Psych Quiz 2

Suppose researchers find that greater alcohol consumption is associated with poorer performance on a skills test. Which of the following fictitious correlation coefficients could possibly represent that correlation? A. -4.57 B. -.47 C. +.91 D. +0.00

B

A researcher tries to make sure that subjects in the experimental and control groups are very similar to each other in order to protect against A. confounding variables. B. random variables. C. dependent variables. D. placebo effects.

A

An experimenter tests the hypothesis that physical exercise improves mood. Subjects in both the experimental and control groups participate on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In this experiment, days of the week are... A. extraneous variables. B. confounding variables. C. the independent variable. D. the dependent variable.

A

Dr. Kalmagura plans on introducing a new exam procedure in his chemistry classes. To check the effectiveness of the new procedure, he is going to have half his students try the new technique for one semester while the remaining students review in the way they have always done in the past. He asks each student to decide which of the techniques they would like to use, the new technique or the standard technique. In this example, Dr. Kalmagura's procedure illustrates A. the use of non-random assignment. B. the use of random assignment. C. a double-blind research design. D. what is meant by informed consent in research.

A

Publication of research findings is extremely important to the scientific method because (choose the BEST answer): A. it allows for critique and self-correction. B. it brings fame and glory to the research worker. C. it forces the writer to be clear. D. the royalties help the researcher pay for the research.

A

Sampling bias is a problem because it A. limits the generality of the findings. B. makes it impossible to use inferential statistics. C. makes it difficult to avoid extraneous variables. D. makes the effect of the independent variable appear to be bigger than it really is.

A

Suppose a researcher discovered a +.87 correlation between the length of a person's toes and the number of shoes the person owns. In general, people who own the fewest number of shoes would have A. small toes. B. large toes. C. medium-sized toes. D. either very large or very small toes.

A

A researcher is investigating the effects of caffeine consumption on student writing performance. Because the researcher will evaluate both the speed of assignment completion and the number of grammatical errors, her study includes more than one ___. A. independent variable. B. dependent variable. C. extraneous variable. D. confounding variable.

B

A researcher plans to study the relationship between people's smoking behavior and their tendency to have minor physical illnesses (such as colds or the flu). Most likely, he will use correlational research for the study because A. correlational studies are always the "first choice" of researchers. B. it is not practical or ethical to manipulate people's smoking behavior. C. correlational studies allow the researcher to draw strong cause-and-effect conclusions. D. the university does not allow smoking in the psychology building.

B

An experimenter tests the hypothesis that physical exercise improves mood. Subjects in the experimental group participate on Mondays and Tuesdays and those in the control group on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Which is the confounding variable? A. the hypothesis B. the day of the week C. the exercise D. the mood (degree of happiness)

B

Conclusions concerning cause-and-effect relationships are only possible when the ___ method is used. A. survey B. experimental C. correlational D. descriptive

B

David and Alexandra both take part in a research study that is investigating the effects of sleep deprivation on reaction time. David is kept awake for 24 hours straight while Alexandra follows her normal sleep routine. In this study, David is part of the A. hypothesis group. B. experimental group. C. control group. D. dependent variable group.

B

Dr. Marqueta believes that "misery loves company." Based on this belief, Dr. Marqueta predicts that people who have received bad news will seek out other people. Dr. Marqueta's belief is an example of ___, and her prediction is an example of ___. A. an hypothesis; a theory B. a theory; an hypothesis C. a variable; an application D. an hypothesis; a variable

B

IQ score, age, weight, grade point average, and income are all examples of A. constants B. variables C. correlations D. statistics

B

If we view an experiment as an attempt to establish a cause-effect relationship, the ___ variable would be the cause and the ___ variable would be the effect. A. dependent; independent B. independent; dependent C. control; experimental D. independent; confounded

B

Naturalistic observation, case studies and surveys all have in common that A. they do not directly observe behavior. B. they do not manipulate the variables under study. C. they can show causal relationships. D. the results obtained cannot be analyzed statistically.

B

One of the disadvantages of the experimental method is (choose the BEST answer) A. the inability to generate cause-and-effect conclusions. B. the artificial, contrived situations in which experiments are often conducted. C. the length of time necessary to complete the study. D. the fact that only one variable can be studied at a time.

B

Dr. Critell is studying aggression in children and plans to define aggression as the number of times one child pushes or strikes another child. Defining aggression in this way would A. be an example of an hypothesis. B. violate ethical guidelines for psychological research. C. represent an operational definition. D. require a double-blind research design.

C

Manipulating a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observing the changes in a second variable defines A. the testing approach. B. the survey approach. C. the experimental approach. D. naturalistic observation.

C

One advantage of naturalistic observation is that it A. approximates the experimental method. B. allows for cause-and-effect conclusions to be drawn. C. allows behavior to be studied in realistic settings. D. involves random assignment.

C

The FDA found that people who used a particular diet drug combination had more heart valve defects than people who had not taken the diet drug combination. This suggests that the use of the diet drug combination and heart valve defects are A. negatively correlated. B. independent variables. C. positively correlated. D. interactive variables.

C

A researcher is measuring the heart rate of subjects as an index of anxiety. In this study, heart rate is A. a confounded variable. B. negatively correlated with anxiety. C. an independent variable. D. an operational definition of anxiety.

D

An experimenter tests the hypothesis that physical exercise improves mood. Subjects in the experimental group participate on Mondays and Tuesdays and those in the control group on Wednesdays and Thursdays. What is the dependent variable. A. the hypothesis B. the day of the week C. the exercise D. the mood (degree of happiness)

D

Laura answered a series of written questions that asked about her attitudes and opinions on a number of current issues. The method of data collection that was being used in this case was A. a standardized psychological test. B. archival research. C. direct observation. D. a questionnaire.

D

Researchers who are studying plant growth raised plants in two separate rooms. One room had taped conversations playing 24 hours a day; the other room was silent. The researchers found that the plants grew better in the room that had the conversations playing. In this study, the type of room (conversation or silence) would be A. the dependent variable. B. an extraneous variable. C. a placebo. D. the independent variable.

D