Question 1

An operational definition is:

Accepted Answer

A)  a research design in which the participants act or operate as their own control group. 
B)  a precise description of how each variable in a particular study will be manipulated or measured. 
C)  one that has been approved by the American Psychological Association. 
D)  a statistical method used in psychological research to correct for bias that may be operating in the experimental situation.

Question 2

Researchers who were interested in the effects of alcohol consumption on perceived attractiveness of members of the opposite sex randomly assigned participants to two groups. Each participant in the first group received a fruit flavored drink containing a set amount of alcohol and those in the second group received an identical tasting drink with no alcohol. Next, the participants viewed pictures of members of the opposite sex and rated their attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10. Which group was the placebo control group?

Accepted Answer

A)  The group that watched violent video games. 
B)  The group that received alcoholic drinks 
C)  The group that received nonalcoholic drinks 
D)  There was no placebo control group.

Question 3

In striving to identify and understand consistent patterns of behavior, psychologists are willing to consider new or alternative explanations of behavior and mental processes. The text calls this attitude scientific skepticism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

What are some of the limitations of experiments?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are some of the limitations of...

Question 5

According to Professor Zarkov's correlational data, there is a statistically significant relationship between the socioeconomic level of a family and how much time the parents spend talking to their children. To say that the results of this study are "statistically significant" means that:

Accepted Answer

A)  there is a cause-and-effect relationship between the two variables. 
B)  the results are unlikely to have occurred by chance. 
C)  the finding has no mathematical validity. 
D)  the finding can be used to generate new theories.

Question 6

When pseudoscientists fail to deliver on their promises, they invariably offer a variety of excuses, a strategy called "multiple outs."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

An irrefutable or nonfalsifiable claim is one that can be proven or tested empirically.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Psychologists today have abandoned the nature-nurture debate and concluded that the environment is responsible for behavior.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Who made the statement "Behaviorism, on the contrary, holds that the subject matter of human psychology is the behavior of the human being. Behaviorism claims that consciousness is neither a definite nor a usable concept. The behaviorist, who has been trained always as an experimentalist, holds, further, that belief in the existence of consciousness goes back to the ancient days of superstition and magic."

Accepted Answer

A)  Abraham Maslow 
B)  Edward B. Titchener 
C)  Francis C. Sumner 
D)  John B. Watson

Question 10

Professor Karney administered a psychological test measuring shyness to a large number of undergraduate students. The students also completed a lengthy questionnaire on their social life and activities, including number of friends. Professor Karney conducted a statistical analysis of the responses and found a correlation coefficient of -.80 between level of shyness and number of friends. This indicates that:

Accepted Answer

A)  as number of friends increases, level of shyness increases. 
B)  as number of friends decreases, level of shyness increases. 
C)  there is no relationship between level of shyness and number of friends. 
D)  a cause-and-effect relationship exists between shyness and number of friends.

Question 11

Although the American Psychological Association publishes guidelines governing the treatment of humans in psychological research, it does not have similar guidelines governing the use of animals in psychological research.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

How did Wilhelm Wundt and William James differ in their views of what psychology should study?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How did Wilhelm Wundt and William James...

Question 13

The results of experiments conducted in the laboratory may not generalize well, meaning that the results cannot be applied to real-world situations or to more general populations beyond the participants in the study.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

Which of the following statements regarding correlational research is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Correlational research indicates causality in either a positive or a negative direction. 
B)  You cannot use correlational research to draw conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships. 
C)  Correlations can tell you about relations between two variables, but it is not possible to make predictions based upon correlational research. 
D)  Correlations are able to predict the cause-and-effect relationship between two or more variables.

Question 15

The factor or variable other than the ones being studied that, if not controlled, could affect the outcome of an experiment is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  independent variable. 
B)  extraneous variable. 
C)  dependent variable. 
D)  outcome variable.

Question 16

To promote greater tolerance and acceptance of cultural differences, ethnocentrism should be encouraged.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Researchers who were interested in the effects of alcohol consumption on perceived attractiveness of members of the opposite sex randomly assigned participants to two groups. Each participant in the first group received a fruit flavored drink containing a set amount of alcohol and those in the second group received an identical tasting drink with no alcohol. Next, the participants viewed pictures of members of the opposite sex and rated their attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10. Which of the following is an operational definition of perceived attractiveness?

Accepted Answer

A)  awareness of attractiveness through the visual sense 
B)  providing pleasure or delight 
C)  participants' rating on a 1-to-10 scale in response to questions about the attractiveness of members of the opposite sex 
D)  awareness of and action upon one's attraction to a member of the opposite sex

Question 18

Educational psychology is a specialty area that investigates research focused on basic psychological topics such as sensory and perceptual processes, learning, emotion, and motivation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

A natural experiment is a study investigating the effects of a naturally occurring event on the research participants.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Random assignment refers to a procedure that:

Accepted Answer

A)  ensures that all participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any of the experimental conditions or groups. 
B)  helps psychologists determine which factors should be defined as dependent variables. 
C)  is used in statistics to determine whether results are random or simply due to chance. 
D)  randomly assigns different procedures to different researchers in order to minimize experimenter bias.

Exam 1: Introduction and Research Methods

An operational definition is:

In striving to identify and understand consistent patterns of behavior, psychologists are willing to consider new or alternative explanations of behavior and mental processes. The text calls this attitude scientific skepticism.

What are some of the limitations of experiments?

According to Professor Zarkov's correlational data, there is a statistically significant relationship between the socioeconomic level of a family and how much time the parents spend talking to their children. To say that the results of this study are "statistically significant" means that:

When pseudoscientists fail to deliver on their promises, they invariably offer a variety of excuses, a strategy called "multiple outs."

An irrefutable or nonfalsifiable claim is one that can be proven or tested empirically.

Psychologists today have abandoned the nature-nurture debate and concluded that the environment is responsible for behavior.

Although the American Psychological Association publishes guidelines governing the treatment of humans in psychological research, it does not have similar guidelines governing the use of animals in psychological research.

How did Wilhelm Wundt and William James differ in their views of what psychology should study?

The results of experiments conducted in the laboratory may not generalize well, meaning that the results cannot be applied to real-world situations or to more general populations beyond the participants in the study.

Which of the following statements regarding correlational research is TRUE?

The factor or variable other than the ones being studied that, if not controlled, could affect the outcome of an experiment is the:

To promote greater tolerance and acceptance of cultural differences, ethnocentrism should be encouraged.

Educational psychology is a specialty area that investigates research focused on basic psychological topics such as sensory and perceptual processes, learning, emotion, and motivation.

A natural experiment is a study investigating the effects of a naturally occurring event on the research participants.

Random assignment refers to a procedure that: