Unit 2 AP Psych
C a case study
A person displays a set of rare behaviors that psychologists had not known about previously, because nobody had ever shown them before. The best strategy to investigate the nature of those behaviors is A an experiment B a survey C a case study D cross-sectional research E correlational research
A statistical inference
A research psychologist generalizes from a particular sample to an entire population. This is an example of A statistical inference B random sampling C a correlational study D stratified sampling E descriptive statistics
C It should conform to all APA ethical guidelines for animal research.
According to the ethical guidelines set by the American Psychological Association (APA), which of the following is true of psychological research in which animals are used as subjects? A It must not involve the use of surgical procedures. B It is no longer permitted by the APA without special authorization. C It should conform to all APA ethical guidelines for animal research. D It must be limited to investigations that use correlational procedures. E It may not be conducted by psychologists who do not have a license.
B an experiment
Dr. Larson was interested in whether classical music helps students perform better on a test. Dr. Larson randomly assigned half of the study's participants to a group that listened to classical music while taking a test. The other half of the participants did not listen to music while taking a test. The research design Dr. Larson used is A a case study B an experiment C naturalistic observation D a correlational study E a survey
B may reveal a causal relation
Experimental research differs from correlational research in that experimental research A allows for prediction B may reveal a causal relation C establishes a mathematical relation D defines the strength of the relation E uses a dependent variable
D It contains the middle 68% of the distribution.
In a normal distribution, which of the following statements is true about the area that falls between one standard deviation above and one standard deviation below the mean? A It contains the bottom 50% of the distribution. B It contains the middle 50% of the distribution. C It contains the bottom 68% of the distribution. D It contains the middle 68% of the distribution. E It is the same as the square of the average deviation.
B ethics
In a research study, informed consent is a conc... 1/1 MC point In a research study, informed consent is a concern of A replicability B ethics C statistical significance D practical applicability E cross-cultural representativeness
E watched the nonviolent cartoon
In an experiment designed to determine whether watching violent scenes on television increases the frequency of aggressive behavior in children, one group of subjects saw a nonviolent cartoon and another group saw a violent cartoon. In the play period that followed the viewing of the cartoons, researchers observed the two groups of children together and counted instances of aggressive behavior. The control group in the experiment is the group that A the researchers thought would be most aggressive B performed the larger number of aggressive acts C performed the smaller number of aggressive acts D watched the violent cartoon E watched the nonviolent cartoon
D dependent variable
In an experiment to test the effects of hunger on aggressive behavior, aggressive behavior would be the A placebo B control C hypothesis D dependent variable E independent variable
B Dependent
In an experiment, which of the following variables refers to the outcome that is measured by the experimenter? A Independent B Dependent C Control D Random E Stimulus
E requires comparatively little time
In developmental psychology, one advantage of cross-sectional over longitudinal studies is that cross-sectional research A controls for cognitive ability B controls for gender C controls for cultural influences D involves subjects of the same age E requires comparatively little time
E naturalistic observation
Jane Goodall lived among wild chimpanzees intermittently for decades, studying their social and family systems while keeping her interaction with the chimpanzees to a minimum. Her research method can most accurately be described as A survey B case study C experiment D correlational research E naturalistic observation
A Method of note-taking
Professor González is interested in evaluating the ability of a new method of note-taking to improve student grades. Group A is trained in the new method and group B uses the traditional outline method of taking notes. What is Professor González' independent variable? A Method of note-taking B Grades C Group membership D The subject matter used E The number of students per group
E As income increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases.
Researchers have found a negative correlation between income and dental problems. What conclusion can correctly be drawn from this statement? A Having a higher income causes fewer dental problems. B As income increases, the likelihood of requiring dental care increases. C As income increases, dental procedures become more affordable. D A rise in the incidence of dental problems causes income to be lower. E As income increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases.
D scores in a group differ from the mean of that group
Standard deviation is a measure of how much A a normal person's behavior changes in a given time B two sets of scores vary together C difference there is between the highest and the lowest score in a sample D scores in a group differ from the mean of that group E scores from a sample differ from that of the population
B sampling bias
Students from a journalism class ask only their friends to participate in a school newspaper survey and neglect to ask the rest of the student body. The journalism students' data may not be generalizable due to A a lack of debriefing B sampling bias C participant bias D social desirability bias E placebo effects
D Case study
Synesthesia is a phenomenon that has been estimated to occur in only a few people in a million. Because of its rarity, researchers are likely to choose which research method to study it? A Naturalistic observation B Correlational research C Survey research D Case study E Experimental research
D scatterplot
The correlation between two measures obtained on a group of individuals is graphically represented as a A bar graph B normal distribution C histogram D scatterplot E frequency polygon
E the sample is more representative of the population
The generalizability of a study increases when A the study is ethical B an experiment is used C debriefing is used D confederates are used E the sample is more representative of the population
D seeks to establish cause-effect relationships
The most distinctive characteristic of the experimental method is that it A studies a few people in great depth B studies subjects in their natural environment C is an efficient way to discover how people feel D seeks to establish cause-effect relationships E provides a chronological basis for reaching conclusions
D an experimental approach
To determine whether a cause-effect relationship exists between two variables, a researcher must use A descriptive statistics B archival data C naturalistic observation D an experimental approach E a correlational study
E By using a random selection of people in that population
What is the best way to ensure that results of a study are generalizable to a population? A By making sure to use as many participants as possible B By making sure the results are significant C By making sure to use an equal number of men and women D By using random assignment E By using a random selection of people in that population
E They have developed codes of ethics for research with both human participants and animal subjects.
