Deck 2: Sources of Information: Evaluating,Finding,and Reading Information

Question 1

Sasha believes that she is a nice person.To confirm this,she asks all her friends whether she is a nice person and 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?

A) Cherry-picking of evidence
B) Availability heuristic
C) Fourth cell reasoning
D) Overconfidence
E) All of the above are examples of "thinking what we want"

Answer 1

Cherry-picking of evidence

Question 2

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?

A) The pop-up principle
B) Cherry-picking of evidence
C) Confirmatory hypothesis testing
D) Overconfidence
E) None of the above

Answer 2

The pop-up principle

Question 3

Asking questions to get the answers we want is known as:

A) The pop-up principle
B) Availability heuristic
C) Cherry-picking of evidence
D) Confirmatory hypothesis testing
E) Overconfidence

Answer 3

Confirmatory hypothesis testing

Question 4

Patrick is confident that his short-term memory is better than most people's.He knows this because compared with his friends,he can remember more names than they do.Which of the following should we do?

A) Believe that his short-term memory is better that most people's because confident people are more often accurate
B) Believe that his short-term memory is better than most people's because he has a comparison group
C) Not believe that his short-term memory is better than most people's because confidence does not ensure accuracy
D) Not believe that his short-term memory is better than most people's because there are few individual differences in short-term memory
E) There is not enough information to answer this question.

Question 5

RESEARCH STUDY 2.1
Charlotte is studying subliminal messages and weight loss. She is curious whether people who hear in the music on their iPods subliminal messages that encourage weight loss ("don't eat that food," "you want to be thin") lose more weight than people who do not have subliminal messages in their music. She studies 40 people and finds the following results:

Refer to Research Study 2.1 above to answer the following question. A change to which of the following cells will result in a different interpretation of the results of subliminal messages?

A) Cell A
B) Cell B
C) Cell C
D) Cell D
E) A change in any of the cells will affect the interpretation

Question 6

A psychiatrist is testing a drug that treats depression.He has given the drug to all his patients and all of them have experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms.Although this is interesting,his experience is limited because he does not have a:

A) Reliable way to measure depressive symptoms
B) Comparison group that did not receive the drug
C) Hypothesis
D) Psychotherapy to supplement the drug
E) None of the above

Question 7

Where do psychological scientists commonly publish their work?

A) Edited books
B) Popular magazine
C) Scientific journals
D) Both a and c
E) All of the above

Question 8

Controlled studies are superior to personal experience because:

A) They include at least one comparison group
B) They avoid confounds
C) They use confederates
D) Both a and b
E) All of the above

Question 9

An alternative explanation for an outcome is known as a/an:

A) Confound
B) Alternative
C) Confederate
D) Secondary explanation
E) None of the above

Question 10

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?

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.
E) None of the above should make you less skeptical of his advice.

Question 11

Sasha believes that she is a nice person.To confirm this,she asks all her friends whether she is a nice person and 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.Sasha would likely draw a different conclusion if she did which of the following?

A) Asked her friends to answer her question in anonymous multiple-choice format
B) Asked her enemies if she was a nice person
C) Counted up all the times she was nice in the past
D) Asked all her friends the same question again in another 6 months
E) Considered all the times she was nice to her enemies

Question 12

Angela reads about a study in which cell phone use is associated with migraine headaches.She says,"Well,that study is not valid because I use a cell phone more than anyone I know and I never get migraines." Based on her comment,Angela may be forgetting which of the following?

A) The study is in a prestigious magazine.
B) The study has been replicated.
C) The study did not properly define cell phone use.
D) Science is probabilistic.
E) Science is based on empiricism.

Question 13

RESEARCH STUDY 2.1
Charlotte is studying subliminal messages and weight loss. She is curious whether people who hear in the music on their iPods subliminal messages that encourage weight loss ("don't eat that food," "you want to be thin") lose more weight than people who do not have subliminal messages in their music. She studies 40 people and finds the following results:

Refer to Research Study 2.1 above to answer the following question. To understand whether the subliminal messages have an effect,Charlotte needs to consider all of the following cells in the chart above EXCEPT:

A) Cell A
B) Cell B
C) Cell C
D) Cell D
E) She must consider all of the cells

Question 14

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 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?

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) Vanessa cannot make the claim about sleeping better to music because she has not asked a psychologist.
E) There is no problem with Vanessa's reasoning.

Question 15

Which of the following can be said of most authorities?

A) They do not cherry-pick evidence.
B) They do not base their opinions on their own experience.
C) They do not base their opinions on their intuition.
D) They base their conclusions only on well-conducted research.
E) None of the above can be said.

Question 16

James is asked about what is the best way to study for an exam.He responds that the best way to study is by making flash cards.He easily thinks of all the times he used flash cards and he made A's.However,he fails to take into consideration all the times he made A's and did not use flash cards and the times he used flash cards and did not do well.His faulty thinking is an example of:

A) Oversimplification bias
B) Availability heuristic
C) Present/present bias
D) Asking biased questions
E) Cherry-picking evidence

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an example of "thinking what we want"?

A) Cherry-picking of evidence
B) Availability heuristic
C) Confirmatory hypothesis testing
D) Overconfidence
E) All of the above are examples of "thinking what we want"

Question 18

The two biases of intuition discussed in the text are:

A) Thinking the easy way and thinking what we want to think
B) The present-present bias and the confederate bias
C) Probabilistic thinking and nonintuitive thinking
D) Overconfidence bias and oversimplification bias
E) None of the above

Question 19

What does it mean that behavioral research is probabilistic?

