Deck 2: Research Methods

Question 1

Which of the following is associated with intuitive thinking?

A) the scientific method
B) the initial stages of learning a new skill
C) using heuristics
D) correlational research designs

Answer 1

using heuristics

Question 2

Suppose you sit in a cafeteria and count the number of people who use each checkout line: one staffed by a woman and one staffed by a man. This is an example of which research design?

A) Correlational design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Naturalistic observation design

Answer 2

Naturalistic observation design

Question 3

Sahar attended a workshop on how crystals have healing power, can eliminate "blood sludge," and cure mental illness. The workshop facilitator presented clinical observations of several patients to demonstrate the effectiveness of crystals. What should Sahar keep in mind as she evaluates the information she learned in this workshop?

A) In the absence of systematic research, clinical observations are not sufficient evidence for their effectiveness.
B) Clinical observations are a powerful source of evidence and demonstrate treatment effectiveness.
C) Patients' own reports that crystals cured their cancer or depression provide empirical evidence of their effectiveness.
D) The workshop facilitator appears to be a credible source so his claims must be true.

Answer 3

In the absence of systematic research, clinical observations are not sufficient evidence for their effectiveness.

Question 4

Nadia's psychology professor gave her class a data set and asked the class to compute the measures of central tendency for the data. What mode of thinking is required to solve these problems?

A) Analytical thinking
B) Intuitive thinking
C) Inferential thinking
D) Automatic thinking

Question 5

A researcher wishes to maximize the external validity of her research design. What research method should you recommend to her?

A) Correlational design
B) Naturalistic observational design
C) Experimental design
D) Case study design

Question 6

The ability of researchers to draw cause-and-effect inferences from naturalistic observation studies is limited because of

A) high external validity.
B) high internal validity.
C) low internal validity.
D) low external validity.

Question 7

The extent to which we can generalize findings to real-world settings is called

A) face validity.
B) construct validity.
C) external validity.
D) internal validity.

Question 8

When you are learning a complex new skill, like typing or driving a car, your thinking starts off as ____________ but eventually becomes ____________ as your actions become more practiced and automatic.

A) analytical; reflexive
B) analytical; intuitive
C) intuitive; rational
D) effortful; subconscious

Question 9

System 1 thinking is to __________, whereas System 2 thinking is to __________.

A) intuitive thinking; heuristic thinking
B) heuristic thinking; analytical thinking
C) analytical thinking; intuitive thinking
D) intuitive thinking; analytical thinking

Question 10

When psychologists use the term heuristic, they are referring to

A) biased information processing strategies.
B) mental techniques to improve memory recall.
C) mental techniques to increase deliberation in our decision making.
D) mental decision-making strategies.

Question 11

In a recent study, researchers counted the number of cars and bicycles on several different streets downtown in order to make recommendations about where to build more bike lanes. Which of the following is a weakness of this research design?

A) low internal validity
B) low external validity
C) very expensive to implement
D) focus on the unusual rather than the normal

Question 12

Using the scientific method helps us to safeguard against the dangers of relying on our

A) analytical thinking.
B) System 2 thinking.
C) intuitive thinking.
D) inferential thinking.

Question 13

First impressions and snap judgments are based on

A) analytical thinking.
B) intuitive thinking.
C) rational thinking.
D) effortful thinking.

Question 14

Joe swerves his car to avoid hitting a pot hole. Randall tries to figure out how to apply a concept he learned in class to real life. Based on the discussion of the modes of thinking in your text, Joe is relying on __________ thinking and Randall is relying on __________ thinking.

A) intuitive; heuristic.
B) descriptive; inferential.
C) intuitive; analytical.
D) analytical; automatic.

Question 15

Naturalistic observation and case study methods are to __________ as correlational methods are to __________.

