Deck 1: Psychology As Science: Thinking Like a Researcher

Question 1

_____ is the tendency to be exceedingly assured of the correctness of one's own judgments.

A) Hindsight bias
B) Confirmation bias
C) The outlier effect
D) The overconfidence phenomenon

Answer 1

The overconfidence phenomenon

Question 2

Craig is looking at an online dating website and discovers the profile of someone who seems perfect for him. In fact, she appears almost too good to be true. Which of the following qualities of a good scientist may help him to avoid potential disappointment upon meeting her?

A) humility
B) open-mindedness
C) skepticism
D) creativity

Answer 2

skepticism

Question 3

Katie is a psychologist interested in examining the pleasure paradox. In order to induce the pleasure paradox, she should ask participants to:

A) list a few reasons why they dislike something.
B) list a lot of reasons why they dislike something
C) list a few reasons why they like something.
D) list a lot of reasons why they like something.

Answer 3

list a lot of reasons why they like something.

Question 4

Raquel is interested in determining whether astrological signs are predictive of personality. To investigate this, she examines her own behaviors, find that they match the predictions in her astrology book, and concludes that everyone's sign does indeed predict how they will behave. Believing that everyone thinks and behaves like her is an error that stems from Raquel's use of the:

A) "what you see is what there is" phenomenon.
B) pleasure paradox.
C) better-than-average effect.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 5

_____ is the process of reflecting on one's own thoughts and experiences to find relevant evidence that can be used to evaluate claims about ourselves and the world.

A) The focusing effect
B) Hindsight bias
C) Introspection
D) Belief perseverance

Question 6

When Jonathan ran for class president, it never occurred to him that he could lose. This tendency is known as:

A) hindsight bias.
B) the representativeness heuristic.
C) the availability heuristic.
D) the overconfidence phenomenon.

Question 7

The better-than-average effect occurs when an individual:

A) judges the likelihood of an event based on how easily he/she can think of similar instances.
B) evaluates an event by comparing it to a "typical" example.
C) overestimates his/her own skills and abilities as compared to others.
D) searches for evidence that supports preexisting beliefs.

Question 8

Which of the following is known as the "I knew it all along" phenomenon?

A) the availability heuristic
B) hindsight bias
C) the overconfidence effect
D) the representativeness heuristic

Question 9

Your research program yields a significant finding about the ability of a new medication to successfully treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The ability of others to build upon your work to make future advances depends on your:

A) problem solving skills.
B) project management skills.
C) communication skills.
D) critical thinking skills.

Question 10

Confirmation bias is the tendency to:

A) judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily one can think of similar instances.
B) only look for evidence that confirms what they already believe to be true.
C) overestimate one's skills and abilities as compared with others.
D) see the event as having been predictable.

Question 11

Which of the following states that extreme outcomes are more likely when considering fewer cases?

A) the law of large numbers
B) Weber's law
C) the law of small numbers
D) the law of effect

Question 12

April is studying lucid dreaming, specifically examining whether people can control their dreams while remaining asleep. Adam is examining whether lucid dreaming can be utilized to solve previously unsolvable problems, like preventing cancer. April is conducting _____ research, whereas Adam is conducting _____ research.

A) pseudoscientific; scientific
B) scientific; pseudoscientific
C) applied; basic
D) basic; applied

Question 13

Leonardo claims to have graduated at the top of his class from a very prestigious state university. Before the admissions officer approves his application for law school, she requests to see his transcript. In this case, the admissions officer is demonstrating:

A) objectivity.
B) open-mindedness.
C) creativity.
D) communication skills.

Question 14

Belief perseverance is the tendency to:

A) judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily one can think of similar instances.
B) maintain a belief despite encountering contradictory factual information.
C) overestimate one's skills and abilities as compared to others.
D) search for evidence that supports preexisting beliefs.

Question 15

The focusing effect is:

A) when some information is emphasized while other information is undervalued.
B) a failure to see the limitations of one's own immediate experience.
C) the tendency to prioritize information that is most readily available in our memory.
D) the tendency to overestimate one's skills and abilities.

