Deck 2: Section 6: Methods in Psychology

Question 1

Which is a good technique to avoid demand characteristics?

A)a case method
B)naturalistic observation
C)an uncontrolled experiment in a laboratory setting
D)a take-home survey that includes the participant's personal contact information

Answer 1

naturalistic observation

Question 2

Which statement can NOT be concluded from the systematic observation that children who watch televised aggression act more aggressively?

A)There is a possibility that aggressive children choose to watch televised aggression.
B)Viewing televised aggression might make children more aggressive.
C)A third-variable is definitely causing these results.
D)Viewing televised aggression and aggression level are positively correlated.

Answer 2

A third-variable is definitely causing these results.

Question 3

Forming beliefs based on observations about the world is to _____ as forming beliefs based on authority is to _____.

A)dogmatism; empiricism
B)dogmatism; operationalism
C)empiricism; method
D)empiricism; dogmatism

Answer 3

empiricism; dogmatism

Question 4

Men and women of different age groups who have cancer are randomly assigned to groups differing in the dose of a new cancer-fighting drug in order to examine the effects on the progression of the disease. The dependent variable is:

A)disease progression.
B)dose.
C)age.
D)gender.

Question 5

At a particular high school, there is a negative correlation between popularity and academic success. Which statement can be accurately inferred?

A)Students who do well in class tend to be popular.
B)Having lots of friends results in less time for study and causes students to do worse in school.
C)Students who do extremely well academically probably will be viewed as less popular.
D)Devoting a great deal of time to study causes students not to seek out personal relationships with others.

Question 6

A second-grade teacher seeks help from a school psychologist because a child in the teacher's class in particularly unruly. The school psychologist visits the class one day to observe the child. Knowing that she is being watched, the child decides to be on her best behavior. This scenario BEST illustrates _____ as a reason for why human behavior is difficult to study.

A)complexity
B)reactivity
C)reliability
D)variability

Question 7

Which statement about ethical research in psychology is true?

A)No agency enforces the code of conduct; psychologists operate on the honor system.
B)Informed consent should be obtained from research participants or their legal guardians.
C)Deception should not be used in psychological research.
D)Animal subjects should not be exposed to anesthesia.

Question 8

A reliable measure is one that:

A)produces a consistent result if the same thing is measured twice.
B)measures what it was intended to measure.
C)predicts actual behavior.
D)co-varies with the independent variable.

Question 9

In an experimental design, volunteers are placed into the experimental group or the control group based on a flip of a coin. This method illustrates:

A)statistical significance.
B)random sampling.
C)random assignment.
D)matched samples.

Question 10

Which correlation coefficient represents the weakest degree of relationship between two variables?

A)-.2
B).1
C)-.4
D).99

Question 11

You decide to use a person's eye color as a measure of intelligence. Which statement is true?

A)The measure is reliable but lacks validity.
B)The measure is valid but lacks reliability.
C)The measure is reliable and valid.
D)The measure is neither reliable nor valid.

Question 12

One way to counteract a possible third-variable problem is to use:

A)matched samples.
B)natural selection.
C)survey questionnaires.
D)random sampling.

Question 13

Which statement is NOT true of a normal distribution?

A)It is bell-shaped.
B)It is symmetrical around the peak of the distribution.
C)The mean of the distribution is greater than the mode of the distribution.
D)Most measurements are concentrated around the peak of the distribution.

Question 14

Testing a hypothesis might result in _____ a theory.

A)falsifying
B)proving
C)answering
D)observing

Question 15

Dr. Spelke thinks language is highly involved with spatial ability. She enlists one group of college students to do a verbal task while they navigate around a room, while another group of students does a nonverbal tapping task while also doing the same navigation task. What is the purpose of the tapping group?

A)They serve as a control group.
B)They are the experimental group.
C)They directly test the research hypothesis.
D)They serve no purpose and should be taken out of the study.

Question 16

Random sampling is most closely associated with:

A)internal validity.
B)reliability.
C)external validity.
D)interrater reliability.