Research Methods Exam 1
Which of the following statements best represents a hypothesis
"Amount of time spent studying and test performance are related."
The statistical significance of findings is largely irrelevant in the decision to publish a paper
False
The steps in the research processes are independent form one another
False
if you are not sure about which keyword to look up in the Psychological Abstracts, you should use the Social Science Citation Index
False
A researcher measured how much violent television children watch at home. These children were also observed for their aggressiveness on the playground. The researcher found that as the amount of violence watched on TV increased the amount of playground aggressiveness increased. The type of relationship found was
Positive linear
Igor notices that the more time he spends working in the laboratory the more familiar he becomes with the standard laboratory procedures. What type of relationship is this?
Positive
When the results of an experiment are consistent with a prediction developed from a theory we conclude that the theory is
Supported by the results
Two researchers tested the hypothesis that college student's grades and happiness are related. One researcher operationally defined happiness as the number of hours spent at leisure activities. The other defined happiness as the amount of achievement one feels as measured on a 10 pt scale. Which of the following statements is accurate?
The difference in operation definitions of happiness could lead to quite different results
Which of the following statements would be appropriate for the method section of a research report?
While the tree men and three women discussed the issue, the experimenter measured time spent talking by starting and stopping stopwatches.
Participants read an account of a crime in which the perpetrator was described as an attractive or unattractive woman. They then assign the length of prison sentence they felt the woman deserved. The ______ would be a _____ variable.
Woman's attractiveness; situational
Unlike scientific explanations, commonsense explanations are
accepted at face value
Belief-based explanations are
accepted because they come from a trusted source and require no evidence to support them
According to the text, reviewing the literature is important because
all of the above
According to the text, the basic strategy for conducting library research involves
all of the above
When determining whether to accept or reject a paper for publication, editors and reviewers
all of the above
According to the text values in science can affect
all the above
In the methods section of a paper you will find a description of
all the above
When conduction a search for previous literature using PsychInfo you
all the above
Which of the following would you find to be part of a full PsycINFO citation
all the above
An advantage of a poster session over a paper session is that the poster session
allows the author to present more details of the study and allows you to talk directly to the researcher about the research
A laboratory experiment uses ______ while a field experiment does not
an artificial environment
By employing randomization the researcher ensures that
any extraneous is just as likely to affect one group as it is to affect the other
General internet search engines can provide a treasure trove of information on a given topic. However, you should be careful when using such sources because
anyone can publish anything on the internet and there is no guarantee that the info you obtain will meet scientific standards
When evaluating a results section you should determine whether the
appropriate statistics were applied
Dr. King asks student teacher to assign a punishment for misbehavior displayed by an attractive versus unattractive child. The response variable would be
assigned punishment
The most up-to-the-minute information about research can be obtained
at a professional convention or meeting
"The scientific method is a ay of thinking in addition to a way of gathering information." This statement shows that the scientific method is an
attitude
Your primary concern when reading a discussion section is whether the
authors conclusions follow from the data reported
An explanation is empirical if it is
based on evidence of the senses
A researcher investigated the relationship between alcohol intake and reaction time in a driving stimulation task. Participants drank either one ounce or three ounces of alcohol and were then measured on braking speed at a simulated red light. The DV was
braking speed
A researcher had participants eat the same flavored ice cream packaged in a round or square carton. The participants then indicated how much they liked the ice cream. The DV is
ice cream rating
Critically reading and analyzing research literature involves a
initial appraisal and careful analysis of content
According to the text, hypothesis development is important because
it drives other decisions concerning how variables are to be measured and manipulated in your research and poorly conceptualized hypotheses may lead to invalid results
What is the primary advantage of the laboratory experiment over find experiment?
it is easier to hold extraneous variables constant
One advantage to using PsychINFO over the Social science Citation Index is as a method for obtaining past research is
it will give you abstracts of the research articles
Making a photocopy of a published article is
legal but unethical
Findings that do not make sense within the currently accepted framework are
looked on with suspicion
According to the text the best way to deal with research fraud is to
make maximum use of the review process
In the search for causes of behavior, Cialdini's idea of scouting involves
making systematic observations of naturally occurring behavior
According to the text, a successfully completed research project
may raise more questions than answers
A measure has construct validity if it
measures what it intended to measure
Two steps suggested by Cialdini to explore the causes of behavior are
non of the above
A researchers investigated the relationship between age and participation in a discussion human sexuality. She found that younger students contributed more to the discussion than did older students. What was the research method used in this study?
