COMS 3520 Exam 1

14. The Tuskegee Experiment was considered unethical because A) The costs of the study greatly outweighed the benefits B) the participants did not know that they were involved in research C) the researchers specifically recruited poor, black rural Americans. D) All of the above.

14. D

14. When conducting a search for previous literature using PsychINFO, you A) must specify the search terms that you want the computer to use. B) should use standard psychological terms. C) can narrow the search to specific sources of publications (e.g., journal articles) D) all of the above

14. D

15. An example of an "honest experiment" would be A) Milgram's memory study. B) a program offered at a university designed to reduce anxiety about public speaking C) a study where participant receive false results from a personality test to induce true anxiety. D) All of the above are correct

15. B

15. In which section of research article would a reader find a description of what was done in the past and why the present study is being conducted? A) abstract B) introduction C) method D) results E) discussion

15. B

16. Which section of the research article summarizes the hypothesis, the procedure, and results, usually in 120 words or less? A) abstract B) introduction C) method D) results E) discussion

16. A

16. People in a large shopping mall are stopped and asked to participate in a taste test of organic vs. non-organic apple cider. After tasting each sample, they are asked to indicate which cider they most prefer. This procedure would be an example of A) deception B) a simulation study C) role-playing D) an honest experiment

16. D

17. The Belmont Report's ethical principle of justice on the selection of participants requires A) researchers limit studies only to those of legal age (e.g., 18 years or older) B) participants be paid a fair and just wage for taking part in the research C) any decisions to include or exclude certain people from the research must be justified on scientific grounds. D) all of the above.

17. C

17. In which section of a research article would a reader find a description of the findings using statistical language? A) abstract B) introduction C) method D) results E) discussion

17. D

18. One safeguard against scientific fraud is that A) scientists are always ethical B) the researcher's hypotheses are always supported. C) all research is subject to replication by other scientists. D) the faker's colleagues usually report him or her.

18. C

18. In which section of a research article would a reader find an explanation for the findings? A) introduction B) method C) results D) discussion

18. D

19. What single factor is probably most responsible for keeping scientific fraud to a minimum? A) Scientists are known to be highly moral individuals who are driven to high standard of honesty B) Scientific method relies on replication of findings from may different laboratories. C) All published data must be registered at a central database and statistically analyzed to compute a Fraud Factor. D) All of the above.

19. B

19. Which of the following statements would be appropriate for the method section of a research report? A) Past research shows men generally talk more than women. B) For men, the average talking was 10.7 minutes while for women the average was 7.4 minutes. C) While the three men and three women discussed the issue, the experimenter measured time spent talking by starting and stopping stopwatches. D) Contrary to popular belief, in groups of mixed gender men talk more than women, interrupt more than women, and are more likely to direct discussion topics.

19. C

2. Current ethical guidelines for both behavioral and medical researchers have their origins in A) Greek mythology. B) the Federal Government. C) the Belmont Report D) none of the above

2. C

2. Which of the following statements best represents a hypothesis? A) Attractive defendants will receive lower ratings of guilt than unattractive defendants. B) Grocery stores sell more ice cream during the summer than during the winter C) Amount of time spent studying and test performance are related. D) Extraverted sales people will have higher sales in comparison to introverted sales people.

2. C

20. Which of the following statement would be appropriate for the discussion section of a research report? A) The present findings suggest that evaluation of the seriousness of an alcohol-related crash may be influenced by the severity of the injuries received by the victim. B) The participants read an account of an alcohol-related crash in which a victim received mild or severe injuries. C) Drivers who had consumed alcohol had their license suspended an average of six months compared of one month for those who had consumed coffee. D) The average age of participants was 18.7 years.

20. A

3. A researcher designs a study to look at the relationship between gender and time spent talking in a group. The researcher states, "In a balanced mixed gender group, males will talk more than females." This is an example of a A) hypothesis. B) prediction. C) question. D) moral judgment.

