PSY Module 2

Evelyn wants to know how consistent her bowling scores have been during the past season. Which of the following measures would tell her what she wants to know? A. median B. standard deviation C. correlation D. mean

B. standard deviation

Which of the following methods is most helpful for clarifying cause-effect relationships? A. correlational research B. the experiment C. the survey D. naturalistic observation

B. the experiment

Participants in an experiment are said to be blind if they are uninformed about A. how the dependent variable is measured. B. which experimental treatment, if any, they are receiving. C. what experimental hypothesis is being tested. D. whether the experimental findings will be meaningful.

B. which experimental treatment, if any, they are receiving.

The simplified reality of laboratory experiments is most helpful in enabling psychologists to A. predict human behavior in almost all situations. B. perceive order in completely random events. C. observe random samples of human conduct. D. develop general principles that help explain behavior.

D. develop general principles that help explain behavior.

A statistically significant difference between two sample groups is NOT likely to be A. observed when the two groups are very large. B. observed more than 5 percent of the time the groups are compared. C. a reflection of differences between the populations they represent. D. due to chance variation within and between the sample groups.

D. due to chance variation within and between the sample groups.

In a psychological experiment, the experimental factor that is manipulated by the investigator is called the ________ variable. A. experimental B. control C. dependent D. independent

D. independent

In an experimental study of the impact of exposure to criticism on self-esteem, exposure to criticism would be the ________ variable. A. confounding B. replicated C. dependent D. independent

D. independent

The same people are retested over a long period in a ________ study. A. cross-sectional B. concrete operational C. postconventional D. longitudinal

D. longitudinal

The symmetrical bell-shaped figure used to represent the distribution of many physical and psychological characteristics is called a A. bar graph. B. standard deviation. C. correlation. D. normal curve.

D. normal curve.

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of A. control. B. replication. C. explanation. D. prediction.

D. prediction.

Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the weakest degree of relationship between two variables? A. -0.12 B. +0.25 C. -0.50 D. -0.99

A. -0.12

A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a representative sample of a population is known as A. a survey. B. naturalistic observation. C. natural selection. D. a case study.

A. a survey.

The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it A. may be unrepresentative of what is generally true. B. is based on naturalistic observation. C. leads us to underestimate the causal relationships between events. D. overestimates the importance of operational definitions.

A. may be unrepresentative of what is generally true.

A statement describing the exact procedures for measuring an anticipated experimental outcome is known as a(n) A. operational definition. B. replication. C. control condition. D. hypothesis

A. operational definition.

Replication of a research study is most likely to be facilitated by A. operational definitions. B. the placebo effect. C. debriefing. D. regression toward the mean.

A. operational definitions.

A theory is an explanation using an integrated set of principles that ________ observations and ________ behaviors or events. A. organizes; predicts B. questions; surveys C. randomly samples; randomly assigns D. replicates; controls

A. organizes; predicts

Repeating the essence of a previous research study to verify that the findings of the original study extend to a new group of research participants and to different circumstances is called A. replication. B. random sampling. C. the double-blind procedure. D. naturalistic observation.

A. replication.

A hypothesis is a(n) A. testable prediction that gives direction to research. B. observable relationship between specific independent and dependent variables. C. unprovable assumption about the unobservable processes that underlie psychological functioning. D. set of principles that organizes observations and explains newly discovered facts.

A. testable prediction that gives direction to research.

Differences between two sample averages are most likely to be statistically significant if A. the difference between the samples is large. B. the standard deviations of the samples are large. C. the sample means are larger than the sample medians. D. both samples are drawn from the same population.

A. the difference between the samples is large.

Being randomly assigned to the experimental group in a research project involves being assigned A. to that group by chance. B. in a way that ensures that the independent variable will affect the dependent variable. C. to the group in which participants all have similar personalities. D. to the group in which participants are representative of people in general.

A. to that group by chance.

A descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a representative sample of a population is known as A. a case study. B. a survey. C. naturalistic observation. D. natural selection.

B. a survey.

Researchers use experiments rather than other research methods in order to isolate A. case studies from surveys. B. causes from effects. C. random samples from representative samples. D. facts from theories.

B. causes from effects.

When an arithmetic average is reported in the news, it is most important for readers to A. be sure that it represents a standard deviation. B. consider whether it is distorted by a few extreme cases. C. determine whether it is statistically significant. D. assume that it is the midpoint of a normal curve.

B. consider whether it is distorted by a few extreme cases.

Which research method assesses how well one variable predicts another without demonstrating a cause-effect relationship between the variables? A. naturalistic observation B. correlational research C. the experimental method D. the case study

B. correlational research

The group exposed to a newly created drug that is being tested in an experiment is called the ________ group. A. standardized B. experimental C. baseline D. control

B. experimental

The most foolproof way of testing whether a newly introduced method of psychological therapy is truly effective is to use A. correlational research. B. experimental research. C. survey research. D. naturalistic observation.