A) description; prediction
B) cause-and-effect; internal validity
C) construct validity; random assignment
D) reliability; external validity

Question 16

Shannon is studying the vocalizations made by a rare breed of squirrels. She sits in a hidden spot in the forest and records the squirrels' sounds as well as what is going on at the time. What type of research method is Shannon using?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Case study
C) Correlation
D) Experiment

Question 17

When a researcher tests his or her hypothesis, he or she is often hoping to gather information that supports a particular theory. What allows a researcher to say that he or she has "proven" a theory?

A) A researcher is never truly able to say that he or she has "proven" a theory.
B) Anytime a hypothesis confirms one theory and simultaneously disconfirms at least one other theory, then a theory has been "proven."
C) Anytime a hypothesis is confirmed, a theory is automatically "proven."
D) Anytime a hypothesis confirms one theory and simultaneously disconfirms all other known theories, then a theory has been "proven."

Question 18

If you sat in a public place and assessed the relative attractiveness of the couples who walk by to see if their attraction levels matched or differed, this would illustrate which research design?

A) Correlational design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Naturalistic observation design

Question 19

A group of student researchers watch various buildings on their campus at different times of day to attempt to determine when people will hold a door open for another person. These student researchers are most likely to use which research method design when conducting their study?

A) Correlational design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Naturalistic observation design

Question 20

A researcher is interested in determining how frequently bullying behaviour occurs in real-life settings. Which research design would be best?

A) experimental design.
B) case study design.
C) correlational design.
D) naturalistic observation design.

Question 21

It can be difficult to test hypotheses about dissociative identity disorder, because it is an especially rare disorder. Which research design would be most useful in these circumstances?

A) Naturalistic observation design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Correlational design

Question 22

Which of the following is correct in distinguishing between random selection and random assignment?

A) Both random selection and random assignment are used to obtain a random sample of participants that is drawn from the larger population.
B) Random assignment is where every person in the population has an equal chance of being chosen to participate, and random selection is where every person in the sample has an equal chance of being selected for the experimental or control conditions.
C) Random selection concerns how we initially choose participants, whereas random assignment is how we assign chosen participants into groups.
D) Random assignment concerns how we initially choose participants, whereas random selection is how we assign chosen participants into groups.

Question 23

If you calculate the similarity in movie ratings between two people who watch the same movies, which of the following are you checking?

A) generalizability.
B) objectivity.
C) validity.
D) reliability.

Question 24

If you wanted to use research evidence in order to generalize to a wider population, which research design would be the worst choice?

A) experimental design
B) observational design
C) correlational design
D) case study design

Question 25

Which research design is often used to provide existence proof that a given psychological phenomenon can occur?

A) Correlational design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Naturalistic observation design

Question 26

Dr. Peese is conducting research about content differences between truthful and false crime reports. She has three research assistants who help her code each report using consistent procedures. In order to ensure that the coding is consistent, Dr. Peese compares the scores from each of the coders to see how closely they are correlated. In this example, Dr. Peese is assessing

A) test-retest reliability.
B) internal validity.
C) interrater reliability.
D) construct validity.

Question 27

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget devised complex models of cognitive development in children based on detailed records of interactions with his children. Which design best describes Piaget's research?

A) Naturalistic observation design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Correlational design

Question 28

Dr. Jonas is conducting a survey on high school study habits and advertises for participants through local youth groups and libraries. He finds that most teenagers in his study have good study habits and use a series of organizational methods to stay on track with school work. What is the main overarching difficulty with the conclusions from his study?

A) There was no random selection, so the respondents may not represent the population.
B) Teenagers have a greater tendency to be untruthful on surveys relative to adults.
C) It was likely the teenagers were trying to make themselves appear better than they were.
D) There are no major flaws with this study.

Question 29

The study of rare or unusual phenomena is most easily done through the use of the __________ design.

A) case study
B) observational
C) experimental
D) correlational

Question 30

This research design involves deep and detailed information gathering from a single individual over a long period of time.

A) Naturalistic observation design
B) Experimental design
C) Case study design
D) Correlational design

Question 31

Dr. Didus is studying a patient with a serious and unusual brain injury. Each time the patient is asked about the injury he denies having any problems, even though the clinical tests demonstrate serious deficits. Based on his case study, what can Dr. Didus conclude about this type of brain injury, in general?