3. B

3. According to the Belmont Report, the need for research to maximize benefits and minimize possible harmful effects refers to which principle? A) Respect for persons B) Beneficence C) Justice D) Common courtesy

3. B

4. The statement "Females will report greater incidences of sexual harassment than will males" is an example of a ______, while the statement " Reported incidences of sexual harassment will vary according to gender" is an example of A) hypothesis; prediction B) prediction; hypothesis C) guess; rule D) rule; guess

4. B

4. In a research experiment, ______ protects what is said while __________ protects who said it. A) confidentiality; debriefing B) debriefing; anonymity C) anonymity; confidentiality D) confidentiality; anonymity

4. D

5. Jack wants to conduct an experiment on people's perceptions of tattoos. He plans to manipulate the experimental conditions by having participants receive tattoos on their arms. The tattoos will vary in size and color. An ethical review board would most likely be concerned about A) the size and color of the tattoo B) people's perceptions of tattoos C) the physical risk to the participants D) the monetary cost of the tattoo.

5. C

5. Which of the following is a source of ideas for research projects? A) Observations from the world around us B) Past research C) Theories D) All of the above

5. D

6. Under what circumstances is a researcher absolutely obligated to fully disclose all the particulars about the study? Full disclosure must be made A) under all circumstances B) whenever there are major risks of participation C) whenever there is a potential for psychological stress D) under circumstances of biased participant selection.

6. B

6. Extensive research has been conducted on the subject of "bystander intervention." Interest in this topic was generated following the stabbing of Kitty Genovese in the presence of her neighbors. The source of ideas for this body of research was A) theory. B) past research. C) observations of the world around us. D) common sense.

6. C

7. The Belmont Report's principle of respect for persons or autonomy is best represented by which of the following applications? A) Risk-benefit analysis B) Informed consent C) The freedom of the researcher to select a topic of interest. D) Respect for a researcher's finding that contradict yours.

7. B

7. When the results of an experiment are consistent with a prediction developed from a theory, we conclude that the theory is A) proven true. B) supported by the results. C) less likely to be true. D) neither supported nor challenged by the results.

7. B

8. A theory A) generates new knowledge for guiding our observations. B) Is proven after many studies support its predictions. C) Is an established fact after being confirmed at least 100 times. D) categorizes data into distinct groups.

8. A

8. In the Milgram obedience experiment, participants were led to believe they were delivering a painful electric shock to a learner whenever he responded with an incorrect answer. This procedure induced A) physical stress on the learner B) psychological stress on the participant C) informed consent for the learner D) pleasure for the participant

8. B

9. Which of the following constitutes deception? A) The experimenter disguises the true purpose of a laboratory experiment. B) The experimenter conceals the purpose of the observations C) all of the above D) none of the above

9. C

9. Because of tension between the police department and citizens of Metropolis, the city council surveys residents for suggestions on how to improve police-community relations. This example best illustrates ______ as a source of research ideas. A) observation of the world around us B) theories C) past research D) practical problems

9. D

4. John has decided to purchase several copies of a new children's book because he has a feeling that the availability of this book will be scarce in the future. This example best illustrates which source of ideas about behavior? A) Authority B) Intuition C) Empirical evidence

B) Intuition

3. Accepting the information in a professor's lecture without question is a reliance on ________. A) intuition B) authority C) scientific evidence D) pseudoscientific information

B) authority

13. Dave knows that when Ken drinks alcohol, he becomes very talkative. This identification is an example of what type of evidence? A) temporal precedence B) covariation of cause and effect C) elimination of alternative explanations D) observational analysis

B) covariation of cause and effect

24. Dr. Pentel conducts research to determine whether or not an after school program improves school performance in fifth grade children. Dr. Pentel is most likely engaged in ______. A) basic research B) theoretical research. C) topical research. D) a program evaluation

B) theoretical research.

7. Which one of the following is NOT true of the scientific approach? A) All propositions must be subjected to empirical tests B)The methods used together scientific evidence should be critically evaluated. C) Anything reported by a scientist is accurate D) Scientific methods and evidence must be described in precise terms.

C) Anything reported by a scientist is accurate

21. Which one of the following statements is accurate? A) Basic research is more important than applied research. B) Applied research is more important than basic research. C) Basic and applied research are of equal importance. D) Basic and applied research are both of less importance than theoretical research.

C) Basic and applied research are of equal importance.

12. Which of the following goals of science is the most important for changing behavior? A) Description B) Prediction C) Determination of cause D) Explanation

C) Determination of cause

18. When Dr. Jones attempts to determine reasons why female defendants are rated more leniently than male defendants, he is attempting to meet which goal of science? A) Describingbehavior. B) Predictingbehavior. C) Determining the cause of behavior. D) Explaining behavior.