B. experimental research.

In which type of research would an investigator manipulate one factor and observe its effect on some behavior or mental process? A. the survey B. experimentation C. the case study D. naturalistic observation

B. experimentation

A descriptive technique of monitoring and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to change or control the situation is called A. replication. B. naturalistic observation. C. the double-blind procedure. D. random sampling.

B. naturalistic observation.

New technologies such as smart phone apps and body-worn sensors have enabled the collection of "big data" by means of A. scatterplots. B. naturalistic observation. C. case studies. D. experimentation.

B. naturalistic observation.

Psychologists study animals because A. animal behavior is just as complex as human behavior. B. similar processes often underlie animal and human behavior. C. the ethical treatment of animals is not mandated by professional guidelines. D. experiments on people are generally considered to be unethical.

B. similar processes often underlie animal and human behavior.

Approximately what percentage of the cases represented by the normal curve fall between -1 and +1 standard deviations from the mean? A. 34 B. 95 C. 68 D. 16

C. 68

Suppose that people who watch a lot of violence on TV are also particularly likely to behave aggressively. This relationship would NOT necessarily indicate that watching violence influences aggressive behavior because A. the sample may have been randomly selected. B. sampling extreme cases leads to false generalizations. C. association does not prove causation. D. we most readily notice associations that confirm our beliefs.

C. association does not prove causation.

Displaying data in a scatterplot can help us see the extent to which two variables are A. replications. B. random samples. C. correlated. D. operationally defined.

C. correlated.

A statistically significant difference between two sample groups is NOT likely to be A. a reflection of differences between the populations they represent. B. observed when the two groups are very large. C. due to chance variation within and between the sample groups. D. observed more than 5 percent of the time the groups are compared.

C. due to chance variation within and between the sample groups.

Research participants are randomly assigned to different groups in an experiment in order to A. minimize chances that participants in any group know each other. B. increase chances that participants are representative of people in general. C. minimize any differences between groups of participants. D. increase chances that the different groups have the same number of participants.

C. minimize any differences between groups of participants.

Psychologists who carefully watch the behavior of chimpanzee societies in the jungle are using a research method known as A. the survey. B. the case study. C. naturalistic observation. D. experimentation.

C. naturalistic observation.

A lopsided distribution of scores in which the mean is much larger than both the mode and median is said to be A. a standard deviation. B. extrapolated. C. skewed. D. statistically significant.

C. skewed.

Differences between two sample averages are most likely to be statistically significant if A. both samples are drawn from the same population. B. the standard deviations of the samples are large. C. the difference between the samples is large. D. the sample means are larger than the sample medians.

C. the difference between the samples is large.

Regression toward the mean refers to the tendency for A. a placebo pill to reduce suffering. B. pessimistic thinking to trigger episodes of depression. C. unusual events to be followed by more ordinary events. D. changes in one factor to predict changes in another factor.

C. unusual events to be followed by more ordinary events.

A major issue that has emerged from debates over the use of animals in psychological research centers on A. whether operational definitions help to distinguish between animal and human functioning. B. when use of the double-blind procedure is most appropriate in animal studies. C. what safeguards should protect the well-being of animals used in research. D. whether experimental methods can reduce the need for descriptive methods in research involving animals.

C. what safeguards should protect the well-being of animals used in research.

When every individual in a large population has a small but equal chance of being included in a survey, researchers are using a procedure known as A. naturalistic observation. B. the double-blind procedure. C. the case study. D. random sampling.

D. random sampling.

To understand the unusual behavior of an adult client, a clinical psychologist carefully investigates the client's current life situation and his physical, social-cultural, and educational history. Which research method has the psychologist used? A. the survey B. naturalistic observation C. experimentation D. the case study

D. the case study

In a survey, psychologists select a random sample of research participants in order to ensure that A. there will be a large number of participants in the research study. B. the same number of participants will be assigned to each of the experimental conditions. C. the study will not be influenced by the researcher's personal values. D. the participants are representative of the population they are interested in studying.

D. the participants are representative of the population they are interested in studying.

The precision with which a sample average approximates a population average increases as A. the standard deviation of the sample increases. B. the mean of the sample decreases. C. the mean of the sample increases. D. the standard deviation of the sample decreases.

D. the standard deviation of the sample decreases.

Correlation is a measure of the extent to which two factors A. influence each other. B. have similar operational definitions. C. are random samples. D. vary together.

D. vary together.