Deck 2: B: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

Question 1

As part of an assignment,Bill's class was asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire on prejudice.Which research method was Bill's professor using?

A)field experiment
B)survey
C)naturalistic observation
D)laboratory experiment

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A research method in which the real-life behaviour of a pre-selected person or a group is studied in depth for some time through the use of observation,interviews,and writings (such as letters)is the _____________ method of research.

A)survey
B)psychometric
C)case study
D)naturalistic observation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A large group of people whom you want to know about is called a

A)control group.
B)treatment group.
C)population.
D)sample.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Researcher bias can best be controlled by using

A)a placebo.
B)double-blind control.
C)randomization.
D)subjects who do not know the purpose of the study.

Question 5

A psychologist is studying pilot trainees.She picks a select group of trainees that she hopes is representative of all other trainees.The group of trainees being studied by this psychologist is collectively known to researchers as a

A)sample.
B)population.
C)target group.
D)control group.

Question 6

Positive correlation shows

A)the extent to which two independent variables change together.
B)that as one independent variable increases,another decreases.
C)that as one variable changes,another changes in the same direction.
D)that as one variable changes,another changes in the opposite direction.

Question 7

Collecting objective data without interference in the subject's normal environment is associated with

A)survey research.
B)applied research.
C)laboratory research.
D)naturalistic observation.

Question 8

A psychologist uses the correlational method to

A)explain the effects of one variable on another.
B)compare two groups of subjects.
C)determine what causes a variable to change.
D)identify relationships between variables.

Question 9

Naturalistic observation is

A)recreating natural conditions in the laboratory as closely as possible to make an experiment more valid.
B)studying behaviour in its natural context.
C)basically the same process as objective introspection.
D)observing behaviour in the lab without taking formal notes or using technological equipment to measure the experiment findings.

Question 10

A correlation of .00 means

A)you made a mistake in calculation.
B)you did not find out anything about the relationship between the two variables.
C)the two variables are unrelated.
D)everyone who scored low on one variable scored high on the other variable,and vice versa.

Question 11

Expectations by the experimenter that might influence the results of an experiment or their interpretation are called

A)experimental blinds.
B)researcher bias.
C)sample bias.
D)treatment bias.

Question 12

A researcher wished to study the relationship between high school grades and post-secondary grades.Of the following research methods,which would be the most appropriate?

A)case study
B)correlation
C)experiment
D)survey

Question 13

Mr.Marshall hired June to collect data from a group of subjects.Neither June nor the subjects were aware of the independent variable that Mr.Marshall had manipulated.This is an example of

A)randomization.
B)a placebo.
C)double-blind control.
D)experimenter bias.

Question 14

A subset of cases selected from a larger population is a

A)control group.
B)target group.
C)treatment group.
D)sample.

Question 15

Sasha read about a study in the newspaper that reported a relationship between schizophrenia and crime.What type of research design was most likely used in this study?

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

Question 16

A scientist is conducting a research study on sleep and learning.She questions her own objectivity and decides to let a third person,who is not associated with conducting the experiment,score the tests.The scientist is probably trying to eliminate

A)researcher bias.
B)sample bias.
C)control bias.
D)treatment bias.

Question 17

A correlation tells us

A)whether a cause-effect relationship exists.
B)whether two variables are related
C)whether or not a test is efficient.
D)if people are responding to demand characteristics.

Question 18

Observing behaviour as it happens in real-life,natural settings without imposing laboratory controls is known as the

A)naturalistic observation method.
B)experimental method.
C)correlational method.
D)psychometric approach.

Question 19

Dr.Welsh is doing experiments using drugs.He is concerned that his subjects will respond to demand characteristics.He may want to control for this by using which of the following strategies?

A)stratification
B)two independent variables
C)a placebo
D)randomization

Question 20

A "fake treatment" is one way to define a

A)decoy.
B)demand characteristic.
C)control group.
D)placebo.

Question 21

Which term best describes the correlation between the full moon and violent crime?

