Deck 3: Sex Research

Question 1

Which of the following is an accurate observation about convenience samples in sex research,such as that used in the Janus report?

A)They do not give a good picture of what is going on in the general population.
B)They show similar results to larger studies like the General Social Survey.
C)They are appropriate when only a limited area of behavior is being researched.
D)They are appropriate only if data from recent experiences is being gathereD.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A researcher is studying the incidence of child abuse in a particular city.She sends a questionnaire to 1,000 randomly selected students' homes.The questions ask how frequently parents engage in certain behaviors like hitting,criticizing,and punishing their children.Only less than 500 questionnaires are returned.Which of the following problems is evident in this scenario?

A)the problem of refusal
B)the problem of self-serving bias
C)the problem of response
D)the problem of attentional bias

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In sampling,volunteer bias in sex research would not be so great if

A)those who refuse to participate are identical in their sexual behavior to those who do participate.
B)a very small sample size is taken.
C)those who refuse to participate drop out immediately,allowing others to be sampled in their place.
D)there are significant differences in the sexual behavior of those who participate and those who do not.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In a study,participants were made to wear optical devices that measured the point of their gazes over time.They were shown pictures in order to evaluate which parts of the pictures the participants stared at the most.Which of the following methods is described in this example?

A)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
B)genital measures
C)content analysis
D)eye-tracking

Question 5

In conducting sexual research,you collect your sample from walk-ins at a local doctor's office.This type of sample is a

A)product of probability sampling.
B)random sample.
C)convenience sample.
D)product of stratified sampling.

Question 6

A scientist distributes a questionnaire to the participants in a study of human sexuality.The questionnaire aims to capture the attitude of the participants toward homosexuality.Which of the following best describes the method of studying sexuality in this scenario?

A)self-reports
B)eye-tracking
C)direct observations
D)Implicit Association Test (IAT)

Question 7

In a study of sexuality,500 possible participants were considered for a sample.These people were contacted and asked to participate in the study.Half of them agreed to participate.However,a majority of the participants were male.Which of the following problems is this study most likely to have due to high male participation?

A)observer bias
B)probability sampling
C)volunteer bias
D)concealment

Question 8

Enlargement and concealment are examples of

A)memory distortion.
B)purposeful distortion.
C)sampling bias.
D)errors of estimation.

Question 9

When people respond to questions about sexuality,sometimes they exaggerate and other times they tend to minimize or hide certain facts.In which of the following methods of measuring sexuality is this problem most likely to arise?

A)eye-tracking
B)Implicit Association Test
C)self-reports
D)direct observations

Question 10

People who refuse to participate in sex research differ in some ways from those who do participate.This leads to the problem of _____.

A)enlargement
B)concealment
C)implicit association
D)volunteer bias

Question 11

Which of the following is the most common method for measuring sexuality?

A)eye-tracking
B)Implicit Association Tests (IATs)
C)self-reports
D)pupil dilation

Question 12

A questionnaire for a sex study asks the respondents the total number of sexual partners they have had in their lives.Although John has had sex with only a single partner,John lists the total as ten.This is an example of _____.

A)enlargement
B)concealment
C)causal inference
D)implicit association

Question 13

A 30-year-old man frequents book stores that sell erotic literature.However,when asked about this in a research study,he denies ever having been to one.In sex research,this tendency is defined as

A)enlargement.
B)volunteer bias.
C)concealment.
D)causal inference.

Question 14

A sex researcher is interested in studying the sexual behavior of all sex offenders between ages 18 and 20 currently serving life sentences in prison in his city.He ultimately manages to study each one of these individuals.In this example,the researcher has gathered data from

A)using random sampling.
B)from the population.
C)from a part of the population.
D)using probability sampling.

Question 15

A _____ sample is chosen in a haphazard manner relative to the population of interest.

A)systematic
B)convenience
C)probability
D)random

Question 16

A sex researcher is interested in conducting a study on the sexual behavior of African-American individuals in polyamorous relationships and manages to contact 60 such individuals to participate in the study.In research terms,this group of participants is defined as the researcher's _____.