non-experimental
Dr. Sears observes that the more time a person spends in a department store the more purchase they tend to make. The research method used in this study can best be described as
non-experimental
A disadvantage of publishing multiple experiments in a single paper is that
none of the above
If the police of a journal is to not send articles out for review prior to publication that journal is
nonrefereed
Extensive research has been conducted on the subject of "bystander intervention" Interest in this topic was generated following the stabbing of Kitty Genovese in the presence of her neighbors. This source f idea for this body of research was
observations of the world around us
Peters and Ceci (82) found that when previously published articles were retyped as manuscripts and resubmitted to the journal that originally published them
only 3/12 papers were identified as resubmissions and rejected for that reason
You are looking at a periodical that has slick, attractive appearance with many photographs. Sources are rarely, if ever, cited and the relatively short articles are written in simple language. You are looking at a
popular periodical
At the beginning of any research project, it is necessary to explore throughly prior to research on the topic of interest because
prior findings are useful for clarifying and generating research ideas
The "file drawer phenomenon" relates to the problem of
published research appearing more reliable that it actually is
The method of inquiry that involves logically deducing conclusions from self-evident truths is the
rational method
The most up-to-date published information about research in a given area can be found in a
scientific journal
A _____ source summarizes information from sources of original research reports
secondary
If you wanted to look up research on a particular topic in the Psychological Abstracts, you would use the
subject index
Once a disconfirmed hypothesis has been revised it is
subjected to rigorous testing
A researcher manipulates the amount of lighting in a workspace and then observes its effects on a groups productivity. This situation represents which element of inference of cause?
temporal precedence
A hypothesis is a
tentative statement that something may be true
A researcher investigated the relationship between test length and grades in a Wester Civilization class. After randomly assigning students to groups, she found that studies who took longer exams received better grades than students who took shorter exams. The Dependent variable was
test grades
We can usually have more confidence in scientific explanations than commonsense explanations because
testing a scientific explanation rules out alternative explanations for observed behavior
When reading a discussion section you should determine whether
the author made assertions that went far beyond the data reported and whether the findings reported fit with previous research and theory
In most cases reviewers are
unaware who conducted the research being reviewed
According to the text, you can narrow your PsycINFO search by
using the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms
You detect some research fraud in your laboratory. You decide to blow the whistle and turn in the offender. According to the text, you will probably be
vilified and your own credibility called into question
When reading the introduction to a paper, you should pay special attention to
whether the literature was reviewed adequately
A disadvantage of using PsycARTICLES exclusively when doing a literature search is that
you can only obtain journal articles that were published since 1988 and you can only obtain articles from journals published by the APA
The final step in the research process is analyzing your data
False
The method of authority has no place in science
False
The results from basic research are not applicable to solving everyday problems
False
The index that is similar to the Psychological Abstracts is the
Permuterm Subject Index
Which section of the research article summarizes the hypothesis, the procedure and results, usually in 150 words or less?
Abstract
An operational definition of the variable "anxiety" might be
All of the above
A researcher found that as the amount of violence watched on TV increased, the amount of playground aggressiveness increased. Which of the following conclusions might be correct?
All the above
A researcher observed that people who have a larger number of pets also live in houses with more bathrooms than people with fewer pets. Which of the following conclusions might be correct?
All the above
Which of the following is a source of ideas for a research project
All the above
Which of the following periodicals publishes articles that summarize recent developments in various areas of psychology
Annual Review of Psychology
A behavioral scientists will usually accept which condition for a variable to be labeled a cause?
Any of the above
You are hired by a local company to do research on improving employee morale. The research you do would be classified as
Applied research
Dr. Smith conducts an experiment to test the limits of Leon Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory. Dr. Smith is doing
Basic research
You read in a newspaper about a prison riot that followed minor changes in the rules governing prisoners. Your immediate explanation for the riot is that "Prisoners are just the type of people who would be expected to riot over such a small thing." this is an example of _____ explanation
Commonsense
Which one of the following would not be found when you search the PsychINFO abstracting system?
Complete article
A psychologists studied dependency by measuring how many times children in school asked an adult for help. A critic argued that asking for help is not a good measure of dependency. In fact the critic said asking for help shows resourcefulness and initiative. The critic in this situation was disputing the ____ of the dependency.
Construct validity
You should adopt a ____ point of view when reading research literature
Consumer's
Which of the following is most likely not a variable
Current U.S. president
A researcher finds that the more a song is played on the radio, the greater the linking for the song. However, she also finds that if the song is played too much people start to dislike the song. This is an example of what type of relationship?
Curvilinear
When increases in the values of one variable are associated with both increases and decreases in the values of a second variable, what type of relationship is present?
Curvilinear
Science and pseudoscience both use basically the same methods to derive explanations for phenomena
False
Which of the following is not a step of the scientific method listed in the text?
Developing a comprehensive theory about a phenomenon
According to the text, ____ is the first step in the research process
Developing a research idea
A critical question you should ask yourself when evaluation a method section is
Does the method used allow for an unambiguous test of the stated hypothesis?
Which method allows you to say that one variable cased a change in another variable?
Experimental method
Explanation A makes four assumptions about behavior, Explanation B makes three. Which of the following is true?
