Ch. 1 Practice Test-copied

In an experiment designed to study the effectiveness of a new drug, research participants who receive a placebo are participating in the ________ condition. A) dependent variable B) correlational C) experimental D) replication E) control

E

Joe believes that his basketball game is always best when he wears his old gray athletic socks. Joe is a victim of the phenomenon called: A) statistical significance. B) overconfidence. C) illusory correlation. D) hindsight bias.

C

After detailed study of a gunshot wound victim, a psychologist concludes that the brain region destroyed is likely to be important for memory functions. Which research strategy did the psychologist use to deduce this? A) the case study B) a survey C) correlation D) experimentation

A

In generalizing from a sample to the population, it is important that: A) the sample be representative. B) the sample be nonrandom. C) the sample not be too large. D) all of the above be true.

A

In order to learn about the TV viewing habits of all the children attending Oakbridge School, Professor DeVries randomly selected and interviewed 50 of the school's students. In this instance, all the children attending the school are considered to be a(n): A) population. B) representative sample. C) independent variable. D) control condition. E) dependent variable.

A

Professor Shalet contends that parents and children have similar levels of intelligence largely because they share common genes. His idea is best described as a(n): A) theory. B) replication. C) naturalistic observation. D) illusory correlation. E) hindsight bias.

A

The belief that weather conditions signal the onset of arthritis pain best illustrates: A) an illusory correlation. B) an illusion of control. C) the hindsight bias. D) the false consensus effect. E) random sampling.

A

Which of the following is the measure of central tendency that would be most affected by a few extreme scores? A) mean B) range C) median D) mode

A

A researcher was interested in determining whether her students' test performance could be predicted from their proximity to the front of the classroom. So she matched her students' scores on a math test with their seating position. This study is an example of: A) experimentation. B) correlational research. C) a survey. D) naturalistic observation.

B

If shoe size and IQ are negatively correlated, which of the following is true? A) People with large feet tend to have high IQs. B) People with small feet tend to have high IQs. C) People with small feet tend to have low IQs. D) IQ is unpredictable based on a person's shoe size.

B

Illusory correlation refers to: A) the perception that two negatively correlated variables are positively correlated. B) the perception of a correlation where there is none. C) an insignificant correlation. D) a correlation that equals -1.0.

B

In a test of the effects of air pollution, groups of students performed a reaction-time task in a polluted or an unpolluted room. To what condition were students in the unpolluted room exposed? A) experimental B) control C) randomly assigned D) dependent

B

Professor Ambra was skeptical about the accuracy of recently reported research on sleep deprivation. Which process would best enable her to assess the reliability of these findings? A) naturalistic observation B) replication C) random sampling D) the case study E) standard deviation

B

Random sampling is to ________ as random assignment is to ________. A) correlational studies; case studies B) surveys; experiments C) illusory correlation; false consensus D) replication; correlation E) description; prediction

B

The procedure designed to ensure that the experimental and control groups do not differ in any way that might affect the experiment's results is called: A) variable controlling. B) random assignment. C) representative sampling. D) stratification.

B

To graphically represent the correlation between two variables, researchers often construct a: A) skewed distribution. B) scatterplot. C) standard deviation. D) bar graph. E) pie chart.

B

To say that "psychology is a science" means that: A) psychologists study only observable behaviors. B) psychologists study thoughts and actions with an attitude of skepticism and derive their conclusions from direct observations. C) psychological research should be free of value judgments. D) all of the above are true.

B

What is the mode of the following distribution: 8, 2, 1, 1, 3, 7, 6, 2, 0, 2? A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 7

B

Which of the following best describes the hindsight bias? A) Events seem more predictable before they have occurred. B) Events seem more predictable after they have occurred. C) A person's intuition is usually correct. D) A person's intuition is usually not correct.

B

You decide to test your belief that men drink more soft drinks than women by finding out whether more soft drinks are consumed per day in the men's dorm than in the women's dorm. Your belief is a(n) ________, and your research prediction is a(n) ________. A) hypothesis; theory B) theory; hypothesis C) independent variable; dependent variable D) dependent variable; independent variable

B

A lopsided set of scores that includes a number of extreme or unusual values is said to be: A) symmetrical. B) normal. C) skewed. D) dispersed.

