Deck 3: Research Methods in Psychology

Question 1

General strategies that may be used for conducting research are known as

A) Experiments
B) Observations
C) Research methods
D) Interventions

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The most basic Type of descriptive research is the

A) Correlation
B) Case study
C) Interview
D) Observation

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following best describes a descriptive research method in which the researcher gathers detailed information about a single individual, group, family or organisation in order to better understand a phenomenon

A) Interview
B) Experiment
C) Case study
D) Correlation

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is a critique of case study research

A) They are expensive to run
B) They may not generalise to other people
C) They require teams of interdisciplinary researchers
D) They are unethical

Question 5

Which of the following is a strength of questionnaires?

A) There is often a low response rate
B) It can be administered to a large amount of people without a researcher present
C) they can be used with young children
D) They do not require ethical approval

Question 6

Interviews may be preferable over questionnaires when:

A) researchers want to test vulnerable populations
B) Researchers are collecting personal information
C) Larger numbers are required
D) researchers wish to ask open questions where elaboration is encouraged

Question 7

Which of the following is one way in which researchers with a pre-existing bias may deliberately influence the outcome of surveys?

A) Through making the survey too long
B) Typos and errors in the survey
C) Through wording effects
D) The format and layout of the survey

Question 8

A quota sample refer to

A) A sample drawn from the population whereby participants are deliberately selected that match some of the required characteristics (e.g., sex)
B) A small sample of participants that are experts in your area of interest
C) Those participants who do not choose to take part in your study
D) A random sample of participants

Question 9

A biased sample can be explained as

A) A sample of participants who know the aims of your study
B) A sample drawn from the population whereby participants are deliberately selected that match some of the required characteristics (e.g., sex)
C) Those participants who do not choose to take part in your study
D) A group of individuals that are not representative of the population of interest

Question 10

During a covert observation:

A) participants give consent to taking part before the observation begins
B) participants are aware they are being watched
C) participants are unaware that they are being watched
D) Participants are asked about their experiences and opinions

Question 11

During an overt observation

A) participants are aware they are being watched
B) the observation must take place inside of a lab environment
C) Some participants know they are being watched and some participants are unaware that they are being watched
D) participants are unaware that they are being watched

Question 12

The distinction between participant and non-participant observations is:

A) Participant observations rely on observing human participants whereas non-participant observations rely on observing animals
B) Participant observations require the observer to participant in activities alongside those they are observing, whereas non-participant observations there is a clear separate of roles between observers and those being observed
C) Participant observations are always covert, whereas non-participant observations can be either overt or covert
D) Non-participant observations require the observer to participant in activities alongside those they are observing, whereas participant observations there is a clear separate of roles between observers and those being observed

Question 13

In correlational research

A) Psychologists examine whether one variable is associated with or correlated with another variable
B) Psychologists ask whether one variable causes the other
C) Psychologists are interested in observing participants in their natural environment
D) Psychologists are looking to prove a theory

Question 14

When one variable increases as the other variable increases, the correlation is said to be

A) Significant
B) Positive
C) Negative
D) Non-significant

Question 15

When one variable decreases as the other variable increases, the correlation is said to be

A) Positive
B) Non- significant
C) Negative
D) Significant

Question 16

When one variable increases and the other variable does not change, this is an example of

A) A positive correlation
B) No correlation
C) A negative correlation
D) A scatterplot

Question 17

Correlation is measures with a statistic known as the

A) t-test
B) mean
C) correlation coefficient
D) correlation mean

Question 18

A correlation coefficient of 14 would represent

A) A very strong positive correlation
B) No correlation
C) A correlation coefficient can only be between -1 and +1
D) A significant effect

Question 19

The correlation coefficient provides information about

A) Whether there is a significant correlation between two variables
B) The strength and direction of the correlation between two variables
C) Whether one variable causes the other variable
D) The statistical difference between two independent groups

Question 20

In correlational research a lurking variable refers to

A) The variable of interest
B) The variable that is manipulated within the study
C) A variable that influences two or more measured variables, creating the false impression that there is causal relationship
D) a statistic that quantifies the strength and direction of a variable

