Deck 4: Research Methods for Studying Mental Disorders

Question 1

Wayne, a young adolescent male, reports a history of seizures to his psychologist. His psychologists tries to determine if the seizures are psychogenic. In other words, they are trying to determine whether or not the seizures are ____.

A) contagious
B) from an accident
C) from genetic transmission
D) based on a psychological cause

Answer 1

D

Question 2

By definition, reliable measures ____; valid measures ____.

A) are manipulated by the experimenter; are not manipulated
B) measure what they are supposed to; are consistent
C) are consistent; measure what they are supposed to
D) are not manipulated by the experimenter; are manipulated

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is the role of replication in psychological research?

A) Replication assists psychologists in making accurate diagnoses.
B) Replication assists psychologists in determining which clients to treat.
C) Replication increases the chances that consumers will understand psychological research.
D) Replication provides scientifically verified approaches to treating mental illness.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Dr. Gonzalez devised a new scale to measure depressive symptoms of Hispanic females. To be sure that his test is actually measuring depressive symptoms, he will have his test group respond to his new instrument and the Beck Depression Inventory, as well as completing a social desirability scale, which should be unrelated to depression. Dr. Gonzalez is ____.

A) checking the validity of his measure of depressive symptoms
B) checking the reliability of his measure of depressive symptoms
C) assessing the honesty of his participants
D) pursuing idiographic research

Question 5

One psychologist says, "Depression stems from unconscious feelings of anger and abandonment that go back to childhood." Another psychologist says, "Depression is caused by illogical thoughts and assumptions." These differences of opinion ____.

A) illustrate the difficulty of science being self-correcting when there are different theories involved
B) suggest that psychology is not really a science
C) indicate that hypotheses typically reflect the same theoretical position
D) show that hypothesized reasons for one disorder can have different theories behind them

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of an operational definition?

A) Obesity occurs when a person becomes 20 percent over normal weight.
B) Frustration is when a person becomes upset with life.
C) A hypothesis is a conjecture about the relationship between variables.
D) Anxiety is how you felt the first time you had to give a speech.

Question 7

Cynthia wants to ensure that her research is consistent with the scientific method. Among the many characteristics of good research, she will need to be sure that ____.

A) she listens to her own intuition
B) her participants are aware of what will be done to them
C) her study has the potential for self-correction
D) her data remain confidential

Question 8

"I never accept the results of one study as conclusive. Findings must be replicated. I look carefully at the methods used to produce conclusions. Because of my skeptical attitude, you can assume that I am a ____."

A) philosopher
B) clinician
C) scientist
D) newspaper reporter

Question 9

Professor Pierrot told his class, "Clinical research must be replicable, relationships between variables must be clearly hypothesized and defined, and the measures used must be both reliable and valid." What additional characteristic should the professor include in his instructions?

A) Research data should be kept confidential, although conclusions should be shared with others.
B) Base rate data must be acknowledged.
C) The researcher's beliefs, attitudes, values, and emotions must guide the research.
D) It's important to be able to revise data that are collected.

Question 10

Which of the following is a hallmark of the scientific method?

A) systematic data collection for the testing of hypotheses
B) maintaining the privacy of researchers' methods so that ideas are not stolen
C) research conducted without the restrictions that hypotheses and theories put on our conception of phenomena
D) rejection of the concept "self-correction"

Question 11

Your neighbor tells you, "I'm concerned about vaccinating my children. I understand that scientists have proved that childhood vaccines cause autism." What response to your neighbor is most accurate?

A) "Actually, no one has ever studied this thoroughly, so no one really knows."
B) "Not really; well-designed studies have been done, and the research does not support a link between vaccines and autism."
C) "Not exactly; it seems that autism is caused by an equation of environmental conditions, with childhood vaccines being one of the many variables involved."
D) "You are right; double-blind research has shown that autism is caused by vaccines."

Question 12

Operational definitions are employed in order to ____.

A) explain how hypotheses relate to larger theories
B) state how one variable affects another variable
C) explain how independent variables are manipulated by the experimenter
D) clarify what the researcher means by a particular variable

Question 13

What conclusion can be reached from research findings that the mass media reports?