C) Determining the cause of behavior.

9. Which statement best illustrates the scientific goal of predicting behavior? A) People who live in warm climates have different attitudes about the environment than people who live in cold climates. B) Females have more conservative attitudes toward casual sex than do males. C) People drink more beer at football games than at the opera. D) Plants that are played music will grow more than plants that are not played music.

C) People drink more beer at football games than at the opera.

16. The statement "Males score consistently higher than females on math achievement tests" is an example of _______ behavior, while the statement "The difference between males and females in math achievement scores occurs because, on the average, males take more math classes than females" is an example of _______ behavior? A) explaining; determining the cause of B) explaining;predicting C) describing; determining the cause of D) describing; predicting

C) describing; determining the cause of

22. Applied research A) is more valuable than basic research B) is often guided by the theories and findings of basic research. C) designed to answer fundamental questions about the nature of behavior. D) is only of value if the results are published.

C) designed to answer fundamental questions about the nature of behavior.

14. A research finds that people who own more than two cars have bigger homes, more garage space, and make more money than people who own one or two cars. Her inference that having more than two cars cause people to have homes with bigger garages is lacking which type of causal evidence? A) temporal precedence B) covariation of cause and effect C) elimination of alternative explanations D) economic instability

C) elimination of alternative explanations

19. You have just read an article in a popular magazine that stated, "People who jog live longer than people who don't jog." As a scientist, you would probably A) beginjogging B) acceptthestatementastrue C) insist that results from a study testing the statement be reported. D) None of the above

C) insist that results from a study testing the statement be reported.

23. A major area of applied research that evaluates the social reforms and innovations that occur in government, industry, and mental health setting is _______ research. A) industrial B) governmental C) program evaluation D) theory-oriented

C) program evaluation

2. One reason why using intuition results in erroneous conclusions is A) intuitions are never correct. B) it is unethical to employ intuition in research. C) we have a tendency to conclude that there must be a causal relationship when we observe the occurrence of two related events. D) our perceptions are always correct.

C) we have a tendency to conclude that there must be a causal relationship when we observe the occurrence of two related events.

20. Which one of the following journal article titles most likely represents an applied research study? A) "Measurement of reaction time to different colored lights." B) "The influence of a food reward on maze running behavior in kitten." C) "Cognitive factors influencing logical reasoning." D) "Increasing recycling of Styrofoam containers: A test at an amusement park."

D) "Increasing recycling of Styrofoam containers: A test at an amusement park."

11. Which of the following is not a goal of science? A) Predicting behavior B) Describing behavior C) Determining the cause of behavior D) Convincing others that research findings are accurate

D) Convincing others that research findings are accurate

8. The scientific approach requires that observations and findings be accurately reported. This is important because A) it allows others to replicate the findings B) fabricating data is unethical C) advances the field of science D) all of the above

D) all of the above

Knowledge of research methods may be useful in A) understanding and evaluating research results reported in the media B) many occupations C) conducting research D) all of the above

D) all of the above

5. The advantage of employing the scientific approach over other ideas of knowing about the world is that it A) fails to embody a number of rules for testing an idea. B) allows you to rule out intuition and authority assures about behavior. C) provides an objective set of rules for gathering, evaluating, and reporting information. D) allows scientists the opportunity to show the public their findings are always correct.

D) allows scientists the opportunity to show the public their findings are always correct.

17. The statement "The average intelligence test score of children in the Central School District is 108" is an example of a(n) _______ of behavior; the statement "Children from smaller families have higher intelligence test scores than children from larger families" is an example of a(n) ______ of behavior. A) explanation;description B) description;description C) explanation; explanation D) description; explanation

D) description; explanation

15. The statement "People eat more when they are alone than when they are with friends" is an example of _________ behavior. A) describing B) predicting C) explaining D) determining the cause of

