Deck 1: Psychology Is a Way of Thinking

Question 1

Which of the following is an example of applied research?

A)A social psychologist who is interested in the components of self-concept
B)An educational psychologist who looks for a way to increase math skills in 8-year-olds
C)A personality psychologist who studies the difference between introverts and extroverts
D)A cognitive psychologist who looks at the difference in problem-solving abilities of men and women

Answer 1

An educational psychologist who looks for a way to increase math skills in 8-year-olds

Question 2

Which of the following people will likely NOT find it important to be a consumer of psychological research professionally?

A)High school teachers
B)Gardeners
C)Human resource managers
D)Sales representatives

Answer 2

Gardeners

Question 3

Benjamin is a social psychologist who studies marriage.He believes that marital satisfaction has two components: the ability to trust one's partner and a belief that one can be a good spouse.He conducts a study to test his ideas.Assuming that his data match his theory,which of the following statements should he make?

A)"The data prove my theory."
B)"My theory is generalizable."
C)"The data provide support for my theory."
D)"The data complicate my theory."

Answer 3

"The data provide support for my theory."

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of being a producer of research?

A)Administering a questionnaire of PTSD symptoms
B)Observing the behavior of rats who have been socially isolated
C)Attending a psychological conference
D)Measuring dopamine levels in patients with schizophrenia

Question 5

Benjamin is a social psychologist who studies marriage.He believes that marital satisfaction has two components: the ability to trust one's partner and a belief that one can be a good spouse.This is known as:

A)A theory
B)A hypothesis
C)Data
D)Research

Question 6

Occam's razor states that the simplest solution is the best,all things being equal.This speaks to a theory's:

A)Parsimony
B)Falsifiability
C)Theorizing
D)Empiricism

Question 7

Susan's prediction that students who have all three needs met will experience greater satisfaction with their psychology class is an example of which of the following?

A)A theory
B)A hypothesis
C)Data
D)Research

Question 8

Another word for data is a/an ________.

A)Theory
B)Observation
C)Prediction
D)Outcome

Question 9

Elliott is double majoring in English and psychology.He plans on being a high school English teacher and is only majoring in psychology because he finds the classes interesting.All of the following are important reasons for him to be a good consumer of research EXCEPT:

A)He will likely be asked to read research studies in his future psychology classes
B)He will likely encounter research studies described in popular magazines he reads
C)He will likely need to read research related to enhancing his teaching
D)He will likely need to be a producer of researcher as well

Question 10

Another word for hypothesis is a/an ________.

A)Theory
B)Observation
C)Prediction
D)Outcome

Question 11

After Susan collects and analyzes her data,which of the following is the next logical step?

A)Writing a paper challenging Self-Determination Theory,because only some of her data supported it
B)Ignoring the data that did not fit the theory
C)Recalculating her data to fit the theory
D)Altering or amending the theory to fit her data

Question 12

Students who are interested in being consumers of but not producers of research might choose all of the following professions EXCEPT:

A)An FBI agent
B)A guidance counselor
C)A political pollster
D)An advertising executive

Question 13

Dr.Smitherman insists that all his research assistants know how to be producers of research.All of the following relate to this requirement EXCEPT:

A)He wants to make sure they understand how to write in APA style
B)He wants to make sure they understand why anonymity is important
C)He wants to make sure they understand how to interpret study results and graphs
D)He wants to make sure they have previously been participants in research studies

Question 14

Both James and Thomas have theories that explain why listening to classical music while reading is associated with increased recall of the material.James' theory is much simpler than Thomas'.Thomas created his theory a few months before James did.Which of the following is true?

A)James' theory would be considered better because it is more parsimonious.
B)James' theory would be considered better because it was thought of more recently.
C)Thomas' theory would be considered better because he thought of it first.
D)Thomas' theory would be considered better because it is more complex.

Question 15

Susan's hypothesis was not completely supported by her data.What does this mean?

A)Susan must have collected the data incorrectly.
B)Susan must have analyzed the data incorrectly.
C)The theory may need to be amended.
D)The theory is completely wrong.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of being a producer of research?