A) Patients with this injury cannot cope with discussing uncomfortable experiences.
B) The denial is more of a personality trait than a consequence of the injury.
C) There is no relationship between the injury and the patient's statements.
D) No conclusions can be drawn about this brain injury without further systematic research on a wider range of cases.

Question 32

When conducting a survey, which of the following research techniques is most important for ensuring that your sample is representative of the wider population?

A) random selection.
B) blinding procedures.
C) self-report measures.
D) random assignment.

Question 33

Your text described two studies with very different results about women and their relationships. One study targeted women who subscribe to specific magazines, and the other study included people from the general population. Which of the following was a likely cause of the differences between the studies?

A) the use of covert versus participant observation
B) the method of sampling used in each study
C) demand characteristics
D) experimenter bias

Question 34

We need to administer a public questionnaire about the upcoming election. We want this survey to be unbiased, and make sure that everyone has an equal chance of being chosen to participate. Which of the following should we use to meet these goals?

A) the survey method.
B) random selection.
C) a case study design.
D) the placebo effect.

Question 35

The extent to which we can draw cause-and-effect inferences from a study is called

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

Question 36

This research design examines one person or a small number of people in depth, often over an extended time period.

A) Case study
B) Correlation
C) Experiment
D) Naturalistic observation

Question 37

__________ ensures every person in a population has an equal chance of being chosen to participate.

A) Stratified sampling
B) Random selection
C) A double-blind procedure
D) Naturalistic observation

Question 38

Case studies can be helpful in providing __________, or demonstrations that a given psychological phenomenon can occur.

A) construct validity
B) internal validity
C) existence proofs
D) external validity

Question 39

While valuable for studying rare phenomenon, case studies tend to be __________ in external validity and __________ in internal validity.

A) low; high
B) high; low
C) low; low
D) high; high

Question 40

By taking a person's temperature several times, you gain confidence that the multiple measurements of temperature are correct. Another term for "confidence" in this situation is

A) reliability.
B) validity.
C) objectivity.
D) subjectivity.

Question 41

If someone lies on a survey in order to seem mentally disturbed or ill, then those lies are called

A) negative self-image.
B) malingering.
C) the horns effect.
D) blinding.

Question 42

Sandra has completed an online survey about recycling habits and minimized how often she throws empty cans and bottles into the garbage. Her responses reflect what type of bias?

A) Malingering
B) Base rate fallacy
C) Hindsight bias
D) Response set

Question 43

A new student, Carlina, has just switched to your university and joined your class partway through. She is very attractive and seems very nice. When discussing with a friend whether to invite Carlina into your group for a project, you state that she should be allowed because she is likely intelligent and productive, even though you have no basis for knowing this is true. You have likely fallen victim to

A) the nocebo effect.
B) the horns effect.
C) the halo effect.
D) the placebo effect.

Question 44

People who are depressed tend to report a lot of fatigue, and report spending less time in social situations. Thus, depression is __________ correlated with fatigue and __________ correlated with spending a lot of time in social situations.

A) negatively; positively
B) negatively; inversely
C) positively; negatively
D) positively; positively

Question 45

Crystal wants her boyfriend, James, to quit smoking, so she tells him about the positive relationship between smoking and lung cancer. James responds by arguing that "my grandpa smoked two packs a day for his entire life and never got cancer." Which of the following statements regarding correlations applies to this situation?

A) Correlations are not an accurate way of measuring relationships.
B) Anecdotes do not refute the existence of this correlation.
C) Experimental manipulation of smoking and lung cancer is the only way to determine if these two variables are related.
D) Correlations are descriptions, not predictions.

Question 46

Researchers sometimes include survey questions that ask about implausible or nonexistent things, like "Were you raised in Pago Pago?" or "Do your eyes twitch when you are near a radio?". Why do researchers do this?

