Deck 2: Research Methods in Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Once a hypothesis is confirmed,it becomes a theory.
B) Theories are scientific facts and cannot be modified.
C) In psychology,theories are considered definitive explanations of fact;therefore,a theory does not need to undergo testing.
D) Confirming a hypothesis based on a theory does not mean that the theory is true.

Answer 1

Confirming a hypothesis based on a theory does not mean that the theory is true.

Question 2

Professor Hornstein conducted a study that confirmed that children who play with toy guns commit more acts of aggression on the elementary school playground.Professor Kahey conducted a follow-up study and reached the same conclusion.Professor Wiggen's follow-up study did not reach the same conclusions.What can you conclude about Professor Hornstein's research?

A) Her research will need to be replicated many more times before a hypothesis is confirmed.
B) Her results must be incorrect.
C) Because a second researcher confirmed her conclusions,her conclusions are justified.
D) Professor Hornstein's results are accurate,and Professor Wiggen's must have been mistaken.

Answer 2

Her research will need to be replicated many more times before a hypothesis is confirmed.

Question 3

In psychology,the definition of a behavior to be measured that is explicitly based on the procedures that will be used to measure the behavior is referred to as a(n)____________ definition.

A) empirical
B) operational
C) flawless
D) hypothetical

Answer 3

operational

Question 4

If using the scientific method in psychology,which is the MOST essential?

A) good technical equipment
B) the belief that behavior is random
C) careful observation
D) an advanced psychology degree

Question 5

Which of the following is true about the scientific method?

A) It allows psychology to move beyond mere speculation.
B) It can settle all disputes about issues important to the human race.
C) Its basis is making observations in a random way.
D) Its rules are not very strict.

Question 6

In surveys of adolescents,adolescents claim that they begin smoking cigarettes because of peer pressure.In observing adolescent groups,however,you rarely see an adolescent offer another student a cigarette or ask another student whether they would like to smoke.You predict that peer pressure is NOT the primary reason that adolescents smoke cigarettes.You have just formulated a(n):

A) theory.
B) hypothesis.
C) observation.
D) variable.

Question 7

The simplest scientific methods are ____________ studies.

A) formal
B) informal
C) descriptive
D) blind

Question 8

A(n)____________ is a tentative explanation of facts and relationships in sciences.

A) dependent variable
B) theory
C) hypothesis
D) sample

Question 9

Which of the following methods would result in a representative sample for a research study designed to apply to the U.S.population?

A) Ask people who visit a website that is relevant to the topic being studied to complete a survey.
B) Randomly select names from the phone books in ten major cities.
C) On national television,air an advertisement that asks people to contact the researcher.
D) none of these

Question 10

Which belief is critical to the scientific study of any phenomenon?

A) Behavior is random.
B) Behavior is unpredictable.
C) Behavior is easily influenced.
D) Behavior is lawful and orderly.

Question 11

You believe that working women are happier than are women who do not work outside the home.You predict that working women are less socially isolated than women who work at home are.You have just formulated a(n):

A) representative sample.
B) operational definition.
C) hypothesis.
D) variable.

Question 12

Dr.Dickerson conducted an impressive research study involving absenteeism in the workplace.She confirmed her hypothesis that employees demonstrated significantly greater amounts of absenteeism prior to a holiday or weekend.As a responsible scientist,what should Dr.Dickerson do next?

A) Rejoice in the victory,and join her colleagues in a celebratory drink.
B) Ensure that her work is copyrighted,so that others do not attempt to repeat her study.
C) Make her work available to others for replication,only if they agree NOT to publish the results in the event they disconfirm her hypothesis.
D) Make her work available to others for replication,since either confirming or not confirming the hypothesis is useful,scientific information.

Question 13

Scientists make predictions about the likelihood that certain events will occur.When a scientist makes a prediction capable of being empirically tested,we say that he or she has formulated a(n):

A) operational definition.
B) hypothesis.
C) explanation.
D) theory.

Question 14

To test the hypothesis that people who are happy in their work tend to be happy in their marriages,a clinical psychologist uses clients in his clinic as his research sample.The psychologist's results

A) can be generalized to all married couples,happy or not happy with their work.
B) can be generalized only to couples who work outside the home.
C) cannot be generalized to any population outside the clinic population.
D) can be generalized only to couples who have unhappy marriages.

