Research methods ch 1-4
Important ethical principles
-beneficence and nonmaleficence -justice -respect for persons
different strategies for generating a good hypothesis
-introspection (self observation, how would I feel) -find the exception to the rule (existing research examines one type of outcome, ie focusing on negative effects of video games and thats it) -a matter of degree (gray area, milk is good for us but if you drank a gallon at once that wouldn't be good) -change the directionality (which came first the chicken or the egg, not often a set direction of how one thing influences another)
disadvantages of self report
1. Closed questions often don't give the participant the opportunity to say why they behaved or answered a question in a particular way. 2. Participants may provide socially desirable responses, not give truthful answers or respond to demand characteristics. 3. succumb to demand characteristics 4. provide low-quality answers through no fault of the participant
Skepticism
An attitude of doubt
Even after having all of his arguments refuted by his girlfriend, Ryan proclaims that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and he isn't changing his. Ryan is exhibiting which flaw in our thinking?
Belief perseverance
Chauncey wants to conduct an experiment on the impact of negative feedback on concentration. As part of the procedure, some participants "overhear" another participant, who is actually a confederate, say something negative about them. Which ethical principle should Chauncey be most concerned about?
Beneficence
____ is a form of systematic error, while_____ is nonsystematic. Of these two,_____ is more problematic.
Bias; random error; bias
Michele believes her boss is an extremely difficult person. To see if her belief has merit, she asks all of her co-workers who have also had problems with him in the past if they believe the same thing. Michele's conclusion based on her "research" into this question may be erroneous because of which flaw in our thinking?
Confirmation bias
Which of the following would most likely represent an ethical dilemma for a person?
Determining whether or not to report your manager at work for stealing from the register
Who are the "peers" in the peer-review process?
Experts in the field
Marc wants to do a study on the influence of energy drinks on motivation. After conducting a literature search on PsycINFO for published research on this topic, Marc cannot find any research and concludes that this topic has never been studied. However, what else could explain this?
File drawer problem
Billy Ray is having a problem with weeds in his vegetable garden. He wants to determine the best way to control the weeds, but wants to approach it empirically. Which of the following is the best example of an empirical approach?
He could try out several different solutions one by one to see what works best for him.
because we predict that playing video games will influence happiness what is IV and DV
IV= playing video games DV= happiness
If an experimental psychologist studies learning in pigeons, which of the following oversight groups would ethically approve the research?
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Teagan finishes up her thesis, but finds that her hypothesis was not supported. She looks at the data and finds that if she omits the data from three participants, her results work out as she predicted. Which unethical practice has she engaged in?
Massaging the data
Luke really likes the new Dodge Challenger sports car, but is undecided about whether to spend the money to buy one. To make his decision easier, he creates a list of 25 reasons why he likes the car. Is this a good idea?
No. Listing so many reasons will probably be difficult and can actually make you like it less.
Suppose that you are a psychology professor who wants to recruit research participants from your class. Which of the following strategies would be best for ensuring that you are preserving your students' autonomy while recruiting them for your research study?
Offer research participation in your study as one of the options for fulfilling a course requirement
The president of your company has asked you to evaluate a proposal to buy a rival business. The president gives you the proposal, which includes supporting documents such as past and projected sales of the company. Which of the following research skills do you think will be least helpful in this task?
Problem-solving skills
Which of the following would most likely represent an ethical dilemma for a person? pt 2
Reporting one's professor to the head of the department for cancelling too many classes due to personal reasons
Drew wants a representative sample for his research study. He identifies the entire population and subdivides it. He then uses simple random assignment to see which members of each given subpopulation will be a part of the sample. Drew is using which sampling strategy?
Stratified random sampling
After seeing a scary movie, you begin to wonder how watching such a movie can influence how you feel about the people sitting nearby. For example, could being scared make you feel friendlier toward them? Since you want to test this empirically, which of the following is the best option?
Systematically observe moviegoers sitting in the same set of seats during several types of movies to see which groups act friendlier toward each other.
