PSYC 301 Exam 2

Having a representative sample is most important in which of the following example claims? a. "Having a dark triad personality is associated with having greater relationship problems." b. "Receiving weekly feedback from your supervisor increases work productivity." c. "People who report knowing someone who has been diagnosed with skin cancer also report having greater sunscreen use." d. "Forty-three percent of psychology majors report being frustrated by people asking them if they are psychoanalyzing them."

"Forty-three percent of psychology majors report being frustrated by people asking them if they are psychoanalyzing them."

What can affect correlations?

-Outliers -Restricted range -curvilinear association

Which of the following graph formats is the best way to examine an association claim between a categorical variable and a quantitative variable? a. A scatterplot b. A line graph c. A bar graph d. A pie chart

A bar graph

Which of the following is Dr. Ewell likely to give his research assistants to prevent observer bias? a. A video camera b. A developmental psychology textbook c. A codebook d. Binoculars

A codebook

When examining an association claim using a bar graph, an association is indicated by which of the following? a. A difference in the height between the bars b. The number of bars in the graph c. The number of observations that make each bar d. The direction of the bars

A difference in the height between the bars

Stratified random sampling

A multistage technique in which the researcher selects specific demographic categories and then randomly selects individuals from each of the categories.

Observational Research

A researcher watches people or animals and systematically records their actions. More accurate then self-report.

Oversampling

A variation of stratified random sampling in which a researcher over represents one or more groups.

Snowball sampling

A variation on purposive sampling where participants are asked to recommend other particpants for the

Response sets

A way of answering a number of questions the same way. Weakens construct validity.

Construct validity

Ask these questions: -How well was each of the variables measured? -Does the measure have good reliability? -Is it measuring what its intended to measure?

Bivariate Correlations

Associations between two measured variables.

How to construct validity of surveys and polls

Choosing question formats Writing well-worded questions Encouraging accurate responses

Dr. Connor studies emotional reactions in preschool students. For his new study, he randomly selects 10 local preschools and then surveys all students in those 10 schools.

Cluster

Cluster sampling

Clusters of participants within pop. of interest are randomly selected and then all individuals in each selected cluster are used.

If researchers measure every tenth member of a population, they have: a. conducted a census. b. collected a sample. c. increased internal validity. d. biased the study.

Collected a sample

A Psychology student wants to see whether the survey that she designed is a reliable and valid measure. She asks her family and friends to fill out her measures. She has used what kind of sampling procedure?

Convenience

Which of the following is NOT an example of a probability sample? a. Simple random sample b. Convenience sample c. Systematic sample d. Cluster sample

Convenience sample

Autocorrelations

Correlation of each variable with itself across time.

Systematic sampling

Example: Roll two dice, one lands on five and other on three, I would start at the fifth person and then choose every third person until the sample reached desired size.

Leading questions

Do you agree that it is a terrible idea to legalize marijuana?

Double- barreled question

Do you enjoy long walks and taking exams?

Dr. Ewell is concerned that the children will behave differently because of the presence of research assistants. Which of the following could he do to address this concern? a. Make the observations himself instead of using a research assistant b. Have two undergraduate research assistants make the observations instead of just one c. Observe the same-sex friend pairs on the first day and the opposite-sex friend pairs on the second day d. Hide a video camera in the daycare center and record the children playing without them knowing

Hide a video camera in the daycare center and record the children playing without them knowing

Multivariate designs

Involve more than two measured variables gets us closer to causality than the bivariate correlations do

Which of the following is true of probability sampling? a. It is the best way to obtain a representative sample. b. It is the same as random assignment. c. It results in larger samples than nonprobability sampling. d. It should only be used when external validity is not the goal of the study.

It is the best way to obtain a representative sample.

A question that leads people to answer in a particular way is known as a(n): a. leading question. b. double-barreled question. c. negatively worded question. d. ordered question.

Leading question

If a question has response options such as strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, and strongly disagree, this is known as a(n): a. Likert scale. b. agreement scale. c. semantic differential format. d. open-ended format.

Likert scale

Which of the following is a necessary component of a longitudinal design? a. Measuring the same variables at two points in time b. Measuring at least four variables at one time c. Measuring different age groups at two different times d. Manipulating a variable at two points in time

Measuring the same variables at two points in time

Dr. Murdoch wants to explore career readiness in Psychology majors at GMU. She randomly selects 10 classes and then randomly selects 10 students from each of those classes, asking them to complete her questionnaire. Dr. Murdoch has used what sampling procedure?

