Deck 4: Reading and Evaluating Research

Question 1

Which of the following sections is a brief summary of the article?

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method section

Answer 1

abstract

Question 2

Which of the following sections should you spend the most time trying to understand?

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method section

Answer 2

introduction

Question 3

If you want to know about the participants in the study, you should consult the

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method section

Answer 3

method section

Question 4

If you want to know the rationale for the hypothesis, you should consult the

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method section

Question 5

According to the text, the section most closely resembling an ad for the research is the:

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method section

Question 6

A researcher may transform the data to

A) change them so they support the hypothesis
B) make the data normally distributed
C) decrease the mean
D) decrease the standard deviation

Question 7

The researcher should report:

A) nonsignificant results relating to the hypothesis
B) significant results not relating to the hypothesis
C) both a and b
D) neither a nor b

Question 8

The section in which authors are most likely to talk about weaknesses of their study is in the:

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method section

Question 9

Which of the following sections should be easiest for anyone to understand?

A) abstract
B) discussion
C) introduction
D) method

Question 10

In the results section,

A) only significant results are presented
B) only results relating to the hypotheses are presented
C) all results relating to the hypotheses and all significant results are reported
D) all the results of the study are presented

Question 11

In the results section,

A) the results of statistical tests are listed, but not interpreted
B) the results of statistical tests are described and interpreted as to whether they support or fail to support the hypotheses
C) the results are presented and interpreted as to their theoretical and practical significance
D) the results are extensively interpreted in light of previous research

Question 12

Most studies can always benefit from replication because

A) fraud is fairly common
B) results in psychological research tend to have extremely limited external validity
C) Type 2 errors are often published
D) design decisions inevitably involve making tradeoffs

Question 13

One way to detect deliberate fabrication in reported research is to

A) repeat the analyses using higher levels of significance
B) repeat the analyses, using lower levels of significance
C) repeat the questioned research
D) distrust research with social significance

Question 14

Fraud is unusual in scientific psychology because

A) all psychologists are completely honest
B) publishing research is not rewarded
C) journal editors are highly selective in what research they publish
D) frauds would be caught if others tried to replicate the falsified study

Question 15

Direct replication of an experiment involves

A) repeating the original experiment as closely as possible
B) repeating aspects of the original experiment, but changing irrelevant variables
C) demonstrating the phenomenon with a new paradigm or set of experimental operations
D) repeating the original experiment with the original participants

Question 16

In research involving nonexperimental designs, direct replications check on the _______ of research conclusions whereas conceptual replications check on the ________ of the research conclusions.

A) external validity, construct validity
B) construct validity, internal validity
C) internal validity, external validity
D) construct validity, external validity

Question 17

Direct replications test the _______ of research results whereas conceptual replications test the ________ of research results.

A) reproducibility, interpretation
B) interpretation, reproducibility
C) value, interpretation
D) interpretation, value

Question 18

Which of the following is most likely problem with a study?

A) a Type 1 error
B) a Type 2 error
C) fraud
D) all of the above are equally likely

Question 19

If a journal only accepts articles that produce results that are significant at the .05 level, significant effects published in that journal will

A) never be due to Type 1 errors
B) be due to Type 1 errors less than 5% of the time
C) be due to Type 1 errors 5% of the time
D) be due to Type 1 errors more than 5% of the time

Question 20

If a study lacks external validity, it

A) was sloppily done
B) should be followed-up with a direct replication
C) should be followed-up with a systematic replication
D) should be followed-up with a conceptual replication

Question 21

If you repeat the study using more standardized procedures and more participants, you are conducting a _____ of the original study.

A) conceptual replication
B) direct replication
C) systematic replication
D) extension

Question 22

If you repeat a between-subjects experiment with a within-subjects design, you are doing a(n):

A) conceptual replication
B) direct replication
C) systematic replication
D) extension

Question 23

Systematic replication of an experiment involves

A) repeating the original experiment with the original subjects
B) repeating the original study as closely as possible
C) demonstrating the phenomenon with an entirely new paradigm or set of experimental conditions
D) repeating the study, but making minor modifications

Question 24

A systematic replication may

A) improve power
B) improve external validity
C) improve construct validity
D) all of the above

Question 25

If you were to repeat a lab study as a field study, you would probably be doing a

A) conceptual replication
B) direct replication
C) systematic replication
D) replication and extension

Question 26

All of the following would improve power EXCEPT:

A) using a repeated measures design rather than a simple experiment
B) using a more sensitive measure
C) using more standardized procedures
D) using participants who were more diverse than those used in the original study

Question 27

If you repeated a laboratory experiment as a field experiment, you would be doing a(n):

A) conceptual replication
B) direct replication
C) systematic replication
D) extension

Question 28

Which of the following would be the most effective way to reduce the chances of subjects playing along with the hypothesis?

A) use the double-blind technique
B) having a manipulation check
C) having an empty control group
D) using rating scale measures

Question 29

Which of the following would NOT be a way of reducing the chances that subjects would play along with the hypothesis?

A) having a cover story
B) using double-blind procedures
C) standardizing procedures
D) using a within-subjects design

Question 30

A major function of conceptual replications is to

A) establish construct validity
B) establish external validity
C) establish internal validity
D) improve power

Question 31

When you investigate the same set of theoretical variables in several different studies that vary the measurement methods, you are using

A) conceptual replication
B) direct replication
C) exact replication
D) systematic replication

Question 32

Conceptual replication of an experiment involves

A) repeating the original study with the original participants
B) repeating the original study with a slightly different participant population
C) repeating the study, but with minor modifications
D) repeating the original study, but using different measures and/or manipulations of key variables

Question 33

Psychologists place too great of an emphasis on developing operational definitions.

Question 34

Operational definitions are an essential part of sound research.

Question 35

By being specific and public, operational definitions allow others to replicate your study.

Question 36

Psychological variables cannot be measured.

Question 37

Psychological variables are easy to measure.

Question 38

Once you have chosen a behavior to study, selecting an appropriate measure is usually simple.

Question 39

Both random error and bias create systematic differences between your groups.

Question 40

The failure to find a significant result may be due to the study having insufficient power.

Question 41

Systematic replications are not recommended if your concern is that the original study lacked construct validity.

Question 42

Replications are essential for the advancement of psychology as a science.