As a financially challenged college student, you see a flyer on campus about a research study on the impact of sunburns. The advertisement says you will be paid $500 to have a 1 inch by 1 inch square of skin on your forearm severely burned with ultraviolet light. You know that sunburns can have long-term consequences (e.g., skin cancer). However, you desperately need the money for textbooks, so you seriously consider participating. What ethical line has this research study violated?
The coercion of voluntary participation
Felicia wants to measure the true number of miles her car gets per gallon of gas (the MPG) to determine if it is worthwhile to get a new car. During a summer road trip where she drove 300 miles after buying 12 gallons of gas, she determines that she gets 25 miles per gallon. During this trip, she had the air conditioner on most of the time and was driving in the mountains. Which of the following may be contributing to the error in this measurement?
The fact that she used the air conditioner and drove in the mountains
communication
The imparting or exchanging of information or news
Cyrus is reading an article and believes that he cannot articulate the topic better than the researcher already has. However, his professor said students could not use quotes in their APA-style introductions. Instead of using quotes, Cyrus takes the researcher's sentence and changes one word of it by replacing the word with a synonym. Which of the following is true?
The only way for this not to be a case of plagiarism is for Cyrus to paraphrase instead.
Students will often use websites like Rate My Professors to help them select the best classes to take. Critics point out that ratings on the site only capture the most extreme responses and that those with more moderate viewpoints do not bother to post their ratings. What problem does the site suffer from the most?
There may be a nonresponse bias.
A researcher notices that mostly males have signed up for his study on changes to reaction times while skydiving. Which of the following may be a problem with the researcher's sample?
There may be a volunteer subject problem.
advantages of behavioral measures
They provide more objective and direct measures and They are less susceptible to social desirability
_____ is synonymous with accuracy. ______ is synonymous with consistency.
Validity; Reliability
data from a NONexperimental design will tell you
WHAT happens NOT why
If a study you conduct involves the purposeful misleading or misdirection of participants, when and how do you notify participants of the deception?
You explain the nature and necessity of the deception in the debriefing at the end of the study.
behavioral choices
a behavioral measure involving participants making a purposeful selection from several options
behavioral observation
a behavioral measure that relies on directly seeing or observing behavior
behavioral trace
a behavioral measure that relies on evidence left behind by a participant who is no longer present
file drawer problem
a bias in scientific community to only publish findings that confirm a researchers hypothesis
outlier
a case or instance that is distinct from the majority of other cases; an oddball
scientific integrity
a commitment to intellectual honesty and adherence to ethical principles in scientific research
between subjects design
a data collection method in which each participant or subject is only assessed on the dependent variable once one participant play for 1 hour another play for 3 and measure each of their individual happiness
constant
a factor that does not change and remains consistent
anonymity
a guarantee in research studies that individual responses cannot be linked back to individual participants
behavioral measure
a measure of participants; actions in a research design, actual behavior
informed consent
a part of standard ethical procedures at the beginning of a research study in which the participant learns about the expectations of the study is told the risks and benefits, and then can freely choose
debriefing
a part of standard ethical procedures at the end of study, contains an explanation of the purpose of the study and disclosure of deception and gives participants a chance to ask questions
nonresponse bias
a potential systematic difference between those who refused to participate in a study and those who participated
simple random sampling
a probability sampling method in which a subset of individuals are randomly selected from population members
representative sample
a sample with specific features that characterize the population of interest
probability sampling
a sampling approach in which everyone in a given population has an equal chance of selection for participation
sample
a subset of the population from which the researcher collects the data
Scientific Method
a systematic approach for addressing questions of interest
beneficence
actively promoting the welfare of others, an ethical obligation to maximize benefits in research studies, do good
assent
an active affirmation of a desire from a person who does not have the ability to consent themselves, consent must also be sought from the legal guardian
empirical
an approach in which the experimenter uses direct and indirect observations or experiences to test the research question
cost-benefit analysis
an ethical principle of research in which a researcher weighs all the potential and known benefits against all the potential and known risks before conducting a study
After graduate school, you begin your career as a counselor for clients who have an eating disorder. You want to be sure to provide your clients with the best possible treatment, but are unsure whether Treatment A or Treatment B is better. To test this, you collect data that will allow you to compare the two treatment types. Which type of skills will be most important for determining the superior treatment?
analytical skills
Which of the following is based on casual observations rather than rigorous or scientific analysis?
anecdotes
self report
any measurement technique that directly asks the participants how they think or feel
A cognitive psychologist is interested in studying memory in the context of eyewitness testimony. What type of research is this?
applied
basic research serve as the foundation for _____
applied research
Tom is investigating how different strategies for reducing anxiety can improve test performance, while Jerry is studying the impact of stress on memory recall. Even though both are studying memory, Tom's research would be considered research whereas Jerry's work would be considered research.
applied, basic
Which of the following questions is outside of the scope of science?
are our lives predestined or predetermined?
