Psych 216 - Research Methods Ch.1 - QUIZ #1

How can you ensure that a popular media article accurately reflects the original research of a scientific study? a. Find and read the original scientific article. b. Determine whether the results fit within the theories you learned in your psychology classes. c. Check that the popular media article includes the statistical significance of the results. d. Research the credentials of the author of the popular media article.

Answer: a. Find and read the original scientific article.

Which of the following is true of the relationship between hypotheses and theories? a. Hypotheses are used to determine if a theory is accurate. b. Theories are used to determine if a hypothesis is accurate. c. Multiple theories are needed to test whether a hypothesis is accurate. d. Hypotheses and theories are synonymous terms.

Answer: a. Hypotheses are used to determine if a theory is accurate

Nadia submits her article to a scientific journal for publication. Who makes the final decision on whether her article is published in that scientific journal? a. The editor of the journal. b. Nadia, the author of the article. c. A panel of experts. d. The publisher of the journal.

Answer: ??

Students who are interested in being consumers of, but not producers of, research might choose which of the following professions? a. A clinical psychologist. b. An intervention program evaluator. c. A political pollster. d. An advertising executive.

Answer: ???

Which of the following is an example of being a producer of research? a. Administering an anxiety questionnaire. b. Applying a new therapy technique. c. Writing an opinion article about a psychological study. d. Undergoing a brain scan.

Answer: a. Administering an anxiety questionnaire.

Both James and Thomas have theories that explain why listening to classical music while reading is associated with increased recall of the material. James' theory is much simpler than Thomas'. Thomas created his theory a few months before James did. Which of the following is true? a. James' theory would be considered better because it is more parsimonious. b. James' theory would be considered better because it was thought of more recently. c. Thomas' theory would be considered better because he thought of it first. d. Thomas' theory would be considered better because it is more complex.

Answer: a. James' theory would be considered better because it is more parsimonious.

Research that is done specifically to add to our general understanding of psychology, like distinguishing the components of extraversion or predicting the time it takes a person to determine whether an object is a face or another object, is known as: a. basic research. b. applied research. c. empirical research. d. translational research.

Answer: a. basic research.

Occam's razor states that the simplest solution is the best, all things being equal. This speaks to a theory's: a. parsimony. b. falsifiability. c. theorizing. d. empiricism.

Answer: a. parsimony.

In the theory-data cycle, theories first lead to _________________. a. questions. b. answers. c. data. d. research.

Answer: a. questions.

Dr. Gonzalez is a peer reviewer for a manuscript submitted to a journal. He is likely to provide comments on which of the following? a. How well the general public will understand the study. b. How well the research was conducted. c. The prestige/reputation of the author. d. Previous studies from the same research group.

Answer: b. How well the research was conducted.

Which aspect of the peer-review cycle allows for the greatest amount of honesty in reviews? a. The number of peer reviewers. b. The anonymity of the peer reviewers. c. The possibility of rejection. d. The frequency of publication.

Answer: b. The anonymity of the peer reviewers.

Another word for data is a(n) _________________. a. theory. b. observation c. prediction. d. outcome.

Answer: b. observation.

Benjamin is a social psychologist who studies marriage. He believes that marital satisfaction has two components: the ability to trust one's partner and a belief that one can be a good spouse. He conducts a study to test his ideas. Assuming that his data match his theory, which of the following statements should he make? a. "The data prove my theory." b. "My theory is generalizable." c. "The data provide support for my theory." d. "The data complicate my theory."

Answer: c. "The data provide support for my theory."

Which of the following is an example of translational research? a. An industrial-organizational psychologist who is interested in the components of job satisfaction. b. A clinical psychologist who examines the effectiveness of art therapy in decreasing symptoms of ADHD. c. A sports psychologist who uses information on how we emotionally process victory to design an intervention for improving mental stamina during athletic performance. d. A cognitive psychologist who examines people's ability to distinguish between colors based on light exposure.

Answer: c. A sports psychologist who uses information on how we emotionally process victory to design an intervention for improving mental stamina during athletic performance.

Translational research is best thought of as __________________ basic research and applied research. a. superior to both. b. inferior to both. c. a bridge between. d. another word for.

Answer: c. a bridge between.

Another word for hypothesis is a(n) _________________. a. theory. b. observation. c. prediction d. outcome.

Answer: c. prediction.

Dr. Smitherman insists that all his research assistants know how to be producers of research. All of the following relate to this requirement EXCEPT: a. He wants to make sure they understand how to write in APA style. b. He wants to make sure they understand why anonymity is important. c. He wants to make sure they understand how to interpret study results and graphs. d. He wants to make sure they have previously been participants in research studies.

Answer: d. He wants to make sure they have previously been participants in research studies.

Which of the following is the reason that scientific journals use peer review? a. it is cost effective. b. it is more efficient/faster. c. it encourages collaboration among researchers. d. it ensues that the studies published are of the highest quality.

Answer: d. it ensues that the studies published are of the highest quality.

Vinai learns that people with schizophrenia have a problem labeling their emotions. Using this information, he designs a research study to examine whether teaching patients with schizophrenia to label the emotions of people they see in movie clips helps them to better label their own emotions. Vinai hopes that the findings of this research could then be used to create an intervention to treat schizophrenia. Vinai's study is an example of: a. basic research. b. applied research. c. empirical research. d. translational research.

Answer: d. translational research.

Which of the following is an example of basic research? a. An industrial-organizational psychologist who is interested in the components of job commitment. b. A clinical psychologist who examines the effectiveness of drama therapy in helping children who have been abuse. c. An educational psychologist who examines how mindset ("intelligence is innate" or "intelligence can be achieved") affects academic performance. d. An experimental psychologist who examines people's ability to perceive a "sweet" taste

Answer: d. An experimental psychologist who examines people's ability to perceive a "sweet" taste