A) The findings from initial research are typically replicated.
B) Newspapers often get the facts wrong.
C) Initial findings reported by newspapers often are not replicated.
D) Newspapers are the best sources of scientific information.

Question 14

A research report includes this paragraph: "We hypothesized that anxiety disorders are more frequent in children whose parents are divorced. We looked at the frequency of anxiety problems in divorced and intact families, using court records to determine when the divorce took place." What component of scientific research is missing in this paragraph?

A) There is no operational definition of anxiety disorder.
B) There is no reliable way of determining timing of divorce.
C) There is no examination of base rates.
D) There is no clearly stated hypothesis.

Question 15

A coherent group of principles and hypotheses that explain some aspect of an area of study is a(n) ____.

A) valid measure
B) theory
C) correlation
D) operational definition

Question 16

Dr. Appel says, "Excessive alcohol consumption is when drinking interferes with social and occupational functioning." But Dr. Baker says, "Excessive alcohol consumption is when a person's frequency and quantity of drinking is in the top 10 percent of all drinkers." What the two doctors are disagreeing about is ____.

A) the need for a control group
B) an operational definition
C) the reliability of measurement
D) the base rate

Question 17

A portion of a research report says, "Gifted children-those under 14 and with an IQ over 130-are more likely to be popular than less-gifted children. Furthermore, their popularity is related to stronger social skills, and this ability is evident with adults as well as with children." What portion of the statement illustrates an operational definition?

A) Gifted children are under 14 and score more than 130 on IQ tests.
B) Gifted children are more likely to be popular.
C) Gifted children's popularity is due to stronger social skills.
D) Gifted children's social skills are evident with adults as well as with children.

Question 18

Emily came to see her advisor about doing a research study for her Ph.D. dissertation. "What are you going to investigate?" he asked.
"I believe that drinking orange juice before an IQ test will raise a person's score," she said.
Emily's answer constitutes a(n) ____.

A) idiographic orientation
B) hypothesis
C) operational definition
D) theory

Question 19

A researcher finds that when people report their sexual activity on a mailed questionnaire, they indicate higher levels of bizarre fantasies than when they are questioned face to face. This indicates that these methods of measuring sexual activity ____.

A) have high base rates
B) are high in validity
C) are negatively correlated
D) have low reliability

Question 20

A newspaper headline in 2004 might have read, "Antidepressants raise suicide risk in children and adolescents." What might subsequent news stories have reported?

A) More research is needed to determine the link between antidepressants and an increase in suicide risk as only one study found this to be the case.
B) Suicide risk is just as likely to be linked to antidepressant use as the other way around.
C) The researchers who reported these results were found to have faked them.
D) No action was taken by the FDA to address the link between antidepressants and the increase in suicide attempts.

Question 21

In a study of the effectiveness of cognitive therapy on anxiety, fifty anxious patients are divided into two groups. One group gets cognitive therapy, the other a fake kind of therapy that should have no benefit. However, the patients can tell that the second form of treatment is a fake. The study is weak because ____.

A) its placebo condition did not control for expectancy effects
B) it did not include an independent variable
C) it confuses experimental designs with correlational designs
D) it did not have a placebo condition

Question 22

Which of the following is not a characteristic of correlational studies?

A) They help researchers understand cause and effect.
B) They indicate the strength of a relationship between variables.
C) When two variables are highly related, knowledge about one variable can be used to make predictions about the other variable.
D) They are helpful in generating hypotheses for experimental research.

Question 23

Dr. Kendall is treating a group of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders. At the completion of the treatment program, analyses indicate that the clients are showing statistically significant changes as a result of treatment. Many of the clients, however, still report feeling strong symptoms of anxiety. Which of the following statements is accurate ?

A) Dr. Kendall needs a new operational definition for anxiety.
B) Although the treatment group showed statistically significant changes, the clinical significance of the results is questionable.
C) A study is clinically significant if it is statistically significant.
D) Dr. Kendall's treatment is successful because it has been shown to produce statistically significant changes.

