Intro to Psych Research Midterm Questions

"Regression artifact" refers to the mathematical fact that a. people who score above average on pretests tend to have lower scores on posttests, and those who score below average on pretests tend to increase their scores on posttests. b. any participant's score on a pretest can be expected to be lower on a posttest, because of the "law of averages." c. participants who have extreme scores, high or low, on a pretest tend to have posttest scores that are even more extreme. d. posttests are often unnecessary, since they tend to give, on average, the same results as those obtained on pretests.

A

A research problem states the issue to be studied in question form. A scientific hypothesis a. states the predicted relationship between/among variables. b. specifies the procedure that the experimenter will use to answer the question. c. is another name for the research problem. d. states what statistics will be used to answer the research problem.

A

Although statistics are calculated to represent parameters, we know that there can be a difference between the calculated statistic and population parameters. This difference is called a. sampling error b. sampling frame c. sampling difference d. parameter difference

A

IRB reviews research with human participants while ______ reviews research with animal participants. a. IACUC b. ACUC c. UACUC d. DACUC

A

If scientific studies are to be of general use, they should be readily reproducible by others in a procedure known as a. replication. b. empiricism. c. generalization. d. operationalism.

A

There are many good reasons for pretesting participants before introducing the independent variable. Perhaps the most common of these is that pretesting a. gives the experimenter direct evidence of change in performance. b. is a prerequisite for posttesting. c. eliminates the need for random assignment of participants to groups. d. increases the sensitivity of the experiment.

A

What part of a scholarly journal article should you read to get an overview of the research to determine if you want to read the entire article? a. abstract b. introduction c. methods d. discussion

A

Which of the control techniques has the most power to insure that unidentified, extraneous variables do not have differential effects on the different groups in the experiment? a. randomization b. matching c. counterbalancing d. precision matching

A

Which of the following is an example of a categorical variable? a. reaction time b. gender c. age d. height

A

Which of the following is an example of the construct of research participants? a. individuals with ADHD b. a laboratory observation room c. reaction time of the participants d. the experimenter

A

Which of the following would be the least capable of scientific investigation and thus would represent the worst potential research idea? a. Which art form is the more valuable to society, paintings or music? b. Which is better to increase alertness, caffeine or nicotine? c. Which species can learn a particular maze better, rat or mouse? d. Which produces better learning, studying with or without music?

A

___________ occur when a treatment condition may affect participants' performance in a later condition in one way and in a different way when followed by a different condition. a. Differential carryover effects b. Unique sequencing effects c. Incomplete carryover d. Additive effects

A

A(n) ______________ variable is one that can compete with the independent variable in explaining the outcome of the experiment. a. independent b. extraneous c. dependent d. moderating

B

An experimental psychology lab student is having difficulty making a number of decisions such as identifying the variables to use in the experiment and the type of research participants to use. This difficulty could be because the student a. did not have the psychology null hypothesis. b. did not have a research problem that was specific enough. c. did not state the research problem as a question. d. forgot to write a scientific hypothesis.

B

Hannah wants to see if her new technique of ping-pong playing can increase one's ping-pong performance. She asks the U.S. Olympic ping-pong team to work with her. Half of the U.S Olympic team is randomly assigned to be taught by the new style, the experimental group, and the other randomly assigned half are not, the control group. Her technique does not significantly increase the performance of the experimental group compared to the control group, perhaps because they are already so good at the sport. This could be an example of a. the need for matching groups. * b. a ceiling effect. c. the need for determining initial comparability. d. an internally valid study.

B

Holding factors such as temperature, lighting, and seating arrangement constant during experimental testing supports which of the following characteristics of scientific research? a. operationalism b. control c. discoverability d. replication

B

In a classic study by Jellinek (1946) research participants who thought they were drinking alcohol (but were not) behaved in a drunken manner very similar to participants that did in fact drink alcohol. This finding is a good illustration of a. multiple operationalism. b. the placebo effect. c. meta-analysis. d. the impact of an extraneous variable.

B

In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded. In this example the independent variable is a. the amount of time it takes someone to help. b. the appearance of the man. c. the participants in the study. d. how crowded the bus is.

B

In a truly random sample from a population, a. all participants will be matched on important characteristics. b. all members of the population have an equal chance of being selected. c. gender distribution should be 50% male and 50% female. d. every member of the population has a 50:50 chance of being selected.

B

In order to establish the reliability of a measure of intelligence, Kevin administers two forms of the test to a group of students. Which of the following reliability coefficient values would indicate the most reliability for the test? a. 0.35 b. 0.85 c. -0.85 d. 2.20

B

In some experiments, demand characteristics are controlled by making sure neither the participant nor the experimenter knows what condition(s) the participant experienced until the data are collected and analyzed. This is called a(n) procedure. a. counterbalancing b. double-blind c. treatment-placebo d. matched ignorance

B

Random assignment of participants to the various groups in an experiment a. makes it more likely that extraneous variables will impact the experiment. b. increases the probability that the groups are equivalent. c. is essential if you want to generalize your results to the population. d. is very difficult to do and is therefore not commonly done.