Question 21

A true experiment enables psychologists to

A) Infer causality
B) Infer relationships between variables
C) Compare pre-existing groups
D) manipulate the data once collected

Question 22

An independent variable refers to

A) The variable that is purposely manipulated
B) The variable that is being measured
C) A lurking variable
D) A variable with independent groups in each condition

Question 23

A dependent variable refers to

A) A lurking variable
B) The variable that is being measured
C) The variable that is purposely manipulated
D) A variable with independent groups in each condition

Question 24

When each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the conditions of the experiment, they are said to be

A) Non-randomly assigned
B) Randomly assigned
C) A control group
D) The experimental group

Question 25

A double-blind experiment is one in which

A) Both the research participants and those interacting directly with the study are aware of the exact nature of the hypotheses being tests and/or to which level of the independent variable a participant has been exposed
B) The research participants are unaware of which level of the independent variable they have been assigned to and/or are unaware of the nature of the researcher's hypothesis
C) Neither the subject nor those interacting directly with the study are aware of the exact nature of the hypotheses being tests and/or to which level of the independent variable a participant has been exposed
D) All participants have been instructed on how to behave during the study

Question 26

In an experiment, any variable that exerts a measurable effect on the dependent variable without the knowledge of the experimenter is called

A) The independent variable
B) A confounding variable
C) The dependent variable
D) A continuous variable

Question 27

When participants realise the aim of a study and modify their behaviour accordingly this is referred to as

A) Participant bias
B) Experimenter bias
C) Good subject tendency
D) Psychological bias

Question 28

A p value of <.05 means

A) That the probability of these results being due to chance alone is 5%
B) That the probability of these results being due to chance alone is 95%
C) The effect size is large
D) The findings are non-significant

Question 29

The statistic which measures the magnitude, or strength, of a difference found between groups on a variable is known as a/an

A) P value
B) Effect size
C) Descriptive statistic
D) Correlation

Question 30

Qualitative data refers to

A) Data in a non-numeric form
B) Data in a numeric form
C) Data that is collected with large samples
D) The research output from a psychological study

Question 31

Which Type of analysis aims to deconstruct language to uncover ideological assumptions in the ways we use language

A) Statistical analysis
B) Quantitative analysis
C) Content analysis
D) Discourse analysis

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT one of the BPS ethical guideline

A) Risk
B) Confidentiality
C) Valid consent
D) Scientific integrity

Question 33

A p value of .02 means

A) The effect size is large
B) That the probability of these results being due to chance alone is 98%
C) That the probability of these results being due to chance alone is 2%
D) The findings are non-significant

Question 34

A blind experiment is one in which

A) Both the research participants and those interacting directly with the study are aware of the exact nature of the hypotheses being tests and/or to which level of the independent variable a participant has been exposed
B) The research participants are unaware of which level of the independent variable they have been assigned to and/or are unaware of the nature of the researcher's hypothesis
C) Neither the subject nor those interacting directly with the study are aware of the exact nature of the hypotheses being tests and/or to which level of the independent variable a participant has been exposed
D) All participants have been instructed on how to behave during the study

Question 35

The good subject tendency is

A) The process of removing data from 'bad' subjects
B) The general desire of research participants to please the experimenter or give the experimenter what he or she 'wants'
C) The act of only recruiting willing participants
D) The tendency to only recruit participants known to the researcher

Question 36

Operational definitions are

A) A precise definition of a variable in terms that can be utilized for a research study
B) Variables that are manipulated by the researcher
C) A subjective interpretation of a variable within a study
D) The way in which researchers define which statistical analysis is best suited to answer the research question

Question 37

External validity is defined as

A) the extent to which the results of research can apply to the sample tested
B) The extent to which the results of statistical testing are significant
C) The extent to which the results of research are of interest to the general public
D) The extent to which the results of research generalise to real-world settings

Question 38

Thematic analysis (TA) is one example of

A) Inferential statistics
B) Qualitative analysis
C) Descriptive statistics
D) Quantitative methods

Question 39

In content analysis

A) Qualitative data is coded quantitatively and analysed statistically
B) Texts or transcripts are analysed on how language has been used to construct a version of reality
C) Blocks of text and transcripts are analysed for themes
D) Quantitative data analysis is not used