Question 24

In the Thom et al. (2000) study of the treatment of dental-phobic patients, if participants in the two experimental groups showed reduced anxiety from pretest to posttest, could the researchers conclude that the treatments were effective in reducing anxiety?

A) Yes. Reduction in anxiety for the experimental groups would prove the effectiveness of the treatment.
B) No. There are many possible reasons why patients would show reduced anxiety, so the only way to know if the cause was the treatments would be to use a control group that did not get a treatment.
C) Yes, but only if one of the groups had a greater reduction in anxiety than the other.
D) No. To conclude that the treatments were effective, they would need to see if the effects last for many years afterwards.

Question 25

To study the effectiveness of a new anti-anxiety drug, researchers randomly assign equally anxious people to two groups, one getting Drug X and the other getting no drug. The researchers mistakenly conclude that Drug X works because people in the drug group show fewer signs of anxiety than the others. What is the mistake?

A) They never introduced an independent variable.
B) They did not create a placebo control group.
C) They never did a pretest of anxiety symptoms.
D) They did not operationally define what the experimental group was.

Question 26

Alicia suspects that her estranged husband is sexually abusing their daughter Kimberly during custodial visits. She tells her friend Heather that she became suspicious when she noticed Kimberly touching her sexual parts in bed on three separate occasions in the past week. Upon hearing this, Heather remarks, "Isn't it common for four-year-old girls to touch themselves in that way out of general curiosity?" Heather's comment concerns which of the following?

A) The base rate of the behavior
B) The iatrogenic effect of the behavior
C) The incidence of the behavior
D) The penetrance of the behavior

Question 27

Base rates obtained from a normal control group in response to a psychotic-traits questionnaire suggest that ____.

A) reports of bizarre thoughts provide strong evidence of psychotic disorders
B) normal controls are more likely to report bizarre thoughts on a written questionnaire than are psychotic individuals
C) base rates are less useful when comparing a normal group with a psychotic group than when comparing two normal groups
D) reports of bizarre thoughts or being bothered by the feeling of being watched do not necessarily indicate the presence of a psychotic disorder

Question 28

Rosie participates in a study assessing the effectiveness of a drug to treat osteoporosis. Throughout the study, neither Rosie nor the person administering the dosage knows whether she was getting the real medication or a placebo. Rosie is participating in a ____.

A) blind design study
B) correlational study
C) field study
D) double-blind design study

Question 29

A researcher believes that depressive symptoms will be reduced when family members give attention to competent behavior and express disinterest when depressive behavior is exhibited. In this example, attention is the ____ and depressive symptoms are the ____.

A) confounding variable; manipulated variable
B) dependent variable; independent variable
C) independent variable; dependent variable
D) experimental variable; control variable

Question 30

Truddi has been studying the topic of repressed memories. She is likely to find that ____.

A) experimental psychologists are much more likely than clinicians to believe in the validity of repressed memories
B) men are much more likely than women to believe in the validity of repressed memories
C) many clinicians believe that some therapeutic techniques can lead to false memories
D) cognitive psychologists are more likely than psychoanalytic psychologists to believe in the validity of repressed memories

Question 31

When is clinical significance most likely to be minimal while statistical significance is quite large?

A) when the sample size is very large
B) when the sample size is very small
C) when the base rate is very large
D) when the base rate is very small

Question 32

In order to compare how often some behavior or other phenomenon occurs in the population that is being studied, researchers examine ____.

A) correlations
B) reliable measurements
C) operational definitions
D) base rates

Question 33

For some strange reason, a music teacher gives students a vocabulary test before deciding what the right musical instrument is for each student. The vocabulary test gives consistent results, but the students are rarely happy with the instrument they play. The problem is that the vocabulary test ____.

A) is valid but not reliable
B) has excessive reliability
C) is neither reliable nor valid
D) is reliable but not valid

Question 34

A dilemma of experimental research is that research designs that produce high internal validity may have problems with ____.

A) random variables
B) external validity
C) confounding variables
D) reliability

Question 35

Dr. Malcolm is developing a new personality inventory. In his validation study, he ensures that his participants include individuals from every state, an equal number of men and women, individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, and individuals from both rural and urban areas. Dr. Malcolm is trying to ensure that his study is ____.