Question 16

_____ is research dedicated to expanding the existing knowledge on a topic.

A) Applied research
B) Basic research
C) Pseudoscience
D) Introspection

Question 17

The representativeness heuristic is a strategy for:

A) judging the likelihood of an event based on how easily one can think of similar instances.
B) deciding the likelihood of an event by how much it resembles a "typical" example of that event.
C) overestimating one's skills and abilities as compared with others.
D) searching for evidence that supports preexisting beliefs.

Question 18

The scientific method is a(n):

A) systematic approach for addressing questions of interest.
B) heuristic-based approach for studying human phenomena.
C) mental shortcut for judging the likelihood of an event occurring based on how easy it comes to mind.
D) outdated approach to studying nature that is rarely used in the twenty-first century.

Question 19

Data are to science as:

A) anecdotes are to pseudoscience.
B) opinions are to empirical research.
C) systematic observations are to pseudoscience.
D) nonsystematic observations are to basic research.

Question 20

Jeremiah is a door-to-door salesman. He has been keeping a record of his sales for the past few months. He is not surprised when his data revealed an outlier during the month of _____, given the inclement weather around that time.

A) November (total sales = 22)
B) December (total sales = 23)
C) January (total sales = 7)
D) February (total sales = 19)

Question 21

The availability heuristic is responsible for people's tendency to overestimate memorable occurrences like each of the following, EXCEPT:

A) plane crashes.
B) car accidents.
C) shark attacks.
D) earthquakes.

Question 22

All of the following are characteristics of a good scientist, EXCEPT:

A) skepticism.
B) open-mindedness.
C) subjectivity.
D) creativity.

Question 23

A major goal of this research methods book is for students to learn how to:

A) think differently.
B) feel differently.
C) behave differently.
D) assume differently.

Question 24

Generally speaking, human thinking is _____ flawed.

A) not
B) a little
C) very
D) all

Question 25

Fiona wants to study motivation for achievement by asking her friends to reflect on their own drives for success. In this example, Fiona is using which research technique?

A) introspection
B) experiment
C) pseudoscience
D) the scientific method

Question 26

Which of the following is a career skill that studying research methods instills in students?

A) emotional intelligence
B) interpersonal acuity
C) artistic ability
D) critical thinking skills

Question 27

Psychology majors gain _____, which is the highly sought-after ability to plan, manage, organize, and follow-through on a task by paying attention to the nuances and details.

A) critical thinking skills
B) analytical ability
C) communication skills
D) project management skills

Question 28

The primary avenue by which psychologists share their findings with the larger research community is through:

A) word of mouth.
B) journal articles.
C) websites.
D) infomercials.

Question 29

Using appropriate research methods to examine how people think, feel, and behave is important because:

A) it decrease the likelihood that we draw empirically sound conclusions.
B) it decreases the likelihood that we make poor decisions.
C) biases in how we think make the study of psychology more like real life.
D) it makes us more likely to use the availability heuristic.

Question 30

_____ is gaining knowledge with the use of systematic observation, experience, or measurement.

A) Empirical research
B) Pseudoscience
C) Nonempirical research
D) Introspection

Question 31

The _____ you believe pseudoscience claims, the _____ likely you are to make well-informed decisions.

A) more; more
B) more; less
C) less; more
D) less; less

Question 32

Each of the following is a processing error that leads to natural flaws in the way people think, EXCEPT:

A) the representativeness heuristic.
B) the confirmation bias.
C) the better-than-average effect.
D) replication.

Question 33

According to the representativeness heuristic, which of the following are you most likely to think of as an Olympic athlete?

A) a curvaceous woman in her mid-30s
B) a physically fit man in his early 20s
C) an elderly woman who wears her hair in a bun
D) a middle-aged man who is overweight

Question 34

Applied research:

A) is dedicated to solving a problem and helping people improve their quality of life.
B) uses minimal design to explore a phenomenon.
C) is dedicated to expanding the existing knowledge on a topic.
D) incorporates sophisticated research methodology and design to investigate a topic.