A) to identify response sets
B) to blind the procedures
C) to increase interrater reliability
D) to prevent the halo effect

Question 47

According to your text, the polygraph test (also referred to as the 'lie detector') is criticized for its lack of

A) test-retest reliability.
B) interrater reliability
C) placebo effects.
D) validity.

Question 48

A professor thinks that people who have higher grades also attend class more often. If the professor wished to study this relationship, which research design would be used?

A) experimental design
B) naturalistic observation design
C) case study design
D) correlational design

Question 49

You do not like your new neighbour because he is messy and loud. You also think other negative things about him, such as "he is probably sexist" and "he is such a narcissist," even though you don't have evidence of those traits. This is an example of

A) negative impression management.
B) the horns effect.
C) a response set.
D) the halo effect.

Question 50

Dr. Riviera measures his students' knowledge about the topic of memory by giving them three different quizzes, one per week. He is hoping to show that student scores are largely the same from week to week. He is trying to establish the __________ of his quiz.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) objectivity
D) subjectivity

Question 51

The most important characteristic for a psychological measure to have is

A) reliability.
B) objectivity.
C) readability.
D) validity.

Question 52

Which of the following people would be most likely to malinger?

A) someone who is suing after being injured
B) someone who is rating a favourite professor
C) someone who is embarrassed by the questions on a survey
D) someone who has strong political opinions

Question 53

Which of the following methods is most likely to be affected if research participants are dishonest in their responses?

A) behavioural measures.
B) self-report measures.
C) observational measures.
D) correlational measures.

Question 54

A __________ refers to a tendency to distort answers to self-report questionnaires, often in a socially desirable direction.

A) placebo effect
B) halo effect
C) hindsight bias
D) response set

Question 55

Which of the following examples is particularly vulnerable to both the halo and horns effects?

A) Answers to questions on a health-risk survey
B) Student responses on a career aptitude test
C) Psychological test scores in legal compensation cases
D) Students' evaluations of their professors

Question 56

Grace claims that she has been severely traumatized by a minor accident she witnessed while at work, and she is suing her employers for financial compensation. Her employers think she is not as traumatized as she claims and ask her to see a psychologist to assess her symptoms. On psychological testing, Grace is likely to engage in __________.

A) socially desirable responding
B) the horns effect
C) the placebo effect
D) malingering

Question 57

Sasha read about a study in the newspaper that reported a positive association between poverty and crime. What type of research design is most likely to have been used in this study?

A) Naturalistic observation
B) Case study design
C) Correlational design
D) Experimental design

Question 58

A group of students watch a videotape of two managers interacting with their subordinates at a customer service desk in a department store. Students see one of the managers' act in a friendly and respectful manner toward all of the employees. The other manager is less friendly but still respectful toward the employees. What concept would explain the more positive ratings on other dimensions for the friendly manager as compared to the less friendly manager?

A) The Rosenthal effect
B) The horns effect
C) The halo effect
D) The leniency effect

Question 59

The major advantage of self-report measures, like surveys, is that they

A) help establish causality.
B) are extremely reliable and valid.
C) are unaffected by the wording or phrasing of the questions.
D) are easy to administer.

Question 60

Which of the following statements is an example of the horns effect?

A) Sandra gives Nicole a good performance evaluation at work because they are friends.
B) Jason believes that overweight people also are lazy, selfish, and unmotivated.
C) Cynthia rates herself very positively on a test assessing personality characteristics.
D) Wade exaggerates his "bad boy" image on a survey of life experiences.

Question 61

There is an illusory correlation between psychiatric hospital admissions and the full moon. To create this illusory correlation, which of the following experiences do we notice most?

A) there is a full moon and there are no psychiatric admissions
B) there is no full moon and there are many psychiatric admissions
C) there is a full moon and there are many psychiatric admissions
D) there is no full moon and there are no psychiatric admissions

Question 62

Which of the following correlations represents the weakest correlation between two variables?

