Deck 6: Psychology As a Science: What Is Science

Question 1

A theory that is falsifiable is:

A) correct.
B) incorrect.
C) requires "big data" to be evaluated.
D) None of these.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Feyerabend is most associated with the idea of:

A) falsification.
B) methodological anarchy/against methods.
C) scientific paradigms.
D) normal science and revolutions.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The US Supreme Court, in Daubert 1993, said that for a scientific theory to admissible via expert testimony:

A) that p < .05.
B) that the theory is falsifiable.
C) that the theory is provable.
D) that the theory is understood by the lay person.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Wundt's Völkerpsychologie is most similar to which of the following?

A) Biological Psychology
B) Experimental Psychology
C) Germanic Psychology
D) Societal Psychology

Question 5

HARKING refers to:

A) hypothesizing after results are known.
B) making a sound like a bird call during a discovery (i.e., a Eureka moment).
C) thinking back about how a study could have been designed in a better way.
D) None of these.

Question 6

Erich von Däniken's ancient alien hypothesis is often considered unscientific because:

A) it is wrong.
B) it is not falsifiable.
C) research based on this hypothesis has not been published.
D) he does not specify where the aliens are from and therefore his findings cannot be confirmed by astronomers.

Question 7

The conventional alpha is .05. If a lower value, like .001, becomes the convention and nothing else changes with the research design, this will likely lead to:

A) more type 1 errors.
B) more type 2 errors.
C) more spurious publications.
D) more research published.

Question 8

"p-fishing" refers to scientists:

A) getting funding from un-named sources.
B) trying multiple ways to analyze data and only reporting those consistent with what they want.
C) not using large enough samples for their research.
D) None of these.

Question 9

Find p < .05 means that:

A) your study worked and you discovered something.
B) the size of the effect is large enough to be newsworthy.
C) you know the likely direction of the effect that you investigated.
D) you need to collect more data so that the p value is lower.

Question 10

Those advocating for pre-registration believe it will:

A) discourage researchers from trying several methods to analyse data, finding one that is consistent with their theory, and acting as if this was the only one in which they were interested.
B) discourage researchers from paying participants too much compensation, thereby questioning whether the study is truly voluntary.
C) discourage researchers from conducting research that is similar, or even a direct replication, of previous research.
D) None of these.

Question 11

Exercise 4 had you consider a study where use of traditional statistics showed a dead salmon reacted to human emotions. This study most clearly shows the problem with:

A) creating fraudulent data.
B) testing multiple hypotheses without taking this into account.
C) "publish or perish."
D) the ethical treatment of animals in research.

Question 12

Fraudulent data/research practice can be detected and reported:

A) prior to publication of research by members of the research team (including participants).
B) prior to publication of research by reviewers and editors, and for student submissions by faculty.
C) after publication (or grading) by anyone, include data forensic specialists.
D) All of these

Question 13

Isaac Asimov's phrase: "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka' but 'That's funny' " was presented to show:

A) that science does not proceed in simple predictable ways.
B) that science does proceed in simple predicable ways.
C) that science is fun.
D) that science is funny.

Question 14

Which of the following reasons best explain the growth of qualitative methods in the UK?

A) They undermined quantitative methods
B) Researchers recognised they were more useful than quantitative methods
C) They were increasingly seen to be legitimate for answering some research questions
D) All of these

Question 15

Which of the following is least associated with objectivity?

A) Transparency
B) Consensus
C) Impartiality
D) Awareness of multiple perspectives

Question 16

What do ethnographic studies of natural scientists working in laboratories show?

A) The objectivity of science
B) Bias in measurement can be minimized
C) Scientists make active choices
D) Facts can be separated from opinions

Question 17

Which concept is most applicable when considering replication of qualitative research?

A) Reproducibility
B) Particularity
C) Generalizability
D) Transparency

Question 18

Transparency of qualitative research has implications for:

A) sharing data.
B) providing access to information about analysis.
C) providing information about how methods were selected.
D) All of these.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is most problematic?

A) Quantitative psychology has adopted many of its research tenets from the natural sciences.
B) The distinction between qualitative and quantitative research methods can often be blurred.
C) Decisions about assigning priorities for research funding are value-free.
D) Epistemological pluralism cuts across qualitative - quantitative distinctions.