C

If height and body weight are positively correlated, which of the following is true? A) There is a cause-effect relationship between height and weight. B) As height increases, weight decreases. C) Knowing a person's height, one can predict his or her weight. D) All of the above are true.

C

In an experiment to determine the effects of exercise on motivation, exercise is the: A) control condition. B) intervening variable. C) independent variable. D) dependent variable.

C

In order to determine the effects of a new drug on memory, one group of people is given a pill that contains the drug. A second group is given a sugar pill that does not contain the drug. This second group constitutes the: A) random sample. B) experimental group. C) control group. D) test group.

C

In order to study the effects of lighting on mood, Dr. Cooper had students fill out questionnaires in brightly lit or dimly lit rooms. In this study, the independent variable consisted of: A) the number of students assigned to each group. B) the students' responses to the questionnaire. C) the room lighting. D) the subject matter of the questions asked.

C

What is the mean of the following distribution of scores: 2, 3, 7, 6, 1, 4, 9, 5, 8, 2? A) 5 B) 4 C) 4.7 D) 3.7

C

Your roommate is conducting a survey to learn how many hours the typical college student studies each day. She plans to pass out her questionnaire to the members of her sorority. You point out that her findings will be flawed because: A) she has not specified an independent variable. B) she has not specified a dependent variable. C) the sample will probably not be representative of the population of interest. D) of all the above reasons.

C

A professor constructs a questionnaire to determine how students at the university feel about nuclear disarmament. Which of the following techniques should be used in order to survey a random sample of the student body? A) Every student should be sent the questionnaire. B) Only students majoring in psychology should be asked to complete the questionnaire. C) Only students living on campus should be asked to complete the questionnaire. D) From an alphabetical listing of all students, every tenth (or fifteenth, e.g.) student should be asked to complete the questionnaire.

D

A psychologist studies the play behavior of third-grade children by watching groups during recess at school. Which type of research is being used? A) correlation B) case study C) experimentation D) naturalistic observation

D

If a difference between two samples is not statistically significant, which of the following can be concluded? A) The difference is probably not a true one. B) The difference is probably not reliable. C) The difference could be due to sampling variation. D) All of the above can be concluded.

D

In an experiment to determine the effects of attention on memory, memory is the: A) control condition. B) intervening variable. C) independent variable. D) dependent variable.

D

Rashad, who is participating in a psychology experiment on the effects of alcohol on perception, is truthfully told by the experimenter that he has been assigned to the "high-dose condition." What is wrong with this experiment? A) There is no control condition. B) Rashad's expectations concerning the effects of "high doses" of alcohol on perception may influence his performance. C) Knowing that Rashad is in the "high-dose" condition may influence the experimenter's interpretations of Rashad's results. D) Both b. and c. are correct.

D

The football team's punter wants to determine how consistent his punting distances have been during the past season. He should compute the: A) mean. B) median. C) mode. D) standard deviation.

D

Theories are defined as: A) testable propositions. B) factors that may change in response to manipulation. C) statistical indexes. D) principles that help to organize, predict, and explain facts.

D

To ensure that other researchers can repeat their work, psychologists use: A) control groups. B) random assignment. C) double-blind procedures. D) operational definitions.

D

To prevent the possibility that a placebo effect or researchers' expectations will influence a study's results, scientists employ: A) control groups. B) experimental groups. C) random assignment. D) the double-blind procedure.

D

Well-done surveys measure attitudes in a representative subset, or ________, of an entire group, or ________. A) population; random sample B) control group; experimental group C) experimental group; control group D) random sample; population

D

What is the median of the following distribution of scores: 1, 3, 7, 7, 2, 8, 4? A) 1 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4

D

Which of the following research strategies would be best for determining whether alcohol impairs memory? A) case study B) naturalistic observation C) survey D) experiment

D

Which type of research would allow you to determine whether students' college grades accurately predict later income? A) case study B) naturalistic observation C) experimentation D) correlation

D