A)cohorts
B)sample
C)population
D)estimates

Question 17

Which of the following is a limitation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)in studying brain activity?

A)Participants must be lying very still to get good images.
B)Participants must not eat anything for 12 hours before they are tested.
C)In this method,the anatomy is measured but not the actual brain activity.
D)This method is considered risky as it is invasive.

Question 18

Which of the following demonstrates enlargement in sex research?

A)a 44-year-old man who claims he has never had an extramarital affair
B)a 27-year-old woman who says she had two sexual partners in the last year when she actually had four
C)a 30-year-old woman who claims that she always experiences multiple orgasms during sex
D)a 16-year-old female student who claims that she is rarely attracted to her male classmates

Question 19

Margaret is having an affair with her neighbor,Tom.However,when an interviewer in a sex study asks her whether she has ever had any sexual relations with anyone outside of her marriage,her answer is,"No,never." This is an example of _____.

A)enlargement
B)concealment
C)causal inference
D)volunteer bias

Question 20

When sex researchers can study only those people who have agreed to participate in the study,it is most likely to lead to_____.

A)concealment
B)enlargement
C)conformity bias
D)volunteer bias

Question 21

Sponsoring agencies and sex researchers attempt to minimize the stress to participants in a study while still gaining valuable knowledge.This is done by

A)preserving the anonymity of the researcher.
B)maximizing the potential danger to participants by justifying the importance of their findings.
C)using the principle of non-anonymous responses.
D)using a cost-benefit approach.

Question 22

Factors other than the survey by itself can influence responses.For example,the gender or ethnicity of an interviewer may influence participants.These factors are known as

A)reliability factors.
B)internal factors.
C)extraneous factors.
D)validity re-test factors.

Question 23

Which of the following is true of the principle of informed consent?

A)According to this principle,participants cannot be forced to continue.
B)According to this principle,the risks of participating in research should be distributed fairly across groups in society.
C)This principle is based on the cost-benefit approach.
D)This principle was established by Kinsey in the 1940s.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of the direct observation methods of studying sexuality?

A)They have a high level of inaccuracy.
B)They are expensive and time consuming.
C)They often result in purposeful distortion.
D)They generally have a very large sample size.

Question 25

Anonymity of responses in sex research stems from the ethical principle of _____.

A)informed consent
B)justice in research ethics
C)protection from harm
D)participant observation

Question 26

Sex research is considered justifiable if

A)the costs to society outweigh the benefits to participants.
B)the costs associated with research outweigh the benefits.
C)there are considerable human costs associated with the research.
D)the benefits associated with the research outweigh the costs.

Question 27

Informed consent and protection from harm in sexual research are best described as

A)ways to ensure that your study is valid.
B)ways to ensure that your study will be reliable and accurate.
C)unwarranted principles in a cost-benefit approach.
D)ethical standards for conducting research on sexuality.

Question 28

Which of the following is a method of assessing whether self-reports are accurate?

A)volunteer bias
B)the cost-benefit approach
C)test-retest reliability
D)content analysis

Question 29

Kinsey and his colleagues deliberately chose not to use probability sampling methods because of the problems associated with

A)nonresponse.
B)informed consent.
C)purposeful distortion.
D)the ability to estimate.

Question 30

Which of the following problems is best minimized by assuring participants that their responses will be completely anonymous and convincing them that the research will be used for scientific purposes?

A)influence of extraneous factors
B)memory distortion
C)volunteer bias
D)purposeful distortion

Question 31

The computer-assisted self-interview (CASI)

A)accommodates poor readers through audio components.
B)lacks the privacy that written questionnaires provide.
C)uses biological measures to test the response of participants.
D)relies on direct observation methods of collecting data.

Question 32

Which of the following is a major advantage of direct observation over self-reports?

A)It is accurate.
B)It takes less time to complete.
C)It is less expensive.
D)It is easy to obtain a probability sample.

