Research Methods Final
How many independent variables are there in a 2x4 factorial design? a.2 b.4 c.1 d.8
a.2
Guillermo conducts an experiment with 2 conditions using a within-subjects design. If he is counterbalancing, what does this mean? a.Half the participants are in condition A followed by condition B; the rest are in condition B followed by condition A. b.Some participants are presented with multiple stimuli under condition A; others are presented with multiple stimuli under condition B
a.Half the participants are in condition A followed by condition B; the rest are in condition B followed by condition A.
What is the main advantage of conducting an experiment using a within-subjects design rather than a between-subjects design? a.a within-subjects design controls more extraneous variables b.a within-subjects design prevents carryover effects c.a within-subjects design eliminates the needs for pilot testing d.a within-subjects design does not require manipulation of an IV
a.a within-subjects design controls more extraneous variables
When are manipulation checks usually done? a.at the end of the procedure b.in the middle of the procedure c.at the beginning of the procedure continuously throughout the procedure
a.at the end of the procedure
Which of the following is true? a.every confounding variable is also an extraneous variable b.every extraneous variable is also a confounding variable c.every variable other than the IV and DV is either an extraneous variable or confounding(both not both) d.good experiments eliminate all extraneous variables
a.every confounding variable is also an extraneous variable
A researcher is conducting a study in which the DV is a mental concentration. If it is a within-subjects design with lots of different conditions, then which of the following is most likely to be a problem for the researcher? a.fatigue effect b.practice effect c.context effect d.floor effect
a.fatigue effect
Imagine you find an unexpected but statistically significant result in your data. Which of the following courses of action makes the most sense? a.follow up on it in a new research study b.immediately write it up for publication c.ignore it d.none are correct
a.follow up on it in a new research study
The BRUSO model is a model of which of the following? a. good survey questionnaire items b.the process of administering a survey c.how people respond to survey questionnaire items d.all of the answers are correct e.none are correct
a.good survey questionnaire items
Which of the following measures of central tendency can be used for a categorical variable? a.mode b.median c.mean d.all of these
a.mode
The entries in a correlation matrix are typically which of the following? a.pearson's r values b.cohen's d values c.standard deviations d.means
a.pearson's r values
"Mixed methods research" refers to which of the following? a.research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches b.research that combines experimental and correlational approaches c.research the combines basic and applied approaches d.research that combines experimental and quasi-experimental
a.research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches
What does the prefix "quasi" mean? a.resembling b.not c.above d.false
a.resembling
Imagine that you know the mean number of alcoholic drinks per week consumed by American college students. Now you want to compare the mean number for a sample at your university to the mean of American college students. Which test should you use? a.single-sample test b.paired-samples t test c.independent-samples t test d.ANOVA
a.single-sample test
A quasi-experiment includes which of the following? a.the manipulation of an independent variable b.random sampling of participants c.random assignments of participants to conditions d.all of these answers are correct
a.the manipulation of an independent variable
When you conduct a paired-samples t test, what is the null hypothesis? a.the mean of the difference scores is 0 in the population b.one group scored significantly higher than the other c.people scored higher on the posttest than on the pretest d.the mean score is equal to the midpoint of the response scale
a.the mean of the difference scores is 0 in the population
A researcher shows that doctors who act more confidently are liked better by their patients..but only up to a point. If they act too confidently, their patients start to like them less. Which of the following best describes this result? a.the relationship between physician confidence and patient liking is nonlinear. b.there is no relationship between physician confidence and patient liking. c.it is a bimodal distribution d.there is a strong negative relationship between physician confidence and patient liking
a.the relationship between physician confidence and patient liking is nonlinear.
