Deck 2: Research Methodology

Question 1

Something that can be measured or manipulated by an experimenter is considered:

A) a descriptive statistic
B) data
C) a confound
D) a variable

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When collecting data in a study, if researchers unconsciously code a person's behaviour to match their expectations, we say that there is:

A) a directionality problem
B) an observer bias
C) a sampling error
D) reactivity

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A specific prediction of behaviour that is tested in an experiment is called a:

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) sample
D) naturalistic observation

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A researcher believes that presenting possible suspects in a lineup one at a time instead of in a group would lead to more accurate identification of the true suspect. This belief represents:

A) a hypothesis
B) an independent variable
C) response performance
D) a theory

Question 5

If a researcher defined happiness based on the number of times a person smiled in a 15-minute period, the number of smiles would be:

A) an open-ended measurement
B) the operational definition of happiness
C) a meta-analysis of the variable
D) a measure of reaction time

Question 6

Jean Piaget observed children to see how they solved problems. Over the course of many studies, he was able to spot general patterns of behaviour. This led him to connect different concepts and behaviours within a single:

A) theory
B) hypothesis
C) experiment
D) sample

Question 7

Anam is studying the intelligence of a group of people as they progress through early adulthood to old age. Her approach should involve:

A) cross-sectional research
B) experimental research
C) random assignment
D) longitudinal research

Question 8

Research that is done to test a theory:

A) typically involves naturalistic observation
B) has to rely on self-report methods
C) involves systematic collection of data
D) relies on positive correlations rather than negative correlations

Question 9

According to some psychologists, Sigmund Freud's theory of the meaning of dreams was not a successful theory because:

A) it was too socially controversial
B) he developed the theory from previous ideas
C) it did not lead to many testable hypotheses
D) it was based on research later shown to be invalid

Question 10

Something is considered a variable if it:

A) has no operational definition
B) can be manipulated by an experimenter
C) involves random assignment
D) is theoretical rather than concrete

Question 11

Psychologists have greater confidence in research results when:

A) the data involve stimulus judgments
B) the research has used participant observation
C) the results are replicated
D) there is an experimenter expectancy effect

Question 12

George is looking for a research project. He could make use of theory because:

A) theories are shown to be true, so subsequent research is successful
B) one of the benefits of theories is that they lead to testable hypotheses
C) a theory can be successfully replicated by researchers
D) theories are likely to result in serendipity, which leads to successful research

Question 13

Data collection is particularly problematic when a researcher uses participant observation because:

A) the researcher is only able to make use of closed-ended questions
B) the researcher fails to recognize the third variable problem
C) random error occurs in the initial stages of observation
D) the researcher loses objectivity in participating with a group

Question 14

The precise way a researcher measures and defines a variable is known as the:

A) operational definition
B) response accuracy
C) stimulus judgment
D) central tendency

Question 15

It would not be possible for a researcher to study creativity in an experiment if the researcher:

A) had to rely on inferential statistics
B) did not account for the directionality problem
C) did not create an operational definition to measure creativity
D) did not measure event-related potential

Question 16

When a researcher joins a social group and talks to the members in order to study that group, the approach is referred to as:

A) a self-report method
B) participant observation
C) experience sampling
D) response performance

Question 17

Which of the following would be best researched using a longitudinal study?

A) the change in children's concepts of sharing from infancy through adolescence
B) the difference between children and adults in their responses to a natural disaster
C) the frequency with which people think about sources of stress in their lives over the course of a single day
D) the rates of hospitalization of psychiatric patients over the course of the last century

Question 18

If a researcher wanted to study the behaviour of protesters that were in a closed group and did not easily admit new people, the researcher would probably use what approach to study them?

A) naturalistic observation
B) participant observation
C) meta-analysis
D) closed-ended questions

Question 19

When researchers collect enough data to develop an explanation of why people behave as they do, the researchers are creating a(n):

A) theory
B) experiment
C) hypothesis
D) generalization

Question 20

When researchers document that a phenomenon is real by repeating a study done by another scientist, they are engaging in:

A) meta-analysis
B) experience sampling
C) replication
D) correlational research

Question 21

Dr. Bloomin wants to investigate the impact of talking to plants on their growth. He decides to talk to a group of 40 tulips each day for six weeks. A second group is not talked to at all. After six weeks he discovers that the tulips he talked to are five centimetres taller than the tulips not talked to. This study is best described as:

A) an observational study
B) a case study
C) a meta-analysis
D) an experiment

Question 22

Which of the following is likely to be associated with observer bias?