A journal editor decides to accept for publication only research studies in which the results are statistically significant. All of the following are potential ethical problems resulting from this decision except
authors are more likely to plagiarize from other statistically significant studies.
weather channel predicts dangerous storm and to evacuate but you use _____ to decide if you can ride it out or not
availability heuristic
While surfing the Internet, you come across a personality test that can determine your personality based on a combination of your favorite color, your favorite food, and your favorite hobby. Upon taking the test, you are impressed by how accurate it is. Which of the following likely explains the test's accuracy?
barnum effect
Darius wants to measure conscientiousness to determine whether it varies depending on students' majors. Rather than asking participants how conscientious they are, he decides to ask to look at each participant's calendar and planner. What type of measurement is Darius using?
behavioral trace
A researcher wants to conduct a study on college students' conscientiousness and study habits. To measure conscientiousness, the researcher examines students' dorm rooms to see how organized the rooms are, how neat their desks appear, and how orderly they keep their closets. What type of measure is the researcher using for conscientiousness?
behavioral traces
open-mindedness
being receptive to other ways of looking at things
Santiago is applying to be a resident assistant at his college. He believes his leadership abilities are above those of typical applicants. Yet, when asked during his interview to provide examples of times he was a good leader, he cannot think of any. Which of the following explains why he struggled to answer the question?
better than average effect
are you a good driver? yes are you a good kisser? yes are you funny? yes
better than average effect
You have just taken a job as a peer tutor for first-year students at your school. You notice that many of the students mistakenly believe that they are doing better than other students in the course, and that they will have no problem catching up if they fall behind. Which two flaws in thinking (in order) are these students expressing?
better than average effect, overconfidence bias
A teacher wants to evaluate the effectiveness of a study strategy in helping her students learn new vocabulary words. She has some of her students learn the words using a strategy she read about in a teaching journal. She has the rest of the students study using the approach she originally taught them. The teacher then administers the vocabulary test to all of the students and compares the results of the two groups. What type of research design is the teacher employing?
between subjects design
If the speedometer in your car consistently shows that you are going more slowly than you actually are, it has which type of error?
bias
variable of gender
can NOT be manipulated = quasi-independent
You ask 100 history majors how interesting they find World War I, and notice that almost everyone chooses either a 6 or 7 on your 7-point measurement scale. Which of the following may be a problem with your measurement?
ceiling effect
in hypothesis that people get happier the more they play non violent video games what is changed and what is constant
changed=video game play and happiness constant=specific game played
pseudoscience
claims or beliefs that are misrepresented as being derived from the use of the scientific method
longitudinal design
collection of data on participants over a set period of time connected to within subjects design
you believe you have the best sense of humor, more likely to notice when you made people laugh rather than not
confirmation bias
cost of not doing the research
considering the potential beneficial application of study findings when doing a cost-benefit analysis
For her study on females' music preferences, Quinn decides to interview the girls in her residence hall because all of the girls happen to be from very different parts of the country. What type of sampling is Quinn using?
convenience sampling
beneficence and nonmaleficence
cost benefit analysis emphasis
demand characteristics
cues that potentially make participants aware of what the experimenter expects
Occam's Razor
cutting away the unnecessary, important I hypothesis development
within subjects design
data collection method where each participant or subject is assessed on the DV more than once one persons happiness measured after 1 and 3 hours playing
cluster random sampling
deciding the total population into groups or clusters then using simple random sampling to select which clusters participate, all observations in a selected cluster are included in the sample
Corrin works at a clothing store in the mall. After a staff meeting where the employees learn sales are declining, she notices that some days the music in the store is really loud, while other days it is impossible to hear. She decides that the store manager is changing the music to see if it influences sales, and decides to try harder to sell clothes on days the music is loud. What problem does this exemplify?
