Research Methods :)

To study the development of relationships, Dr. Rajiv carefully observed and recorded patterns of verbal and nonverbal behaviors among boys and girls in the school yard. Which research method did Dr. Rajiv employ?

naturalistic observation

If psychologist discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied wit their marriages than poor people are, this would indicates that wealth and marital satisfaction

negatively correlated

In the hypothesis " Students who study a list of terms in the morning, just after waking up will recall more terms than students who study the list just before falling asleep" what is the dependent variable

number of terms remembered

A specification of how a researcher measures a research variable is known as a(n)

operational definition

Sasha believes that she is a very good driver. Her belief leads her to take unnecessary risks, such as driving too fast and cutting in front of other drivers. Sasha's driving appears to be affected by

overconfidence

Thinking that she had outperformed most of her classmates, Glenda was surprised to receive just an average grade on her psychology test. Glenda's experience best illustrates

overconfidence

In a study of the effects of alcohol consumption, some participants drank a nonalcoholic beverage that actually smelled and tasted like alcohol. This nonalcoholic drink was a

placebo

Critical thinkers can best be described as

questioning

Replication involves

repeating an earlier research study

To graphically represent the correlation between two variables, researchers often construct a

scattershot

A researcher interested in investigating the attitudes or opinions of a large sample of people is most likely to use which research method?

survey

A hypothesis is a(n)

testable prediction that gives direction to research

Abdul has volunteered to participate in an experiment evaluating the effectiveness of aspirin. Neither he nor the experimenters know whether the pills he takes during the experiment contain aspirin or are merely placebos. The investigators are apparently making use of

the double-blind procedure

In the Hypothesis " Students who study a list of terms in the morning, just after waking up will recall more terms than student who study the list just before falling asleep" what is the independent variable?

time of day

A majority of respondents in a national survey agreed that "classroom prayer should not be allowed in public schools." Only 33 percent of respondents in a similar survey agreed that "classroom prayer in public schools should be banned" These divergent findings best illustrate the importance of

wording effects

Surveys indicate that people are much less likely to support "welfare" than "aid to the needy." These somewhat paradoxical survey results best illustrate the importance of

wording effects

An experiment was designed to study the potential impact of alcohol consumption on emotional stability. A specification of the procedures used to measure emotional stability illustrates

an operational definition

The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it

may be unrepresentative of what is generally true

What is the primary limitation of the case study research method?

Individual cases can be misleading and result in false generalizations

Professor Ober carefully observes and records the behaviors of children in their classrooms in order to track the development of their social and intellectual skills. Professor Ober is most clearly engaged in

Naturalistic observation

To assess the effect of televised violence on aggression, researchers plan to expose one group of children to violent movie scenes and another group to nonviolent scenes. To reduce the chance that the children in one group have more aggressive personalities than those in the other group, the researchers should make use of

Random Assignment

Why is replication important to science?

Repeated research with similar results increases confidence in the reliability of the original findings.

According to Emily's grandfather, Adolf Hitler's obvious emotional instability made it clear from the beginning days of his international conflicts that Germany would inevitably lose World War II. The grandfather's claim best illustrates

The hindsight bias

The healing power of positive expectations is best illustrated by

The placebo effect

Researchers are interested in studying the impact of drugs on human fetuses. In this case, why would a correlational study be more appropriate than an experiment?

because participants could not be ethically assigned to an experimental or control condition

In 1848, Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman, survived when an explosion drove an iron rod through this head damaging the functioning of the frontal lobes. This instance suggested that the frontal lobe plays a role in personality and behavior. Researchers have continued to study Gage's brain to better understand this link. Which research method is being used?

case study

In 1953, H.M. underwent surgery to control his seizures. Doctors removed tissue from the hippocampus. As a result H.M.'s memory was severely impaired. Psychologists studied H.M.'s memory function until his death in 2008. Which research method did the psychologists utilize in this situation?

case study

Following the scientific discovery that a specific brain structure is significantly larger in violent individuals than in those who are nonviolent, a news headline announced: "Enlarged Brain Structure Triggers Violent Acts." The headline writer should most clearly be warned about the dangers of

confusing correlation with causation

In an experiment designed to study the effectiveness of a new drug, research participants who receive a placebo are participating in the ________ condition.

control

To discover the extent to which economic status can be used to predict political preferences, researches are most likely to use

correlational measures

To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is relates to their income levels, researchers would most likely make use of

correlational research

The hindsight bias refers to people's tendency to

exaggerate their ability to have foreseen the outcome of past events

A researcher interested in proving a causal relationship between two variables should choose which research method?

experiment