A) reactivity
B) experience sampling
C) experimenter expectancy
D) the Hawthorne effect

Question 23

Wilhelm randomly assigns participants to two groups and compares the group that receives a treatment with the group that receives no treatment. The group that gets the treatment is the:

A) variable group
B) confounded group
C) experimental group
D) control group

Question 24

Using correlational studies, psychologists have studied whether exposure to violence in the media leads to violent behaviour. They have found that participants who have been exposed to more violence in the media are, in general, more violent. It is not clear from such research which one causes the other. The problem in interpreting these results involves:

A) directionality
B) selection bias
C) sampling error
D) confounds

Question 25

When a researcher who is collecting data does not know a study's hypothesis, the study is a:

A) blind study
B) confounded study
C) meta-analytic study
D) reactivity study

Question 26

Researchers are likely to choose a correlational design when:

A) they are concerned that there will be a third variable problem
B) the directionality problem is likely
C) it is impossible to control the variables being studied
D) they are using psychophysiological assessments

Question 27

There is a correlation between depression and memory: more frequently depressed people often have worse memory than less frequently depressed people. Genetics, however, may have an effect on a study participant's depression and memory. This is known as:

A) selection bias
B) the experimenter expectancy effect
C) the directionality problem
D) the third variable problem

Question 28

The variable that a researcher manipulates in an experiment is called the:

A) independent variable
B) dependent variable
C) confounding variable
D) stimulus

Question 29

Researchers investigated whether mood affects participants' ratings of jokes. Participants in the first mood group read sad statements. In the second group, participants read neutral statements. In this study, the participants who read the sad statements constituted the:

A) control group
B) population
C) experimental group
D) observational group

Question 30

Gwen is studying the effects of comedic film on depressed participants. She is concerned that the data collectors will produce biased observations if they know the purpose of the study. She addresses this problem by using a(n):

A) blind study
B) correlational study
C) experimental study
D) descriptive study

Question 31

When two variables are correlated, it is not clear which one is a causal variable and which is an effect. This ambiguity reflects:

A) the third variable problem
B) random error
C) selection bias
D) the directionality problem

Question 32

Paloma randomly assigns participants to two groups and compares the group that receives a treatment with the group that receives no treatment. The group that gets no treatment is the:

A) variable group
B) confounded group
C) experimental group
D) control group

Question 33

When a researcher manipulates a variable to see what effect the manipulation has on a study participant's behaviour, the research design involves:

A) a correlational study
B) an experiment
C) naturalistic observation
D) participant observation

Question 34

Dr. Bloomin wants to investigate the impact of talking to plants on their growth. He decides to talk to a group of 40 tulips each day for six weeks. A second group is not talked to at all. After six weeks he discovers that the tulips he talked to are five centimetres taller than the tulips not talked to. In this example, the dependent variable is:

A) the group of tulips spoken to
B) whether or not the tulips are spoken to
C) the height of the tulips
D) the group of tulips not spoken to

Question 35

A research team told one group of people that they would hear a set of jokes that were very funny and a second group that they would hear jokes that were not very funny. A third group was not told anything about the jokes. The jokes in all conditions were the same. Research with this design is:

A) observational
B) correlational
C) experimental
D) psychophysiological

Question 36

The psychologist Robert Rosenthal told student researchers that some rats in a study would learn a task quickly and others would learn the task slowly. In reality, there was no difference in the rats' ability to learn the task. When the students tested the rats, the animals' learning matched what the students were told. These results reflect:

A) the Hawthorne effect
B) the experimenter expectancy effect
C) the directionality problem
D) the third variable problem

Question 37

When a researcher's bias affects the coding of data, there is a problem with:

A) the Hawthorne effect
B) experimenter expectancy
C) a third variable
D) confounds

Question 38

If a researcher does not have a clear operational definition of the behaviour he is studying, he might experience:

A) observer bias
B) reactivity
C) confounds
D) a directionality problem

Question 39

Samir is conducting a correlational study, and he cannot determine whether one variable causes another. One reason is that the additional variables that he did not study could influence the variables he did study. This reflects the problem with:

A) selection bias
B) response accuracy
C) the third variable problem
D) the occurrence of random error

Question 40

Researchers assess the baseline performance of people with respect to a given behaviour so they can identify what happens to behaviour when they manipulate a variable. The use of baseline groups and groups that experience a manipulation of a variable is characteristic of:

A) correlational studies
B) longitudinal research
C) naturalistic observation
D) experimental research

Question 41

When identifying the pool of participants who will be in a research project, psychologists generally use:

A) random assignment
B) random sampling
C) convenience sampling
D) control participants

Question 42

The variable that a researcher measures in an experiment to see if it has changed after a treatment is called the:

A) independent variable
B) dependent variable
C) confounding variable
D) stimulus

Question 43

In a study of the relation between happiness and personality, researchers combined the results of over 100 studies to conclude that people who are highly social and do not worry much are happiest. This study is best described as a(n):