A)Administering an anxiety questionnaire
B)Applying a new therapy technique
C)Writing an opinion article about a psychological study
D)Undergoing a brain scan

Question 17

________ is the approach of collecting data and using it to develop,support,and/or challenge a theory.

A)Falsifiability
B)Theorizing
C)Empiricism
D)Application

Question 18

Which of the following is true of the relationship between hypotheses and theories?

A)Hypotheses used to determine if a theory is accurate.
B)Theories are used to determine if a hypothesis is accurate.
C)Multiple theories are needed to test whether a hypothesis is accurate.
D)Hypotheses and theories are synonymous terms.

Question 19

Deci and Ryan (1985,2001)have proposed that there are three fundamental needs that are required for human growth and fulfillment: relatedness,autonomy,and competence.Susan predicts that students who have these needs met in their psychology class feel happier and more satisfied with the class.She collects data and finds that students who feel more related and competent do feel happier but that feeling more autonomous does not seem to matter.Susan thinks that maybe autonomy is only necessary when people are in situations in which they are not being evaluated.

Deci and Ryan's general statement of how the three needs are related to growth and fulfillment is an example of which of the following?

A)A theory
B)A hypothesis
C)Data
D)Research

Question 20

In the theory-data cycle,theories first lead to ________.

A)Questions
B)Answers
C)Data
D)Research

Question 21

All of the following are reasons psychological scientists publish their research EXCEPT:

A)To get money from the journals where their work appears
B)To share interesting findings
C)To have their results reviewed by other psychologists
D)To provide evidence for a theory

Question 22

Translational research is best thought of as ________ basic research and applied research.

A)Superior to both
B)Inferior to both
C)A bridge between
D)Another word for

Question 23

Salma conducts a study and finds that her data do not completely support her theory.Which of the following statements should she avoid saying?

A)"My data is inconsistent with my theory."
B)"My data disproves my theory."
C)"My theory needs amending."
D)"I may need to collect more data."

Question 24

Journals and magazines are similar in all the following ways EXCEPT:

A)Both tend to have articles written by several different contributors.
B)Both tend to be released monthly or quarterly.
C)Both tend to publish peer-reviewed articles.
D)Both are trying to inform their readers.

Question 25

Dr.Gonzalez is a peer reviewer for a manuscript submitted to a journal.He is likely to provide comments on all of the following EXCEPT:

A)How interesting the research is
B)How well the research was conducted
C)The prestige/reputation of the author
D)How important the results are

Question 26

Which of the following is the reason that scientific journals use peer review?

A)It is cost effective.
B)It is more efficient/faster.
C)It encourages collaboration among researchers.
D)It ensures that the studies published are of the highest quality.

Question 27

According to the text,the bridge between basic and applied research is known as:

A)Empirical research
B)Practical research
C)Translational research
D)Compound research

Question 28

Articles that could be considered journalism:

A)Are typically written by scientists
B)Are typically written for scientists
C)Are hard to access
D)Do not require specialized education to read

Question 29

Your friend Gaby loves reading articles about psychology studies in her monthly women's magazine.Which of the following would you tell her?

A)Stop reading those articles because they are never accurate.
B)Peer-reviewed journals are much easier to read than magazines.
C)Be careful about reading those articles because they may not present accurate findings.
D)Reading those magazines is just as good as reading the peer-reviewed journals.

Question 30

Nadia submits her article to a scientific journal for publication.Who makes the final decision on whether an article is published in that scientific journal?

