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36 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Introductory psychology students study research methods in order to :
A.find proof for their existing beliefs so they can argue against those who disagree. B. be able to critically evaluate psychological findings. C. be able to manipulate statistics to their advantage. D. be able to use their own experiences as scientific proofs. |
a
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of scientific research? A. reliance on common sense B. precision C. skepticism D. openness
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a
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An organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain a specified set of phenomena is called a(n): A. hypothesis. B. operational definition. C. theory. D. risky prediction.
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a
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Which of the following is an example of a hypothesis? A. Alcohol decreases reaction time. B. Studying improves grades. C. Employees perform better in a supportive climate. D. All of the above are examples of hypotheses.
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a
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Defining a term in ways that can be observed and measured is known as: A. an operational definition. B. a theory. C. common sense. D. objective realism.
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a
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Scores on a depression test, changes in time spent sleeping, and food intake each might be: A. hypotheses. B. theories of depression. C. operational definitions of depression. D. empirical evidence.
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a
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Which of the following violates the principle of falsifiability? A. Lack of evidence for a phenomenon is described as predictable since destroying evidence is an alleged characteristic of the phenomenon under study. B. Subjects in a study do not represent the larger population being described. C. A study uses only volunteer subjects who differ from non volunteers. D. An experimenter's expectations subtly influence the outcome of a study.
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a
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Descriptive research methods: A. explain behavior by identifying the causes of the behavior. B.allow the researcher to describe and predict behavior. C. include the experimental study. D. all of the above
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a
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Freud based his theory on studying a small number of particular individuals in great detail. This research method is called a(n): A. survey. B. experiment. C. naturalistic observation. D. case study.
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a
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One disadvantage of case studies is that: A. it relies on memories, which can be inaccurate. B. information may be difficult to interpret. C. it cannot be used to generalize about human behavior. D. all of the above are disadvantages
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a
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Naturalistic observations involve: A. giving subjects a series of psychological tests. B. assigning research participants to experimental and control groups. C. observing subjects in the natural environment. D.
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a
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In the area of test construction, standardization refers to: A. the use of uniform procedures in the administration and scoring of a test. B. the establishment of standards of performance. C. getting the same results over time. D. a test measuring what it set out to.
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a
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________validity indicates that the test questions represent fully the trait being measured. A. Test-retest B. Content C. Criterion. D. Alternate forms
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a
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Validity is to reliability as: A. consistency is to accuracy. B. accuracy is to consistency. C. criterion is to content. D. objective is to projective.
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a
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You take an intelligence test on Monday and receive a high score. You take it again on Tuesday and receive a low score. This test apparently lacks A. content validity. B. criterion validity. C. test-retest reliability. D. alternate forms reliability.
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a
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A problem with surveys is that: A. their results can by weakened by volunteer bias. B. respondents may lie, forget, or remember incorrectly. C. biases or ambiguities in the wording of questions may exist. D. all of the above are potential problems with surveys.
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a
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To conduct research on attitudes toward abortion, Dr. Kim distributes surveys to people leaving church after a service. One problem with this survey is that: A. people are likely to lie about their attitude. B. people are likely to forget their attitude. C. the sample is not representative. D. the procedures are not uniform.
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a
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Correlations: A. identify the causes of behavior. B. determine whether two or more phenomena are related, and if so, how strongly. C. can be expressed on a numeric scale from 1 to 10. D. require research participants to be observed in a laboratory.
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a
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The more Josue studies, the more his test scores improve. This is an example of : A. a naturalistic observation. B. a positive correlation. C. a negative correlation. D. proof of causation.
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a
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Dr. Takahashi is studying the relationship between hair color and shoe size. She is likely to find: A. a negative correlation. B. a positive correlation. C. zero correlation. D. it is impossible to say
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a
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Based on a correlational study showing that those who exercise regularly experience lower rates of depression, which of the following conclusions can be reached? A. exercise causes a reduction in depression. B. People who are depressed stop exercising. C. There is a relationship between exercise and depression. D. Self-esteem influences both exercise and depression levels.