A) observational study
B) case study
C) meta-analysis
D) experiment

Question 44

When confounds are present in an experiment, they result in:

A) an increase in the possibility of selection bias
B) a decrease in the reactivity of the experimental participants
C) possible alternative explanations for the results of the experiment
D) the same treatment for experimental and control groups in the experiment

Question 45

A researcher wants to investigate the response of students on a university campus to a plan to turn a grassy area into a parking lot. She plans to give a questionnaire to a random sample of students. It is likely that:

A) her results would generalize to the population of interest to her
B) she would not be able to generalize her results because she is using a convenience sample
C) if she repeated the study with another random sample, she would get very different results
D) her findings are not representative of the attitudes of students on the campus

Question 46

The systematic recording of overt behaviour of human and nonhuman animals in their natural environment involves what research method?

A) observational techniques
B) case studies
C) psychophysiological assessment
D) response performance strategies

Question 47

Researchers have used driving simulators to investigate whether talking on a cellphone impairs the ability to drive. The published studies show that using a cellphone has a detrimental effect on attention to driving. One valid criticism of these studies is that:

A) it is common knowledge that cellphone use does not have an impact on driving ability
B) behaviour is almost impossible to predict when it involves a complex set of behaviours like driving an automobile
C) people are going to talk on cellphones while driving even if their driving ability is impaired
D) participants may not take simulated driving tasks seriously because they know there are no real consequences if their driving behaviour is poor

Question 48

Bai is conducting a study on learning. When she manipulates an independent variable, it is possible that some other factor, like noise in the hall, can affect learning in one of the groups but not in the other. This possibility reflects the presence of:

A) a confound
B) a dependent variable
C) selection bias
D) random assignment

Question 49

The fact that small samples are generally less reliable indicators of typical behaviour than large samples is associated with the principle of:

A) psychophysiological assessment
B) descriptive statistics
C) the use of random sampling
D) the law of large numbers

Question 50

If a researcher wants to be able to generalize about a population using data pulled from a sample, it is best to use:

A) a convenience sample
B) experience sampling
C) a descriptive study
D) a random sample

Question 51

In order to maximize the likelihood that experimental and control groups are similar before any treatment is applied, researchers typically use:

A) naturalistic observation
B) random assignment
C) sampling
D) participant observation

Question 52

One criticism that is made of many experimental studies in psychology is that:

A) human behaviour is almost impossible to study scientifically
B) human behaviour is seldom related to animal behaviour
C) they are conducted in artificial, laboratory settings
D) it is very difficult to separate the effects of independent and dependent variables

Question 53

Because psychologists regularly use university students as research participants, the research does NOT involve:

A) random sampling
B) convenience sampling
C) selection bias
D) populations

Question 54

Dr. Lasagna tests a new diet. Overweight adults are weighed and placed into one of two groups so that the weight of the groups is equal to start with. One group of adults is given the new diet and the other is placed on a waiting list. After three months, Dr. Lasagna observes that the group on the new diet weighs less. In this example, the adults who receive the new diet are:

A) the experimental group
B) the control (or comparison) group
C) randomly assigned
D) the population

Question 55

Dr. Lasagna tests a new diet. Overweight adults are weighed and placed into one of two groups so that the weight of the groups is equal to start with. One group of adults is given the new diet and the other is placed on a waiting list. After three months, Dr. Lasagna observes that the group on the new diet weighs less. In this example, the independent variable is:

A) the experimental group
B) the control (or comparison) group
C) the weight of the adults
D) whether the adults get the new diet

Question 56

Dr. Lasagna tests a new diet. Overweight adults are weighed and placed into one of two groups so that the weight of the groups is equal to start with. One group of adults is given the new diet and the other is placed on a waiting list. After three months, Dr. Lasagna observes that the group on the new diet weighs less. In this example, the dependent variable is:

A) the group that received the new diet
B) the group on the waiting list
C) the weight of the adults
D) the new diet

Question 57

Dr. Bloomin wants to investigate the impact of talking to plants on their growth. He decides to talk to a group of 40 tulips each day for six weeks. A second group is not talked to at all. After six weeks he discovers that the tulips he talked to are five centimetres taller than the tulips not talked to. In this example, the independent variable is:

A) the group of tulips spoken to
B) whether the tulips are spoken to
C) the height of the tulips
D) the group of tulips not spoken to

Question 58

Jafar conducted an experiment with student participants in which he investigated their reactions to advertisements that used humour. When analyzing his results, he should take into account that:

A) there are likely to be many confounds in his methodology, so his results may not be reliable
B) by using random assignment of participants to groups, it is likely that he avoided selection bias
C) he has a convenience sample and may not be able to generalize his findings to the larger population of adults
D) self-report methods are not an accurate way to get authentic reactions to the advertisements

