Question 1

The term statistical significance implies that the results are ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) important 
B) extremely meaningful 
C) valid 
D) not likely due to chance

Question 2

One way to increase the possibility that research results will generalize is to study a ____________ sample.

Accepted Answer

A) small 
B) large 
C) single-person 
D) convenience

Question 3

A graph that can be used to represent the pattern of relationship between scores from two variables is called a ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) bar graph 
B) frequency polygon 
C) histogram 
D) scatterplot

Question 4

In general,what should researchers do with data after the results of a study have been published?

Accepted Answer

A) Destroy it immediately. 
B) Keep it forever. 
C) Keep it secure for around 25 to 50 years. 
D) Keep it secure for around 3 to 5 years.

Question 5

Support for a claim that is based on a story about an individual or event is called ___________ evidence.

Accepted Answer

A) anecdotal 
B) narrative 
C) objective 
D) authoritative

Question 6

In an experiment,the __________ group receives no manipulation.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

The MKUltra project is often cited as an example of

Accepted Answer

A) unethical research on animals. 
B) unethical research on human beings. 
C) why it is sometimes necessary to deceive participants. 
D) why REBs sometimes cause more harm than good.

Question 8

A university president asks her psychology department chair if the university has more male or more female undergraduate psychology majors.What measure of central tendency is she asking about?

Accepted Answer

A) mean 
B) median 
C) mode 
D) range

Question 9

Dr.Sparks is concerned because he gave Julie a new intelligence test that he personally designed and her scores do not seem very consistent.Which aspect of psychological testing is Dr.Sparks concerned with?

Accepted Answer

A) validity 
B) self-report measures 
C) reliability 
D) falsifiability

Question 10

Before beginning a study on the health effects of obesity,a group of researchers agree that,for the purposes of their research,anyone with a Body Mass Index greater than 30 kg/m2 will be considered obese.This is an example of _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) a confounding variable 
B) an operational definition 
C) convenience sampling 
D) an appeal to common sense

Question 11

If researchers wanted to study the effect of various factors on reaction time,which factor would require the researchers to use a quasi-experimental design instead of an experimental design?

Accepted Answer

A) alcohol 
B) sleep deprivation 
C) gender 
D) caffeine

Question 12

Louis is participating in a survey on undergraduate drug use.When the interviewer asks Louis whether he has used illegal drugs in the last 6 months,he lies and says 'no' because he doesn't want the interviewer to have a poor opinion of him.Louis's response is an example of ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) socially desirable responding 
B) sampling bias 
C) peer review 
D) an appeal to authority

Question 13

Professor Todd decides to test her hypothesis that eating chocolate prior to exams increases students' test scores.She randomly assigns students to two groups at the beginning of the semester.One group receives a bar of chocolate before each test,while the other group receives another type of candy.She compares their scores at the end of the year,and finds that the students who ate the chocolate scored an average of ten points higher on their exams.What is the dependent variable in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

A) students' test scores 
B) chocolate bars 
C) the students themselves 
D) the professor

Question 14

As the average daily temperature in Edmonton,Alberta,decreases the number of persons who are observed wearing sweaters in the workplace increases.This is an example of a(n)________ correlation.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Mr.Jones,a sixth-grade science teacher,has tried to predict his students' end-of-the-year grades by looking at their grades from the previous year.Unfortunately,there does not seem to be any systematic relationship between these two variables.The correlation between these two variables is probably ____________.

Accepted Answer

A) near zero 
B) positive 
C) negative 
D) near 1.0

Question 16

There is a negative correlation between wearing one's seat belt and the severity of injuries received during an accident.Which statement correctly illustrates this correlation?

Accepted Answer

A) The more often you wear your seat belt,the more serious the injury you are likely to receive in an accident. 
B) The more you wear your seat belt,the less likely you are to suffer serious injuries in an accident. 
C) Wearing your seatbelt prevents you from being injured in an accident. 
D) Failing to wear your seat belt increases the likelihood that you will sustain serious injuries in an accident.

Question 17

_______________ are a set of techniques used to organize,summarize,and interpret data.

Accepted Answer

A) Central tendencies 
B) Inferential statistics 
C) Distributions 
D) Descriptive statistics

Question 18

Which of these is a type of correlation discussed in your text?

Accepted Answer

A) normal 
B) parallel 
C) skewed 
D) negative

Question 19

Participants in modern psychology experiments are given the right to

Accepted Answer

A) choose which treatment group they are in. 
B) with hold responses to questions they feel uncomfortable answering. 
C) review the results of the study before they are published. 
D) write a formal response to the published paper.

Question 20

Which of the following is one of the questions that a researcher should ask herself before conducting a research study?

Accepted Answer

A) "How can I avoid using statistics to analyze my results?" 
B) "What research strategies should I use to test my hypothesis?" 
C) "Will I be able to prove my hypothesis?" 
D) "How can I guarantee that I obtain subjective results?"

Exam 2: B: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research