Multistage

Simple random sampling

Need list of everyone in pop. of interest and then a randomly select will come from the list.

Likert scale

People are presented with a statement and asked to use a rating scale to reflect their degree of agreement. This is easy: Rate it on scale of 1-5 from disagree to agree

Forced choice format

People provide their opinion by choosing the best of two or more options. Used in politics to get opinions on issues and to determine a preference. Do you like this so far? Yes or No

Negatively worded question

People who do not drive with a suspended license should never be punished. Disagree to agree from 1-5.

Fence sitting

Playing it safe by choosing the response in the middle of a scale. Fix this by removing neutral answers or using forced choice

A Research Methods group is conducting a study that explores the effects of caffeine on studying. To recruit a sample of students who drink coffee, they head to the campus Starbucks. They are using what kind of sampling procedure?

Purposive

Correlational studies include:

Quantitative and categorical variables but both are graphed and analyzed differently.

Statistical Validity

Questions to ask: -Is the correlation statistically significant? -Could outliers be affecting the association? -Is there restriction of range? -Is the association curvilinear ( anxiety and performance)

Another term for probability sampling is: a. purposive sampling. b. convenience sampling. c. random sampling. d. cluster sampling.

Random Sampling

Which of the following statements is true of random assignment and random sampling? a. Random assignment is necessary for internal validity, whereas random sampling is necessary for external validity. b. They both are necessary for frequency claims. c. They both mean the same thing. d. Random sampling is more important than random assignment.

Random assignment is necessary for internal validity, whereas random sampling is necessary for external validity.

Random sampling vs. Random assignment

Random sampling- Creating a sample using some random method so each member of the pop. of interest has an equal chance of being in the sample. Increases external validity. Random assignment- Only used in experiments- Participants are randomly put into diff. groups ( treatment and a comparison group) increases internal validity.

Unobtrusive observation is done to counteract which of the following? a. Observer bias b. Observer effects c. Reactivity d. Nay-saying

Reactivity

Cross-lag correlations

Relationship between earlier measure of one variable with a later measure of another variable.

Cross-sectional correlations

Relationship between two variables measured at the same point in time.

Longitudinal designs

Repeated measurements of the same variables on the same participants over time.

Before class, several students are online and come across a questionnaire about how college students handle stress. They decide to fill it out. The researchers gathering this data have used what kind of sampling procedure?

Self-selected

Quota Sampling

Similar to stratified random sampling, the researcher identifies subsets of the population and then sets a target number for each category in the sample. Then nonrandom sampling is used until the quotas are filled.

Dr. Murdoch is selecting a random sample from her Research Methods class. She puts everyone's name in a hat and randomly selects 10 of the names. What kind of sampling procedure has she used?

Simple Random

Semantic differential format

Responders are asked to rate a target object using a numeric scale based on adjectives. How hard is this class? Rate on scale from 1-5 easy to hard.

Open ended questions

Responders can answer any way they like. Can be great for rich info but hard to caterogize and organize(time consuming).What do you think of this class?

Shortcuts

Response sets Acquiescence (yeah saying) Fence sitting

A researcher studying the relationship between age and marital satisfaction wants to make sure that her sample reflects the same proportion of opposite-sex and same-sex couples as is present in the general population. Which sampling procedure should she use?

Stratified

Convenience sampling relies on which of the following? a. Studying people who are easy to find b. Studying people who are willing to participate c. Studying people who are typical d. Studying people who are colleagues of the researcher

Studying people who are easy to find

Dr. Murdoch needs a sample of 10 students from her Statistics class. She selects every 3rd student from her class list. This is what kind of sampling procedure?

Systematic

Which of the following does NOT result in a biased sample? a. Snowball sample b. Convenience sample c. Purposive sample d. Systematic sample

Systematic sample

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using open-ended questions? a. The answers provided are often spontaneous. b. The answers are unscientific. c. The answers must be coded. d. The answers are not taken seriously by participants.

The answers must be coded

Masked design

The observers do not know to which condition the particpants have been assigned and not aware of the study.

Which of the following means a study used a bivariate correlational design? a. The presence of measured variables b. The use of correlational statistics c. The inclusion of quantitative variables d. The depiction of a bar graph

The presence of measured variables

Why are techniques like cluster sampling and multistage sampling just as externally valid as simple random sampling? a. They all contain elements of random selection. b. They all measure every member of the population of interest. c. They all use lists of all population members. d. They all rely on large samples.