Question 33

Researchers have an obligation to ensure that research risks and benefits are distributed fairly across all groups in society.This is known as

A)the equality principle in research.
B)the justice principle in research ethics.
C)the principle of informed consent.
D)the principle of cost-benefit analysis.

Question 34

In a study about sexuality,participants of a perfectly random sample were truthful and tried to give information that was as accurate as possible.Identify the factor that is most likely to make their self-reports inaccurate in this context.

A)difficulties with estimates
B)concealment
C)purposeful distortion
D)enlargement

Question 35

Rosie volunteers to complete a sex survey for Ivan,a doctoral student working on his dissertation.One of the questions refers to the number of times the respondent has had unprotected sexual intercourse.Rosie marks "less than two times" even though she knows the number is higher.This is an example of

A)volunteer bias.
B)enlargement.
C)concealment.
D)a problem with estimation.

Question 36

The findings of a research study on the sexual habits of adolescents are printed in a medical journal along with the names of those who participated in the study.In ethical terms,this study has violated the

A)principle of informed consent.
B)principle of protection from harm.
C)cost-benefit principle.
D)justice principle.

Question 37

Informed consent in research means that participants in a research

A)are required to sign a confidentiality form.
B)do not have the right to be told the purpose of the research.
C)are entitled to anonymity of their responses.
D)have the right to know what they will be asked to do.

Question 38

In a perfect test-retest reliability,in which a respondent is asked a series of questions and then is asked the same set of questions after a period of time has passed,_____.

A)the responses vary every time
B)a correlation of around .50 exists between the two sets of responses
C)the responses vary because of memory lapses
D)a correlation of 1.0 exists between the two sets of responses

Question 39

A new drug for the treatment of syphilis is tested only on patients of low socioeconomic status (SES).Only patients whom the researchers felt would benefit from the drug are chosen and given the choice to participate in the study.The participants are given information about how the drug will affect their bodies and warned about a list of possible side effects.However,patients belonging to high SES are not contacted.Which of the following can be inferred from this study?

A)It undermines the justice principle.
B)It lacks informed consent.
C)It lacks any protection from harm.
D)It incurs less cost but has more benefits.

Question 40

Which of the following statements is true of the computer-assisted self-interview (CASI)method?

A)It results in a higher number of fudged responses.
B)It is not suitable for individuals with poor reading skills.
C)It can be combined with an audio component.
D)It offers little privacy to respondents.

Question 41

Which among the following is a limitation of the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS)?

A)American Indians were underrepresented in the sample.
B)Responses had high levels of concealment and enlargement as only self-reports were used.
C)It did not include enough people from ethnic minority groups-particularly Asian Americans.
D)It provided no information on the sexuality of individuals who were more than 40 years olD.

Question 42

Which of the following methods of data collection were used in Project SIGMA?

A)the daily diary method
B)the questionnaire method
C)the survey method
D)the direct observation method

Question 43

Kinsey's associates felt that the most questionable statistic from the Kinsey studies was particularly the high incidence of

A)male homosexuality.
B)bestiality by males.
C)premarital sex.
D)extramarital sexual contact.

Question 44

Debra wants to conduct a sex study on individuals who enjoy sadomasochism.She contacts a few of her friends who engage in sadomasochistic behavior.In turn,they contact others whom they know are sadomasochists or attend S/M parties.Eventually,a sample of 200 participants is obtained.Identify the type of sampling method used in this survey.

A)stratified sampling
B)probability sampling
C)random sampling
D)snowball sampling

Question 45

Which of the following best characterizes the sampling done in magazine surveys?

A)Sampling is generally seriously biased.
B)Sampling techniques have highly refined over the last decade,resulting in a great deal of valuable data.
C)Sampling is based on probability statistics.
D)Sampling techniques are always reported quite accurately along with the articles,so a reader knows how the researches were

Question 46

Which group was underrepresented in Kinsey's sample?

A)Protestants
B)youngsters
C)well-educated people
D)members of racial minorities

Question 47

Kinsey's interviewing techniques were most likely very successful in minimizing

A)problems of memory.
B)purposeful distortion.
C)inability to estimate.
D)volunteer bias.

