Research Methods

Ms. Costas owns a business with nine other employees. Ms. Costas's annual salary is $90,000. Her manager's salary is $60,000. Of her other employees, three earn $25,000 each and five earn $15,000 each. The range of this distribution is A) $75,000 B) $50,000 C) $25,000 D) $20,000 E) $15,000

$75,000

Which coefficient indicates the strongest correlation? A. -1.00 B. -.33 C. 0.00 D. +.50 E. +.89

-1.00

Which of the following coefficients of a correlation indicate the weakest relationship between two variables? A. 0.51 B. -0.28 C. 0.08 D. -1.00 E. 1.00

0.08

The scores of Brian's team on the quiz were: 8, 6, 9, 7, 10, 9, 5, 4, 9. The median of the team's scores is A. 9 B. 8 C. 7.5 D. 7 E. 6

8

What is the mode of the following set of scores? 70,70,80,80,60,60,50,90,90,90 A. 74 B. 75 C. 90 D. 40 E. 10

90

Marc, a psychology major, collected survey data about the number of hours that college students study for finals and their grades on those finals. His data indicates that students who spend more time studying for finals tend to do better than other students. What can Marc now conclude? A) Studying improves a student's grade on a final exam. B) A relationship exists between studying and exam grades. C) A significant relationship exists between studying and grades. D) Students who do not study for final exams will not do well on those exams. E) Students with higher IQs tend to study more than those with lower IQs.

A relationship exists between studying and exam grades.

Which of the following is the same for these two sets of data? Set 1: 1, 7, 5, 9, 3 Set 2: 2, 5, 6, 5, 7 I. mean II. median III. mode A. I only B. II only C. III only D. I and II only E. I, II, III

I and II only

Of the following, which can establish a cause and effect relationship? I. controlled experiment II. quasi-experiment III. correlational research A. I only B. II only C. I and II only D. I and III only E. I, II, and III

I only

Major ethical concern(s) of psychological researchers include I. lasting harm to subjects II. deception III. morality of the question being investigated A. I only B. II only C. III only D. I and II only E. I, II, III

I, II, III

Dr. Ramachandran found that his patients who brushed their teeth after lunch had 1/20 the number of cavities in their teeth as those who didn't. After interviewing the dentist, a local newswriter reports that brushing teeth after lunch prevents cavities. Based on the dentist's research, which of the following statements is true? A. If at least 100 patients were studied, the writer's statement is justified. B. If a minimum of 500 patients were studied, the writer's statement is justified. C. At least 100 of the patients needed to have brushed their teeth after lunch for the writer's statement to be justified. D. Dr. Ramachandran's study needs to be replicated for the writer's statement to be justified. E. No matter how many participants, the writer's statement is not justified.

No matter how many participants, the writer's statement is not justified.

Dr. Bisell conducts an experiment to see whether hunger makes mice run faster through a maze. He randomly assigns 25 mice to a control group or an experimental group. Which cannot be a confounding variable? A) Where the experiment takes place B) How hungry the mice were before the experiment C) How fast the mice are before the race D) When the experiment takes place E) The population from which he selected the mice

The population from which he selected the mice

When subjects in an experimental group put a puzzle piece in the wrong place, the experimenter unconsciously winced. The experimenter did not wince when subjects in the control group put a piece in the wrong place. The wincing of the experimenter must be eliminated because it is A. fraudulent B. a demand characteristic C. a placebo effect D. a confabulation E. a confounding variable

a confounding behavior

operational definition

a description of the specific procedure used to determine the presence of a variable

statistics

a field that involves the analysis of numerical data about representative samples of populations

experimenter bias

a phenomenon that occurs when a researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained

placebo

a physical or psychological treatment given to the control group that resembles the treatment given to the experimental group, but that contains no active ingredient

placebo effect

a response to the belief that the independent variable will have an effect, rather than the actual effect of the independent variable, which can be a confounding variable

A random sample can best be defined as: A. a sample in which each potential participant has an equal chance of being selected B. a sample that is carefully chosen so the characteristics of participants correspond to the larger population C. a selection of cases from a larger population D. a selection of cases from the control group E. a sample of a larger population from the experimental group

a sample in which each potential participant has an equal chance of being selected