A) internally valid
B) tightly controlled
C) externally valid
D) reliable

Question 36

The best way to test cause-and-effect relationships is with a(n) ____.

A) case study
B) placebo
C) correlational study
D) experiment

Question 37

Which statement about clinical and statistical significance is accurate ?

A) It's more common for study findings to show clinical significance than statistical significance.
B) Large samples can produce statistical significance without showing clinical significance.
C) Statistical significance has greater practical value than clinical significance.
D) If there is statistical significance, we can assume there is clinical significance.

Question 38

A large school district introduces a new reading program into one-half of its first-grade classrooms. Three years later, the reading scores of the 10,000 children in the new program average 3 points higher on a 100-point test than the scores of the 10,000 children who did not get the program. Although 3 points is statistically significant, the problem with saying that the program was a great success is that ____.

A) the samples are too small to assess clinical significance
B) the reading test is probably not reliable
C) three points on the reading score is probably not clinically significant
D) there was no control group

Question 39

If the results of a study are due to factors other than those included in the research investigation, the study is said to have ____.

A) poor reliability
B) low statistical significance
C) a low base rate
D) poor internal validity

Question 40

In an experiment, the ____ is as similar as possible to the experimental group except that it is not exposed to the independent variable.

A) control group
B) placebo group
C) dependent variable group
D) randomized group

Question 41

Contrived situations are to ____ studies as naturalistic observations are to ____ studies.

A) field; correlational
B) correlational; experimental
C) field; epidemiological
D) analogue; field

Question 42

Analogue studies are used when researchers ____.

A) are unable to use an experimental design
B) are able to use only a single subject who must act as his or her own control
C) are unable to recruit a sufficient number of human participants
D) cannot practically or ethically observe behaviors as they occur in real life

Question 43

The 2007 Parents Television Council Study reported that people who watch more than three hours of television a day during the family time slot were much more likely to commit violent acts than people who watched less than one hour of television a day. What can be said about this research?

A) It proves that watching television leads to violence.
B) It proves that watching a lot of violence on television leads to committing acts of violence.
C) It suggests that there is an association between watching violence on television and committing acts of violence.
D) It suggests that there is little, if any, association between watching television and committing acts of violence.

Question 44

To better understand bulimia among college students, a researcher lives in a female freshman dorm for the fall semester to observe and interview students about their stresses, attitudes, and eating behaviors. This is an example of what type of study?

A) analogue
B) field
C) experimental
D) case

Question 45

Which statement is accurate about correlational studies?

A) They are very limited in the number of variables that can be evaluated at one time.
B) They allow us to evaluate variables that would be unethical to manipulate in other types of research.
C) They give us clear information about the direction of causality.
D) They can tell us about cause and effect.

Question 46

Suppose the results of a correlational study examining the association between poverty and psychotic behavior show a correlation coefficient of r = 0.80. One erroneous interpretation of the results is that poverty causes psychotic behavior. A correct response is that ____.

A) the study was actually an experiment.
B) a third variable causes both poverty and psychotic behavior
C) poverty and psychotic behavior are unrelated
D) the correlation is actually negative

Question 47

What is a serious drawback of using analogue studies?

A) They require larger samples than do other types of experimental studies.
B) Although the research offers high levels of control, the findings may not apply to anyone outside the sample studied.
C) Although the external validity of such research is strong, internal validity is usually weak.
D) It is difficult to gain the statistical significance needed for such studies to provide meaningful results.

Question 48

What type of study will yield information on whether or not persons who were abused as children develop mental disorders in adulthood?

A) meta-analysis
B) experiment
C) case study
D) correlational

Question 49

Suppose the only thing you know about a research study is that its statistical result is r = -0.74. What could you deduce?

A) It was an experiment in which the independent variable had an effect.
B) It is not only statistically significant but also clinically significant.
C) It was a correlational study where scores on one variable decreased as scores on the other increased.
D) It was a correlational study where no relationship was found between the first variable and the second.

Question 50

One thing that's true about correlational studies is that they ____.

