Question 1

Research in which a carefully selected group of people is asked a set of predetermined questions in interviews or through questionnaires is known as __________.

Accepted Answer

A) correlational research 
B) case study research 
C) survey research 
D) experimental research

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Experimenter bias can best be controlled using ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

One of the main reasons for using a laboratory for psychological research is to

Accepted Answer

A) prevent subjects from escaping. 
B) study behaviour in a natural setting. 
C) do large-scale studies. 
D) allow the researchers to control certain factors.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

Naturalistic observation is ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A) re-creating 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 large group of people whom you want to know about is called a __________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Which term best describes the correlation between depression and fatigue?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

A psychologist wanted to see if people are 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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

To obtain objective information,researchers sometimes must deceive their subjects.Ethically,research involving deception must always _________.

Accepted Answer

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 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Positive correlation shows

Accepted Answer

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 16

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

A subset of cases selected from a larger population is a __________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

What is the primary weakness of a scale that adds two kilograms to everything it weighs?

Accepted Answer

A) poor test-retest reliability 
B) low interrater reliability 
C) the placebo effect 
D) lack of validity

Question 19

A psychologist wanted to see if people are 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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

In psychological studies,random assignment is used to ensure that

Accepted Answer

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.

Exam 2: D: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research