Which of the following graphs would best picture correlational data about the relationship between scores on the first psychology test and final exam in psychology for Mr. Sochet's third-period class? A. a frequency polygon B. a histogram C. a line graph D. a box plot E. a scatterplot

a scatterplot

correlation coefficient (r)

a statistical measure of the degree of relatedness or association between two sets of data that ranges from -1 to +1

weakness of experiments

ability to generalize to real-world behavior can be limited

Emily scored at the 65th percentile on a standardized achievement test. This indicates which of the following? Her score was A. above average B. average C. below average D. just passing E. unreliable

above average

population

all of the individuals in the group to which the study applies

double-blind procedure

an experimental procedure in which both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo. Commonly used in drug-evaluation studies.

frequency distribution

an orderly arrangement of scores indicating the frequency of each score or group of scores

central tendency

average or most typical scores of a set of research data or distribution (mean, median, mode)

All public institutions subscribe to all of the following ethical guidelines EXCEPT A. avoiding unnecessary deception to humans B. avoiding unnecessary pain to humans and other animals C. avoiding use of animals when computers are available D. protecting confidentiality E. having Institutional Review Boards approve all research conducted within their institutions

avoiding use of animals when computers are available

normal distribution

bell-shaped curve that represents data about how lots of human characteristics are dispersed in the population

strength of experiments

can establish a cause-effect relationship between independent and dependent variables

strength of quasi-experiments

can provide strong evidence suggesting cause and effect relationships

naturalistic observation

careful observations of humans or animals in real-life situations

A research method in which an individual or group is studied in depth is known as a(n) A. longitudinal study B. survey C. case study D. naturalistic observation E. experimentation

case study

Of the following, which research method is most effective for studying unusually complex or rare phenomena? A. controlled experiment B. quasi-experiment C. test D. survey E. case study

case study

random selection

choosing of members of a population so that every individual has an equal chance of being chosen to participate in a study

Of the following, the strongest positive correlation would most likely be shown between A. an adult's weight and running speed B. close friendships and happiness C. sense of humor and years of education D. poverty and good health E. visual acuity and salary

close friendships and happiness

demand characteristics

clues participants discover about the purpose of a study that suggest how they should respond

Javier wants to study the effects on achievement of taking a course in chemistry in the afternoon, rather than in the morning. A teacher has chemistry classes with the same number of students at 8:30 A.M. and 1:00 P.M., and volunteers to participate with her classes. A major problem in this study would be A. poor replication B. lack of a hypothesis C. confounding variables D. difficulty in obtaining informed consent E. the placebo effect

confounding variables

reliability

consistency or repeatability of results

Which of the following research methods does not permit researchers to draw conclusions regarding cause-and-effect relationships? A. experimental research B. surveys C. case studies D. correlational research E. naturalistic observations

correlational research

weakness of surveys and tests

distorted results because of sampling error, poorly phrased questions, and response basis

random assignment

division of the sample into groups so that every individual has an equal chance of being put in any group or condition

strength of surveys and tests

ease of administration, scoring, and statistical analysis

If a researcher is trying to establish a casual relationship between eating breakfast and work performance, the researcher should use which of the following methods of research? A. case study B. correlational research C. experimental research D. survey E. statistics

experimental research

confounding variables

factors that cause differences between the experimental group and the control group other than the independent variable

In response to a column printed in newspapers throughout the United States, an advice columnist received over 28,000 responses. Over 75 percent of respondents said that if they had it to do over again, they would not have children. The columnist concludes that most parents are sorry that they had children. For which of the following reasons is her conclusion NOT valid? A. her participants were not randomly assigned in her study B. the number of respondents from across the country was too small C. the study was not replicated D. her sample may not have been representative of the population E. the study should have been a double-blind study

her sample may not have been representative of the population

Ms. Costas owns a business with nine other employees. Ms. Costas's annual salary is $90,000. Her manager's salary is $60,000. Of her other employees, three earn $25,000 each and five earn $15,000 each. For this distribution, the mean is A) Lower than both the median and the mode B) Lower than the median, but higher than the mode C) Lower than the mode, but higher than the median D) Higher than both the median and the mode E) The same as the median

higher than both the median and the mode

Students will be able to read a statement printed in the Comic Sans font faster than the same statement written in the Lucida Calligraphy font. This statement is a(n) A. hypothesis B. theory C. replication D. operational definition E. correlation