Question 35

Jerico attended the Kentucky Derby but decided not to bet on any of the horses. When American Pharoah won, he said to his friends, "I should have put money on that horse, because I knew he was going to win!" Jerico's behavior is an example of:

A) the availability heuristic.
B) the representativeness heuristic.
C) hindsight bias.
D) the overconfidence phenomenon.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of the better-than-average effect?

A) Most people think they drive better than other people.
B) People often seek to confirm their current opinions.
C) Individuals maintain beliefs even in the face of contradictory evidence.
D) People often prioritize some information while undervaluing other information in a given situation.

Question 37

Which of the following classes relies the heaviest on using the scientific method to answer questions?

A) biopsychology
B) abnormal psychology
C) developmental psychology
D) research methods

Question 38

In psychology, how do researchers avoid making mistakes?

A) They trust their gut instinct, but only when it is strong.
B) They use deliberate and conscientious approaches.
C) They base findings off the anecdotal evidence of respected others.
D) They use their personal experience as evidence.

Question 39

Penny is a smoker. Although she has heard of the data linking smoking to lung cancer and emphysema, she does not feel concerned. Penny's belief that she will not get sick is an example of:

A) the availability heuristic.
B) the representativeness heuristic.
C) the overconfidence phenomenon.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 40

_____ is a strategy for judging the likelihood of an event based on how easily one can think of similar instances.

A) Covariation
B) Confirmation bias
C) Availability heuristic
D) Representativeness heuristic

Question 41

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario I
Scenario I is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Witte, V., Kerti, L., Marguelies, D. S. & Floel, A. (2014). Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal function connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(23), 7862-7870.
Red Wine and Chocolate Improve Memory
Studies from animal models suggest resveratrol, a compound found in things like chocolate and red wine, improves cognitive function. In 2014, Witte and colleagues examined whether this was also true for humans. To that end, they conducted a study to assess memory in 46 older adults before and after a 13-week treatment that involved taking a pill daily that contained either 200 mg of resveratrol (experimental group) or an inactive ingredient (control group). Before performing a t-test to determine whether memory differed between the two groups, descriptive statistics were conducted. The researchers examined each participant's score relative to the mean score of their group. They identified one participant in the experimental group whose memory performance was four standard deviations above the mean and decided to remove his score from the inferential analysis. The t-test revealed that memory recall and recognition was statistically greater in those who had received resveratrol than in those who received the placebo. These results suggest that red wine and chocolate may improve memory.
(Scenario I) Although the results of the study described in Scenario I suggest that that drinking red wine is beneficial to cognitive function, you are cautious of beginning to drink heavily because other studies have associated heavy alcohol intake with alcohol dependence, dementia, and cirrhosis of the liver. This type of thinking is best described as:

A) problem solving.
B) critical thinking.
C) analytical skills.
D) interpretive skills.

Question 42

Define an outlier and give an example from your own experience.

Question 43

Dr. Turpin is a social psychologist who teaches classes on the psychology of relationships. As part of a class discussion, he states that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. He then asks his students whether they think that they will someday get divorced. Knowing what you do about the better-than-average effect, roughly what percentage of students do you expect will say that they will get divorced?

Question 44

What is the law of small numbers?

Question 45

Ashlyn was asked by her research advisor to conduct a literature review of personality psychology articles that speak to their hypothesis that having siblings is associated with higher levels of conscientiousness. Knowing what you do about the confirmation bias, what types of articles is Ashlyn likely to bring to her advisor?

Question 46

Joaquin refuses to go into the ocean during his family's summer vacation because he has seen a number of recent news stories about shark attacks along the eastern seaboard. Use your understanding of the availability heuristic to explain Joaquin's fear of sharks.

Question 47

Explain why good researchers should be open-minded.

