Ch 2- Research ideas and hypothesis

38. When using PsycINFO for a literature search, it is most common to enter a(n) ____ into the database. a. subject word b. description of the article c. journal name d. article title

a. subject word

15. Research studies that are intended to answer practical problems would be classified as ____. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. statistically significant

b. applied

24. What is the most relevant question you should ask when reading a results section? a. Do the results have real-world applications? b. Do the conclusions follow logically from the results? c. Are appropriate statistics used? d. Do the predicted outcomes follow from the hypothesis?

c. Are appropriate statistics used?

12. The database that contains brief summaries of psychology articles and information on where to find the original publication is ____. a. Social Citation Index b. MedLine c. PsycINFO d. ERIC

c. PsycINFO

14. Your PsycINFO search has yielded several hundred articles. The most efficient next step is to ____. a. read the abstracts to determine if you want to read the articles b. cross-check the references with the lists obtained with other, related subject words c. print off the articles so that you can read them at your convenient d. scan through the titles to see which ones seem most suited to your interests

d. scan through the titles to see which ones seem most suited to your interests

5. What is the most relevant question you should ask when reading an introduction? a. Is the literature review up to date? b. Does the statistical analysis seem adequate? c. Is the participant selection reasonable? d. Are the conclusions supported by the results?

a. Is the literature review up to date?

19. A(n) ____ is a brief summary of a psychology article. a. abstract b. running head c. key word summary d. introduction

a. abstract

2. A study that aims to modify existing psychological theory related to personality traits would be considered ____ research. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. statistically significant

a. basic

9. A researcher is intrigued by an explanation of children's problem-solving strategies found in a journal article and develops a research study to determine whether the article's ideas are correct. This study can be classified as ____ research. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. necessary

a. basic

33. Which of the following words or phrases makes the best subject word(s) for a database search? a. extroverts b. party animals c. people who like socializing d. people with outgoing personalities

a. extroverts

25. An empirical journal article is an example of a ____ source. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal

a. primary

28. A ____ source contains original research reports. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal

a. primary

22. What is the most relevant question you should ask when reading a method section? a. Were the appropriate statistics used? b. Are the effects large enough to be meaningful? c. Are the conclusions justified by the results? d. Would different participants produce different results?

a. provides interpretation of the findings

23. The discussion section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the results of statistical analyses d. provides the details of the methodology used in the study

a. provides interpretation of the findings

10. A potential drawback of secondary sources is that they ____. a. typically do not contain detailed information about any specific study b. often cover a decade or more of research in a given area c. provide detailed information about research methods but little about results d. offer no statistical analysis in support of their conclusions

a. typically do not contain detailed information about any specific study

32. Why should a hypothesis contain a positive statement? a. Scientists tend to be pessimistic, which decreases productivity and analytical skills. b. The scientific method assumes something does not exist unless it is proven to exist. c. Researchers should not assume that a relationship exists between two entities or actions. d. Researchers should not assume that a relationship exists between two entities or actions.

b. The scientific method assumes something does not exist unless it is proven to exist.

37. After you have scanned through a list of titles to determine which articles might be relevant to your research question, you should then read the ____ of each article to determine whether to keep it in your literature review. a. introduction b. abstract c. discussion section d. results section

b. abstract

11. A researcher initiates a study to determine whether playing organized sports helps children with anxiety feel less anxious. This study can best be classified as ____ research. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. necessary

b. applied

1. Finding out why clients diagnosed with schizophrenia do not consistently take their medication would be an example of ____. a. basic research b. applied research c. pseudoresearch d. common sense research

b. applied research

18. While watching your kids play in the backyard, you get some ideas about what factors may be causing them to compete or collaborate. This is an example of getting research ideas from ____. a. theory b. casual observation c. systematic observation d. second-hand information

b. casual observation

35. While driving, you notice that you seem to encounter more impatient and rude people on the road than you do in person, and you wonder why that would be the case. This is an example of getting research ideas from ____. a. theory b. casual observation c. systematic observation d. second-hand information

b. casual observation

27. The introduction section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the results of statistical analyses d. provides the details of the methodology used in the study

b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research

7. When you identify a gap in the literature, you ____. a. have found a poorly conceived study b. have found a potential research idea c. are dealing with a topic that cannot be studied d. are wise to switch topics

b. have found a potential research idea

36. Which section of a research article can help you to develop ideas for studies by changing the characteristics of the participants or modifying the procedures for your own study? a. introduction b. method c. results d. abstract

b. method

3. A newspaper article discussing someone's research is an example of a ____ source. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal

b. secondary

31. Which type of source summarizes information from sources of original research reports? a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal

b. secondary

4. The review of the literature in the introduction section of a research report is an example of a ____ source. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal

b. secondary

26. Suppose you are looking for reliable psychological information about a specific keyword. What tool will be most effective? a. Yahoo b. Wikipedia c. PsycINFO d. About.com

c. PsycINFO

20. Which statement is the best example of a hypothesis? a. There is no relationship between fatigue and reaction time. b. Sugar consumption is not related to level of activity. c. Smaller class size is related to better academic performance. d. Self-esteem does not affect persistence on a difficult task.

c. Smaller class size is related to better academic performance.

6. Which hypothesis is problematic because it cannot be tested? a. People worry too much about stress. b. Children can learn to decrease their stress levels faster than adults. c. There would be less stress today if 9/11 had never occurred.

c. There would be less stress today if 9/11 had never occurred.

40. A good hypothesis must ____. a. involve a hypothetical situation b. leave some variables unobserved c. allow for all variables to be measured d. only allow for data that supports it

c. allow for all variables to be measured

21. A refutable hypothesis must ____. a. refer to variables that can be observed or measured b. make a positive statement about the existence of an effect or a relationship c. allow for the possibility that the observations will not support the hypothesis d. state at least one conclusion that has already been proven

c. allow for the possibility that the observations will not support the hypothesis

39. The results section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the outcome of statistical analyses d. provides the details of the methodology used in the study

c. includes the outcome of statistical analyses

30. Combat veterans may be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You wonder about the best way to treat PTSD. This is an example of getting research ideas from ____. a. theory b. random thoughts c. practical problems d. systematic observation

c. practical problems

8. Which section of a research article is most likely to provide a complete list of all the publications cited in the article? a. bibliography b. citation list c. reference d. discussion

c. reference

17. The advantage of full-text databases is that they contain ____. a. only a fraction of the publications in an area b. too many publications to be useful c. word-for-word copies of each publication d. secondary sources only

c. word-for-word copies of each publication

16. Which section of a research article is most likely to provide suggestions for additional research? a. introduction b. method c. results d. discussion

d. discussion

34. The disadvantage of full-text databases is that they contain ____. a. predominantly nonrefereed publications b. too many publications to be useful c. secondary sources only d. only a fraction of the publications in an area

d. only a fraction of the publications in an area

29. You can safely assume that ____. a. any publication in a journal is a primary source b. secondary sources do not contain any statistical analyses c. any publication with a section describing methodology is a primary source d. primary sources contain descriptions of research by those who conducted it

d. primary sources contain descriptions of research by those who conducted it

13. The method section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the results of statistical analyses d. provides the details of how the research was conducted

d. provides the details of how the research was conducted