A Cohen's d of 1.00 means that two group means differ by one standard deviation. a.true b.false
a.true
A manipulation check is a measure of the independent variable a.true b.false
a.true
In a study with two independent variables, there are two main effects to consider. a.true b.false
a.true
Mail surveys typically have the lowest response rates a.true b.false
a.true
Single-variable research cannot answer questions about relationships between variables a.true b.false
a.true
Stratified random sampling allows researchers to sample more individuals from smaller demographic groups a.true b.false
a.true
Survey researchers are more likely than other researchers in psychology to use probability sampling a.true b.false
a.true
What is the correlation between a variable and itself? a. infinity b. 1 c. 0 d. .5
b. 1
A manipulation check is a measure of which of the following? a. a confounding variable b. the independent variable c. the extraneous variable d. participants' moods
b. the independent variable
How many conditions are there in a 3 x 5 factorial design? a.8 b.15 c.1 d.2
b.15
A researcher conducts a study on the relationship between caffeine consumption and performance on a math test. What kind of study is this? a.experimental b.There is not enough information here to tell for sure c.quasi-experimental d.correlational
b.There is not enough information here to tell for sure
A research methods student carries out a null hypothesis test. She does everything right and rejects the null hypothesis. It is still possible,though,that she has done which of the following? a.committed a sampling error b.committed a Type I error c.committed a Type II error d.none of the above
b.committed a Type I error
What is the best way to address the problem of nonresponse bias? a.write unbiased questionnaire items b.do everything possible to maximize response rates c.force everyone to respond d.ignore the nonresponders when analyzing the data
b.do everything possible to maximize response rates
A 2x4 factorial design has 8 independent variables. a.true b.false
b.false
A correlation matrix shows the relationship between one pair of variables. a. true b.false
b.false
Experiments always involve the comparison of two groups a.true b.false
b.false
Responses to open-ended items are generally easier to analyze than responses to close-ended items a.true b.false
b.false
Surveys cannot be experiments a.true b.false
b.false
The defining factors of correlational research is the Pearson's r is used to describe the data a.true b.false
b.false
The pretest-protest design is an excellent way to evaluate the effectiveness of a new form of psychotherapy a.true b.false
b.false
Using a nonequivalent groups design is an excellent way to control for extraneous variables a.true b.false
b.false
What is the most common number of response options on a rating scale? a.two b.five to seven c.ten to twenty d.three
b.five to seven
Fred conducts a paired-samples t test. His critical t value is 2.36 and his actual t value is 4.17. Which of the following is true? a.his p value is greater than .05 b.he should reject the null hypothesis c.he should have conducted a two-sample t test d.he should fail to reject the null hypothesis
b.he should reject the null hypothesis
Factor analysis could be used to do which of the following? a.prove that risk seeking has a genetic component b.identify two distinct dimensions of risk seeking: physical risk seeking and social risk seeking c.show that men are more risk seeking than women d.manipulate people's level of risk seeking to observe its effect on other variables
b.identify two distinct dimensions of risk seeking: physical risk seeking and social risk seeking
Which of the following is true of the statistical power? a.it is two times the probability of a Type I error b.it is one minus the probability of a Type II error c.it is equal to the probability of a Type I error d.none of the above
b.it is one minus the probability of a Type II error
What is the defining feature of nonexperimental research? a.in involves only one variable b.it lacks the manipulation of an IV, random assignment, or both. c.it is about personality and individual differences d.it has high external validity
b.it lacks the manipulation of an IV, random assignment, or both.
What are the two defining features of an experiment? a.a comparison of two groups; manipulation of an IV b.manipulation of an IV; control of extraneous variables c.statistical analysis of the results; comparison of two groups d.control of extraneous variables; statistical analysis of the results
b.manipulation of an IV; control of extraneous variables
In the BRUSO model, the "O" stands for which of the following? a.obvious b.objective c.obligatory d.oriented
b.objective
What is the standard term for a small-scale study conducted to make sure that a procedure works as planned? a.test condition b.pilot test c.verification test d.test run
b.pilot test
Miligram's original obedience study is a good example of which of the following? a.a within-subjects design b.single-variable research c.a qualitative study d.a correlational study
b.single-variable research
A survey research randomly samples 500 white Americans and 500 black Americans. Which approach has the researcher used? a.simple random sampling b.stratified random sampling c.nonprobability sampling d.cluster sampling
b.stratified random sampling
Conceptually, what is the standard deviation? a.the difference between the highest and lowest score in a distribution b.the average amount that the scores in a distribution differ from the mean c.half the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution d.the mean of the squared scores
b.the average amount that the scores in a distribution differ from the mean
There is a statistical relationship between two variables if which of the following is true? a.the variables are measured on the same scale b.the average level of one variable differs across levels of the other c.the variables are conceptually similar (intelligence and common sense) d.one of the variables has higher mean than the other