A)The editor of the journal
B)Nadia,the author of the article
C)A panel of experts
D)The publisher of the journal

Question 31

The quality of journalists' coverage of a science story will be determined by two factors:

A)The importance and accuracy of the story
B)The length and source of the story
C)The education and experience of the journalist
D)The education and experience of the scientist

Question 32

Research that is done specifically to add to our general understanding of psychology,like distinguishing the components of extraversion or predicting the time it takes a person to determine whether an object is a face or another object,is known as:

A)Basic research
B)Applied research
C)Empirical research
D)Translational research

Question 33

All of the following are reasons that a journalist may misrepresent a psychology study in a magazine EXCEPT:

A)Journalists are working under strict publication deadlines
B)Journalists may oversimplify the study for their readers
C)Journalists may not personally have the scientific background to understand the study
D)Journalists are unethical

Question 34

Research that is done specifically to solve a practical problem,like increasing memory ability or decreasing symptoms of depression,is known as:

A)Basic research
B)Applied research
C)Empirical research
D)Translational research

Question 35

Vinai learns that people with schizophrenia have a problem labeling their emotions.Using this information,he designs a research study to examine whether teaching patients with schizophrenia to label the emotions of people they see in movie clips helps them to better label their own emotions.Vinai hopes that the findings of this research could then be used to create an intervention used in the treatment of schizophrenia.Vinai's study is an example of:

A)Basic research
B)Applied research
C)Empirical research
D)Translational research

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT an example of applied research?

A)An industrial-organizational psychologist who is interested in the components of job satisfaction
B)A clinical psychologist who examines the effectiveness of art therapy in decreasing symptoms of ADHD
C)A sports psychologist who examines how mindset ("train well" versus "win")affects athletic performance
D)A cognitive psychologist who examines people's ability to distinguish between colors based on light exposure

Question 37

Dr.Stewart is an editor of a psychology journal.She wants to ensure that reviewers give honest reviews of the papers they are asked to read.Which of the following could she do to increase the likelihood of honest feedback?

A)Increase the number of peer reviewers
B)Use reviewers from fields other than psychology
C)Make sure the identity of peer reviewers is unknown
D)Give reviewers a longer amount of time to read papers

Question 38

Which aspect of the peer-review cycle allows for the greatest amount of honesty in reviews?

A)The number of peer reviewers
B)The anonymity of the peer reviewers
C)The possibility of rejection
D)The frequency of publication

Question 39

Which of the following is true of the difference between basic and applied research?

A)Basic and applied research have different goals.
B)Applied research is more important than basic research.
C)Basic research is more difficult to conduct than applied research.
D)Applied research is done by consumers of research.

Question 40

Which of the following is an example of basic research?

A)An industrial-organizational psychologist who is interested in the components of job commitment
B)A clinical psychologist who examines the effectiveness of drama therapy in helping children who have been abused
C)An educational psychologist who examines how mindset ("intelligence is innate" or "intelligence can be achieved")affects academic performance
D)An experimental psychologist who examines people's ability to perceive a "sweet" taste

Question 41

Explain why we do not say that a single study proves a theory or that a single study disproves a theory.

Question 42

What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

Question 43

Name three types of research data or information that people are exposed to every day,even if they are not psychologists.

Question 44

Provide two reasons why it is beneficial to be a good consumer of research,even if you are not a psychologist.

Question 45

Explain how the peer-review process ensures that only quality science is published.

Question 46

Explain why the relationship between applied and basic research can best be thought of as interrelated.

Question 47

Dr.Mendoza sends a paper to a journal.The editor sends the paper to four experts in the field for peer review.Name three things that the peer reviewers should comment on in evaluating Dr.Mendoza's paper.

Question 48

Name three ways that articles published in scientific journals are different from journalistic articles.

Question 49

Although not all psychology majors become producers of research,name two benefits of learning how to become a producer of research.

Question 50

Name the two aspects that improve the publication process from journal to journalism.

Question 51

The Harlow study described in the text is an example of basic research.It found that attachment to a caregiver is important in the early months of life.How might a researcher use this study as inspiration for an applied research study?

Question 52

Paul wakes up on Tuesday morning and none of the lights or the appliances in his apartment are working.What theory might explain why this is happening? What could Paul do to test your theory? How is this an example of the theory-data cycle in science?

Question 53

What are the three components of a good theory?

Question 54

Imagine that you are a clinical researcher who studies depression.Provide an example of basic research and applied research that you might conduct.

Question 55

The text mentions two important questions to ask about a popular press story.What are these two questions and why are they important to consider as you evaluate a story?