Question 15

Empirical evidence refers to evidence derived from:

A) hypotheses.
B) estimates.
C) observations of publicly observable behavior.
D) private mental processes.

Question 16

Dr.Troy has collected and examined the data from her research.She now has a set of general principles that she believes accounts for a connection between early childhood sexual abuse and early teenage chemical dependency.Dr.Troy has formed a(n)

A) theory.
B) law.
C) hypothesis.
D) experimental design.

Question 17

Which assumption do all scientists make?

A) Only the physical world can be rigorously studied.
B) The subject matter they choose to study must be,to some extent,predictable.
C) Because it is the source of all observation,the mind is the source of all truth.
D) As scientists,their theories hold more weight than the theories of lay people.

Question 18

The small group of participants observed in a research study are referred to as the:

A) sample.
B) study group.
C) models.
D) control group.

Question 19

A theory is a:

A) prediction that is tested in a study.
B) tentative explanation of facts and relationships.
C) method of studying nature based on rules of evidence.
D) method of observation used to describe behavior.

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of empirical evidence?

A) observations of parent-child behavior
B) fortune telling
C) palm reading
D) thinking hard about the reasons why people behave as they do

Question 21

Professor Lee needs to complete a research study.She has a very small budget,needs to cover a large number of participants,and needs to complete her research within three months.Which method would BEST meet her objectives?

A) a formal experiment
B) naturalistic observation
C) the clinical method
D) the survey method

Question 22

In-depth observation and study of a woman receiving therapy to address what appear to be multiple personalities would best fit which type of research method?

A) correlational method
B) clinical method
C) naturalistic observation
D) survey method

Question 23

It has been reported that more intelligent people are generally more attractive than less intelligent people.This conclusion is probably based on the results of:

A) a simple experiment.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) a correlational study.
D) clinical observation.

Question 24

A researcher interested in studying the life satisfaction of adolescents versus adults would be most likely to choose which of the following methods?

A) clinical
B) naturalistic observation
C) formal experiment
D) survey

Question 25

Descriptive research data can be collected through:

A) clinical studies.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) surveys.
D) All of these

Question 26

Which of the following is an example of clinical research?

A) Asking all general psychology students to complete a mood survey for extra credit.
B) Conducting a series of interviews over a year with an anxiety-disordered student.
C) Observing the study habits of students in the library versus those of students in the cafeteria.
D) Assigning half the psychology students to computerized instruction and half to the traditional classroom.

Question 27

Natalie wants to collect data about the exercise habits of dual-earner families.As a graduate student,she has little money to fund the study and she needs to collect the data as quickly as possible.Natalie should use the ____________ method.

A) clinical
B) survey
C) observational
D) formal experiment

Question 28

Which of the following is a technique that would NOT fall under the survey method?

A) telephone interviews
B) face-to-face interviews
C) observation
D) paper and pencil questionnaires

Question 29

In 1989,a group of researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study involving the relationship between ____________,which is an example of the ____________ method.

A) PMS and self-esteem;clinical
B) variation in moods and the time of year;survey
C) sexual practices and religious upbringing;naturalistic observation.
D) aggression and alcohol use;formal experiment

Question 30

Nancy is assisting her professor in conducting a survey on domestic violence,which involves asking adult males if they have ever been aggressive toward their partners.What is a significant disadvantage of her method of research?

A) She can gather only a limited amount of information in a short period of time.
B) She may be giving participants "ideas" about using physical force with their partners.
C) Participants may not be honest about their actual behavior due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
D) This method of research is very costly and time-consuming.

Question 31

When internationally known scientist Jane Goodall studies primates in Africa,she uses:

A) naturalistic observation.
B) the clinical method.
C) formal experimentation.
D) laboratory observation.

Question 32

In studies involving few individuals or rare phenomenon,researchers may use the clinical method.Which is an accurate criticism of this method?

A) There are too many extraneous variables that cannot be controlled.
B) Scientific methods are not used to obtain data.
C) Results cannot be readily generalized to the larger population.
D) Clinical studies have little value outside the clinic.