b.the average level of one variable differs across levels of the other
In a positively skewed distribution, which of the following is true? a.it is impossible to tell b.the mean is greater than the median c.the mean is the same as the median d.the mean is less than the median
b.the mean is greater than the median
A watershed event for search research was when George Gallup used it to predict which of the following? a.the outbreak of World War I b.the outcome of the 1936 presidential election c.the rise of rock and roll music d.changing attitudes toward women in the workplace
b.the outcome of the 1936 presidential election
In general, why do researchers do null hypothesis testing? a.to decide how strong a samples relationship is b.to decide whether a sample relationship represents a real relationship in the population c.to decide whether the IV is casually related to the DV d.none of the above
b.to decide whether a sample relationship represents a real relationship in the population
You are most likely to reject the null hypothesis when you have which of the following? a. a weak relationship and a small sample b. a strong relationship and a small sample c. a strong relationship and a large sample d. a weak relationship and a large sample
c. a strong relationship and a large sample
Which of the following researchers probably worries most about the external validity of her studies? a.Dr.Zamora is a cognitive psychologist who studies basic memory processes b.Dr.Colfax is a behavioral neuroscientist who studies the functions of the amydale c.Dr.Prentice is a consumer psychologist who works for Target Corporation
c.Dr.Prentice is a consumer psychologist who works for Target Corporation
Restriction of range is likely to be a problem in which of the following studies? a.a study on the relationship between income and happiness among NY city residents b.a study on the relationship between extroversion and leadership ability among the employees of a large corporation c.a study of the relationship between age and attitude toward homosexuality among college students d.a study on the relationship between extroversion and risk seeking among college students
c.a study of the relationship between age and attitude toward homosexuality among college students
Which of the following is generally an advantage of closed-ended items over open-ended items? a.they get more directly at the specific variables the researcher is interested in b.people can respond to them more quickly c.all of the answers are correct d.none are correct
c.all are correct
Archival data would be least likely to be used in which of the following? a.a single-variable study b.a qualitative study c.an experiment d.a correlational study
c.an experiment
When a study lacks statistical power, the researcher is in danger of which of the following? a.committing a sampling error b.committing a type I error c.committing a type II error d.all of the above
c.committing a type II error
What does a correlation matrix show? a.the means and standard deviations of a large set of variables b.all the computations required to find a particular Pearson's r value c.correlations between all possible pairs of variables in a larger set of variables d.the relationship between two quantitative variables
c.correlations between all possible pairs of variables in a larger set of variables
A researcher who uses ONLY within-subjects design will NEVER have which of the following problems? a.results that are not statistically significant b.context effects c.intelligence as a confounding variable d.practice effects
c.intelligence as a confounding variable
Which of the following is an advantage of conducting an experiment with multiple independent variables? a.it controls more extraneous variables b.it eliminates carryover effects c.it allows the researcher to detect interactions d.all of these are correct
c.it allows the researcher to detect interactions
What are the two main characteristics of survey research? a.statistical analysis and large random samples b.self-report measures face-to-face interviews c.large random samples and self-report measures d.face-to-face interviews and statistical analysis
c.large random samples and self-report measures
What does it mean to statistically control a potential third variable? a.hold it constant in the context of the study b.average the results across all levels of that variable c.measure it and take it into account in the statistical analyses d.limit participants to people who have exactly the same score of that variable
c.measure it and take it into account in the statistical analyses
Coding of participant behaviors is generally an important part of which of the following? a.sport psychology b.quasi-experiemental c.naturalistic observation d.archival collection
c.naturalistic observation
Imagine that you collect data on the relationship between the number of hours college students work and how stressed they feel. Which test should you use? a.independent t test b.paired t test c.null hypothesis test on Pearson's r d.z test
c.null hypothesis test on Pearson's r
Imagine that you want to compare people's blood pressure before and after mediating for a hour. Which test should you use? a.chi-squared test b.two-sample t test c.paired-samples t test d.one-way ANOVA
c.paired-samples t test
Survey research tends to use which of the following? a.nonrepresentative sampling b.convenience sampling c.probability sampling d.nonprobability sampling
c.probability sampling
What is the standard term for a group of people who have agreed to be contacted about opportunities to participate in research studies? a.prospective respondents b.testing group c.subject pool d.participant roll
c.subject pool
What is plotted on the y-axis of a histogram? a.the participants names b.the mean score c.the frequency of each score d.the variable of interest
c.the frequency of each score
In organizing the items on a survey questionnaire, it is generally best to start with which of the following? a.the least important items for purposes of the research b.demographic items c.the most important items for purposes of the research d.warm-up items
