Deck 4: D: The Psychologists Toolbox: Tools for Building Better Designs

Question 1

If researchers want to draw conclusions about an entire population,then why do they only use a subset of that population in their research investigations?

Answer 1

A population is the entire group of interest in a research study.A sample is a subset of the population from which the researcher collects data.Often,researchers will assess variables of interest in a sample,rather than the entire population.This is because it is difficult to assess the entire population.For instance,a population may be so large that it is impossible to assess each member.Further,even if it were possible,sometimes individuals may refuse to participate,leaving a researcher with only a subset of the entire population.More often,researchers are limited by logistical concerns,like time and resources.It would often be too costly or time prohibitive to examine each member of a population.Thus,researchers select a sample of participants and then generalize results from this smaller subset to the larger population under investigation.

Question 2

Differentiate between the ceiling effect and the floor effect.

Answer 2

The ceiling effect occurs when the upper boundary of a measurement tool is set too low.This leads most participants to select the highest option.The floor effect occurs when the lower boundary of a measurement tool is set too high.This leads most participants to select the lowest response option.Both ceiling and floor effect are errors that occur due to lack of sensitivity in a measure.

Question 3

What is nonresponse bias and why is it an issue for researchers?

Answer 3

Nonresponse bias is a potential systematic difference between those who refused to participate in a study and those who participated.Researchers must be concerned that there is some systematic difference between these two groups of people.This difference may undermine researchers' ability to generalize results from the sample to the targeted population.

Question 4

What is the difference between probability and nonprobability sampling?

Question 5

Pedro is conducting a longitudinal study in which he will assess his participants numerous times with the same measures.When looking over his results he realizes that a measure that should produce similar results over time does not.What is wrong with Pedro's measure?

Question 6

How do researchers "give credit where credit is due" and avoid the ethical violation of plagiarism when writing an APA-style research report?

Question 7

What are demand characteristics and how can they be minimized in a research study?

Question 8

What is written in the method section of an APA-style report?

Question 9

Josepha proposes a dissertation study in which her current participants are asked to recruit other participants to be in her study.What type of sampling is she using?

Question 10

Louis is looking for data to address his research question,which asks whether athletes are more organized than non-athletes.What types of behavioral trace data could he use in order to investigate his hypothesis?

Question 11

Why are self-report measures used so frequently within the field of personality psychology?

Question 12

Eddie is using a behavioral measure to assess participants' responses to reactance.He believes that when participants are told that they cannot do something,then they will respond by engaging in the forbidden behavior.In his study,Eddie is using behavioral observation to measure reactance.How can he minimize the possibility of observer bias in his results?

Question 13

Explain why psychologists learn to use multiple research designs rather than the one "best" research design.

Question 14

Why would a researcher use both self-report and behavioral measures to investigate the same phenomenon?

Question 15

Gemma wants to design a questionnaire that will assess assertiveness in the workplace.What should she keep in mind in order to ensure that her scale has adequate sensitivity?