Deck 2: Research Methods and Issues

Question 1

In this chapter's Senior View, the Kingbergs tell us that the key to aging gracefully is to

A) stay in love and respect each other
B) plan ahead
C) eat the right food
D) all of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Theory is important in developmental research because it helps to

A) explain research findings
B) reveal unconscious forces
C) intellectually test hypotheses
D) all of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is not one of the major issues underlying research and theory in human aging?

A) nature vs. nurture
B) top-down vs. bottom-up
C) stability vs. change
D) mechanistic vs. organismic

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If you believe that human behavior is largely shaped and determined by the environment in which a person has grown up in and currently lives in and that we have little control over our own development, you would be holding the _____ side of this view of development.

A) top-down
B) continuity
C) mechanistic
D) psychoanalytic

Question 5

If you believe that our development is mostly determined by our genes and that the environment plays a very small part, you would be holding the _____ side of this view of development.

A) organismic
B) nature
C) cognitive
D) stability

Question 6

If you believe that changes occur all throughout human development and that those changes are quite sudden and result in qualitative differences, you would be holding the
_____ side of this view of development.

A) nature
B) mechanistic
C) change
D) discontinuity

Question 7

The life-span developmental perspective claims that development

A) changes dramatically over the entire life-span
B) must be studied apart from the context in which it occurs
C) is composed of both gains and losses at all ages
D) can be reversed at any age prior to 65

Question 8

If we found that memory loss was significantly correlated with the number of medications that people consume, we could conclude that

A) memory loss cause people to take more medication
B) high levels of medicationslead to memory loss
C) medication use and memory loss are related
D) all of the above

Question 9

A researcher finds that today's 70 year olds are less concerned about pollution than today's 30 year olds. This difference could be due to the _____ of the participants.

A) age
B) cohort
C) either or both of the above
D) only age or cohort but not both

Question 10

A researcher who is interested in the relationship between two variables is most likely to use which of the following approaches?

A) quasi-experimental
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sequential
D) correlational

Question 11

A researcher who is interested in the differences between two or more groups of people is most likely to use which of the following approaches?

A) quasi-experimental
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sequential
D) correlational

Question 12

A good synonym for the word "cohort" would be

A) ethnic group
B) age
C) generation
D) gender

Question 13

Three important variables are tied together in developmental research. Which of the following is not one of these three?

A) age
B) cohort
C) gender
D) time of measurement

Question 14

A researcher finds that age is negatively correlated with alcohol consumption. This means that older adults

A) drink more than younger adults
B) drink less than younger adults
C) drink about the same as young adults and experience the same negative effects
D) are more likely than young adults to experience the negative effects of alcohol consumption

Question 15

A researcher who wants to examine both age and cohort differences is advised to use a _____ design.

A) cross-sectional
B) cross-sequential
C) longitudinal
D) quasi-experimental

Question 16

Before we can collect data from other human beings we must make sure that they

A) are informed and consent to participate
B) have data that will be worth collecting
C) have not previously participated
D) all of the above

Question 17

When a researcher is part of the situation that is being observed, the researcher is referred to as a(n)

A) indispensible investigator
B) interference producer
C) participant observer
D) intentional intruder

Question 18

A small group brought together to discuss some topic or evaluate some product is referred to as a(n) _____ group.

A) discussion
B) rhetoric
C) assessment
D) focus

Question 19

Before a researcher can begin to collect data, he or she must first

A) prepare any analyses that will be conducted
B) obtain approval from an IRB
C) write the initial parts of the later report
D) all of the above

Question 20

The ethical standards of the APA say that research cannot be conducted unless the participants

A) have their confidentiality protected
B) grant their informed consent
C) be made aware of any potential risks
D) all of the above

Question 21

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential designs used to study issues in aging.

Question 22

Describe correlational and quasi-experimental research. What sorts of questions does each examine? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? When can a cause-effect conclusion be reached?