Question 48

Which of the following is an advantage of Web-based surveys?

A)Respondents can be interviewed in a carefully controlled environment.
B)Large samples can be recruited for surveys.
C)There is no risk of repeat responders.
D)There is little chance of responders deliberately sabotaging the results.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is true of the study called Sexual Assault among Latinas (SALAS)?

A)It had a response rate of 69 percent.
B)It employed face-to-face interviews for gathering data.
C)It used a sample that underrepresented the diversity among Latinas today.
D)It ensured that all interviewers were women.

Question 50

Which of the following sampling methods was used in the study called Sexual Assault among Latinas (SALAS)conducted by Carlos Cuevas and his colleagues in 2010?

A)convenience sampling method
B)random-digit dialing method
C)judgment sampling method
D)nonresponse method

Question 51

Britain conducts a major sex survey once every 10 years called the _____.

A)National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB)
B)National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL)
C)National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS)
D)National Study of Health and Relationships (NSHR)

Question 52

The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS)excluded

A)gays and lesbians.
B)less than 3 percent of Americans.
C)adults older than 21 years of age.
D)those who worked for the U.S.government.

Question 53

_____ was a study on the sexual behavior of gay men in the AIDS era conducted by Tony Coxon.

A)National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NSSAL)
B)National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB)
C)Project SIGMA
D)The Kinsey Report

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true of the Australian Study of Health and Relationships (ASHR)?

A)It found that the age of first intercourse had declined over the last several decades.
B)Its sample comprised men and women aged between 18 and 65 across the country.
C)It used the face-to-face interviewing method.
D)It had a very low response rate of only 37 percent.

Question 55

According to the text,compared to other methods of administering surveys,Web-based surveys offer the advantage of

A)providing a researcher with the control of the survey environment.
B)being able to study taboo sexual behavior.
C)not being reliant on self-reports.
D)a sample free from bias.

Question 56

The National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS)was headed by

A)Alfred Kinsey.
B)Masters and Johnson.
C)Edward Laumann.
D)Bronislaw Malinowski.

Question 57

In Project SIGMA,Coxon defined the sampling population as

A)lesbians.
B)men who have sex with men (MSM).
C)people with bisexual tendencies.
D)men who have a nonheterosexual orientation.

Question 58

Identify the advantage of conducting Web-based surveys.

A)Eliminating enlargement and concealment of information by the respondents
B)Observing behavioral cues of the participants
C)Studying special populations that are defined by their sexual behavior
D)Ensuring the collection of highly accurate and reliable data free from purposeful distortion

Question 59

Kinsey's face-to-face interviewing techniques are

A)criticized by researchers.
B)highly regarded in the field.
C)challenged by social scientists.
D)considered as unethical means of obtaining information.

Question 60

Which of the following methods of sampling was used in Project SIGMA to contact the hard-to-reach category of gay men?

A)random sampling
B)convenience sampling
C)judgment sampling
D)snowball sampling

Question 61

You want to understand the impact that prime-time TV shows have on young girls' body image.Which of the following methods is most likely to suit the requirements of your study?

A)a Web-based survey
B)content analysis
C)a magazine survey
D)direct observation

Question 62

Which of the following is a qualitative research method?

A)ethnography
B)eye-tracking
C)direct observation
D)statistical analysis

Question 63

When Masters and Johnson made follow-up contacts with the participants,they found out that

A)most participants had developed sexual disorders.
B)most participants were experiencing severe levels of stress and anxiety.
C)the participants had not developed any sexual disorders due to their participation.
D)the participants felt that taking part in the research had a detrimental effect on their marriages.

Question 64

In order to study the sexual behavior of the people of Mangaia,a researcher lived for many months within the community.He directly recorded their behavior and also conducted several interviews.This method of research can be best described as _____.

A)correlational study
B)the Implicit Association Test (IAT)
C)regression analysis
D)the participant-observer technique

Question 65

Which of the following statements is true of the differences between quantitative and qualitative research methods?

