Psychology and the Scientific Method

A way of processing information in which we examine assumptions, evaluate evidence, look for hidden agendas, and assess conclusions is called __________________. false consensus critical thinking hindsight bias scientific evidence

critical thinking

evolutionary approach

darwin-birds, survival, adaption

Dr. Wiseman wants to know about the alcohol consumption patterns among college juniors in the United States. He should ________. remember that sample size is the most critical factor in survey research give the survey to every college junior in the country require students' names on each survey to avoid the tendency to lie draw a representative sample among college juniors

draw a representative sample among college juniors

In a laboratory, children are given either a beverage with sugar or one without sugar. The experimenter measures the level of hyperactivity in the children following consumption of the beverage. The experimental group in this scenario consists of children who ____________________. do not drink anything drink the beverage with sugar drink the beverage without sugar are in the waiting room

drink the beverage without sugar

Which of the following statements is correct concerning correlation coefficients? A correlation of +.10 is weaker than a correlation of -.10. A correlation of +.89 is strong and -.89 is weak. A correlation of -.10 is weaker than a correlation of +.10. A correlation of +.89 and -.89 are both strong and equally so.

A correlation of +.89 and -.89 are both strong and equally so.

Which of the following is NOT an example of applied psychology? A health psychologist researches a potential link between depression and brain tumors. A personality psychologist assists a prosecutor with the jury selection process for a trial. A clinical psychologist teaches a patient to use breathing exercises to calm his anxiety. An I/O psychologist performs individual assessments to determine whether candidates are suitable for a position.

A health psychologist researches a potential link between depression and brain tumors.

dualism

the belief that the mind does not cease to exist when the body dies and that thoughts and ideas can exist separately from the body

You read online that people who make more money are also healthier. Your friends says, "I guess money can even buy good health now." You respond with: "Just because those variables are correlated doesn't mean that one caused the other." "It looks like that is true!" "Actually, people who are healthier are able to make more money." "Money and health can't possibly be related."

"Just because those variables are correlated doesn't mean that one caused the other."

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the weakest relationship between two variables? -.10 +.50 -.70 +.05

+.05

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables? .25 .50 -.25 -.75

-.75

What advice might John B. Watson have offered to psychologists of his time? "Life is an effort to overcome inferiority." "Remember that what we accomplish is due to the composition of our genes." "We cannot know others until we know ourselves." "Focus on observable behavior."

"Focus on observable behavior."

Which of the following is NOT an ethical principle for psychological research? Avoid any deception Voluntary withdrawal from research Minimize harm to participants Obtain informed consent

Avoid any deception

A large automobile company says the cars the company makes are the safest in the world. You have driven one of these vehicles for a week and have not had any accidents or problems. Therefore, you believe the company's claim about safety. This error in critical thinking is related to which of the following steps? Failing to do follow-up research Consider any alternative explanations for the results Avoid using emotions or personal experiences when evaluating the claim Evaluate the quality of the evidence for the claim

Avoid using emotions or personal experiences when evaluating the claim

___________ psychologists interview patients, give diagnostic tests, provide psychotherapy, and design and implement behavioral modification programs Academic Industrial organizational Developmental Clinical

Clinical

Which of the following is an example of critical thinking? Considering alternative explanations for a study's results Researching facts about a topic Copying a previous experiment Accurately measuring and recording results

Considering alternative explanations for a study's results

Which of the following questions could be answered best by using the survey method? What is the effect of ingesting alcohol on problem-solving ability? What is the relationship between number of hours of study per week and grade point average? Does wall color affect the frequency of violence in prison populations? Do students prefer a grading system with or without pluses and minuses?

Do students prefer a grading system with or without pluses and minuses?

Which research method will allow researchers to determine the cause of a behavior? Experiment Survey Naturalistic observation Laboratory observation

Experiment

Which early movement of psychology investigated how our minds help us adapt to the world around us? Structuralism Cognitivism Functionalism Behaviorism

Functionalism

A psychology student had to use the steps of the scientific method for a class project. He first decided to study the effect of age on clothing choices. He then formulated a hypothesis that older people would prefer more conservative clothing than younger people. Where did he go wrong? He did not first test his hypothesis. His hypothesis was not a testable statement. He did not analyze his results first. He did not conduct background research before developing his hypothesis.