Question 48

Carl refuses to believe that he is a bad driver even after experiencing a number of accidents and receiving several speeding tickets. Explain how his perception of his own driving abilities is the result of belief perseverance.

Question 49

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario I
Scenario I is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Witte, V., Kerti, L., Marguelies, D. S. & Floel, A. (2014). Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal function connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(23), 7862-7870.
Red Wine and Chocolate Improve Memory
Studies from animal models suggest resveratrol, a compound found in things like chocolate and red wine, improves cognitive function. In 2014, Witte and colleagues examined whether this was also true for humans. To that end, they conducted a study to assess memory in 46 older adults before and after a 13-week treatment that involved taking a pill daily that contained either 200 mg of resveratrol (experimental group) or an inactive ingredient (control group). Before performing a t-test to determine whether memory differed between the two groups, descriptive statistics were conducted. The researchers examined each participant's score relative to the mean score of their group. They identified one participant in the experimental group whose memory performance was four standard deviations above the mean and decided to remove his score from the inferential analysis. The t-test revealed that memory recall and recognition was statistically greater in those who had received resveratrol than in those who received the placebo. These results suggest that red wine and chocolate may improve memory.
(Scenario I) Dawn was recently arrested for public intoxication and was ordered by the judge to research alcohol abuse. During her research she stumbled upon an article in her local newspaper based on the study described in Scenario I. She presents the information to her lawyer who uses it as evidence for the importance of alcohol on physical and mental health and argues that Dawn's public intoxication charges should be dropped. Which flaw in thinking is apparent in this situation?

A) overconfidence
B) confirmation bias
C) introspection
D) pleasure paradox

Question 50

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario I
Scenario I is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Witte, V., Kerti, L., Marguelies, D. S. & Floel, A. (2014). Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal function connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(23), 7862-7870.
Red Wine and Chocolate Improve Memory
Studies from animal models suggest resveratrol, a compound found in things like chocolate and red wine, improves cognitive function. In 2014, Witte and colleagues examined whether this was also true for humans. To that end, they conducted a study to assess memory in 46 older adults before and after a 13-week treatment that involved taking a pill daily that contained either 200 mg of resveratrol (experimental group) or an inactive ingredient (control group). Before performing a t-test to determine whether memory differed between the two groups, descriptive statistics were conducted. The researchers examined each participant's score relative to the mean score of their group. They identified one participant in the experimental group whose memory performance was four standard deviations above the mean and decided to remove his score from the inferential analysis. The t-test revealed that memory recall and recognition was statistically greater in those who had received resveratrol than in those who received the placebo. These results suggest that red wine and chocolate may improve memory.
(Scenario I) You notice that the research study described in Scenario I was funded by the E & J Gallo Winery, one of the largest wine companies in the United States. After learning this, you question the study's:

A) -mindedness.
B) empiricism.
C) creativity.
D) objectivity.

Question 51

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario I
Scenario I is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Witte, V., Kerti, L., Marguelies, D. S. & Floel, A. (2014). Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal function connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(23), 7862-7870.
Red Wine and Chocolate Improve Memory
Studies from animal models suggest resveratrol, a compound found in things like chocolate and red wine, improves cognitive function. In 2014, Witte and colleagues examined whether this was also true for humans. To that end, they conducted a study to assess memory in 46 older adults before and after a 13-week treatment that involved taking a pill daily that contained either 200 mg of resveratrol (experimental group) or an inactive ingredient (control group). Before performing a t-test to determine whether memory differed between the two groups, descriptive statistics were conducted. The researchers examined each participant's score relative to the mean score of their group. They identified one participant in the experimental group whose memory performance was four standard deviations above the mean and decided to remove his score from the inferential analysis. The t-test revealed that memory recall and recognition was statistically greater in those who had received resveratrol than in those who received the placebo. These results suggest that red wine and chocolate may improve memory.
(Scenario I) This study is best described as:

A) applied research.
B) basic research.
C) correlational research.
D) descriptive research.

Question 52

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario I
Scenario I is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Witte, V., Kerti, L., Marguelies, D. S. & Floel, A. (2014). Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal function connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(23), 7862-7870.
Red Wine and Chocolate Improve Memory
Studies from animal models suggest resveratrol, a compound found in things like chocolate and red wine, improves cognitive function. In 2014, Witte and colleagues examined whether this was also true for humans. To that end, they conducted a study to assess memory in 46 older adults before and after a 13-week treatment that involved taking a pill daily that contained either 200 mg of resveratrol (experimental group) or an inactive ingredient (control group). Before performing a t-test to determine whether memory differed between the two groups, descriptive statistics were conducted. The researchers examined each participant's score relative to the mean score of their group. They identified one participant in the experimental group whose memory performance was four standard deviations above the mean and decided to remove his score from the inferential analysis. The t-test revealed that memory recall and recognition was statistically greater in those who had received resveratrol than in those who received the placebo. These results suggest that red wine and chocolate may improve memory.
(Scenario I) The score removed from the data set prior to analysis is called an:

A) anomaly.
B) irregularity.
C) outlier.
D) abnormality.

Question 53

Margot recently saw an infomercial for a cleaning product that promises to remove all set-in stains from garments. Discuss how an understanding of psychological research provides Margot with the skills necessary to defend against potentially overzealous claims and make her a more critical consumer.

Question 54

What is the hindsight bias and when has it occurred in your own life?

Question 55

Give an example of basic research and discuss how it is different from applied research.

Question 56

Individuals who study research methods gain a number of important career skills. Please use your understanding of these skills to argue for which one you think is the most valuable.

Question 57

Why is replication a useful tool within the field of psychology?

Question 58

How is introspection different from empirical research?

Question 59

Use your knowledge of the focusing effect to explain why people are often surprised to hear that winning the lottery can ruin people's lives.

Question 60

How is hindsight bias different from confirmation bias?

Question 61

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario III
Scenario III is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Sikorski, A.M., Hebert, N. & Swain, R.A. (2008). Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) inhibits new vessel growth in the mammalian brain. Brain Research, 1213, 35-40
Exercise and Angiogenesis
Sikorski, Hebert, and Swain (2008) examined whether physical activity led to vascular changes in the cerebellum of rats. To that end, animals were randomly assigned to an exercise condition or to an inactive control condition. Animals that exercised had free access to a running wheel attached to their home cage. Animals in the inactive condition were housed in a cage of a similar size, but they had no access to physical activity beyond the confines of the cage. To examine vascular changes the researchers removed the brains of animals after 30 days in their respective condition. The cerebellums were then sliced and stained to visualize the lumen of the blood vessels. Stereology was used to quantify vasculature. The results showed that animals permitted to voluntarily exercise had a significantly greater blood vessel density than their inactive counterparts. This suggests that exercise has a direct effect on the structure of the brain. These morphological changes may underlie a variety of exercise-mediated cognitive enhancements.
(Scenario III) Jenny cites four reasons why she believes exercise promotes cognitive function. Which of the following reasons is NOT anecdotal?

A) Since she began exercising, Jenny's GPA has improved significantly.
B) An article in Psychology Today described that actress Mayim Bialik, who earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCLA, runs five miles each day.
C) A recent paper in Cognitive Psychology reported that the mean IQ of 10^th graders from schools that include daily physical activity in its curriculum is greater than the IQ of 10^th graders whose curriculum does not include PE.
D) A local elementary school board refused to eliminate physical education from its curriculum on grounds it would affect the academic performance of their students.