demand characteristics
quasi experimental designs
designs in which the researcher canNOT manipulate the independent variable or use random assignment
true experiment
designs in which the researcher manipulates all of the independent variables and randomly assigns participants to groups
research protocol
detailed series of steps that describes the order in which to administer the study and provides a script of what the researcher should say and do
operational definition
determining how we will use variable in our study
representativeness heuristic
determining the likelihood of an event by how much it resembles what we consider to be typical
levels
different variations of the IV determined by a researcher in an experimental design
Lily is developing a research question for the study she is conducting this semester. She settles on, "What is the meaning of life?" The primary reason that the scientific method cannot be used to answer this question is
direct observation of this topic would be difficult.
data
distinct pieces of information
Non-maleficence
do no harm, an ethical obligation to mitigate or eliminate risks to study participants, do no harm
hypothesis
educated prediction that provides a testable explanation of a phenomenon
focusing effect
emphasize some pieces of info while undervaluing other pieces
good research questions are ____ where systematic observations that involve something we can touch, taste, hear, smell, or see
empirical
test cramming by randomly having half of your classmates cram, while the other half studies a bit each day, then compare
empirical approach
if you are wondering if falling in love is the result of being shot by cupid (elusive and impossible to see) you can NOT test this ____
empirically
respect for persons
ensure respect of the participants autonomy
bias
error that consistently pushes scores in a given direction, aka systematic error
utilitarian perspective
ethical decision should be based on doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people
altruistic perspective
ethical decisions should be based on helping without personal benefit
non probability sampling
everyone in the population does not have an equal chance of being samples therefore creating a bias in the sample
snowball sampling
existing study participants recruit future participants among their acquaintances
dependent variable
experimental studies= measured with changes in the independent variable =, outcome or effect non experimental studies= criterion or response variable
experimental design
experimenter controls and manipulates the independent variable allowing the establishment of cause and effect relationships between the independent and dependent variables
error
extraneous influences that will cause the raw score to deviate from the true score
law of small numbers
extreme outcome are more likely when considering a small number of cases
variables
factors or elements that you expect to change, vary, or have several different values
what you see is all there phenomenon
failure to see the limitations of our immediate experience making it difficult to predict alternative outcomes
justice
fairness in selecting study participants and in determining which participants receive the benefits of participation and which bear the burden of risk
Which of the following characteristics of good hypotheses is important for minimizing our natural flaws in thinking?
falsifiability
Dyala is planning her thesis and needs to generate a hypothesis. Because most people seem to think Facebook is bad for college students, she decides to study how the use of Facebook can help students' transition to college. Which of the following strategies did Dyala use to generate her hypothesis?
find the exception
are those with higher incomes happier? because you focus on benefits of money and ignore drawbacks most people mistakenly believe money makes people happier
focusing effect
quota sampling
freely choosing any participant as long as they help meet predetermined targets for the samples characteristics
autonomy
freely making an informed decision about participation in research
non empirical research
gaining knowledge with the use of nonsystematic methods such as the examination of personal experiences and opinions
empirical research
gaining knowledge with the use of systematic observation, experience, or measurement
boys vs girls on playground
gender=used to create groups it canNOT be manipulated because they were preexisting groups
in video games and happiness study we could operationally define
happiness as acing a test or by how long a person laughs at a joke, we decide best definition based on the context of our study
in study of video games and happiness... conceptually define
happiness as the variable that represents a mental state of well being that includes positive emotions
mental shortcuts
heuristics
To ensure confidentiality during a study, the researcher would do all of the following except
highlight an individual's responses by name in a conference presentation
tell me something I didnt know
hindsight bias
All of the following are forms of deception except
imprecise informed consent.
independent variable
in experimental studies= variable that is manipulated in the experiment, influences another variable in non experimental studies= explanatory or predictor variable and is not manipulated by researcher RESEARCHER INTRODUCES OR INPUTS and changes dependent
stratified random sampling
includes dividing the population into strata or subpopulations and using simple random sampling to select participants from each strata in proportion to the population at large
In an experimental design, the researcher manipulates the ____ and measures the_____ .