Question 33

A correlational study is used to:

A) determine cause and effect.
B) determine the relationship between variables.
C) determine dependent and independent variables.
D) establish a representative population.

Question 34

Dr.Jimand studies the adjustment of 20 Bosnian students to college life in the United States by living in the dorm and attending classes with them.Dr.Jimand is using:

A) formal experimentation.
B) the survey method.
C) the clinical method.
D) naturalistic observation.

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of research using the survey method?

A) Dr.Adele watches children as they learn to read.
B) Dr.Gomes studies his patients while they undergo psychological counseling.
C) Dr.Trooper gets children's school grades and test scores.
D) Dr.Frank asks people how many hours of TV they watch per week.

Question 36

To determine gender differences in the play activities of young children,you might visit a preschool playground and use:

A) surveys.
B) interviews.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) the clinical method.

Question 37

Professor Willard watches children in a daycare center and notices that some children are never spoken to by any of the other children.Which form of data collection is he using?

A) naturalistic observation
B) the survey method
C) the correlational method
D) the clinical method

Question 38

Which of the following is an advantage of the survey method?

A) One can gather a lot of information in a relatively short period of time.
B) One can be sure that the answers are completely valid.
C) It can be used easily with even very young children.
D) It is simple to design surveys that are unbiased.

Question 39

Professor Powers needs to have a minimum of 2,500 participants for her study.Which research method would make her study most manageable?

A) a formal experiment
B) the survey method
C) the clinical method
D) naturalistic observation

Question 40

In 1948 and 1953,Alfred Kinsey collected data for his studies on the sexual practices of men and women in the United States.Which research method did Kinsey use?

A) laboratory observation
B) formal experiments
C) the clinical method
D) survey method

Question 41

We can predict participants' scores on Variable A with perfect accuracy by knowing their scores on Variable B,and higher scores on Variable A are associated with lower scores on Variable B.What is the correlation coefficient for the correlation between Variables A and B?

A) +1.00
B) 0.00
C) -1.00
D) -0.99

Question 42

A correlation is:

A) a careful investigation of a single individual over time.
B) a measure of behavioral change following a clinical treatment.
C) the degree of difference between experimental and control-group outcomes.
D) a measure of the relationship between two variables.

Question 43

Dr.Hernandon believes that time spent playing video games is negatively associated with reading fluency.He asks parents to record the average number of hours their children spend playing video games each day.He compares these hours with scores on the Woodcock-Johnson reading test.His correlation coefficient confirms that the number of hours playing video games is strongly correlated with decreased reading fluency.Which correlation coefficient would fit his data?

A) -0.89
B) +0.34
C) +0.89
D) -0.34

Question 44

Which of the following correlation coefficients is indicative of the strongest relationship between the two variables?

A) +0.65
B) 0.00
C) -0.87
D) -0.24

Question 45

In her correlational study,Professor Niles discovered a relationship between gang members and violence.Professor Niles can safely conclude that:

A) belonging to a gang causes one to be violent.
B) being violent causes one to join a gang.
C) gang members were not nurtured as infants.
D) gang membership and violent behavior tend to occur together.

Question 46

What does the positive or negative sign of a correlation coefficient indicate?

A) the cause of the relationship
B) the strength of the relationship
C) the direction of the relationship
D) the number of data points

Question 47

A consistent,linear relationship between two variables is called a(n):

A) inference.
B) prediction.
C) correlation.
D) standard deviation.

Question 48

What does the size of a correlation coefficient indicate?

A) the size of the variables
B) the number of data points
C) the strength of the relationship
D) the direction of the relationship

Question 49

Which of the following best describes a correlational study?

A) research that studies the naturally occurring relationship between two or more variables
B) research that explains the effects of one variable on another
C) research in which people are observed in their natural environment
D) research in which a carefully selected group of people is asked a predetermined group of questions

Question 50

You want to determine the relationship between caffeine intake and performance on a mid-quarter exam.As students sit down to take the exam,you ask them to write the number of cups of tea,soda,or coffee they ingested two hours prior to the exam.You also obtain their exam scores.You calculate the correlation coefficient between the two variables to be +0.82.What can you conclude?