A) identify third variables that account for associations among variables
B) tell us the direction of causality between two variables
C) can indicate the degree to which two variables are related
D) are not dependent on the validity of research instruments

Question 51

Results of a study show a significant positive correlation between scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale and a questionnaire on child abuse. The researchers conclude that this supports "the view that dissociation represents a reaction to early negative experience." What is one problem with this conclusion?

A) It suggests that the Dissociative Experiences Scale is valid.
B) It assumes there is a negative correlation when there was actually a positive correlation.
C) It suggests that child abuse is the same thing as dissociation.
D) It assumes there is a cause-and-effect relationship.

Question 52

Instead of manipulating variables, the researcher measures the extent to which changes in one variable are accompanied by changes in a second variable. What type of study is this?

A) analogue
B) experimental
C) epidemiological
D) correlational

Question 53

A researcher studies a group of elderly people and finds that, as a group, the better their memory performance, the lower their anxiety level. What can be said about this research?

A) It was a correlational study.
B) The results show that memory loss causes anxiety.
C) It was an experiment.
D) The results show a perfect positive correlation.

Question 54

To assess whether sexual sadism is influenced by watching sexually violent films, "normal" male participants are exposed to either violent or nonviolent sexual programs, and are then asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward women and their likelihood of engaging in violent behaviors with women. This kind of research is called a(n) ____.

A) analogue study
B) correlational study
C) epidemiological study
D) single-subject design

Question 55

The primary method for gathering data in a field study is ____.

A) through the use of questionnaires
B) by interviewing participants
C) by analyzing archival data
D) through observation in the natural environment

Question 56

Often, when new drugs are developed, their effects are first tested on animals rather than on humans. The use of animals as substitutes for humans in research is often referred to as ____.

A) descriptive research
B) substitution research
C) quasi-experimental research
D) analogue research

Question 57

Which of the following is an example of analogue research?

A) studying the effects of alcohol ingestion on pregnant rats in order to obtain further evidence to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome in human children
B) studying the effects of RET therapy on a population of depressed individuals
C) studying the effects of an art class on a group of heterogeneous school children in order to determine factors that enhance creativity
D) studying the effects of antipsychotic drugs on people diagnosed with schizophrenia

Question 58

Which of the following is the strongest correlation?

A) -0.22
B) 0
C) +0.76
D) -1.00

Question 59

A researcher believes that the higher a person's creativity, the greater the person's likelihood of showing mood swings. Research to test this idea ____.

A) could use the correlational method
B) would require an experimental design
C) could not have a nomothetic orientation
D) would require a double-blind design

Question 60

When researchers feel that an analogue study is too contrived to represent what goes on in real life accurately, they are likely to resort to what type of study instead?

A) case study
B) historical study
C) field study
D) correlational study

Question 61

In a genetic linkage study, which piece of information would be important?

A) whether behavior changes when individuals are exposed to a particular chemical or diet
B) whether the experimenter knows who is in the experimental group
C) the nationwide prevalence of the disorder under study
D) identifying family members who have the same disorder as the proband

Question 62

In an attempt to determine the effectiveness of a training program for children with Asperger's syndrome, Bock (2007) used which idiographic approach?

A) single-participant experiment
B) multiple-baseline study
C) case study
D) correlational study

Question 63

Experiments with large groups of subjects reflect the ____, whereas single-subject studies reflect the ____.

A) idiographic orientation; longitudinal orientation
B) scientific method; armchair approach
C) cross-cultural approach; nomothetic orientation
D) nomothetic orientation; idiographic orientation

Question 64

Dr. Cummins publishes an article describing a man who abused alcohol for 25 years before becoming abstinent after having a religious conversion experience. This article illustrates a ____.

A) nomothetic study
B) field study
C) case study
D) single-participant experiment

Question 65

Measurable heritable characteristics like brain abnormalities, attention processing deficits, or eye movements that give clues about specific genes involved in psychological disorders are called ____.

A) endophenotypes
B) iatrogenic effects
C) base rates for a behavior
D) genetic linkages

Question 66

Carmen has been diagnosed with major depression. Her twin sister Consuelo does not have the disorder. When asked if their parents suffer from major depression, researchers are likely to reduce bias in reporting by ____.