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

Question 22

Cause-and-effect conclusions can be drawn from the results of an experiment because

A)it is almost always performed in a laboratory setting.
B)statistical analysis can be applied to data from an experiment.
C)the independent variable is manipulated while other possible causes of change in the dependent variable are held constant.
D)several groups of subjects,not just one sample,are typically investigated in a laboratory experiment.

Question 23

Which of the following is a strength of experiments?

A)They cannot be repeated by anyone other than the experimenter.
B)They allow for the establishment of cause-effect relationships.
C)They are not subject to demand characteristics since the subjects do not know they are being observed.
D)They allow us to draw definitive conclusions about behaviour in the natural environment based on subjects' behaviour in the laboratory.

Question 24

In an experiment,the "measurable aspect of the behaviour of the subject" is called the __________ variable.

A)dependent
B)focal
C)independent
D)control

Question 25

If explanation of the causes of thoughts,feelings,and behaviour is a psychologist's goal,then the __________ method of research should be used.

A)correlational
B)experimental
C)survey
D)naturalistic observation

Question 26

A researcher tests the hypothesis that students who study in the room where they take their tests will perform better on the tests than students who study in other rooms.She requires one group to study in the classroom where the exam is given and another group to study in the library.All students take the test in the classroom,and their test performance is compared.In this example,the location that students study is the

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)manipulation.
D)hypothesis.

Question 27

In a controlled experiment,the group not subjected to a change in the independent variable,and used for comparison with the group receiving the experimental change,is the __________ group.

A)independent
B)experimental
C)dependent
D)control

Question 28

In a controlled experiment,the group subjected to a change in the independent variable is called the __________ group.

A)independent
B)experimental
C)dependent
D)control

Question 29

A researcher,based on her review of relevant scientific studies,believes that there is a relationship between the frequency of a baby's crying and whether it was nursed at set intervals or on a demand schedule.If this belief were tested by experimentally manipulating feeding schedules,the feeding schedule would be called the

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)extraneous variable.
D)control factors.

Question 30

The process of establishing causal relationships is associated most with

A)naturalistic observation.
B)experiments.
C)correlation.
D)surveys.

Question 31

In a test of the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving skills,research participants are allowed to sleep either four or eight hours on each of three consecutive nights.This research is an example of

A)naturalistic observation.
B)survey research.
C)a case study.
D)an experiment.

Question 32

The purpose of an experiment is to discover whether there is a relationship between the ___________ and the ___________.

A)independent variable;control variable
B)dependent variable;control variable
C)control group;experimental group
D)independent variable;dependent variable

Question 33

To determine if sugar-rich diets affect hyperactivity in kids,a researcher prepared two daily menus that children would receive for a 30-day period.A high-sugar diet was given to the boys,while the girls had a menu that seemed identical but was not a high-sugar diet.At the end of 30 days,the boys and girls were evaluated to determine their levels of hyperactivity.In the study,the high-sugar diet is the

A)placebo.
B)independent variable.
C)dependent variable.
D)control group.

Question 34

In an experiment on the effects of level of motivation on the performance of typists,the researcher randomly assigned one-third of her subjects to each of three levels of motivation (and then induced different levels of motivation in the three groups).She measured the average words typed per minute by each group,and found that performance was highest under medium motivation,average under low motivation,and worst under high motivation.What was the independent variable in this experiment?

A)motivation
B)typing speed
C)variation in typing speed
D)manipulation of typing speed

Question 35

In an experiment to test the effects of anxiety on performance,the dependent variable is the

A)amount of anxiety.
B)age of the person.
C)person's performance.
D)cause of the anxiety.

Question 36

A researcher,based on her review of relevant scientific studies,believes that there is a relationship between the frequency of a baby's crying and whether it was nursed at set intervals or on a demand schedule.If this belief were tested by experimentally manipulating feeding schedules,frequency of crying would be called the

A)latent factor.
B)dependent variable.
C)independent variable.
D)control factor.

Question 37

In an experiment,a researcher manipulates one variable to see how it affects a second variable.The second variable,which is observed for any possible effects,is called the

A)dependent variable.
B)control variable.
C)independent variable.
D)hypothetical variable.