independent variable, dependent variable
Sitting outside the student center, Joseph sees a student with full hands drop her smartphone. As she struggles to pick it up, he wonders what would motivate him to help and realizes that he would have helped had he been closer to the student. This inspires him to hypothesize that proximity influences the willingness to help someone in need. What was his strategy for developing a good hypothesis?
introspection
Tia wants to determine what people find offensive. She thinks about times that other people have offended her and concludes that what is offensive to her is probably offensive to most people. In this circumstance she is using which of the following to reach her conclusion about others?
introspection
availability heuristic
judging likelihood of an event based in how easily we can think of similar instances
Selecting only homeless individuals to participate in our study even though we have no real theoretical reason to use the homeless violates which ethical principle?
justice
standardization
keeping the experimental situation the same for everyone and as free from variation as possible
take 100 or 1,000 adults who smoke and drink, never exercise and eat bad, it is likely that few would live to old age
law of small numbers
You see a video online in which a prominent businesswoman explains that her experience in a specialized kindergarten class that focused on creativity and individuality is the reason for her success. You decide to test this by following a group of children from age 5 until age 25 to see if their educational experiences correspond with their career success. What type of design would be the best way to study this?
longitudinal
belief perseverance
maintaining a belief even after it has been proven wrong
observer or scorer bias
misinterpreting an observation based on researchers existing beliefs, previous experiences, or expectations
loss of confidentiality
must be avoided, a failure to protect the privacy of individuals, a potential risk to participants
non experimental/correlational design
no control or manipulation of the independent variable, cause and effect relationships between variable canNOT be established, refer to IV as explanatory or predictor variable and DV as criterion or response variable can determine that 2 variables are associated in some way
rely on own experiences or friends experiences with cramming, If you can think of examples of when cramming worked it must be true
non empirical approach
describe what is happening
nonexperimental design/correlational design
convenience sampling
nonrandom selections of participants who are readily available to the researcher to serve as the sample
floor effect
occurs when the lower boundary of a measurement tool is set too high leading most to select the lowest response
ceiling effect
occurs when the upper boundary of a measurement tool is set too low, leading most to select the highest response
disadvantages of behavioral measures
often difficult to ensure consistency and objectivity participant reactivity, unobtrusive measures
confirmation bias
only look for evidence that confirms what we already believe, strengthening it
Dr. Ndukwe attends a party where several people, upon learning that she is a psychologist, offer suggestions for things she could study in her research. One person suggests, "My dog is completely neurotic. You should study whether dogs have different personalities." Although she believes this is a silly idea, Dr. Ndukwe decides to conduct a study to see if it is true. Which characteristic of science is she exemplifying?
open-mindedness
explanatory variable
or predictor variable potential cause variable in NONexperiemtnal designs
criterion variable
or response variable outcome variable in NONexperimental designs
When something happens that is the exception to the rule or distinct from the majority of other cases, it is called
outlier
low achieving students mistakenly anticipate a higher score on exam
overconfidence phenomenon
Norah wants to videotape her roommate Joanne for a class project on sleeping behaviors. However, because Joanne knows she is being videotaped, she has trouble sleeping. This illustrates which potential problem when conducting research?
participant reactivity
participant reactivity
participants act differently or unnaturally because they know someone is watching them
egoism
perspective that ethical decisions should be based on acting in accordance with one's own self interest
think of favorite food, list all the reasons you like it, reasons are elusive and have trouble figuring out why you live it, may conclude you dont like it as. much as you thought
pleasure paradox
peer review
process by which other scientific experts in the field review and evaluate
fake news phenomenon shares many characteristics with _____
pseudoscience
While watching TV one day, you see an infomercial in which a spokesperson wearing a white lab coat starts describing a new medical breakthrough diet that helps people lose 10 pounds a week. As proof, the spokesperson interviews several clients who experienced dramatic weight loss while on this revolutionary diet. You immediately question the effectiveness of the diet because the claims being made appear to be
pseudoscientific.