A) interviewing the twins together at the same time
B) interviewing each twin at least twice and at different points of time
C) refraining from contacting their parents
D) refraining from administering a psychological assessment

Question 67

Idiographic research is most effective ____.

A) in laboratory studies with nonhuman subjects
B) at showing clear cause-and-effect relationships
C) in applied clinical work
D) when large numbers of participants are used

Question 68

"There are many assets to using a field study," said the graduate student. "First, you're dealing with correlation, so you can draw conclusions about the direction of causality. Second, you have a high degree of control over confounding variables. Third, because you're dealing with a contrived situation, you're bound to have poor external validity. And fourth, your presence might influence the subjects' behavior." Which part of the graduate student's thinking was accurate ?

A) Because it's a correlational study, one can draw conclusions about causality.
B) This type of study affords a high degree of control over confounding variables.
C) Because this type of study is contrived, it will result in poor external validity.
D) The experimenters' presence can influence the subjects' behavior.

Question 69

A source of error that is of particular concern for researchers studying genetically linked disorders is ____.

A) the difficulty involved in finding probands
B) the difficulty of getting family members of probands to participate in the research
C) accurate reporting of whether people related to the probands are sick or well
D) getting funding to carry out the research

Question 70

A characteristic of all endophenotypes is that they are ____.

A) associated with a person's physical environment
B) inheritable
C) manifest only in an individual who has the disorder
D) detectable on brain scans

Question 71

Kira is involved in a research study consisting of four phases. First, her behavior is monitored under baseline conditions. Then her mother gives her rewards for specific behaviors. In the third stage, she goes back to baseline, and in the fourth, her mother again rewards her. What kind of research is this?

A) a single-participant experiment
B) longitudinal
C) correlational
D) a field study

Question 72

The case study and the single-participant experiment are two examples of ____.

A) epidemiological research
B) experimental studies
C) the nomothetic-orientation approach
D) the idiographic-orientation approach

Question 73

Unlike the case study, the single-participant experiment ____.

A) cannot determine cause-and-effect relationships
B) is based on the nomothetic research orientation
C) is better able to assess cause-and-effect relationships
D) is a correlational design

Question 74

Martin and Matthew are identical twins. Matthew has obsessive-compulsive disorder, but Martin does not. In a biological research study, who would be the proband?

A) Martin
B) Matthew
C) Martin and Matthew's mother
D) Martin and Matthew's older sister

Question 75

Dr. Quillen treats a chronic smoker by first recording the number of cigarettes smoked daily, then offering monetary rewards for each day that one fewer cigarette is smoked. Because the client's own behavior serves as a control, this kind of study is called a(n) ____.

A) analogue study
B) single-participant experiment
C) correlational study
D) case study

Question 76

Which type of study is especially valuable for studying rare phenomena and for evaluating the course of a disorder and its treatment?

A) field
B) case
C) nomothetic
D) correlational

Question 77

A particular concern about the usefulness of single-subject designs is ____.

A) researcher bias
B) whether they provide information about cause and effect
C) their internal validity
D) their external validity

Question 78

A researcher has identified seventy individuals with a relatively rare psychological disorder. These individuals are asked to identify blood relatives, who are contacted by the researcher to see if they have the same disorder. What kind of research study is being performed?

A) an epidemiological survey
B) a genetic linkage study
C) a historical study
D) a correlational case study

Question 79

Which of the following best illustrates a field study?

A) Caregivers of people with heart conditions are observed and interviewed at home.
B) Mice are observed before and after they are deprived of sleep.
C) A group of people are tested for intelligence when they are 20, 30, and 40 years old.
D) The brain wave patterns of autistic children are compared with those of nonautistic children.

Question 80

To better understand bulimia among college students, a researcher lives in a female freshman dorm for the fall semester to observe and interview students about their stresses, attitudes, and eating behaviors. A limitation of this field study is ____.

A) that it is too tightly controlled
B) the fact that it is actually a longitudinal study
C) the possibility that the researcher's presence influenced behavior
D) that it will have little external validity