Question 1

Which of the following is true of the distinction between scientific journals and popular magazines?

Accepted Answer

A) Scientific journals are published quarterly;popular magazines are published monthly. 
B) Scientific journals are published on specific topics;popular magazines are not published on specific topics like psychology. 
C) Scientific journal articles are peer-reviewed;popular magazine articles are not. 
D) There are no differences between scientific journals and popular magazines.

Question 2

Imagine that Dr.Jones publishes a study that claims that drinking while pregnant is dangerous for the health of the unborn baby.He finds that of the 100 women in his study who drank when pregnant,78 had children who experienced problems with attention.Of the 100 women in his study who did not drink when pregnant,only 29 children experienced problems with attention.Your neighbor says that Dr.Jones is wrong because she drank when pregnant and her child is perfectly healthy.Explain why Dr.Jones is not wrong.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine that Dr.Jones publishes a study that...

Question 3

You and your friends go to see a speaker on campus,Dr.Darian,an "expert" on getting into graduate school.Which of the following should make you less skeptical about his advice?

Accepted Answer

A) His recommendations are based on techniques that have worked for his students. 
B) His recommendations are based on the techniques that helped him get into graduate school. 
C) His recommendations are based on research he conducted for his dissertation. 
D) His recommendations are similar to what you knew before you came to the talk.

Question 4

Which of the following is a limitation of Google Scholar compared to PsycINFO?

Accepted Answer

A) Google Scholar does not allow you to search particular fields. 
B) Google Scholar is not free to use. 
C) Google Scholar is not limited to just psychology and related fields. 
D) Google Scholar does not allow you to sort for peer-reviewed articles.

Question 5

When reading an empirical journal article "with purpose," which two questions should you ask yourself as you read? To this end,which section should you read first in order to quickly answer these questions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of When reading an empirical journal article "with...

Question 6

Describe two pros and two cons of reading about scientific research in popular magazines compared with reading about research in scientific journals.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe two pros and two cons of...

Question 7

Vanessa claims that she sleeps better when she falls asleep to music.She has a comparison group,because she has noticed that she does not listen to music every night,only when she remembers to plug in her iPod.She typically remembers to plug in her iPod on nights when she is able to finish studying earlier.What problem do you see in Vanessa's reasoning about sleeping better to music?

Accepted Answer

A) Vanessa may be sleeping better because she is less distracted by studying/going to bed sooner. 
B) Vanessa's belief that she sleeps better with music is not falsifiable. 
C) Vanessa is biased because she sleeps in the same bed every night. 
D) There is no problem with Vanessa's reasoning.

Question 8

When reading an empirical journal article "with purpose," which two questions should you ask yourself as you read?

Accepted Answer

A) What is the argument? and What is the evidence to support the argument? 
B) What were the methods? and What are the results? 
C) What is the hypothesis? and What are the explanations? 
D) What research exists on this topic? and What research needs to be conducted to answer the question?

Question 9

Sasha believes that she is a nice person.To confirm this,she asks all her friends whether she is a nice person;they all agree that she is.Sasha concludes that she is a nice person and says she has evidence of it.However,she does not ask any of her enemies whether they think she is a nice person.This is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) Cherry-picking of evidence 
B) Availability heuristic 
C) Fourth cell reasoning 
D) Overconfidence

Question 10

Ellie is looking for a summary of research on the effects of childhood abuse on adult functioning.Which of the following scientific sources would NOT be an ideal source?

Accepted Answer

A) A meta-analysis 
B) A review journal article 
C) An empirical journal article 
D) A chapter in an edited book

Question 11

Charlotte is studying subliminal messages and weight loss.She is curious whether people will lose more weight if they hear subliminal messages that encourage weight loss ("don't eat that food," "you want to be thin")in the music on their iPods than will people who do not have subliminal messages in their music.She studies 40 people and finds the following results:

-Explain why the results of Cell B and Cell D are important.

Accepted Answer

The answer of 
Charlotte is studying subliminal messages and weight...

Question 12

Explain how confirmatory hypothesis testing is different from the theory-data cycle.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how confirmatory hypothesis testing is different...

Question 13

Yasmine believes that attractive people make more money because among her four friends who work at a local restaurant,the most attractive of the four makes the most in tips.A study by Judge,Hurst,and Simon (2009)found that attractive people make more money.Provide two reasons why Yasmine should be more convinced about the relationship between attractiveness and income by the Judge,Hurst,and Simon paper than by her personal experience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Yasmine believes that attractive people make more...

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a section or subsection commonly found in an empirical journal article?

Accepted Answer

A) Abstract 
B) Outcomes 
C) Participants 
D) Procedure

Question 15

Name three ways that the scientific reasoner is different from the intuitive thinker.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Name three ways that the scientific reasoner...

Question 16

Which of the following is the first section of an empirical journal article?

Accepted Answer

A) Abstract 
B) Introduction 
C) Results 
D) References

Question 17

After reading the chapter,Cyril says to himself,"I am sure other people might engage in faulty thinking but I never would." What is Cyril experiencing?

Accepted Answer

A) Bias blind spot 
B) Confirmatory hypothesis testing 
C) Faulty intuition 
D) Motivated thinking

Question 18

Edward believes that there are a lot of differences between men and women on a variety of different dimensions.He believes this because when he thinks about books that have been written on men and women,he can recall only books that say men and women are different (e.g. ,Men Are from Mars,Women Are from Venus)and cannot recall any that say men and women are the same.His reliance on what comes to mind is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) The availability heuristic 
B) Cherry-picking of evidence 
C) Confirmatory hypothesis testing 
D) Overconfidence

Question 19

Research studies are superior to personal experience because:

Accepted Answer

A) They include at least one comparison group 
B) They avoid constants 
C) They use confederates 
D) An authority is involved

Question 20

Which of the following is a benefit to using a wiki to conduct psychological research?

Accepted Answer

A) The wiki's coverage of a topic is not always comprehensive. 
B) The page may not include a comprehensive list of references. 
C) The page may include incorrect information. 
D) It can be corrected quickly.

Exam 2: Sources of Information: Evaluating, finding, and Reading Information