A) The more caffeine students consumed,the better their scores.
B) 82 percent of the students consumed caffeine prior to the exam.
C) Drinking coffee caused better scores.
D) The more caffeine students consumed,the worse their scores.

Question 51

A researcher finds a strong positive correlation for academic success and reading speed.What can the researcher conclude?

A) Academic success causes reading speed.
B) Reading speed creates academic success.
C) Reading speed and academic success are not correlated.
D) Academic success and reading speed tend to occur together.

Question 52

Anything that can be assigned a numerical value is a:

A) sample.
B) correlation.
C) variable.
D) dependent variable.

Question 53

We can predict participants' scores on Variable A with perfect accuracy by knowing their scores on Variable B,and higher scores on Variable A are associated with higher scores on Variable B.What is the correlation coefficient for the correlation between Variables A and B?

A) -1.00
B) +0.50
C) 0.00
D) +1.00

Question 54

Correlations are useful for:

A) explaining the causes of behaviors.
B) measuring the strength of the relationship between variables.
C) detailing the behaviors of a small group of participants.
D) defining the key variables in an experiment.

Question 55

If you find no relationship between two variables,what would your correlation coefficient be?

A) +1.00
B) 0.00
C) -0.87
D) -0.99

Question 56

Professor Jacobs believes that sleep deprivation is related to conflicts between roommates.He collects data on the number of hours of sleep and the number of roommate conflicts for a group of college students over the course of a month.He obtains a correlation coefficient of -0.75.What can he conclude?

A) 75 percent of the roommate conflicts he investigated were not related to sleep deprivation.
B) With fewer hours of sleep there were fewer conflicts.
C) With fewer hours of sleep there were more conflicts.
D) Hours of sleep and conflicts were not related.

Question 57

If Variable X is increasing at about the same rate as Variable Y is decreasing,what can you conclude?

A) Variable X is causing Variable Y.
B) Variable X is negatively correlated with Variable Y.
C) Variable Y is causing Variable X.
D) Variable X is positively correlated with Variable Y.

Question 58

How is the correlational method different from naturalistic observation?

A) The correlational method involves the use of more than one variable.
B) The correlational method explains the causal nature of a relationship.
C) The correlational method utilizes quantitative measures.
D) The correlational method allows for behavior that is more natural than behavior observed in a laboratory setting.

Question 59

A researcher is interested in the relationship between early childhood sexual abuse and teenage chemical dependency.Since the researcher cannot ethically expose individuals to sexual abuse,which research strategy would be BEST?

A) The researcher should do a correlational study.
B) The researcher really only has one option: naturalistic observation.
C) The researcher should do a clinical case study.
D) The researcher could conduct a formal experiment in a carefully controlled laboratory environment.

Question 60

Professor Vestal is interested in studying the potential relationship between adolescent marijuana smoking and academic performance.Which type of study would you suggest she use?

A) naturalistic observation
B) formal experiment
C) case study
D) correlational study

Question 61

A researcher predicted that talking to plants enhances their growth.She gave 24 plants the same amount of food,water,and sunlight.She talked to 12 of the plants daily for 6 weeks.In this experiment,what is the dependent variable?

A) the same amount of food,water,and sunlight
B) the plants
C) talking
D) plant growth

Question 62

Dr.Scott finds a correlation coefficient of +.73 between Variable H and Variable J.Which of the following is NOT a possible source of the correlation?

A) When people do a lot of Variable H,they are less likely to do Variable J.
B) Variable H causes Variable J.
C) Variable J causes Variable H.
D) Variables H and J are both caused by a third variable.

Question 63

If an experimenter wants to find the cause of a phenomenon,the experimenter should:

A) use naturalistic observation.
B) conduct a formal experiment.
C) conduct a correlational study.
D) administer a survey.

Question 64

In a formal experiment,the group that is NOT subjected to the independent variable is the ____________ group.

A) control
B) dependent
C) experimental
D) independent

Question 65

Correlational study is to formal experiment as:

A) causation is to relationship.
B) relationship is to causation.
C) speculation is to scientific method.
D) cause and effect is to association.