hypothesis

In an experiment, Sydney is going to investigate how alcohol affects aggression. The number of alcoholic drinks the subject has is called: A. controlled variable B. independent variable C. dependent variable D. experimental variable E. positive variable

independent variable

Jordan runs an experiment testing the effects of sugar consumption on aggression levels in children. He randomly assigns 20 subjects either to a control group given sugar-free candy or to the experimental group that was given the same candy that did contain sugar. He then tests the subjects' response to several different puzzles, each with increasing difficulty. Jordan hypothesizes that sugar levels do play a role in aggression in children. In order to know whether his hypothesis has been supported, Jordan will need to use: A. descriptive statistics B. means-to-end statistics C. experimental research D. scatter plots E. inferential statistics

inferential statistics

case studies

intensive investigation of the behavior and mental processes associated with a specific person or situation

weakness of quasi-experiments

lack of random assignment can weaken conclusions

weakness of naturalistic observation

loss of experimental control

experiment

manipulation of an independent variable (IV) under controlled conditions and measurement of its effects on a dependent variable (DV)

weakness of case studies

may not be representative of phenomena

quasi-experiment

measurement of a DV when random assignment to groups is not possible

standard deviation (SD)

measures the average difference between each score and the mean of the data set

David collected data on 15 research participants. Their scores were: 42, 38, 14, 13, 12, 12, 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9. Which of the following statistics best reflects the central tendency of this data set? A. standard deviation B. correlation coefficient C. mode D. median E. mean

median

Although many studies regarding the effects of a particular herb on memory have been conducted, results of any one study have been inconclusive. An overall conclusion might be researched by performing A. meta-analysis B. revising the data from one of the experiments C. calculating the statistical significance of each study D. cross-cultural analysis E. factor analysis

meta-analysis

Barry reported that in his study, the relationship between religiosity and academic grades was not statistically significant. By "not statistically significant", he meant that the results... A. were not important B. were not strong C. might have been due to chance D. were of no value to statisticians E. do not suggest any relationship

might have been due to chance

mode

most frequently occurring score in a set of research data ("quick and dirty")

John wants to study the effects of alcohol on the behavior of college students. For his study, he spends 5 hours every night for 2 weeks at a bar near a college watching how the patrons act before and after drinking alcoholic beverages. The research method John is employing is a A. controlled experiment B. quasi-experiment C. test D. naturalistic observation E. case study

naturalistic observation

Jyoti notes the behavior of people as they wait in line for tickets to rock concerts. Which of the following research methods is she using? A. naturalistic observation B. survey C. controlled experiment D. quasi-experiment E. case study

naturalistic observation

The observation in a classroom that the higher the room temperature, the lower student performance would be an example of: A. negative correlation B. zero correlation C. positive correlation D. independent correlation E. dependent correlation

negative correlation

Jared thinks that going to psychology lecture classes is a waste of time and that you can do just as well in the course if you just read the review book, watch "Discovering Psychology" and take the tests. He decides to test his hypothesis with an experiment. The independent variable in his experiment is A. going to lecture classes B. going to lecture classes, reading the review book, and watching "Discovering Psychology" C. not going to lecture classes, reading the review book, and watching "Discovering Psychology" D. just taking tests E. doing as well on tests without going to class as with going to class

not going to lecture classes, reading the review book, and watching "Discovering Psychology"

descriptive statistics

numbers that summarize a set of research data obtained from a sample

surveys and tests

obtain large samples of abilities, beliefs, or behaviors at a specific time and place

theories

organized sets of concepts that explain phenomena

Ms. Costas owns a business with nine other employees. Ms. Costas's annual salary is $90,000. Her manager's salary is $60,000. Of her other employees, three earn $25,000 each and five earn $15,000 each. The frequency polygon for this distribution resembles a A) Normal Curve B) Positively Skewed Line Graph C) Negatively Skewed Line Graph D) Bar Graph E) Scatterplot

positively skewed line graph

hypothesis

prediction of how two or more factors are likely to be related

strength of case studies

provide detailed descriptive data and analyses of new, complex, or rare phenomena

strength of naturalistic observation

provides descriptive data about behavior with wide applicability

Why can't a controlled experiment be designed to answer the question, "Do boys have higher self-esteem than girls?" A. random selection is not possible B. random assignment is not possible C. a population cannot be defined D. self-esteem cannot be operationalized E. informed consent cannot be obtained

random assignment is not possible

replication

repetition of the methods used in a previous experiment to see whether the same methods will yield the same results

single-blind procedure

research design in which participants don't know whether they are in the experimental or control group