D) determining the cause of

4. Dr. King asks student teachers to assign a punishment for misbehavior displayed by an attractive versus unattractive child. The dependent variable would be A) student teachers B) assigned punishment C) the child's attractiveness D) the misbehavior

b

8. Dr. Kramer found that the average number of miles driven decreases as the price of gasoline increases. This relationship can be described as a _______ relationship. A) positive B) negative C) curvilinear D) zero

b

1. Which of the following is most likely NOT a variable? A) Gender B) Intelligence C) Current U.S. President D) Religious affiliation

c

10. When increases in the values of one variable are associated with both increases and decreases in the values of a second variable, what type of relationship is present? A) positive B) confounded C) curvilinear D) negative

c

11. A researcher finds that the more a song is played on the radio, the greater the liking for the song. However, she also finds that if the song is played too much, people start to dislike the song. What type of relationship does this represent? A) Positive B) Negative C) Curvilinear D) No relationship

c

12. A study examined the relationship between years spent smoking and attitudes toward quitting by asking participants to rate their optimism for success of a treatment program. If there was a negative relationship between these variables, what should the results of the study be like? A) The more years spent smoking, the more optimistic for success. B) The fewer years spent smoking, the less optimistic for success C) The more years spent smoking, the less optimistic for success D) The fewer years spent smoking, the fewer participants they could find.

c

19. The experimental method eliminates the third-variable problem by A) keeping extraneous variables constant B) randomly assigning participants to groups C) both A and B D) neither A nor B

c

21. In the experimental method, the researcher makes sure that the influence of all extraneous variables are kept constant. This process is referred to as A) randomization B) cause and effect C) constancy D) experimental control

c

22. By employing randomization, the researcher ensures that A) one group is different than the other B) participants are manipulated at random C) any extraneous variable is just as likely to affect one group as it is to affect the other D) all of the above

c

26. A laboratory experiment uses _________ while a field experiment does not. A) a manipulated variable B) random assignment C) an artificial environment D) all of the above

c

27. What is the primary advantage of the laboratory experiment over the field experiment? A) Variables are investigated in more natural conditions. B) Participants know they are in an experiment. C) It is easier to hold extraneous variable constant. D) None of the above

c

3. Participants read an account of a crime in which the perpetrator was described as an attractive or unattractive woman. They then assigned the length of prison sentence they felt the woman deserved. The ______ would be the _______ variable. A) woman's attractiveness; confounding B) account of the crime; independent C) woman's attractiveness; independent D) account of crime; confounding

c

7. Two researchers tested the hypothesis that college students' grades and happiness are related. One researcher operationally defined happiness as the number of hours spent at leisure activities. The other researcher defined happiness as the amount of achievement one feels as measured on a 10-point scale. Which of the following statements is accurate? A) Because their hypotheses are identical, the two researchers should obtain similar results. B) The only valid definition is the number of hours spent at leisure activities because it is the only objective measure. C) The difference in operational definitions of happiness could lead to quite different results. D) Only the study that measured happiness through achievement can prove that happiness is caused by good grades.

c

2. When a researcher manipulates temperature of a room in order to examine the effect it has on task performance, the different temperature conditions are referred to as the _______ of the variable. A) subjects B) responses C) reliability D) levels

b

29. When the results of a study can be generalized to other populations and settings, the study is said to have ______ validity. A) inferential B) External C) Internal D) Reliable

b

13. To find out how many authors have cited a particular article in the years since it was published, you would consult A) Psychological Abstracts B) Annual Review of Psychology C) Psychological Bulletin D) Social Science Citation Index

13. D

1. A hypothesis is a A) prediction of results B) tentative statement that something may be true C) fact D) all of the above

1. B

1. In the Milgram obedience experiment, participants were deceived concerning the hypothesis when they were told that the purpose of the experiment was to study A) the effect of electric shock B) punishment and learning C) blind obedience D) the influence of authority figures

1. B

12. A researcher asks Stephanie to imagine herself as a bank teller who has just been handed a note by a "customer" instructing her to hand over all the money in her cash drawer. She is then asked to predict how she would respond to the situation. This procedure best illustrates A) a simulation B) debriefing C) a psychodrama D) role-playing

12. D

13. A disadvantage of role-playing is that A) reading a description of some situation may dangerously immerse the participant in the role B) it is very difficult to figure out the hypothesis from a written description. C) participants are unable to respond to the demand characteristics. D) participants may unknowingly give inaccurate predictions

13. D

10. Deception can be a problem A) in all behavioral research. B) only in laboratory research. C) for creating demand characteristics D) none of the above

10. A

10. At the beginning of any research project, it is necessary to explore thoroughly prior research on the topic of interest because A) one should never replicate another study. B) using someone else's research methods is plagiarism. C) prior findings are useful for clarifying and generating research ideas. D) librarians need work too.