He did not conduct background research before developing his hypothesis.

You attend a lecture by a psychologist who uses terms such as free will and self-actualization. Which psychological perspective is most consistent with the points the psychologist presented? Psychodynamic Behaviorism Humanism Functionalism

Humanism

Which of the following is CORRECT concerning random assignment? The best formula for random assignment is birth dates. Random assignment can only be determined after an experiment is over. In random assignment, each participant is assigned alphabetically to each condition. In random assignment, each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each condition.

In random assignment, each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each condition

Which of the following is a limitation of a case study? Case studies provide information that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. It is difficult to generalize to other people or situations based on a case study. It is difficult to obtain detailed information using a case study. Case studies focus on too many people at one time.

It is difficult to generalize to other people or situations based on a case study.

A research hypothesis proposes that consuming a low carbohydrate diet results in increased weight loss. One group of participants follows a low-carb diet for 3 weeks, whereas a second group follows a high-carb diet containing the same number of calories for 3 weeks. The average number of pounds lost for each group is then is compared. What is the dependent variable? Number of calories in each diet Amount of carbs in each diet Length of time on the diet Number of pounds lost

Number of pounds lost

____________ occurs in situations where a research participant's behavior is different than normal because the participant is being observed. Hindsight bias Reactivity Confounding False consensus effect

Reactivity

Ashley is using the scientific method to test whether male children are more violent than female children. What will she most likely do first? Select five male children and five female children and monitor their reaction to a violent video game. Research previous scientific studies about children, gender roles, and violence. Formulate a hypothesis stating that young males are more violent than young females. Perform statistical analysis to determine whether male children are more violent than female children.

Research previous scientific studies about children, gender roles, and violence.

The higher your self-esteem, the lower your chance of depression. This means that: Depression causes people to have lower self-esteem. Self-esteem and depression are related but we don't know what causes the relationship. High self-esteem makes people feel happier. Feeling happier makes people have higher self-esteem.

Self-esteem and depression are related but we don't know what causes the relationship.

A researcher is interested in investigating the effects of exercise on weight. He divides people into two groups and has one group engage in regular exercise while the second group watches television. What are the independent and dependent variables in this experiment? The dependent variable is weight; the independent variable is exercise. The independent variable is the group that watches television; the dependent variable is the group that exercises. The independent variable is the group that exercises; the dependent variable is the group that watches television. The independent variable is weight; the dependent variable is exercise.

The dependent variable is weight; the independent variable is exercise.

A case study would be the most appropriate method to investigate which of these topics? Physiological changes that occur when people watch violent movies The development of a male baby raised as a female after a surgical error destroyed his penis The ways in which the games of boys differ from the games of girls The math skills of students in Japan as compared to those of U.S. students

The development of a male baby raised as a female after a surgical error destroyed his penis

________ is an experiment in which neither the participants nor the individuals running the experiment know if participants are in the experimental or the control group until after the results are tallied. Correlational research Field research The single-blind study The double-blind study

The double-blind study

Golf skill is negatively correlated with golf scores. Based on this information, which of the following statements is true? The less skilled you are at golf, the lower your golf score. The more skilled you are at golf, the lower your golf score. The more skilled you are at golf, the higher your golf score. Being highly skilled at golf causes people to have low golf scores.

The more skilled you are at golf, the lower your golf score.

In a study designed to test the impact of nicotine on driving ability, smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, which participants were in the experimental group and which were in the control group? This study does not have a control group; The participants who smoked either a cigarette with or without nicotine were in the experimental group. The participants who smoke a cigarette without nicotine comprise the control group; the participants who smoke a cigarette with nicotine comprise the experimental group. The participants who smoke a cigarette with nicotine comprise the control group; the participants who smoke a cigarette without nicotine comprise the experimental group. This study does not have an experimental group; the participants who smoked either a cigarette with or without nicotine were in the control group.