B

The most important difference between weak and strong research designs is that strong designs a. include both a pre-test and a post-test. * b. have greater internal validity. c. have greater external validity. d. include more than one independent variable.

B

The null hypothesis is a. a tentative solution to the research problem. b. the hypothesis that is actually statistically tested. c. the prediction that a negative correlation exists among the variables. d. all of the above.

B

Which of the following is an example of a categorical variable? a. reaction time b. gender c. age d. height

B

Why does a good experiment include a control group? a. it increases the number of people in the study, and hence, the generalizability of the results b. it gives us information about how participants would perform without experiencing the experimental treatment c. it eliminates the effects of external validity d. control groups have been an established part of scientific tradition for many decades

B

8. ______________ refers to the consistency of results and ____________ is the extent to which you are measuring what you think you are measuring. a. Reliability; periodicity b. Validity; reliability c. Reliability; validity d. Convergence; divergence

C

Control in an experimental situation involves a. attempting to change an individual's behavior for their own good. b. having a clear and precise definition of the variables that will be tested. c. eliminating the influence of extraneous variables so that a cause and effect relationship can be established. d. an attempt to falsify or verify a stated hypothesis.

C

For her senior thesis, Nancy surveys fellow students about cheating. Her findings suggest that cheating is virtually non-existent on her campus. This is not consistent with the fact that, in the past semester, two dozen students have been found guilty by the Honor Board of cheating. Which of the following explanations would fall under the heading of "reactivity?" a. Nancy's data were a "one shot" picture, and therefore could not be too accurate b. the questions on Nancy's survey probably were not phrased well enough to collect accurate data c. it is known that participants in research like to present themselves as positively as possible, so students that cheated probably lied and did not report their cheating on the survey d. Nancy's survey was confounded by being too demanding

C

If extraneous variables are not controlled in an experiment, what major problem will the researcher face? a. not having enough data to allow for valid statistical analysis b. the results will be stated in subjective, and possibly biased terms c. it cannot be known which variable(s) produced the observed results d. not having enough participants

C

In individual matching, a. each participant is paired with another participant such that both experience the same temporal sequence of events. b. groups are formed such that they have the same overall distribution of a given extraneous variable (e.g., age). c. each participant in one group is equated with another participant in another group on selected extraneous variables (e.g., education level). d. each participant is randomly paired with another participant

C

In order to isolate the cause of a behavior, research psychologists rely primarily on being able to a. get authoritative advice. b. do statistical testing. c. control the environment. d. communicate their findings.

C

Janice is taking the SAT to meet an entrance requirement for a college. On her first attempt she scores way below average. She decides to review and then take the test again to see if she can improve her score. She then scored higher the second time she took the test. This example illustrates the possibility of ________________ as a plausible rival hypothesis. a. history b. maturation c. regression artifact d. selection

C

Often, we do not know at the start of an experiment what extraneous variables could affect our results. The best means of controlling unknown sources of extraneous variables is a. matching. b. counterbalancing. c. randomization. d. analysis of covariance.

C

Operationalism a. is a hindrance in scientific research because it limits researchers ability to define constructs in multiple ways. b. is needed so that all researchers will use the same precise definition of a construct. c. is necessary so that researchers will be clear about defining the terms of their studies. d. is not necessary because recent advances in technology make collection of behavioral data much more precise.

C

Students sometimes complain that scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are not related to how well students perform in graduate school. Essentially the students are saying that the GRE does not have a. reliability. b. internal consistency. c. predictive validity. d. discriminant validity.

C

The concept of privacy in research refers to a. avoiding deception. b. making sure that the information received from research participants is publically exposed c. controlling other people's access to information about you. d. being very hesitant about giving information about yourself to others.

C

The role of the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) of a research institution is to a. provide research animals with clean and healthy conditions in the laboratory. b. mediate the acquisition of animals by the institution's researchers. c. review all proposals for animal research to be sure the procedures to be used are appropriate and humane. d. review animal research proposals only to ensure that the proposed experiments are scientifically valid.

C

What is meant by "informed consent?" a. only people over 18 years of age should participate in psychology experiments b. agreement to participate in a psychological experiment forms a binding contract; the participant cannot back out once he or she consents c. before they agree to take part in an experiment, participants must be informed of all aspects of the study that may influence their decision to participate d. participants must approve the results before they are published

C

What is the major advantage of a within-participants design? a. the data are easier to interpret than are data from between-participants designs b. it does not carry the risk of carryover or sequencing effects c. the experimenter doesn't have to worry about whether the groups of participants are equivalent to each other d. it is not subject to the influence of expectancy effects

C

Which of the following is a way to increase the external validity of a study? a. increase internal validity b. decrease the use of random selection c. replication of the study d. establish cause and effect

C

"Students who use mental imagery to study for an exam will do the same as those who do not." This sentence is an example of a. a research idea. b. a research problem. c. a scientific hypothesis. d. a null hypothesis.