Question 62

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario II
Scenario II presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Scheele, D., Striepens, N., Gunturken, O., et al. (2012). Oxytocin modulates social distance between males and females. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(46), 16074-16079.
Oxytocin and Attraction Study
The purpose of this study was to examine whether oxytocin (OXT) affects the way in which single men and committed men respond to an unfamiliar woman. To that end, men received either OXT or a placebo via intranasal administration after which they were introduced to a woman. The researchers measured the distance men kept from the woman and hypothesized that shorter distances indicated interest in her. The results showed that the distance between the men and women differed based on the treatment men received. Specifically, committed men who received OXT kept a significantly greater distance from the woman compared with not only committed men who received the placebo, but also single men who received either the placebo or OXT. This study suggests that OXT may contribute to monogamy in males.
(Scenario II) Alissa just found out her boyfriend, Jake, cheated on her. After her friend suggested Jake may be deficient in oxytocin, Alissa replied "It doesn't matter. Even if he took oxytocin he'd still probably cheat on me." Alissa's perception of the relationship between oxytocin and monogamy reflect which natural flaw in thinking:

A) belief perseverance.
B) what you see is all there is.
C) focusing effect.
D) hindsight bias.

Question 63

The availability heuristic is a strategy for:

A) judging the likelihood of an event based on how easily one can think of similar instances.
B) deciding the likelihood of an event by how much it resembles a "typical" example of that event.
C) estimating one's skills and abilities as compared with others.
D) searching for evidence that supports preexisting beliefs.

Question 64

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario II
Scenario II presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Scheele, D., Striepens, N., Gunturken, O., et al. (2012). Oxytocin modulates social distance between males and females. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(46), 16074-16079.
Oxytocin and Attraction Study
The purpose of this study was to examine whether oxytocin (OXT) affects the way in which single men and committed men respond to an unfamiliar woman. To that end, men received either OXT or a placebo via intranasal administration after which they were introduced to a woman. The researchers measured the distance men kept from the woman and hypothesized that shorter distances indicated interest in her. The results showed that the distance between the men and women differed based on the treatment men received. Specifically, committed men who received OXT kept a significantly greater distance from the woman compared with not only committed men who received the placebo, but also single men who received either the placebo or OXT. This study suggests that OXT may contribute to monogamy in males.
(Scenario II) After learning of the study described in Scenario II, an herbal remedy company developed a product called the Love Drug. In their marketing campaign for this product they said it contains an ingredient that has been clinically proven to enhance monogamy in adults. This is a classic example of how consumers are bombarded by _____ on a daily basis.

A) nonempirical research
B) overconfidence
C) pseudoscience
D) hindsight bias

Question 65

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario II
Scenario II presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Scheele, D., Striepens, N., Gunturken, O., et al. (2012). Oxytocin modulates social distance between males and females. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(46), 16074-16079.
Oxytocin and Attraction Study
The purpose of this study was to examine whether oxytocin (OXT) affects the way in which single men and committed men respond to an unfamiliar woman. To that end, men received either OXT or a placebo via intranasal administration after which they were introduced to a woman. The researchers measured the distance men kept from the woman and hypothesized that shorter distances indicated interest in her. The results showed that the distance between the men and women differed based on the treatment men received. Specifically, committed men who received OXT kept a significantly greater distance from the woman compared with not only committed men who received the placebo, but also single men who received either the placebo or OXT. This study suggests that OXT may contribute to monogamy in males.
(Scenario II) This study is best described as:

A) applied research.
B) basic research.
C) correlational research.
D) descriptive research.

Question 66

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario III
Scenario III is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Sikorski, A.M., Hebert, N. & Swain, R.A. (2008). Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) inhibits new vessel growth in the mammalian brain. Brain Research, 1213, 35-40
Exercise and Angiogenesis
Sikorski, Hebert, and Swain (2008) examined whether physical activity led to vascular changes in the cerebellum of rats. To that end, animals were randomly assigned to an exercise condition or to an inactive control condition. Animals that exercised had free access to a running wheel attached to their home cage. Animals in the inactive condition were housed in a cage of a similar size, but they had no access to physical activity beyond the confines of the cage. To examine vascular changes the researchers removed the brains of animals after 30 days in their respective condition. The cerebellums were then sliced and stained to visualize the lumen of the blood vessels. Stereology was used to quantify vasculature. The results showed that animals permitted to voluntarily exercise had a significantly greater blood vessel density than their inactive counterparts. This suggests that exercise has a direct effect on the structure of the brain. These morphological changes may underlie a variety of exercise-mediated cognitive enhancements.
(Scenario III) Even after reading the paper described in Scenario III, Jeffrey still has serious questions about whether exercise does, in fact, alter brain vasculature. He therefore decides to conduct the study himself to see if he obtains similar results. Jeffrey is conducting a:

A) reenactment.
B) replication.
C) recreation.
D) remediation.