The participants who smoke a cigarette without nicotine comprise the control group; the participants who smoke a cigarette with nicotine comprise the experimental group.

If you are reading a review of a product and discover that the person writing the review is a part owner of the product's company, you might question the reviewer's claims based on which of the following? The quality of the evidence Alternative explanations for the results The emotional appeal The underlying motive of the writer

The underlying motive of the writer

Paul records data that indicate that the number of hot chocolates sold at the concession stand increases as temperature outside decreases (for example, more hot chocolates are purchased during late fall than late spring). Which of the following statements is the most accurate depiction of this finding? There is a weak, positive correlation between the two variables. There is a strong, positive correlation between the two variables. There is no correlation between the two variables. There is a negative correlation between the two variables.

There is a negative correlation between the two variables.

Julie finds that the more she sleeps on the eve of an exam, the higher the score she gets on the exam. There is _______________ correlation between the amount Julie sleeps and her exam scores. no a negative a positive a perfect

a positive

positive correlation

a relationship between two variables signifying that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases

negative correlations

a relationship between two variables signifying that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases

A group of randomly selected participants for a study that matches the population on important characteristics such as age and sex is called ________. a control group an experimental group volunteer bias a representative sample

a representative sample

functionalism

a school of psychology focused on how organisms use their learning and perceptual abilities to function in their environment

All of the following variables, except for ________, would likely show a positive correlation. alcohol consumption and scores on a driving test height and weight men's educational level and their income school grades and IQ scores

alcohol consumption and scores on a driving test

Experiments are more valuable than other research methods because they _______________________. can determine correlations allow a determination of cause-effect relationships require informed consent are always double-blind

allow a determination of cause-effect relationships

The administration of Midwest State University wants to know if the arrangement of chairs affects student participation in classrooms. They arrange the chairs in two different ways (theater style and circular) and then measure participation. In this study, ________ is the independent variable, and _________ is the dependent variable. arrangement of chairs; student participation arrangement of chairs: theater style or circular theater style or circular; arrangement of chairs student participation; arrangement of chairs

arrangement of chairs; student participation

behavioral approach

behavior, Watson, Skinner-rats, observations, learning, environment an approach to psychology that concentrates on observable behavior that can be directly measured and recorded

natassia believes that boys learn to be more aggressive primarily because boys are more frequently exposed to external pressures to fight and are often reinforced for aggressive behavior. natashas belief is what perspective?

behavioral - because of reinforcement

Dr. Frantz studies the linkages between hormone levels and sexual motivation. Which perspective is most relevant to Dr. Frantzs research?

biopsychological - hormones

All of the following variables would likely be negatively correlated EXCEPT _______. average income and the incidence of dental disease the value of a car and the age of a car hours spent watching TV and grade point average calories consumed and weight gain

calories consumed and weight gain

A detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated is called a ________. naturalistic observation case study single-blind study representative sample

case study

Dr. Sardonicus wants to know whether or not the first three years of life are critical for acquiring language. She decides to study a child who was tragically deprived of human language by her parents. This type of research is called a(n): survey. correlational study. case study. experiment.

case study.

Correlations do not show ________. the degree to which two variables are related. the direction of a relationship between two variables. the strength of a relationship between two variables. causal relationships.

causal relationships.

dr. waung investigates how a persons interpretation of a situation affects his or her reaction. evidently, dr waung is working from the ----- perspective

cognitive - because of interpretation

After you have identified a problem you want to study, the next step in the scientific method is to ____________. report your results test the hypothesis develop a hypothesis conduct background research

conduct background research

Isabella is planning on studying the influence of intelligence on the ability to recall events from the 1960s. If Isabella does not account for variables such as age, which could also influence one's ability to recall these events, age could be considered a(n) ________ variable. dependent random confounding independent

confounding

A researcher wants to know whether eating chocolate makes people nervous. Some participants are given two bars of chocolate to eat, and some are given no chocolate at all, and then all of the participants are tested for nervousness an hour later. In this experiment, the participants who eat the chocolate are in the __________ group, while the people who did not eat any chocolate are in the __________ group. control; experimental independent variable; dependent variable dependent variable; independent variable experimental; control

