Deck 2: D: Research Methods

Question 1

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

Answer 1

description;prediction

Question 2

Once controlled research studies were conducted on the effectiveness of prefrontal lobotomies,they were discovered to be

A)universally effective.
B)sometimes effective,sometimes not.
C)essentially useless.
D)slightly effective.

Answer 2

essentially useless.

Question 3

The discussion on the topic of facilitated communication demonstrated the importance of

A)parsimonious theories.
B)developing falsifiable hypotheses.
C)replication of earlier research findings.
D)ruling out rival hypotheses.

Answer 3

ruling out rival hypotheses.

Question 4

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 5

A group of student researchers divide up the different times and buildings on their campus 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 6

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

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

Question 7

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.

Question 8

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 9

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

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

Question 10

Suppose you seat yourself in a cafeteria to count up which checkout line students will prefer: the one staffed by a visible minority or the other line.This is an example of which research design?

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

Question 11

Shannon is interested in studying the vocalizations that a rare breed of squirrels makes when predators are nearby.She tags a small group of these squirrels and records the sounds that they make.What type of research method is Shannon using?

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

Question 12

When a psychologist is discussing a heuristic,he or she is 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 13

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 __________ and Randall is relying on __________.

A)intuitive thinking;heuristic thinking.
B)descriptive thinking;inferential thinking.
C)System 1 thinking;System 2 thinking.
D)analytical thinking;automatic thinking.

Question 14

What is one take-home message from the discussion of autism and facilitated communication?

A)The scientific method is not an effective means for finding solutions for persons who live with autism and other psychological disorders.
B)Even in the face of overwhelming evidence,some people won't abandon their erroneous beliefs.
C)Autistic children want to communicate with their parents but need someone to facilitate the process.
D)Psychological research is dangerous because it allows anyone to find support for any idea or opinion.

Question 15

First impressions and snap judgments are based on

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

Question 16

Nadia's psychology professor gave her class a data set and asked the class to compute the measures of central tendency for the data.The type of problems Nadia's class are trying to solve require what mode of thinking?

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

Question 17

Using the scientific method helps us to safeguard against the dangers of putting too much stock in our

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

Question 18

A researcher is interested in determining how frequently bullying behaviour occurs in real-life settings.This researcher would best be advised to use the

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

Question 19

What is the surgical procedure that severs fibres connecting the frontal lobes of the brain from the underlying thalamus?

A)Frontalization
B)The Moniz procedure
C)Prefrontal lobotomy
D)Electroconvulsive therapy

Question 20

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

A)A researcher is never 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,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,a theory has been "proven."

Question 21

It may be difficult to test hypotheses in the area of dissociative identity (multiple personality)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

In order to make sure a survey that we administer to the public is not biased and that everyone has an equal chance of being chosen to participate,we should use

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

Question 23

The most important factor to ensure that one's results apply to other people in other settings is to use

A)random sampling.
B)extremely large sample sizes.
C)extremely small sample sizes.
D)random assignment.

Question 24

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 25

Dr.Jonas is conducting a survey on teenage abortions and advertises for participants in local newspapers and teen magazines.He finds that 90 percent of teens report they don't regret their decision to have an abortion and appear to be mentally healthy following the procedure.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 26

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 27

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 28

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 29

Which research design provides existence proofs?

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

Question 30

The extent to which different people who conduct an interview,or make behavioural observations,agree on the characteristics they are measuring refers to

A)consistency.
B)objectivity.
C)interrater validity.
D)interrater reliability.

Question 31

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget devised complex models of cognitive development in children based on studies of his grandchildren.Which design would be best suited to Piaget's goal?

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

Question 32

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 33

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 34

This research design involves an extremely 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 35

The large difference in the percentages of women who admitted to extramarital affairs in the Hite Report on Love versus a Harris organization pool was most likely due to

A)the use of covert versus participant observation.
B)the method of sampling used in each study.
C)demand characteristics.
D)how the questions were worded in each study.

Question 36

Dr.Didus has diagnosed a patient with dissociative identity disorder (DID),a very rare type of dissociative disorder.He observes the behaviour of his patient and her alter personalities and discovers that every time he asks her about sexual experiences,an alter that is a male takes over as the dominant personality.Based on his case study,what can Dr.Didus conclude about DID in general?

A)Patients with DID cannot cope with discussing uncomfortable experiences.
B)Sexual experiences are linked with the presence of alter experiences.
C)Opposite gender personalities take over to protect the host personality when talking about sex.
D)No conclusions can be drawn about DID without systematic research on this population.

Question 37

It would be least advisable to attempt to apply the results gathered from a(n)__________ to a larger population of interest.