They all contain elements of random selection.

What do purposive, convenience, quota, and snowball sampling have in common? a. They are considered unethical sampling options. b. They are all probability sampling techniques. c. They produce large samples. d. They result in samples where some people are systematically left out.

They result in samples where some people are systematically left out.

ANOVA

To test for a difference between three or more groups.

T-test

To test for a difference between two groups

Correlation coefficient

To test for a relationship between two variables measured on interval/ratio scales. -1 to +1 Numbers closer to zero indicate weaker correlation,and numbers closer to 1 (negative or positive indicate stronger correlation.

Multistage sampling

Two random samples are collected. First stage is a random sample of clusters is selected from the pop. of interest. Second stage from those selected clusters, a random sample of people are chosen.

Purposive sampling

Used when you want to study certain kinds of people, you only recruit those types of participants.

Which of the following is NOT a way to deal with reactivity? a. Blending in with the surroundings b. Waiting to begin observations c. Measuring the behavior unobtrusively d. Using multiple observers

Using multiple observers

Observer effects

When observers change the behavior of the particpants ( expectancy effects).

Observational bias

When observers see what they expect to see.

Reactivity

When people change their behavior in some way when they know that someone else is watching them.

Which of the following is true of a nonrepresentative sample in a research claim? a. You should automatically disregard the claim. b. You should automatically accept the claim. c. You should ask whether it is relevant to what the researchers are measuring. d. You should ask whether more participants are necessary.

You should ask whether it is relevant to what the researchers are measuring.

Dr. Scott asks his participants to rate their agreement with the following statement: "I frequently solve and enjoy solving crossword puzzles and Sudoku puzzles." What is the problem with this question? a. It is a forced-choice question. b. It is a double-barreled question. c. It has a double negative. d. It is a leading question.

b. It is a double-barreled question.

Another word for observer effects is: a. observer bias. b. expectancy effects. c. interrater reliability. d. unobtrusive observation.

b. expectancy effects

Observer bias relates mainly to ________, whereas observer effects stem from __________ . a. validity; reliability b. researchers; participants c. faking good; faking bad d. outcomes; expectations

b. researchers; participants

Cross-lag correlations are NOT helpful for answering/addressing which rule of causation? a. Rule of covariance: Is there covariance? b. Rule of temporal precedence: Is there temporal precedence? c. Are there third variables that could explain the relationship? d. Rule of parsimony

c. Are there third variables that could explain the relationship?

Dr. Curby asks his participants to rate their agreement with the following statement: "I have never not enjoyed thinking." What is the problem with this question? a. It is a forced-choice question. b. It is a double-barreled question. c. It has a double negative. d. It is a leading question.

c. It has a double negative.

When conducting longitudinal research, researchers typically find _________ to be the most interesting. a. autocorrelations b. cross-sectional correlations c. cross-lag correlations d. multivariate correlations

c. cross-lag correlations

5. Masked, or blind, study designs are designed to deal with: a. yea-saying biases. b. bystander effect. c. observer bias. d. faking good.

c. observer bias.

Bivariate association claims' failure to meet the criteria of temporal precedence and internal validity means that ________ cannot be _______. a. covariance; established b. construct validity; interrogated c. hypotheses; tested d. causal inferences; made

causal inferences; made

Dr. Gore is conducting a survey examining people's opinions toward funding for collegiate athletics on his campus. He notices that several participants strongly agree with all 12 questions. This could be an example of all of the following EXCEPT: a. a response set. b. acquiescence. c. yea-saying. d. fence sitting.

d. fence sitting.

self-selected sample

members of a population can volunteer to be in the sample

convience sample

only members of a population who are easy to reach are selected

Dr. Ewell, a developmental psychologist, is planning on conducting a study that involves watching children play together to determine how sharing behavior occurs in same-sex friend pairs compared to opposite-sex friend pairs. Dr. Ewell is concerned that the children will behave differently because of the presence of research assistants. He is concerned about: a. reactivity. b. observer bias. c. faking good. d. interrater reliability.

reactivity

Which of the following does NOT result in a representative sample? a. Systematic sample b. Simple random sample c. Snowball sample d. Stratified random sample

snowball sample

Acquiescence

yeah saying, people answer positive to everything