Andrea and Beau are doing a study to see if puppies and sunshine make people happy. To test this, they randomly assign 500 male and female participants to one of the following conditions: exposure to puppies and sunshine or no exposure to puppies and sunshine. Both conditions take place out on the college's quad. Participants complete measures of life satisfaction and general happiness. What is the independent variable(s)?
puppies and sunshine
Marcus and Lilja both want to study how stress influences the likelihood of getting sick. Marcus plans on measuring life stress and splitting participants into two groups: high and low. Lilja plans on manipulating stress by exposing one group to a snake and the other to a guinea pig. Marcus' a design is a and Lilja's_____ design is a ______.
quasi experiment; true experiment
Audrey, a senior thesis student, is interested in views on parenting. Specifically, she is interested in whether frequent moving from one home to another as a child influences trust as an adult. She asks participants to self-identify whether they moved often as a child or not and then complete questionnaires about trust. Later, she compares the responses of those who moved with those who did not. What type of design is Audrey using?
quasi experimental
advantages of self report
quick, easy, cheap
Which of the following measurement problems is beyond your control?
random error
replication
recreating another persons study to see if the findings are the same
introspection
reflect on out own thoughts and experiences to find relevant evidence
Whenever you choose a measurement tool, you need to first determine if the instrument has acceptable
reliability
In a Theories of Personality class, you fill out a questionnaire that indicates you are an extravert. You then learn that researchers describe extraverts as enthusiastic, talkative, and assertive. You immediately question that research because you remember several times in the past when you were not at all assertive. What has most likely led to your conclusion?
relying on anecdotal versus scientific evidence
New Years resolution made to start eating better, we decide what foods to eat based on what we think is and what looks healthy based on ______, although it may actually not
representativeness heuristic
basic research
research dedicated to expanding the existing knowledge on a topic
applied research
research dedicated to solving a problem and helping people by improving their quality of life
Deidra needs just one more participant to complete her data collection for her undergraduate thesis. The last participant signs the consent form, but halfway through the study, the participant wants to leave. Deidra tells her that she must stay and finish the study, and the participant complies. What ethical principle has Deidra violated?
respect for persons
In high school, Raul was involved in a terrible car accident when his friend fell asleep at the wheel. Despite the fact that Raul was in the hospital for a month in a full-body cast due to a broken back, when talking about the experience, Raul recalls that time very fondly and says that "it wasn't so bad." What problem does this exemplify?
retrospective bias
the ability to empirically test a research question differentiates____ from _____
scientific questions from nonscientific questions
hindsight bias
sense that we knew it all along after we learn actual outcome
A researcher demonstrating scientific integrity would do all of the following except
share only significant findings in the write-ups of their studies.
sugary cereal is a part of a balanced breakfast but as you see the brightly colored milk you begin to feel _____
skeptical
A car salesperson tells Rudy that a particular model of car is the safest in its class. Rudy does not accept such claims at face value and demands to see the latest safety report. What characteristic of science is Rudy displaying?
skepticism
When Samantha is told about an article in a magazine that claims listening to music on Spotify increases intelligence, she is full of questions about who was in the study, how many people were in it, and so on. What characteristic of science does this demonstrate?
skepticism
You notice that the participants in your study are agreeing with everything that you ask them on a questionnaire even if the answer they give is unflattering. Which of the following biases may be a potential problem in your study?
social desirability
scientific law
statement based on repeated experimental observation that describes some aspect of the world
unobtrusive measures
strategies that allow for observation and assessment without the participants awareness
programmatic research
systematic and planned sequence of related studies where subsequent studies build directly on a previous study findings to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon
The defining characteristic of empirical reasoning is that we use in order to evaluate our ideas about the nature of our world.
systematic observations
barnum effect
tendency of people to believe that general descriptions of their personality are highly accurate and tailored specifically for them
overconfidence phenomenon
tendency to be overly confident in the correctness of out own judgement
better than average effect
tendency to overestimate out skills, abilities, and performance when comparing ourselves to others
An informed consent form should address all of the following except
that the participant cannot quit after signing the informed consent
creativity
the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas
raw score
the actual score, comprised of a true score and error
The owner of a coffeehouse wants to know if her customers will drink more coffee depending on the smell of the room. To test this, she hires a psychologist who sets up three similar rooms, each with its own smell (coffee, cinnamon buns, or bacon and eggs), then arranges to have 30 students spend an afternoon in each room while being allowed to drink all the coffee they like. The amount each participant drinks is recorded for each of the three scents. What is the dependent variable?