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a
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Experimentation is: A. a type of observational study. B. the research method that can most confidently make causal conclusions. C. one of the descriptive research methods. D. more limited in its conclusions than the other types of methodologies.
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a
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The independent variable is the variable that: A. is manipulated by the researcher. B. the researcher tries to predict. C. is defined in a way that can be observed and measured. D. cannot be controlled.
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a
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Dr. Kapoor is conducting research on the effects of alcohol on reaction time. She assigns students to two groups. One group receives three ounces of alcohol and the other group receives an alcohol-free beverage that looks, smells, and tastes like alcohol. Following ingestion of the beverage, the reaction time of subjects in both groups is tested. Which of the variables is the dependent variable? A. alcohol. B. control group C. alcohol-free beverage D. reaction time
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a
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In the above study, the group of research participants that receives the alcohol-free beverage is called A. the independent variable group. B. the control group. C. the experimental group. D. the random group.
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a
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In the study described in question 24, neither Dr. Kapoor nor the research participants knew whether they were in the experimental or control group. This type of study is called a: A. single-blind study. B. longitudinal study. C. double-blind study. D. objective study.
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a
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The purpose of single-blind and double-blind studies is to: A. control for the effects of volunteer subjects. B. equate subjects in the experimental and control groups. C. utilize a placebo. D.
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a
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The arithmetic mean and standard deviation are: A. types of descriptive statistics. B. inferential statistics. C. examples of meta-analyses. D. statistically significant.
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a
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Inferential statistics: A. summarize individual data into group data. B. combine data from many studies. C. study abilities across the life span. D. permit a researcher to draw conclusions based on evidence.
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a
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In an experiment assessing a new teaching technique, subjects in the experimental group received a mean score of 84, and subjects in the control group received a mean score of 77. Before the experimenters can say whether the new technique was superior in this study, they must: A. calculate the statistical significance of the results to evaluate the probability that this result could have happened by chance. B. conduct a meta-analysis. C. calculate the statistical significance to determine the real-world importance. D. conduct a longitudinal study to see if the improved learning lasts.
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a
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Cross-sectional studies differ from longitudinal studies in that: A. cross-sectional studies compare different groups at one time, whereas longitudinal studies examine abilities across the life span. B. cross-sectional studies examine groups in the laboratory, whereas longitudinal studies examine behavior in the natural environment. C. cross-sectional studies examine abilities across the life span, whereas longitudinal studies compare different groups at one time. D. cross-sectional studies cannot establish cause and effect, whereas longitudinal studies can.
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a
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Meta-analyses are helpful in the interpretation of research findings because they: A. determine which studies are accurate and which are not. B. combine data from many studies. C. establish whether the findings have any real-world importance. D. establish the statistical significance of studies.
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a
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For ethical purposes, researchers must show they have considered alternative procedures and that they plan to debrief subjects in order to use A. animals. B. more than one experimental condition. C.
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a
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Dr. Ching is conducting a study in which a co-researcher pretends to trip and fall in the presence of research subjects who are taking a reading comprehension test The subjects have been told the study is on memory, but Dr. Ching is really studying the circumstances under which strangers provide assistance to others. According to ethical principles, Dr. Ching A.must demonstrate that her study's potential value justifies the use of deception. B. may not continue with this study no matter what she does because it is unethical to be dishonest with the subjects. C. never needs to disclose the true purpose of the study to the subjects. D. needs only show that no harm will come to the subjects.
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a
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Psychologists use animals in research: A. because sometimes practical or ethical considerations prevent the use of human beings as subjects. B. to discover practical applications. C. to conduct basic research on a particular species. D. all of the above are reasons that animals are used in research
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a
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The tendency to look for and accept evidence that supports our assumptions and beliefs is known as: A. face validity. B. hypothesis testing. C.confirmation bias. D. only single-blind.
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aa
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