Deck 2: Research Methods

Question 1

Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, relationship studies started to:

A) emphasize laboratory experiments.
B) be increasingly criticized as a pseudoscience.
C) move away from a data-driven focus.
D) employ virtual reality tools to gather data.

Answer 1

emphasize laboratory experiments.

Question 2

The work of Donn Byrne and his colleagues in the 1960s on attitude similarity in liking is important in the history of relationship science because it demonstrated that:

A) relationships can be studied rigorously in the laboratory.
B) relationships cannot be studied through methodical procedures alone.
C) personal diaries are an important tool in relationship research.
D) personal diaries are misleading in relationship research.

Answer 2

relationships can be studied rigorously in the laboratory.

Question 3

Which of the following types of research questions seeks to determine if an event has a meaningful effect on a subsequent outcome?

A) Causal
B) Exploratory
C) Explicit
D) Implicit

Answer 3

Causal

Question 4

Which of the following types of samples are defined as samples that are composed of anyone who is readily available and consents to participate in a research study?

A) Cumulative samples
B) Random samples
C) Representative samples
D) Convenience samples

Question 5

Samantha posted an advertisement on the Internet requesting single mothers to participate in a research study on single parenting. She found that those who signed up for the study were better educated and earned a higher income than average. This demonstrates:

A) volunteer bias.
B) experimenter bias.
C) ingroup bias.
D) negativity bias.

Question 6

Which of the following is the most common means of studying intimate relationships?

A) Archival records
B) Experience sampling
C) fMRI
D) Self-reports

Question 7

In relationship studies, self-reports can be obtained through:

A) verbal interviews.
B) fMRI.
C) electronically activated recorders.
D) the social media profiles of the participants.

Question 8

An advantage of self-report data is that:

A) they help in accurately recording participants' memories of incidents from many years ago.
B) they increase the reliability of subjective data.
C) they are inexpensive and easy to obtain.
D) they reduce the chance of bias in the responses of participants.

Question 9

A couple who participated in a study on personal finance reported the new monthly expenditures far less than their actual expenditures. This is an example of:

A) negativity bias.
B) ingroup bias.
C) social desirability bias.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 10

Jane observes conversations between strangers in public spaces and keeps track of the number of times they smile in a given period. Which of the following research tools is being employed here?

A) A coding procedure
B) A physiological measurement
C) A self-report
D) A rating procedure

Question 11

Relationship studies involve all of the following research challenges EXCEPT:

A) obtaining data that is not independent-the response of one member of a couple may influence the other member's response.
B) lack of certainty-statistical significance points to probabilities, not absolute truths.
C) dealing with a combination of influences-the two individuals and the unique effects of their pairing.
D) lack of usefulness-research only applies to the couples studied, and only in rare cases can it be generalized to others.

Question 12

What are meta-analyses?

A) They are studies that statistically combine the results from several prior studies.
B) They are equations used to compute the size of a sample.
C) They are statistical tests used to compare the results of two experiments or studies.
D) They are statistical projections that predict how certain trends will continue.