the amount of coffee consumed
ethics
the application of moral principles to help guide one's decisions and behavior
validity
the degree to which a tool measures what it claims to measure
population
the entire group of interest in a research study from which the researcher draws the sample, asking a population=unpractical
sampling plan
the explicit strategy used for recruiting participants from the population
A marriage counselor wants to evaluate the efficacy of a new approach to help couples communicate better in public settings and among strangers. Before this study can be conducted, approval is needed from all of the following groups except
the institutional animal care and use committee
open science
the practice of freely sharing our scientific work along all stages of the research process
The key distinction between scientific and nonscientific questions is whether or not
the question can be empirically tested.
sensitivity
the range of data a researcher can gather from a particular instrument
A researcher asks participants to complete a personality measure. Two weeks later, the researcher asks the same participants to complete the same personality measure. The researcher then compares the two scores for consistency. What is the researcher trying to evaluate?
the reliability of the measure
purposive sampling
the researcher chooses the sample based on who they think would be appropriate or qualified for the study, used when a limited number of people have expertise in the area under investigation
what needs to be done to properly measure actual behavior?
the researcher needs to identify or create a situation in which they can observe the behavior and a way of quantifying or measuring that behavior
In a study of first-year college students from a private university in California, 56 men and 88 women examined the influence of relaxation techniques on relieving anxiety associated with starting college. All students received a pamphlet containing information about good sleep habits. Next, half of the participants were taught a breathing exercise while the other half did nothing. What is the constant?
the sleep habit pamphlet
reliability
the stability or consistency of a measure
social desirability
the tendency for respondents to give answers that make them look good
A market researcher collects reactions to a new cookie before it hits the marketplace. The researcher tells some participants the cookie is low in calories, while other participants receive no information about the cookie. Next, each participant eats three cookies and then completes a questionnaire assessing their opinions. What is the independent variable in this study?
the type of info provided about the cookie
objectivity
treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices
A researcher notices that several participants do not appear to be carefully reading the questions on her survey. She decides not to include these participants' data in her study so that she has a "better" test of her research hypothesis. This behavior is problematic because of its
unethical treatment of the data.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a good hypothesis?
vagueness
You are convinced that an exam was unfair because none of the questions even remotely resembled what was taught in the class. In this case, you are questioning the exam's
validity
quasi-independent variable
variables treated as if they were independent variables in the experimental design even though the researchers did not manipulate them
random error
variation from the measures true score due to unsystematic or chance factors
Dr. Smokey is conducting a study on the effects of marijuana use on memory. Upon posting the study to recruit participants, 100 people sign up within the first 10 minutes. Dr. Smokey's sample most likely suffers from which issue?
volunteer subject problem
scientific theory
well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world confirmed through repeated observation and experimentation
true score
what the score would be if the test were a perfect measure of the attribute being tested and were uninfluenced by any extraneous factors
conceptual definition
what the variable represents in the context of the researchers study
meet a classmate and assume they are studious, gets a good grade, confirms assumption, does not look at that many college students are studious or other explanations
what you see is all there phenomenon
pleasure paradox
when an introspective analysis regarding a positive experience results in it becoming less enjoyable
retrospective bias
when participants view or interpret past events in an inaccurate way
Empiricism
willingness to test ideas and personal beliefs and admit when they are unsupported
A psychologist was hired by a local winery to conduct a taste test of four new wines. For the taste test, the psychologist had 100 participants come into the lab, take a small sip of each wine, and rate the taste on several characteristics. Between each wine, participants ate a small cracker. What type of design did the psychologist use?
within subjects
Which of the following is probably not very effective in helping the results from your study contribute to the scientific knowledge of psychology?
writing an app style paper about your study fo your psych class
script
written set of instructions that the researcher reads to the participant while collecting the data