Explanation B is more parsimonious than explanation A
When the results of a study can be generalized to other populations and settings, the study is said to have _____ validity
External
A list of the equipment used in an experiment is usually found in the introduction to a research report
False
A secondary source is as good as a primary source for obtaining information about research
False
Because scientific explanations cannot be applied to all questions, explanations based on beliefs are superior
False
Despite all its problems the peer review is a highly reliable process
False
Generally, research that has received funding from a granting agency is better than research that has not
False
Only novice scientists must worry about falling into the trap of psyeudoexplanation
False
A researcher asks male and female participants to rate the desirability of potential neighbors on the basis of the potential neighbor's occupation. Which of the following is a participant variable?
Gender of the research participant
A theory
Generates new knowledge by guiding our observations
In which section of a research article would a reader find a description of what was done in the past and why the present study is being conducted?
Introduction section
The experimental method eliminates the third-variable problem by
Keeping extraneous variables constant and randomly assigning participants to a group
When a researcher manipulates temperature of a room in order to examine the effect it has on task performance, the different temperature conditions are refereed to as the _____ of the variable
Levels
Professor Brown found the more alone a person feels, the more time they spend watching TV. This finding would be an example of a _______ relationship.
Monotonic
Dr. Kramer found that the average number of miles driven decreases as the price of gasoline increases. This relationship can best be described as a _______ relationship
Negative
When increases in the values of on variable are associated with decreases in the values of a second, what type of relationship is present?
Negative
Which of the following sets the scientific method apart from other methods of inquiry
Observing and explaining
The process of clearly identifying how a variable is measured or manipulated is referred to as the _____ of the variable
Operation definition
Because of tension between the police department and the citizens of Metropolis, the city council surveys residents for suggestions on how to improve police-community relations. This example best illustrates ____ as a source of research ideas
Practical problems
A researcher designs a study to look at the relationship between gender and time spent talking in a group. Researcher states "In a balanced mixed gender group, males will talk more than females." This is an example of
Prediction
The statement "Females will report greater incidences of sexual harassment than will males" is an example of a ____, while the statement "Reported incidences of sexual harassment will vary according to gender" is an example of a ___
Prediction; hypothesis
Obtaining independent measures of the behavior of interest and the explanatory concept helps us avoid
Pseudoexplanation
According to the text, using PsycINFO to preform a literature search has which of the following advantages
PsycINFO indexes over 1800 scientific journals and book chapters and using PsycINFO makes previously tedious, time-consuming work easier and faster
In which section of a research article would a reader find a description of the findings using statistical language
Results
To find out how many authors have cited a particular article in the years since it was published, you would consult
Social Science Citation Index
The method of authority is not relied on for developing scientific explanations because
Some sources of information are not authoritative and a source of information may be based by a particular theoretical orientation
A study examined the relationship between years spent smoking and attitudes toward quitting by asking participants to rate their optimism for the success of a treatment program. If there were a negative relationship between these variables, what should the results be?
The more years spent smoking, the less optimistic for sucess
Although books can be good sources for a literature review, the material in them should be considered with caution because
The review process that books undergo may not be as rigorous as the process that articles in scientific journals undergo
An editor of a journal can significantly affect the character of a research filed by publishing a new editorial policy
True
Because research usually raises more questions than it answered, reporting your results is usually not the final step in the research process
True
Further observing and experimenting set the scientific method apart from other methods of inquiry
True
Primary sources provide the best source of full reports of research
True
PsycARTICLES allows you to obtain full copies of articles published in the journals of the APA since 1988
True
Research fraud can arise from scientific elitism
True
The "file drawer phenomenon" refers to the fact that many studies that fail to obtain significant results are never published, making published finding less reliable than they seem
True
The review process that books undergo may not be as rigorous as the review process that journal articles undergo
True
The scientific method is the most powerful method for acquiring scientific information
True
When an allegation of research fraud is made, it should be made based on hard evidence and investigated by an independent fact-finding body
True
To assess the strength of relationship between beer sales and outdoor temperatures Adolph would want to
calculate a correlation coefficient
Scientific explanations are superior to those based on belief for questions that
can be addressed with objective observation
According to the text, unfounded but commonly accepted explanations for behavior
can have widespread consequences when they become the basis for social policy
__ explanations are based on the limited information at hand and on our own previous experiences
commonsense
In the satirical book "Motel of the mysteries" an archeologists discovered a container marked "ICE" in the motel room she unearthed. The archaeologists would be making an error of inference if she said that the
container was an "internal components enclosure" used to store internal body organs after death
Two designs that you can choose to use in your research are
correlational and experimental designs
Issues such as equipment needs and preparing materials are most relevant when you are
deciding on a research design
In which section of a research article would a reader find an explanation for the findings
discussion
Random assignment is a critical element of the experimental method because it
eliminates consistent effects of extraneous variables
In the experimental method the researcher makes sure that the influence of all extraneous variables are kept constant. This process is referred to as
experimental control
A pseudoexplanation is an
explanation that is nothing more than a new name for behavior
Major difference between scientific explanations and explanations based on belief
explanations based on belief are assumed to be true, whereas scientific explanations are accepted only provisionally
According to the text the most serious form of fraud in research is
the outright fabrication of data
