she would like to assess stress by measuring people's blood pressure. This psychologist has just created a(n)

A)control group
B)operational definition
C)independent variable
D)case study

Question 51

In research, any characteristic that can vary is called a(n) _________.

A)operational definition
B)hypothesis
C)variable
D)theory

Question 52

Which of the following was mentioned in the text as a characteristic of a good theory?

A)Good theories are simple theories.
B)Good theories are long and explicative theories.
C)Good theories confirm pre-existing hypotheses.
D)Good theories focus on independent variables.

Question 53

One of the problems of after-the-fact or "hindsight" explanations is that

A)there are many ways of explaining past events and there is usually no way to know which of these ways is correct
B)they fail to provide a foundation on which further scientific study can occur
C)they are usually too theoretically complex and sophisticated
D)there are many ways of explaining past events, without overemphasizing external validity

Question 54

A psychologist during the time of Freud creates a new and different theory designed to explain human behaviour. Using this new theory, it is relatively easy to design studies and experiments to evaluate its validity. This is in contrast to the concepts of Freud's theory, which were very difficult to measure. This new theory best illustrates which characteristic of a good theory?

A)The theory is testable.
B)The theory is parsimonious.
C)The theory is consistent with previous research findings.
D)The theory organizes information in a meaningful way.

Question 55

A theory is best defined as

A)a tentative explanation or prediction about some phenomenon
B)a specific prediction, often in the form of an "if-then" statement
C)conducting research to test a prediction
D)a set of statements that explains the relationship between various events

Question 56

If a research study found that career motivation was higher among recent immigrants to Canada than long-standing Canadian residents, most people might readily offer several reasonable explanations for this finding. However, if a study found that career motivation was higher among long-standing Canadian residents than recent immigrants to Canada, most people might generate an equally convincing set of explanations. This example demonstrates the problems associated with

A)operational definitions
B)hypotheses
C)hindsight reasoning
D)theoretical predictions

Question 57

Shireen thinks that people learn better when they enjoy the course in which they are studying. In order to test her prediction, she must operationalize her variables. Which of the following best represents valid operational definitions of the variables contained within her prediction?

A)test score; student ratings of the course
B)number of hours studying; student ratings of the course
C)test score; number of assignments submitted
D)number of hours studying; number of assignments submitted

Question 58

The notion that if two theories can equally explain and predict the same phenomenon, then the simpler one is the preferred theory is the law of __________.

A)least complexity
B)parsimony
C)consistency
D)simplicity

Question 59

Imagine a research area in psychology where there are several seemingly conflicting findings and theories. You develop a new theory that resolves these conflicts and explains the findings of this area within a single broad framework. Your theory best demonstrates which characteristic of a good theory?

A)Your theory conforms to the law of parsimony.
B)Your theory's predictions are supported by previous research.
C)Your theory conforms to the law of simplicity.
D)Your theory organizes information in a meaningful way.

Question 60

The essential function of an operational definition is that it translates something

A)observable into something abstract and measurable
B)relevant into something abstract and observable
C)observable into something abstract and relevant
D)abstract into something observable and measurable

Question 61

A social psychologist is interested in studying aggression in sports fans. He goes to various sporting events and keeps track of the number of aggressive acts that occur between fans using a well-defined coding system. This psychologist is using which of the following ways of measuring behaviour?

A)Self-report measures
B)Physiological measures
C)Behavioural observations
D)Scientific measures

Question 62

A researcher wants to know how much time students in a dorm spend watching TV, but she has noticed that students tend to leave the TV room when she comes in to see who is watching. To get around this problem, she decides to observe wear-and-tear on the TV remote control as a measure of how much time students spend watching TV. Like many psychologists, this researcher is using a(n)

A)unobtrusive measure
B)hypothetical measure
C)double-blind measure
D)placebo measure

Question 63

The tendency to respond in a socially appropriate manner rather than according to how a person actually thinks, feels, or behaves is called the

A)social acceptability bias
B)social desirability bias
C)social adequacy bias
D)social worth bias

Question 64

An advantage of using operational definitions is that

A)they allow other researchers to agree with these definitions
B)they let other researchers know exactly what is meant by the various terms
C)they automatically generate the relevant dependent and independent variables
D)they are consistent with the law of parsimony

Question 65

One of the major limitations of behavioural observations is that

A)researchers know that people may behave differently when they know they are being watched
B)researchers know that people may not behave differently when they know they are being watched
C)researchers do not know whether people's behaviours are internally valid
D)researchers do not know what a given physiological response really means

Question 66

A limitation of physiological measures of behaviour is that

A)they are subject to the social desirability bias of physiological measurement
B)they are subject to random sampling of physiological measures
C)they fail to use operational definitions for physiological measures
D)they fail to convey what a given physiological response means

Question 67

An in-depth study of an individual, a group, or an event is called a _________________.

A)naturalistic observation
B)survey
C)case study
D)correlational study

Question 68

Two research assistants trained to code the type of interactions observed between siblings, repeatedly disagree on how to code siblings' sarcastic comments toward one another. The resulting data may then be

A)useful, as there is diversity in the observation
B)useful, and the consistent disagreement can be further studied
C)useless, as the coding system may be faulty
D)useless, as the information derived may be unreliable

Question 69

If a measure of behaviour is reliable, we know that it is

A)valid
B)operationally defined
C)based on a theory
D)consistent

Question 70

Brain imaging technology is generally used to explore the following

A)physical disabilities
B)motivation
C)drug efficacy
D)social skills acquisition

Question 71

A case study is considered to be which type of research method?

A)Descriptive research
B)Correlational research
C)Experimental research
D)Hypothetical research

Question 72

In a study designed to investigate the causes of stress, a psychological researcher measures stress by monitoring people's heart rate and blood pressure. In this study, the researcher has utilized which method of measuring behaviour?

A)Self-report measures
B)Archival records
C)Physiological measures
D)Behavioural observations

Question 73

In order to assess the effectiveness of a new province-wide seatbelt law, researchers collect data from the department of transportation regarding the number of traffic fatalities in the last year. This type of measurement of behaviour is called a(n)

A)chronological record
B)archival record
C)historical record
D)sequential record

Question 74

An fMRI study confirmed that the ventral and dorsal streams of the visual cortex independently processes object perception and object ____.

A)shape
B)action
C)size
D)colour

Question 75

People sometimes change their behaviour when they know that they are being observed. To counter this problem, psychologists monitor behaviours in a way that people are unaware that they are being observed. These measures are called _________.

A)hidden measures
B)unintentional measures
C)unobtrusive measures
D)subtle measures

Question 76

Despite having excellent vision, Kris was unable to grasp or pick up objects properly. It is likely that he has damaged his

A)visual cortex: ventral stream
B)visual cortex: dorsal stream
C)motor cortex
D)cerebellum

Question 77

A researcher is interested in studying the frequency of aggression in school-aged children. Which would be the best method to use to measure aggression?

A)Self-report measures
B)Behavioural observations
C)Physiological measures
D)Archival records

Question 78

The social desirability bias exists as a limitation of which of the ways of measuring behaviour?

A)Physiological measures
B)Behavioural observations
C)Reports by others
D)Self-report measures

Question 79

A child psychologist is working with a young child named Sally. In order to get more information, the psychologist interviews Sally's parents and asks them about Sally's childhood experiences. This would best be considered an example of which of the major ways of measuring behaviour?

A)Self-report measures
B)Physiological measures
C)Reports by others
D)Behavioural observations

Question 80

Pre-existing documents that researchers use to gather information about people's overt behaviours are called __________.

A)archival measures
B)physiological reports
C)self-report measures
D)random samples