Which of the following best describes the response of members of the American Psychological Association to ethical issues in research? A They have just begun to address such issues. B They disclaim ethical concerns regarding research. C They have developed codes of ethics for research with human participants only. D They have developed codes of ethics for research with animal subjects only. E They have developed codes of ethics for research with both human participants and animal subjects.
D Confounding variable
Which of the following is a term for a variable that researchers do not control and that can affect the results of a study? A Independent variable B Dependent variable C Control variable D Confounding variable E Continuous variable
D The feedback about relative performance in coin tossing
A psychological researcher designs a study to determine whether positive feedback affects self-esteem. The researcher requires each participant to toss twenty coins into a coffee can that is three feet away. Half of the participants are told that their performance is superior, and the other half are told that their performance is well below average. Although some of the participants want to quit tossing coins after a few attempts, they are told that once they begin the study they have to complete it. After the coin toss, participants take a test measuring self-esteem. Following the test, all participants are debriefed and told that information about their performance was false. Results of the study indicate that participants who are told their performance is well below average report lower levels of self-esteem than do those who are told their performance is superior. Which of the following elements constitutes the independent variable in the study? A The number of successful coin tosses B The number of coins the participants tossed C The measure of self-esteem D The feedback about relative performance in coin tossing E The number of participants
B an independent variable
A psychologist designed a study to test the effects of cell phone use on driving safety. Participants were randomly assigned either to drive an automobile simulator while talking to a friend on a cell phone or to drive a simulator without talking on a phone. In the study, cell phone use can be described as A a dependent variable B an independent variable C a confounding variable D a random variable E an operational definition
E Experimental
A psychologist designed a study to test the effects of cell phone use on driving safety. Participants were randomly assigned either to drive an automobile simulator while talking to a friend on a cell phone or to drive a simulator without talking on a phone. Which type of research does the scenario describe? A Participant observation B Naturalistic observation C Correlational D Case study E Experimental
B an experiment
A research design involves two randomly assigned groups of participants. One group receives a one-time treatment, and the other does not. Later, the two groups are compared to see whether the treatment had an effect. Psychologists call this kind of research A a correlational study B an experiment C a case study D a survey E a cross-sequential study
E its conclusions can be verified or refuted by subsequent studies
A study can be regarded as scientific only if A it utilizes an effective placebo B its findings are accepted by experts in the field C its findings are consistent with established theories D its conclusions are based on strong correlational data E its conclusions can be verified or refuted by subsequent studies
C the exam was too difficult
A teacher finds the distribution of scores on a final exam to be positively skewed with low variability. On the basis of this information, the teacher would be most justified in concluding that A a small number of students in the class did poorly on the exam B the students in her classroom have a very wide range of intellectual abilities C the exam was too difficult D the exam is not a reliable assessment tool E most of her students are of above average ability
B Change in hair length
Dr. Patel is conducting a study to test a hair-growth shampoo she is developing. She instructs fifty participants to use the hair-growth shampoo once daily for a month and another fifty to use a regular shampoo once a day for a month. Dr. Patel measures the participants' hair length at the beginning and the end of the thirty days. Which of the following is the dependent variable? A The type of shampoo B Change in hair length C Participants D The placebo E The thirty days
A each person in the town has the same probability of being chosen for the study
Drawing a random sample of people from a town for an interview study of social attitudes ensures that A each person in the town has the same probability of being chosen for the study B an equal number of males and females are selected for interviews C the study includes at least some respondents from every social class in town D the study will uncover widely differing social attitudes among the respondents E the sample will be large enough even though some people may refuse to be interviewed
C are protected from physical and psychological harm
Ethical principles developed by the American Psychological Association help ensure that human participants in psychological research A get paid for their time and trouble B have not participated in similar research in the past C are protected from physical and psychological harm D understand the hypotheses of the researcher before they take part E keep the purposes of the research project confidential
E Longitudinal
In which of the following types of research are the same children tested periodically at different points in their development? A Cinical case study B Between subjects C Cross-sectional D Ethnographic E Longitudinal
B they want to be able to replicate the experiment
It is important for researchers to use precise operational definitions when A they want to ensure that conditions are assigned randomly B they want to be able to replicate the experiment C they want to organize the hypotheses appropriately D they are conducting experimental research but not correlational research E they are conducting an experiment with no independent and dependent variables
D A positive correlation
Research finds that, in general, the higher an incoming college student scores on a given test, the higher the student's college grade point average (GPA). Which of the following best describes this relationship? A A bimodal distribution B A normal distribution C A skewed distribution D A positive correlation E A negative correlation
E It minimizes artificiality, which can be a problem in laboratory studies.
Which of the following is a strength of naturalistic observation? A It makes data collection easy, which saves time and money. B It allows researchers to draw conclusions about cause and effect. C It produces data that are easily quantified for statistical analysis. D It allows researchers to easily control many variables at once. E It minimizes artificiality, which can be a problem in laboratory studies.
A -.90
Which of the following is the strongest correlation? A -.90 B -.23 C .40 D .67 E .72
A Mode
Which of the following measures can be precisely located on the graph of a skewed distribution without doing any calculations? A Mode B Median C Mean D Standard deviation E Variance
A It can be brought about by the individual's expectations.
Which of the following statements best describes the placebo effect? A It can be brought about by the individual's expectations. B It can be induced by antipsychotic drugs. C It is found only among individuals in psychoanalysis. D It is considered an invalid concept in research on client-centered therapy. E It is typically experienced by individuals in long-term therapy.