A) Daily calcium intake and bone mass density, r = +.11
B) Number of cigarettes smoked per day and incidence of lung cancer, r = +.39
C) Degree of exposure to lead and IQ scores in children, r = -.12
D) Hours of exposure to media violence and aggressive behaviour, r = +.31

Question 63

A graph that can be used to represent the pattern of relationship between scores from two variables is called a

A) frequency polygon.
B) histogram.
C) bar graph.
D) scatterplot.

Question 64

Correlations allow researchers to make __________ about the world, whereas observational and case studies allow us to __________ it.

A) causal inferences; predict
B) predictions; describe
C) descriptions; predict
D) causal inferences; describe

Question 65

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest positive relationship between two variables?

A) -.64
B) -.32
C) +.46
D) +.27

Question 66

Which of the following is strongly associated with illusory correlations?

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) response sets.
C) confirmation bias.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 67

A fictional study revealed that there is a negative correlation between exam grades and the average number of glasses of beer (r = -.52), wine (r = -.63), coolers (r = -.46), or hard alcohol (r = -.59) consumed each night. Which of these alcoholic beverages shows the strongest association with poor exam performance?

A) Coolers
B) Hard alcohol
C) Beer
D) Wine

Question 68

Suppose that researchers find no relationship between your likelihood of getting cancer and your home's proximity to power lines. This would be an example of which type of correlation?

A) negative
B) positive
C) zero
D) inverse

Question 69

Which of the following correlation coefficients would allow you to make the strongest prediction?

A) +.51
B) -.67
C) -.46
D) +.09

Question 70

You read a research study that claims to have found a correlation of r = -.43 between smoking and vegetable consumption. This means that

A) the less people smoke, the fewer vegetables they eat.
B) the more people smoke, the fewer vegetables they eat.
C) the more people smoke, the more vegetables they eat.
D) smoking and vegetable consumption are unrelated.

Question 71

There is an illusory correlation between joint pain and rainy weather. To establish this illusory correlation, which of the following experiences do we notice most?

A) Instances where it is raining and there is joint pain
B) Instances where it is raining and there is no joint pain
C) Instances where it is not raining and there is joint pain
D) Instances where it is not raining and there is no joint pain

Question 72

As the number of losses by the Edmonton Oilers hockey team increase, the number of fans decrease. This is an example of a __________ correlation.

A) positive
B) negative
C) zero
D) causal

Question 73

Most likely, shoe size is __________ associated or correlated with psychology exam scores.

A) negatively
B) positively
C) not at all
D) inversely

Question 74

According to the text, many people believe without evidence that there are strong correlations between the full moon and strange behaviour, such as violent crime, suicides, psychiatric admissions, and births. This is an example of

A) a positive correlation.
B) a negative correlation.
C) a zero correlation.
D) an illusory correlation.

Question 75

Researchers found no link between autism and immunizations. which type of correlation is this?

A) negative
B) positive
C) zero
D) inverse

Question 76

If there is no discernible relationship between scores on students' homework assignments and their exam scores in an introductory biology class, then what type of correlation exists?

A) negative
B) positive
C) zero
D) inverse

Question 77

Superstitions are often based on

A) case studies.
B) nocebo effects.
C) illusory correlations.
D) experimental data.

Question 78

Which of the following correlation coefficients is the strongest?

A) +.43
B) -.47
C) -.25
D) +.19

Question 79

Jaime knows that the correlation between alcohol abuse and liver damage is very strong but argues that this relationship is unlikely to apply to him because both his grandparents and parents drank heavily throughout their lives and never suffered from any liver problems. What is the main problem with Jaime's reasoning?

A) He is using anecdotes to refute correlational evidence.
B) He has not tested his ideas using a scientific method.
C) He is applying a socially-desirable bias.
D) He is vulnerable to the halo effect.

Question 80

As the average daily temperature decreases, the number of persons who are observed wearing sweaters in the workplace increases. This is an example of a __________ correlation.

A) positive
B) zero
C) negative
D) causal