experimental; control

Testing a hypothesis is the ______ step in a scientific investigation. first second third fourth

fourth

"Children who watch violent cartoons will become more aggressive." According to the scientific method, this statement is most likely a ________. conclusion fact hypothesis result

hypothesis

The first step in any scientific investigation is ________. identifying the question developing an argument forming a hypothesis coming to a conclusion

identifying the question

Independent variable is to dependent variable as ________. experimental is to correlation measure is to manipulate manipulate is to measure effect is to confound

manipulate is to measure

Dr. Littman-Smith is conducting research in Kenya into the ways that mothers and their toddlers interact throughout the day. Given the purpose of her study, she most likely is engaged in ________. experimental research laboratory observation naturalistic observation correlational research

naturalistic observation

When you watch dogs play in the park, or watch how your professors conduct their classes, you are engaging in a form of ________. survey research case study research psychometric study naturalistic observation

naturalistic observation

biological

nervous system, physical make-up of the brain, genes, hormones

Sam conducted a naturalistic observation as a project for a psychology class. He observed the interactions of parents and children at a restaurant. He believes many parents spoil their children in today's society. He observed many parents allowing children to get away with bad behavior such as being rude to the wait staff. When Sam described his work to his teacher, she suggested he find out more about the ________. parent effect butterfly effect observer effect restaurant effect

observer effect

Researchers designed an experiment that tested the impact of drinking alcohol on test taking abilities. They gave one group a drink with vodka and the other group a drink with tonic water. Neither group knew which drink they received. One interesting result of the experiment was that several members of the group who received the drink with the tonic water acted as if they were impaired. This result is called the _______________. bystander effect drunk effect placebo effect variable effect

placebo effect

Joaquin went to McDonald's to observe people eating in fast-food restaurants. He brought a camera crew and bright lights, and they all wore yellow jump suits. Joaquin said he wanted to do a naturalistic observation but may have had some problems because of ________. room crowding participant observation reactivity eating McDonald's food

reactivity

sociocultural approach

social, culture, raised, religion, socioeconomic status SES, systematic environment

humanistic approach

social, mazlow-needs, rodgers, free will an approach to psychology based on the belief that people are innately good and that mental and social problems result from deviations from this natural tendency

If you are interested in how patterns, beliefs, and customs influence behavior, you are interested in the ________ perspective. behavioral sociocultural psychodynamic cognitive

sociocultural

Jana conducts a study in which she calls participants and asks them questions about their opinions. She is conducting a: case study. biased study. laboratory observation. survey.

survey.

Drinking orange juice is negatively correlated with the risk of cancer. Based on this information, which of the following statements is true? The more orange juice you drink, the higher your risk of cancer. The lower your risk of cancer, the less orange juice you drink. The less orange juice you drink, the lower your risk of cancer. The more orange juice you drink, the lower your risk of cancer.

the more orange juice you drink, the lower your risk of cancer

cognitive psychology

the scientific study of all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

psychology

the scientific study of behavior and mental processes

A study shows that the correlation between shoe size and intelligence is .05. This means that _____________. the smaller your shoe size, the lower your intelligence score. being highly intelligent causes people to have larger feet. the larger your foot size, the higher your intelligence score. there is no relationship between shoe size and intelligence score.

there is no relationship between shoe size and intelligence score.

Evolutionary psychology might suggest that certain cognitive strategies and goals are built into the brain because ____________________. human brains are similar to the brains of the higher primates they help humans adapt to their natural environment they are the result of learning that has taken place over many centuries they are the result of memories we have inherited from our ancestors

they help humans adapt to their natural environment

cognitive approach

thoughts, processes

psychodynamic approach

unconscious, Freud - childhood

The variables of stress and depression are positively correlated. This means _______________. stress causes depression depression causes stress there is a third variable that causes both stress and depression we cannot determine causality with a correlation

we cannot determine causality with a correlation