Question 66

If you want to explain the cause of an observation,you should conduct a:

A) formal experiment.
B) detailed clinical analysis.
C) correlational study.
D) survey.

Question 67

In order for formal experiments to be valid,participants must be:

A) randomly assigned to experimental conditions.
B) all the same ethnicity,age,sex,etc.
C) observed in natural settings.
D) none of these.

Question 68

The main difference between a correlational study and an experiment is that in a correlational study:

A) samples have to be representative.
B) no hypothesis is required.
C) the investigator does not intentionally manipulate any variable.
D) there is a dependent variable but no independent variable.

Question 69

Why do experiments allow conclusions about cause and effect relationships?

A) Researchers take great care in selecting a representative population.
B) Researchers assign participants to either control or experimental conditions.
C) Researchers manipulate one variable and observe its effects on the other variable.
D) Researchers take great care in controlling all variables that might influence results.

Question 70

An experimenter wants to study the relationship between caffeine and reaction time.She assigns participants as follows: Group One receives 50 milligrams of caffeine;Group Two receives 100 milligrams of caffeine;Group Three receives 200 milligrams of caffeine;Group Four receives no caffeine.Twenty minutes later,all participants complete the reaction-time test.In this experiment,what was the dependent variable?

A) amount of caffeine
B) no caffeine
C) reaction time
D) assignment into one of four groups

Question 71

Experimental control is important because it enables the researcher to ensure that:

A) participants are randomly assigned to groups.
B) differences in the dependent variable are explained by differences in the independent variable.
C) levels of the independent variable are consistent.
D) he or she does not know which participants are in which condition.

Question 72

Formal experiments by Jean-Pierre Leyens and Wendy Josephson on the effects of watching media violence on aggressive behavior in boys

A) had problems with placebo effects.
B) suggested that watching violence causes real-life violence.
C) proved that the two variables are not correlated.
D) are now believed to be uninterpretable because of experimenter bias.

Question 73

Dr.Moseley is conducting a study to test the effectiveness of a new anti-psychotic medication.Participants are divided into two groups,with one group receiving the experimental medication and the second group receiving a pill that looks like the experimental medication but does not actually contain medication.The group receiving the experimental medication is called the ____________ group.

A) independent
B) control
C) placebo
D) experimental

Question 74

Professor Kimball wants to find out whether there is a causal relationship between estrogen replacement and reduced heart disease in older women.Which of the following methods should he use?

A) naturalistic observation
B) a clinical study using medical records
C) a correlational study
D) a formal experiment

Question 75

Over several days,half the boys in a juvenile detention center are shown violent films and half are shown neutral films with no violence.During lunch and recreation,observers record every instance of physical or verbal aggression among the boys.Which method are researchers using in this study?

A) formal experimentation
B) naturalistic observation
C) the clinical method
D) the interview method

Question 76

The requirement that the only difference between experimental conditions in a formal experiment is the variable of interest is referred to as:

A) control grouping.
B) experimental control.
C) placebo control.
D) random assignment.

Question 77

The main difference between a correlational study and an experiment is that in an experiment:

A) participants are observed in their everyday lives without interference.
B) the investigator manipulates one variable and observes its effects on the other.
C) all participants receive the same experimental conditions.
D) participants are aware of the hypothesis being tested.

Question 78

Dr.Wheelock wants to find out whether there is a causal relationship between praise and job performance.Which of the following methods should she use?

A) naturalistic observation
B) questionnaires and interviews
C) a formal experiment
D) a correlational study

Question 79

Which research strategy allows researchers to have control over experimental conditions?

A) the correlational method
B) the clinical method
C) naturalistic observation
D) the formal experiment

Question 80

A researcher tells a group of participants that as part of his experiment they are going to receive "painful" electrical shocks.He tells a second group that they will receive electric shocks,but that the shocks will only produce a "mild tickling" sensation.He asks participants in both groups whether they prefer to wait alone or with others while he sets up the shock machinery.In this experiment,what is the dependent variable?

A) painful shocks
B) mild shocks
C) participants' answers to the question
D) the shock machinery