10. C

11. If a participant has been deceived, ethical considerations require that a researcher conduct a A) manipulation check B) debriefing C) postmortem D) validity check

11. B

11. Which of the following would NOT be found when you search the PsychINFO abstracting system? A) author and title of journal article B) journal reference C) complete article D) brief description of contents

11. C

12. One advantage of using PsychINFO over the Social Science Citation Index as a method for obtaining past research is A) it will give you a bibliography of articles that have been cited by the author. B) you have to first identify a "key article" on your topic. C) it will give you abstracts of the research article. D) it gives you more credible research articles.

12. C

10. Which statement best illustrates the scientific goal of explaining behavior? A) Females who commit a crime will be rated more leniently than males who commit the same crime. B)Differences in the severity of a punishment between attractive and unattractive defendants is due to a physical attractiveness stereotype. C) Fourth grade boys run faster than fourth grade girls. D) Men do not like to go shopping with women.

A) Females who commit a crime will be rated more leniently than males who commit the same crime.

6. Scientist use intuition and authority A) as guides and ideas for research B) to draw conclusions about behavior C) under no circumstances D) whenever they need to replicate another scientist's findings.

A) as guides and ideas for research

15. Dr. Sears observes that the more time a person spends in a department store, the more purchases they tend to make. The research method used in this study can be best described as A) experimental B) non-experimental C) operational D) departmentab

b

17. A researcher measured how much violent television children watched at home. These children were also observed for their aggressiveness on the playground. The researcher found that as the amount of violence watched on TV increased, the amount of playground aggressiveness increased. The type of relationship found was A) negative linear B) positive linear C) curvilinear D) none of the above

b

13. A researcher investigated the relationship between age and participation in a discussion on human sexuality. She found that younger students contributed more to the discussion than did older students. What was the research method used in this study? A) non-experimental B) experimental C) operational D) generational

a

23. A researcher investigated the relationship between test length and grades in a Western Civilization course. After randomly assigning students to groups, she found that students who took longer exams received better grades than students who took shorter exams. The dependent variable was A) test grades B) class size C) gender of the students D) length of test

a

24. A researcher investigated the relationship between alcohol intake and reaction time in a driving simulation task. Participants drank either one ounce or three ounces of alcohol and were then measured on braking speed at a simulated red light. The independent variable was the A) amount of alcohol B) braking speed C) red light D) degree of intoxication

a

25. A researcher manipulates the amount of lighting in a workspace and then observes its effect on a groups' productivity. This situation represents which element of inference of cause. A) temporal precedence B) co-variation between variables C) elimination of possible causes D) environmental stability

a

28. Which method allows you to say that one variable caused a change in the other variable? A) Experimental method B) Non-experimental method C) both A and B D) neither A nor B

a

9. When increases in the values of one variable are associated with increases in the values of a second variable, what type of relationship is present? A) positive B) no relationship C) negative D) curvilinear

a

14. To assess the strength of relationship between beer sales and outdoor temperatures, Adolph would want to A. sell beef only on cold days B. sell beer only on hot days C. stop selling beers D. calculate a correlations coefficient

d

16. A researcher observed that people who have a large number of pets also live in houses with more bathrooms than people with fewer pets. Which of the following conclusions might be correct? A) Having a large number of bathrooms causes people to buy more pets B) Having may pets causes people to buy houses with several bathrooms C) Some other variable may cause people to buy larger houses and to have more pets. D) All of the above

d

18. A researcher found that as the amount of violence watched on TV increased, the amount of playground aggressiveness increased. Which of the following conclusions might be correct? A) Television violence causes children to be aggressive B) Being aggressive causes children to watch violent television C) Some other variable, such as parents' aggressiveness, may cause children to watch violent television and behave aggressively. D) All of the above

d

20. Random assignment is a critical element of the experimental method because it A) leads to equal group sizes B) increases the construct validity of the dependent variable. C) eliminates consistent effects of extraneous variables. D) all of the above

d

5. The process of clearly identifying how a variable is measured or manipulated is referred to as the ______ of the variable. A) reliability B) validity C) level D) operational definition

d

6. An operational definition of the variable "anxiety" might be A) a physiological measure of sweating B) the score on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. C) the number of "ums" and "ahs" in a person's speech D) all of the above

d