Question 59

A psychologist wants to create two groups that are as similar as possible at the beginning of an experiment. To do this, she should use:

A) random sampling
B) random assignment
C) self-report methods
D) participant observation

Question 60

If a researcher created two groups by assigning the first 30 people to show up to the experimental group and the last 30 to the control group, the process would violate the principle of:

A) variability
B) generalization
C) random assignment
D) correlational research

Question 61

If a participant responds that she is getting a grade of A in a class but really is getting a B, she might not be lying; she might only remember her high test scores in that class. Such behaviour involves:

A) observer bias
B) experimenter expectancy
C) better-than-average effect
D) socially desirable responding

Question 62

A researcher is interested in understanding how people like Kimveer Gill (the man who shot 19 people at Dawson College in Quebec) could commit murderous outbursts. In order to study these extremely rare individuals, a psychologist would most likely conduct:

A) a longitudinal study
B) a cross-sectional study
C) an experiment
D) a case study

Question 63

A self-report technique that might require a respondent to retrieve a great deal of information from memory involves:

A) experience sampling
B) stimulus judgments
C) psychophysical assessments
D) open-ended questions

Question 64

If you wanted to conduct observational research but were concerned that the people you observed would change their behaviours due to reactivity, you could:

A) avoid debriefing them
B) have the observer be as unobtrusive as possible
C) conduct culturally sensitive research
D) rule out alternative explanations

Question 65

Investigators who are interested in gaining a lot of information about group attitudes quickly are likely to use what kind of research approach?

A) case study
B) psychophysiological assessment
C) participant observation
D) self-report

Question 66

Self-report questions in which the investigator provides answers from which the respondent chooses are called:

A) closed-ended
B) observational
C) controlled
D) experimental

Question 67

An extensive study of a single person or a few people is characteristic of:

A) self-report research
B) case studies
C) the scientific method
D) psychophysiological assessment

Question 68

The Hawthorne effect refers to changes in behaviour associated with:

A) reactivity
B) observer bias
C) experimenter expectancy
D) informed consent

Question 69

Jamal wants to find out whether the customers of his coffee shop prefer that he add booths or keep his tables and chairs. A researcher would be likely to use what kind of study to help him?

A) participant observation
B) self-report
C) correlational
D) experimental

Question 70

If a researcher asks a group of participants to record their thoughts or feelings at random times of the day, she is using:

A) correlational research
B) experimental research
C) longitudinal data
D) experience sampling

Question 71

Studies of self-esteem among people in the United States and in some Asian cultures have shown that:

A) on average, Asians have higher self-esteem than people in the United States
B) levels of self-esteem increase among Asians as they age but decline among people in the United States
C) self-esteem is a concept that does not require culturally sensitive research
D) if researchers use different ways to measure self-esteem, the comparisons among people in the different cultures show different patterns

Question 72

In observational studies, participants sometimes show reactivity. A related phenomenon in self-report studies is called:

A) participant observation
B) experimenter expectancy
C) socially desirable responding
D) the third-variable problem

Question 73

In which of the following studies would the concept of reactivity be most relevant?

A) a blind study
B) a case study
C) an observational study
D) an electrophysiological study

Question 74

If a researcher wants to assess participants' feelings at various times during the day and in many different locations, a useful methodology would be:

A) experience sampling
B) random selection
C) an experiment
D) a case study

Question 75

Self-report questions on which the respondent can generate his or her own responses are called:

A) observational
B) open-ended
C) operational
D) event-related

Question 76

In order to look good, respondents sometimes give incorrect answers on a questionnaire. This behaviour illustrates:

A) the better-than-average effect
B) socially desirable responding
C) an experimental confound
D) selection bias

Question 77

Philippe wants to study the number of times that close friends touch each other in their interactions. His interpretations of this behaviour would need to take into consideration:

A) cultural differences in the meaning of touches
B) whether participants were randomly assigned to groups
C) whether the directionality problem is an issue in the study
D) the fact that participant observation generally results in reactivity

Question 78

A study of the experiences of a person with an extremely rare brain disorder is likely to make use of:

A) random selection
B) a case study
C) cross-sectional research
D) participant observation

Question 79

You are interested in studying a condition, called Coltard's syndrome, where people think that they are actually dead. Because this condition is very rare, you can only find one person to study. The technique you are most likely to use is:

A) a case study
B) a longitudinal study
C) a cross-sectional study
D) an experiment

Question 80

When people are aware of being observed, they might change their behaviours. This phenomenon illustrates:

A) variability
B) experimenter expectancy
C) random assignment
D) reactivity