Question 67

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario I
Scenario I is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Witte, V., Kerti, L., Marguelies, D. S. & Floel, A. (2014). Effects of resveratrol on memory performance, hippocampal function connectivity, and glucose metabolism in healthy older adults. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(23), 7862-7870.
Red Wine and Chocolate Improve Memory
Studies from animal models suggest resveratrol, a compound found in things like chocolate and red wine, improves cognitive function. In 2014, Witte and colleagues examined whether this was also true for humans. To that end, they conducted a study to assess memory in 46 older adults before and after a 13-week treatment that involved taking a pill daily that contained either 200 mg of resveratrol (experimental group) or an inactive ingredient (control group). Before performing a t-test to determine whether memory differed between the two groups, descriptive statistics were conducted. The researchers examined each participant's score relative to the mean score of their group. They identified one participant in the experimental group whose memory performance was four standard deviations above the mean and decided to remove his score from the inferential analysis. The t-test revealed that memory recall and recognition was statistically greater in those who had received resveratrol than in those who received the placebo. These results suggest that red wine and chocolate may improve memory.
(Scenario I) USA Today is going to run a story based on the study described in Scenario I. The following four headlines have been proposed. Which do you hope they use?

A) Wine and Chocolate Improve Brain Health
B) Researchers Advocate Alcohol Consumption
C) Compound Found in Food Associated with Brain Health
D) Researchers Uncover Mechanisms Associated with Memory Formation

Question 68

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario II
Scenario II presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Scheele, D., Striepens, N., Gunturken, O., et al. (2012). Oxytocin modulates social distance between males and females. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(46), 16074-16079.
Oxytocin and Attraction Study
The purpose of this study was to examine whether oxytocin (OXT) affects the way in which single men and committed men respond to an unfamiliar woman. To that end, men received either OXT or a placebo via intranasal administration after which they were introduced to a woman. The researchers measured the distance men kept from the woman and hypothesized that shorter distances indicated interest in her. The results showed that the distance between the men and women differed based on the treatment men received. Specifically, committed men who received OXT kept a significantly greater distance from the woman compared with not only committed men who received the placebo, but also single men who received either the placebo or OXT. This study suggests that OXT may contribute to monogamy in males.
(Scenario II) The researcher who administered the intranasal spray to participants in Scenario II did not know whether the spray contained OXT. This procedure was probably implemented in order to enhance:

A) open-mindedness.
B) objectivity.
C) empiricism.
D) communication.

Question 69

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario II
Scenario II presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Scheele, D., Striepens, N., Gunturken, O., et al. (2012). Oxytocin modulates social distance between males and females. The Journal of Neuroscience, 32(46), 16074-16079.
Oxytocin and Attraction Study
The purpose of this study was to examine whether oxytocin (OXT) affects the way in which single men and committed men respond to an unfamiliar woman. To that end, men received either OXT or a placebo via intranasal administration after which they were introduced to a woman. The researchers measured the distance men kept from the woman and hypothesized that shorter distances indicated interest in her. The results showed that the distance between the men and women differed based on the treatment men received. Specifically, committed men who received OXT kept a significantly greater distance from the woman compared with not only committed men who received the placebo, but also single men who received either the placebo or OXT. This study suggests that OXT may contribute to monogamy in males.
(Scenario II) Knowing that the divorce rate is at an all-time high, Scheele and colleagues (2012) teamed up with a clinical psychologist to determine whether intranasal administration of OXT may be an effective means to prevent divorce. Of the following career skills, which best characterizes what the researchers did?