Question 40

Which of the following refers to a set of rules put together to make it easier to conform to standards of morally correct behaviour

A) Moral codes
B) Ethical codes
C) Themes
D) Discourse analysis

Question 41

The British Psychological Society's ethical principle that 'Psychologists should produce research that is of benefit to both participants and the common good', is known as

A) Social responsibility
B) Respect
C) Scientific integrity
D) Confidentiality

Question 42

According to the British Psychological Society's ethical guidelines, participants should be able to withdraw some or all of their data

A) At any point in the research process
B) Up to 24 hours after the study has been conducted
C) Before the end of the study
D) In no circumstances

Question 43

When participants are deliberately misinformed about the research this is known as

A) consent
B) deception
C) withdrawal
D) ethics

Question 44

Which of the following is a branch of philosophy devoted to the nature of reality

A) realism
B) ontology
C) Fundamentalism
D) Oncology

Question 45

Statistical literacy refers to

A) The ability to find significant findings
B) The ability to make sense of statistical information
C) The ability to make sense of qualitative methods
D) The ability to gain ethical approval

Question 46

The core difference between qualitative and quantitative research is

A) Qualitative data gathers non-numerical data, whereas quantitative data gathers numerical data
B) Quantitative data gathers non-numerical data, whereas quantitative data gathers numerical data
C) Qualitative data can only be analysed qualitatively whereas quantitative data can be analyses qualitatively and quantitatively
D) Quantitative data rejects numbers and adopts a more interpretive and less empirical view of the world

Question 47

Significance testing

A) Rejects numbers and adopts a less empirical view of the world
B) Tells us whether a research question is worth studying
C) Tells us the probability that a given set of data would be expected by chance alone
D) Is always used alongside qualitative research methods

Question 48

An independent variable in an experiment is the variable that researchers measure

Question 49

Psychologists can extract quantitative data from qualitative data and analyse this using quantitative analysis

Question 50

When one variable increases as the other variable increases, the correlation is said to be a negative correlation

Question 51

A psychologistic finds a strong positive correlation between number of hours studying and exam performance. The psychologist concludes that number of hours studying causes better exam performance. The conclusions drawn are:

Question 52

Random assignment to conditions is when each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the conditions of the experiment

Question 53

A psychologist suspects that there is good subject tendency within his experiment. This means that participants are likely to give good quality data.

Question 54

In a blind experiment neither the subject nor those interacting directly with them are aware of the exact nature of the hypotheses being tested and/or to which level of the independent variable a participant has been exposed.

Question 55

Thematic analysis (TA) involves deconstructing text or transcripts for examples of how language has been used to construct a version of reality

Question 56

A psychologist finds a strong positive correlation between two variables. This means that the correlation coefficient will be above 0.

Question 57

Statistical significance is the same thing as an effect size.

Question 58

In experimental design _________are all the ways in which experimenters work to keep all variables constant other than the independent variable(s) being manipulated.

Question 59

_________validity is the extent to which the results of research generalize to real-world settings.

Question 60

_________analysis aims to deconstruct language to uncover ideological assumptions in the ways we use language

Question 61

The inferential procedure traditionally used to determine the probability of chance factors affecting results is known as ______ testing.

Question 62

_________means deliberately misinforming participants about the research.

Question 63

The _________variable is the variable being manipulated in an experiment to determine the possible effects on a _________variable (DV).

Question 64

In an experiment, any variable that exerts a measurable effect on the dependent variable without the knowledge of the experimenter is called a _________variable or ______.

Question 65

The ______, median and _________are all Types of descriptive statistics.

Question 66

__________________affects results of a study when participants realize the aim of the study and modify their behaviour accordingly

Question 67

_________analysis involves taking a text or transcript and counting the frequency of particular words

Question 68

Describe the British Psychological Society's ethical guidelines. In your answer, refer to how you would ensure that these guidelines are met during an experiment.

Question 69

Explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative data. In your answer use examples of research methods that you may use to collect each of these Types of data.

Question 70

Explain the difference between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. You may wish to give examples in your answer.

Question 71

Explain what is mean by the statement correlation does not imply causation.