A)Quantitative research focuses on generating hypotheses,while qualitative research focuses on testing hypotheses.
B)Quantitative research typically does not use random samples,while qualitative research does.
C)Quantitative research typically has small sample sizes,while qualitative research has large sample sizes.
D)Quantitative research assigns numerical values for people's responses,while qualitative research conveys results in words.

Question 66

Masters and Johnson's report "Human Sexual Response" differs from surveys of sexual behavior because

A)it directly observed sexual behavior.
B)it focused on sexual minorities.
C)it had high test-retest reliability.
D)it used implicit measures to study sexual behavior.

Question 67

While doing a content analysis,you train four people to analyze the data for you.When they finish,you run a statistical program that measures how well they agreed with one another's analysis of the same data.You are measuring their

A)sampling variance.
B)intercoder reliability.
C)mean response pattern.
D)observational skills.

Question 68

Masters and Johnson's major breakthrough was that they

A)managed to get participants from different races making it a fairly representative sample.
B)paid participants huge sums of money.
C)did not promise confidentiality to participants.
D)had participants engage in sexual activity in the laboratory.

Question 69

A research study focuses on the sexuality of gays and lesbians in a population.Problems in sampling arise as many gays and lesbians are closeted and some may even be in heterosexual marriages.Which of the following methods of data collection is most likely to be suitable for this study?

A)face-to-face interviews
B)Web-based surveys
C)direct observations
D)magazine surveys

Question 70

A study aims to research the sexuality of closeted homosexuals.Obtaining a sample is problematic because participants would require a high degree of anonymity.Identify the type of data collection that would be most suitable for this study.

A)direct observation
B)Web-based survey
C)magazine survey
D)face-to-face interview

Question 71

The _____ technique is a research method in which a researcher becomes part of the community to be studied and makes observations from inside the community.

A)random survey
B)clinical observation
C)participant-observer
D)eye-tracking

Question 72

Identify a major drawback of conducting Web-based surveys.

A)the risk of repeat responders
B)the small sample sizes
C)a lack of anonymity
D)a lack of access to sexual minorities

Question 73

You want to measure the impact of the media in some way.You sample several advice columns found in "Playboy" and "Playgirl" and compare the various types of questions asked and the types of advice given.In this scenario,you are carrying out a(n)

A)observational analysis.
B)random probabilistic survey.
C)cost-benefit analysis.
D)content analysis.

Question 74

_____ is a research method that aims to provide a complete,probing description of a human society.

A)Lithography
B)Content analysis
C)Ethnography
D)Cartography

Question 75

Which of the following methods of data gathering allows a researcher to make causal inferences?

A)self-reports
B)questionnaires
C)direct observations
D)experiments

Question 76

Which of the following is a disadvantage of Web-based surveys?

A)The researchers lack control of the environment in which the respondents completes the surveys.
B)The lack of access to a large number of respondents leads to smaller samples.
C)Stigmatized sexual behavior cannot be studied.
D)Extraneous influences such as gender and ethnicity on the participants' responses lead to skewed results.

Question 77

Howard lives in Australia.He wants to study the sexual behavior of students in private colleges in the United States.Which of the following is likely to be the best and most convenient method of data collection for Howard?

A)direct observation
B)magazine survey
C)Web-based survey
D)face-to-face interview

Question 78

Which of the following statements about qualitative research is true?

A)Qualitative research requires a carefully obtained probability sample.
B)Qualitative and quantitative methods can be used together.
C)Qualitative research requires the use of very large samples.
D)Qualitative methods focus on testing hypotheses and are rarely involved in generating hypotheses.

Question 79

Which of the following is a standard technique used to understand the impact of the mass media on sexuality?

A)content analysis
B)Web-based survey
C)magazine survey
D)direct observation

Question 80

With respect to their sampling procedures,Masters and Johnson

A)studied the same males who participated in the Kinsey studies.
B)assumed that random sampling was necessary.
C)did not use a random sample of the population of the United States.
D)recruited participants exclusively from special populations of their interest.