A) project management
B) problem solving
C) critical thinking
D) analytical skills

Question 70

A friend tells you that shaving more frequently causes hair to grow back darker and coarser than before. You think this sounds correct, so you vow to only shave once a week. In this case, you have fallen victim to a phenomenon known as:

A) truthiness.
B) better-than-average effect.
C) confirmation bias.
D) introspection.

Question 71

Use the following to answer questions
Scenario III
Scenario III is presents fabricated data inspired by the following study:
Sikorski, A.M., Hebert, N. & Swain, R.A. (2008). Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) inhibits new vessel growth in the mammalian brain. Brain Research, 1213, 35-40
Exercise and Angiogenesis
Sikorski, Hebert, and Swain (2008) examined whether physical activity led to vascular changes in the cerebellum of rats. To that end, animals were randomly assigned to an exercise condition or to an inactive control condition. Animals that exercised had free access to a running wheel attached to their home cage. Animals in the inactive condition were housed in a cage of a similar size, but they had no access to physical activity beyond the confines of the cage. To examine vascular changes the researchers removed the brains of animals after 30 days in their respective condition. The cerebellums were then sliced and stained to visualize the lumen of the blood vessels. Stereology was used to quantify vasculature. The results showed that animals permitted to voluntarily exercise had a significantly greater blood vessel density than their inactive counterparts. This suggests that exercise has a direct effect on the structure of the brain. These morphological changes may underlie a variety of exercise-mediated cognitive enhancements.
(Scenario III) After hearing about this study Kevin takes up swimming in hopes it will improve his memory. Kevin appears to have used _____ to come up with the idea to swim.

A) a heuristic
B) introspection
C) applied research
D) a bias

Question 72

Psychological science is based on:

A) gut feelings.
B) intuition.
C) introspection.
D) empirical research.

Question 73

People often overestimate the likelihood of death by shark attack, plane crash, and violence, because news programs emphasize these extreme occurrences to drive up ratings. Your tendency to readily recall such instances even though they are objectively rare is the result of the:

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) better-than-average effect.
C) confirmation bias.
D) availability heuristic.

Question 74

In what way does a research methods course differ from other psychology courses, like developmental psychology and biopsychology?

A) Research methods courses focus on concepts and content.
B) Research methods courses emphasize the use of the scientific method to answer questions.
C) Memorizing is more important in research methods courses than in other courses.
D) Only biopsychology courses emphasize the use of the scientific method to answer questions.

Question 75

Research methods courses focus on:

A) know-what.
B) know-why.
C) know-how.
D) know-who.

Question 76

How is this research methods book a lot like the Apple Corporation?

A) they share the goal of thinking differently
B) both ask individuals to prioritize similarity
C) neither value unique insight
D) both caution against creativity

Question 77

_____ is the term that describes an individual's tendency to accept an explanation simply because it feels right.

A) Pleasure paradox
B) Outlier
C) Introspection
D) Truthiness

Question 78

Imagine that you are a fundraiser for the Susan G. Koman cancer foundation. When planning for an upcoming speech you remember the availability heuristic and decide to devote the majority of time to a _____ rather than _____.

A) moving testimonial from a cancer survivor; charts and statistics about cancer risks factors
B) moving testimonial from a cancer survivor; pictures of cancer survivors
C) charts and statistics about cancer risks factors; pictures of cancer survivors
D) charts and statistics about cancer risks factors; moving testimonial from a cancer survivor

Question 79

Josh lives in Wilmington, NC, and has recently learned that there was a hurricane warning issued for his location. In deciding whether to evacuate or remain at his house he remembered pictures from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy of individuals clinging to their rooftops waiting for air lifts to safety. He quickly decides to evacuate. His choice was the result of the:

A) representativeness heuristic.
B) better-than-average effect.
C) availability heuristic.
D) confirmation bias.

Question 80

Gut feelings are to _____ as empirical research is to _____.

A) truthiness; science
B) science; truthiness
C) bias; error
D) science; bias