A) Conclusions drawn from behavioral research are probably true.
B) It means that behavioral research involves probability sampling.
C) Inferences drawn from behavioral research are not expected to explain all cases.
D) Behavioral research requires multiple studies to be convincing.
E) All of the above apply.

Question 20

The problem with the pop-up principle is which of the following?

A) We do not examine all of the evidence, only what we can quickly think of.
B) We rely on the opinions of others rather than on our own opinions.
C) It keeps us from examining our own experience.
D) We will never be right in our conclusions.
E) None of the above is the problem with the pop-up principle.

Question 21

When reading an empirical journal article "with purpose," which section should you read first?

A) Abstract
B) Introduction
C) Method
D) Results
E) Discussion

Question 22

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?

A) A meta-analysis
B) A review journal article
C) An empirical journal article
D) A chapter in an edited book
E) All of the above are ideal sources

Question 23

Compared with doing a generic Internet search,why is PsycINFO a superior way to find scientific sources?

A) It is free.
B) It provides you with research abstracts.
C) It can be done on any computer.
D) It searches research scientists' websites.
E) PsycINFO is not a superior way to find scientific sources.

Question 24

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.

Question 25

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

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

Question 26

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

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?
E) None of the above

Question 27

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

A) Scientific journals are published quarterly; popular magazines are published monthly.
B) Scientific journals are published for scientists; popular magazines are published for the general public.
C) Scientific journal articles are peer reviewed; popular magazine articles are not.
D) Both a and c are true.
E) Both b and c are true.

Question 28

Looking for which of the following in a trade book will give you a hint as to its scientific rigor?

A) Its cost
B) The number of pages
C) The number of references
D) The number of authors
E) Its year of publication

Question 29

Which of the following has the sections of an empirical journal article in the correct order?

A) References, abstract, Discussion, Method, Results
B) Introduction, Results, Discussion, Method, references
C) Introduction, Discussion, Method, Results, abstract
D) Abstract, references, introduction, Results, Discussion
E) Abstract, Method, Results, Discussion, references

Question 30

Name three examples of "thinking the easy way."

Question 31

When reading an empirical journal article "with purpose," why should you read the abstract first?

A) Because it is the shortest section
B) Because it provides an overview of the article
C) Because it appears first in the paper
D) Because it is written by the journal's editor
E) Because it appears in PsycINFO

Question 32

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

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

Question 33

Lana is writing her first empirical journal article.Although she thinks she knows why she found the results she did,she also wants to mention some alternative explanations for her findings.In which section will she mention these alternative explanations?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion
E) References

Question 34

Diego is interested in examining the relationship between a person's attachment style and his or her relationship satisfaction.He finds 65 studies that have examined this topic.He combines the results of all these studies and calculates an effect size.His research is most accurately described as:

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

Question 35

RESEARCH STUDY 2.2
Charlotte is studying subliminal messages and weight loss. She is curious whether people who hear in the music on their iPods subliminal messages that encourage weight loss ("don't eat that food," "you want to be thin") lose more weight than people who do not have subliminal messages in their music. She studies 40 people and finds the following results:

Refer to Research Study 2.2 above to answer the following question.
Although Charlotte is concerned with exposure to subliminal messages,she collects data from people not exposed to subliminal messages.What is this group called? Why must this group be included in her study?

Question 36

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.

Question 37

Javier wants his lab partner to tell him if he thinks the article he found for their project is appropriate.Rather than have him read the article,which two parts of the paper could Javier have his lab partner read to get a summary of the article?

A) The abstract and the first paragraph of the introduction
B) The abstract and the first paragraph of the Discussion
C) The abstract and the Method section
D) The last paragraph of the introduction and the Results section
E) The last paragraph of the introduction and the references

Question 38

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

A) Their coverage of a topic is not necessarily comprehensive.
B) The page may not include references.
C) The page may include incorrect information.
D) A page may not have content that is specific to psychology.
E) All of the above are downsides.

Question 39

RESEARCH STUDY 2.2
Charlotte is studying subliminal messages and weight loss. She is curious whether people who hear in the music on their iPods subliminal messages that encourage weight loss ("don't eat that food," "you want to be thin") lose more weight than people who do not have subliminal messages in their music. She studies 40 people and finds the following results:

Refer to Research Study 2.2 above to answer the following question.
Explain why the results of Cell B and Cell D are important.

Question 40

Matthew is reading an empirical journal article and wants to know whether the authors used the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44)or the NEO-PI to measure extraversion.In which section would he find this information?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion
E) References

Question 41

Name the six basic sections of an empirical journal article.

Question 42

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 in order to quickly answer these questions?

Question 43

Karla is starting her study for her research methods and needs to begin finding some research articles.She tells you that she plans on searching for her sources on GoogleScholar.Provide three reasons that you would recommend that she use PsycINFO instead to search for sources.

Question 44

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

Question 45

Describe three ways that scientific journals/journal articles are different from popular magazines/magazine articles.

Question 46

Provide at least three reasons that explain why using a wiki is a less-than-ideal source for psychological research.

Question 47

You are having lunch with several friends and discussing the link between homework and exam grades.Oliver says,"I know that doing homework improves exam grades because I always do my homework and I have a 4.0." Julia says,"I know that doing homework improves exam grades because a blog I read on an education website says so." Richard says,"I know that doing homework improves exam grades because that makes sense.Teachers would not assign it if it did not." Provide a response to each friend for why his or her reasoning is unsound.

Question 48

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

Question 49

Your friend Samir wants to learn how to be more persuasive.He is a marketing major and thinks that understanding more about persuasion might be helpful.Which type of scientific sources might you recommend to him and why?

Question 50

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