Which measures of variability provides the most meaningful information about the following set of scores? Set of scores: 12, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 17, 32 A. mean B. median C. mode D. range E. standard deviation

standard deviation

inferential statistics

statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions

A quasi-experiment cannot be considered a controlled experiment because A. subjects cannot be randomly selected B. subjects cannot be randomly assigned C. experimenter bias is unavoidable D. demand characteristics are unavoidable E. too few subjects participate in the procedure

subjects cannot be randomly assigned

ethical guidelines

suggested rules for acting responsibly and morally when conducting research or in clinical practice

After collecting and analyzing the responses of 2,000 randomly selected study participants, Adeel finds that college juniors who work at paying jobs 15 hours a week get higher grades than juniors who don't have paying jobs or work full time. Which of the following research methods did Adeel use? A. experimental B. naturalistic observation C. case study D. survey E. quasi-experimental

survey

As part of a research study, Sanjay is asked to fill out a 30-question form about his study habits. Which of the following research methods does this characterize? A. controlled experiment B. quasi-experiment C. naturalistic observation D. survey E. clinical

survey

Of the following, which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between political party membership and attitude toward the death penalty? A. controlled experiment B. quasi-experiment C. test D. survey E. case study

survey

mean

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores

dependent variable (DV)

the behavior or mental process that is measured in an experiment or quasi-experiment (the effect)

Ben thinks students will answer questions printed on yellow paper more quickly than those printed on blue paper. All study participants will take three tests with 35 multiple-choice questions each. The independent variable in Ben's experiment is A. the color of the paper B. the number of questions answered correctly C. how long it takes students to answer questions D. the total number of questions answered E. the difference in results between the experimental and control groups

the color of the paper

control group

the comparison group; the subgroup of the sample that is similar to the experimental group in every way except for the presence of the independent variable

statistical significance (p)

the condition that exists when the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is less than 1 in 20 (p<.05) according to some psychologists, or less than 1 in 100 (p<.01) according to those with more stringent standards

range

the difference between the largest score and the smallest score ("quick and dirty")

When subjects in an experimental group put a puzzle piece in the wrong place, the experimenter unconsciously winced. The experimenter did not wince when subjects in the control group put a piece in the wrong place. One method to eliminate the wincing of the experimenter is by instituting A. the experimenter expectancy effect B. the single-blind procedure C. the double-blind procedure D. the placebo effect E. counterbalancing

the double-blind procedure

validity

the extent to which an instrument measures or predicts what it is supposed to

independent variable (IV)

the factor the researcher manipulates in a controlled experiment (the cause)

The Hawthorne effect is best defined as: A. expectations by the experimenter that can influence the results of an experiment B. the change in the results of an experiment when it is "blind" versus "double blind" C. the idea that people will alter their behavior because of the researchers' attention and not because of actual treatment D. specific, testable predictions derived from a theory E. the idea that subjects in an experiment will lie if the researcher tells them to

the idea that people will alter their behavior because of the researchers' attention and not because of actual treatment

Students will be able to read a statement printed in the Comic Sans font faster than the same statement written in the Lucida Calligraphy font. The dependent variable in an experiment based on the statement would be A. the statement written in the Comic Sans font B. the statement written in the Lucida Calligraphy font C. the length of time it takes students to read the statements D. the students who read the statements written in the Comic Sans font E. the number of students who participate in the experiment

the length of time it takes students to read the statements

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

percentile score

the percentage of scores at or below a particular score (from 1 to 99)

variability

the spread or dispersion of a set of research data or distribution

Today, it is unlikely that a psychologist could condition a baby to fear a rat and other small animals in a research study at a university because A. no parent would permit a child to participate in such a study B. the study violates ethical guidelines C. babies are too young to fear small animals D. conditioning experiments are no longer done E. fear of animals is inborn

the study violates ethical guidelines

sample

the subgroup of the population that participates in the study

experimental group

the subgroup of the sample that receives the treatment or independent variable

Organized sets of concepts that explain phenomena are A. independent variables B. dependent variables C. hypotheses D. theories E. statistics

theories