D

A scientific hypothesis is a. a predicted relation that exists among the variables. b. a statement of what the researcher expects to find. c. sometimes derived from theories. d. all of the above.

D

All institutions (e.g., universities) that receive federal funds for research must have an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The job of this group is to a. allocate funding equitably to all researchers at that institution. b. mediate conflicts between researchers and the participants in their research. c. recruit research participants d. make judgments regarding the ethical acceptability of research involving human participants.

D

Although research misconduct raises important ethical issues, a research psychologist's most fundamental ethical concern is a. seeking knowledge first and foremost. b. making sure his or her research topic is morally correct. c. detecting deception on the part of colleagues. d. the treatment of human and animal research participants.

D

External validity" of an experiment refers to the extent to which a. the operational definitions of variables really do represent the concepts they are meant to capture. b. we can be confident that the experiment is testing the hypothesis we think it is testing. c. we can make causative statements about the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. d. the results of an experiment can be generalized across people, settings, times, treatments, and outcomes

D

Feasibility of a study refers to a. how well you have defined the research problem. b. the specificity of the question. c. whether the hypothesis is testable. d. whether or not the study can actually be conducted.

D

In all repeated-measures designs a. participants will be matched on at least one variable. b. participants will be tested more than once per condition. c. there is less control than between participants designs. d. every participant will be tested in each of the conditions of the study.

D

Research misconduct can include which of the following a. fabrication b. falsification c. plagiarism d. all of the above

D

Research misconduct includes all of the following. Which is considered to be the most serious? a. overlooking others' use of flawed data b. changing the design of a study in response to pressure from a funding source c. not presenting data that contradicts one's own work d. presenting fraudulent results

D

Sometimes, the treatment received in one condition of an experiment can influence behavior under the next condition. This in known as a(n) effect. a. interference b. confusion c. order d. carryover

D

The main disadvantage of intrasubject counterbalancing is a. it requires a large number of participants in order to be valid. b. it does not work when carryover effects are linear. c. it does not control for linear order effects. d. it requires many test conditions for each participant and thus can take a long time.

D

What differentiates interval from ratio scales of measurement? a. Interval scales use rank order; ratio scales do not b. In a ratio scale equal distance on the dimension represent equal distance on the dimension being measured; this is not true for interval c. Scores of zero are not possible on interval scales d. Ratio scales include an absolute zero point - indicating the absence of what is being measured

D

What is the best technique to use to control for sequencing effects? a. random assignment to groups b. precision control matching c. yoked matching d. counterbalancing

D

What is the main difference between descriptive and experimental research approaches? a. the former always uses qualitative data while the latter always uses quantitative data b. descriptive research is done by social scientists while natural scientists do experimental research c. descriptive research involves manipulating variables but experimental research does not d. experimental research is designed to establish cause-and-effect relationships but descriptive research focuses on describing something

D

What is the primary benefit of matching? a. it eliminates the influence of virtually all known extraneous variables b. it eliminates experimenter expectancy and participant effects c. it overrides the need for random assignment d. the influence of the variables on which participants are matched is spread evenly across groups

D

What is the purpose of "blinding" the experimenter to the condition(s) his or her participants are experiencing? a. knowledge of these conditions invalidates the experiment b. it makes the IV stronger c. if the experimenter knows this information, it will affect the way he or she interprets the data once they are analyzed d. knowing this information may cause the experimenter to behave differently toward participants in the different conditions

D

Which of the following are important characteristics of scientific research in psychology? a. operationalism b. control c. replication d. all of the above

D

Which of the following are types of experimenter attributes that may bias a research study? a. psychosocial attributes b. situational factors c. biosocial attributes d. all of the above

D

Which of the following could be used to eliminate the confounding influence of extraneous variables? a. holding the variable constant b. rejecting the participant that is above or below a certain criteria c. using random assignment d. a and c

D

Which of the following is an example of data collected in a quantitative research study? a. pictures b. ratings of teacher effectiveness c. reaction time d. b and c

D

Which of the following is not a typical source of order effects? a. practice b. learning c. familiarity with being in experiment d. aging

D

Which of the following is the best example of an operationalization of the construct of "hunger"? a. feeling of emptiness or growling in the stomach b. a desire to eat brought about by an intense image of the taste and smell of a favorite food c. realizing it's been a long time since one has eaten anything d. a child asking his mother whether supper is ready more than 5 times in a 15 minute period

D

Why is the statement "What type of parenting is best for children?" not a good research question? a. parenting is a very personal issue and should not be open to research b. research on children is unethical c. it does not specify the methods to be used to answer the question d. it is not sufficiently specific

D