c.the most important items for purposes of the research
What does it mean if the result of your study is "not statistically significant"? a.the result represents a "real" result that is true in the population b.the result is unimportant c.the result was due to a sampling error d.you reject the null hypothesis
c.the result was due to a sampling error
On a research methods exam, most of the students did well but a few did poorly. Which of the following is most clearly true? a.the distribution is bimodal b.the scores are positively skewed c.the scores are negatively skewed d.the distribution only has one tail
c.the scores are negatively skewed
Which of the following is clearly true of a study on the effect of ambient odor and room temperature on creativity? a.there is no true IV b.there are multiple DV's c.there are multiple IV's d.the study is correlational
c.there are multiple IV's
A researcher finds that the correlation between age and happiness is .09. What is most likely the null hypothesis? a.there is no correlation between age and happiness in her sample b.there is a positive correlation between age and happiness in the population c.there is no correlation between age and happiness in the population d.there is a positive correlation between age and happiness in her sample
c.there is no correlation between age and happiness in the population
If the value of Pearson's r in your sample is .45, what should you do? a.recompute Pearson's r because you made a mistake b.reject the null hypothesis c.there is not enough information to know what to do d.fail to reject the null hypothesis
c.there is not enough information to know what to do
Researchers are most likely to use open-ended items under which of the following conditions? a.they have a specific construct that they want to measure b.they are conducting their survey over the internet c.they do not have preconceived ideas about how people will respond d.they want their data to be quick and easy to analyze
c.they do not have preconceived ideas about how people will respond
Why do researchers randomly assign participants to conditions? a.to discover whether there is a placebo effect b. to ensure that they find a strong statistical relationship between the IV and DV c.to control extraneous variables d.to avoid fatigue effects
c.to control extraneous variables
What are the two main functions of the introduction to a survey questionnaire? a.to establish the legitimacy of the survey and put respondents at ease b.to inform the respondents of their rights and protect the researcher from lawsuits c.to encourage participation and establish informed consent d.to hide the true purpose of the survey and to establish rapport with respondents
c.to encourage participation and establish informed consent
Imagine that you want to compare the conscientiousness of men and women. Which test should you use? a.paired-samples t test b.one-sample t test c.two-sample t test d.null hypothesis test on Pearson's r
c.two-sample t test
Which of the following is the most obvious reason to include multiple dependent variables in an experiment? a.you can eliminate carryover effects b.you can learn about interactions between variables c.you can answer more questions with little additional effort d.you can control more extraneous variables
c.you can answer more questions with little additional effort
Researchers in psychology usually set alpha to which of the following values? a. .50 b. .01 c. .20 d. .05
d. .05
Why are confounding variables bad? a.they reduce internal validity b.they provide an alternative explanation for any observed difference between conditions c.they make it difficult to tell if the IV was responsible for the effect on the DV d.all of the responses are correct
d. all of the responses are correct
In psychological research, which of the following is considered a strong relationship? a .d=0.20 b .d=0.50 c .r=-.30 d. r=.50
d. r=.50
Multiple dependent variables in the same experiment can be which of the following? a.different measures of the same construct b.unrelated constructs c.similar constructs d.all of these answers
d.all of these answers
Qualitative research is meant to do which of the following? a.generate novel research questions b.explore people's "lived experience" c.address broad questions d.all of these answers are correct
d.all of these answers are correct
Imagine a study in which men and women are compared in terms of their level of aggression. What kind of study is this? a.qualitative b.quasi-experimental c.experimental d.correlational
d.correlational
Data analysis in qualitative research is most likely to include which of the following? a.inferential statistics b.unfalsifiable theories c.means and standard deviations d.detailed examples of participant responses
d.detailed examples of participant responses
Which survey type generally has the highest response rate? a.mail b.telephone c.internet d.in person
d.in person
Which of the following is a reason to conduct nonexperimental research? a.the researcher wants to avoid carryover effects b.the researcher wants to maximize the internal validity of the study c.the researcher is interested in thinking d.it would unethical to manipulate the IV
d.it would unethical to manipulate the IV
Pearson's r is NOT appropriate for which of the following? a.negative relationships b.extremely strong relationships c.weak relationships d.nonlinear relationships
d.nonlinear relationships
Which of the following independent variables would most likely require a manipulation check? a.noise level in the room b.number of items on an exam c.amount of light in the room d.participants' moods
d.participants' moods
Participants in survey research are often called what? a.the "public" b.clients c.subjects d.respondents
d.respondents
When you conduct a two-sample t test, what is the null hypothesis? a.the two population means are different b.the two sample means are the same c.the two sample means are different d.the two population means are the same
d.the two population means are the same