Question 38

Professor McSpell designed an experiment to test her hypothesis that exercise will increase spelling ability.She divided children into three groups and had one group do 10 minutes of exercises,one group do 30 minutes of exercises,and the third group do no exercise.She then tested all three groups of children to see how many words they could spell correctly on a spelling test.In this experiment,the scores on the spelling test serve as the

A)dependent variable.
B)independent variable.
C)control group.
D)reliability measure.

Question 39

In psychological studies,random assignment is used to ensure that

A)there will be an independent and a dependent variable.
B)each person has an equal chance of being assigned to each group.
C)the control group does not know the purpose of the study.
D)the experimenter won't know who is in each group.

Question 40

In an experiment,a researcher manipulates one variable to see how it affects a second variable.The manipulated variable is called the

A)dependent variable.
B)experimental variable.
C)independent variable.
D)placebo.

Question 41

The purpose of a control group in an experiment is to

A)serve as a check on the interpretation of results.
B)increase the ability to generalize the findings.
C)manipulate the dependent variable.
D)represent the general,nonlaboratory population.

Question 42

In an experiment,four groups of college students used different memorizing strategies to learn the material in one chapter of a textbook.Then each group was given the same multiple-choice test on the material.What was the dependent variable in this study?

A)the students' performance on the test
B)the four different groups
C)the four different memorizing strategies
D)manipulation of memorizing strategies

Question 43

In an experiment concerning the effect of auditory feedback on accuracy in writing computer programs,one group hears a computer-simulated voice say each character or symbol that they type in as they are writing their programs.The second group does not receive the auditory feedback as they type their program code.This second group is the ___________ group.

A)experimental
B)control
C)placebo
D)confederate

Question 44

Why is it essential that the experimental and control groups be treated identically in every respect but one?

A)so that the dependent variable can be accurately measured
B)so that the results will apply outside the laboratory setting
C)so that if the behaviour of the two groups differs,the difference can be credited to the one thing that distinguished the groups from one another
D)so that if the behaviour of the two groups differs,that difference can be used to establish a functional relationship between the independent and dependent variables

Question 45

When plotting data,Dr.Ryeburn notes that the distribution has an elongated tail to the right.Which descriptive statistic would offer the best measure of central tendency in this case?

A)mean
B)median
C)standard deviation
D)range

Question 46

A psychologist wanted to see if people were more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm.He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that,as part of the study,they would receive electric shocks.He did not frighten the other group of subjects.Finally,he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone.In this study,the group that was not frightened would be called the ____________ group.

A)experimental
B)control
C)placebo
D)test

Question 47

A psychologist wanted to see if people were more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm.He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that,as part of the study,they would receive electric shocks.He did not frighten the other group of subjects.Finally,he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone.What was the independent variable in this study?

A)tendency to desire the company of others
B)level of shock
C)level of anxiety
D)the anxious group

Question 48

Under which circumstance is the use of deception justified by ethics review boards?

A)when the study could not have been conducted without deception
B)when the research involves a medical or therapeutic intervention
C)when participants might not agree to participate unless deception is used
D)when the placebo effect is likely to occur

Question 49

A psychologist wanted to see if people were more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm.He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that,as part of the study,they would receive electric shocks.He did not frighten the other group of subjects.Finally,he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone.What was the dependent variable in this study?

A)the two groups
B)the level of anxiety
C)preference for being alone or in a group
D)manipulation of anxiety

Question 50

To obtain objective information,researchers sometimes must deceive their subjects.Ethically,researchers using deception must always

A)pay participants.
B)maintain subject anonymity.
C)use double-blind control.
D)explain the deception to the subjects after the data are collected and obtain their informed consent to use the information obtained.

Question 51

In an experiment,group A was given 3 minutes to study a word list,while group B was given 10 minutes to study the same list.Later,both groups were asked to recall words from the list.In this study,the number of words recalled was the

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)placebo.
D)control group.