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

Question 38

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

A)Random sampling
B)Random selection
C)Demand characteristics
D)Hawthorne sampling

Question 39

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

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

Question 40

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 41

The most important characteristic for a psychological measure to have is

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

Question 42

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)Student course evaluations of teaching

Question 43

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 44

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 45

Sandra has completed an online survey about sexual experiences and minimized the extent to which she engages in risky and/or unprotected sex.Her responses reflect what type of response set?

A)Malingering
B)Base rate fallacy
C)Hindsight bias
D)Positive impression management

Question 46

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)positive impression management
B)the horns effect
C)the placebo effect
D)malingering

Question 47

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

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

Question 48

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 49

Dr.Peese is conducting research concerning content differences between truthful and false allegations of trauma.She has three research assistants who help her code each allegation using content analysis procedures.In order to assure 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 50

Because respondents are not always honest in their answers,researchers may elect against using

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

Question 51

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 52

Dr.Riviera measures his students' knowledge on the topic of memory by giving them three different quizzes over the course of three weeks (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 53

Roy has taken time off his job in a sandwich factory due to psychological reasons and is trying to claim workers compensation to cover his expenses.He claims that he has developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)as a result of witnessing a co-worker severely cut themselves on a meat slicer,but he really just wants a break from working and has not been traumatized.Roy is likely to engage in __________ to make himself appear like he is more psychologically disturbed that he really is.

A)the halo effect
B)positive impression management
C)malingering
D)the horns effect

Question 54

Our tendency to make ourselves look psychologically disturbed with the aim to achieve clear-cut personal goals,like faking a mental illness,is called

A)negative self-image.
B)malingering.
C)self-report bias.
D)leniency effect.

Question 55

Our tendency to make ourselves look better than we actually are,either for job interviews or Facebook pages,is called

A)positive self-image.
B)positive impression management.
C)self-report bias.
D)leniency effect.

Question 56

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 57

You do not like your new neighbour in your dormitory.Not only is he untidy and loud,you find yourself thinking negative things about him,such as "he is probably sexist" and "he is such a narcissist," and that he lacks intelligence.This is an example of

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

Question 58

Which of the following is not a drawback of collecting rating data?

A)Leniency effect
B)Impression management
C)Horns effect
D)Halo effect

Question 59

If you are interested in examining the relationship between the number of class days missed and one's subsequent semester grade point average,you would be best served to use a(n)__________ to study this question.

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

Question 60

A key disadvantage to self-report measures is that

A)they are less effective than experiments in accurately predicting peoples' behaviour.
B)respondents are not always honest in their answers.
C)observing behaviour leads to changes in behaviour.
D)demand characteristics can bias participants' answers.

Question 61

Jaime knows that the correlation between prolonged 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 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 a drinker himself and suffers from the confirmation bias.
D)He believes that he is the exception because psychology is a science of exceptions.

Question 62

Shoe size is __________ associated or correlated with psychology exam scores.

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

Question 63

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

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

Question 64

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 65

If there is no discernible relationship between scores on students' homework assignments and their exam scores in an introductory biology class,we would say that a(n)__________ correlation exists.

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

Question 66

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 67

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest degree of relation between two variables?

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

Question 68

As the average daily temperature in Brandon,Manitoba,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

Question 69

Depression is __________ correlated with fatigue and sadness and __________ correlated with spending a lot of time in social situations.

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

Question 70

Suppose that researchers find no relationship between your likelihood of getting cancer and your neighbourhood's proximity to power lines.This would be an example of a(n)__________ correlation.

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

Question 71

According to the text,many people believe that there are strong correlations between the full moon and strange behaviour,such as violent crime,suicides,psychiatric admissions,and births (otherwise known as the lunar lunacy effect).This is an example of

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

Question 72

Suppose researchers found no link between autism and immunizations.This would be an example of a(n)__________ correlation.

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

Question 73

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest degree of relation between two variables?

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

Question 74

Sasha read about a study in the newspaper that reported a positive association between schizophrenia 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 75

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)Exceptions weaken the strength of the correlation.

Question 76

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 77

When proponents of parapsychology don't find the results they are seeking,they argue negative findings are due to all of the following except

A)the psi missing effect.
B)the experimenter effect.
C)the horns effect.
D)the decline effect.

Question 78

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

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

Question 79

Which of the following correlations represents the weakest degree of relation 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 80

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 you smoke,the fewer vegetables you eat.
B)the more you smoke,the fewer vegetables you eat.
C)the more you smoke,the more vegetables you eat.
D)smoking and vegetable consumption are unrelated.