psych 201 final practice questions

Which popular media headline might suggest that a multiple regression has been used? A. "Pet ownership is an important predictor of well-being in elderly adults." B. "Daughters are happier when their mothers are happy working outside the home." C. "Eating lunch away from your desk is associated with greater work productivity." D. "Vacations are important for happiness, even when length of vacation is controlled for."

D. "Vacations are important for happiness, even when length of vacation is controlled for."

Beware the "Freshman 15"? "Studies show that students on average gain 3 to 10 pounds during their first 2 years of college. Most of this weight gain occurs during the first semester of freshman year." Which question would best help you evaluate the validity of this argument? A. How many freshmen do not gain weight? B. How much weight do people gain after freshman year? C. What kinds of foods are freshmen most likely to eat? D. How much weight do people of the same age gain who don't go to college

D. How much weight do people of the same age gain who don't go to college

Which is correctly paired with the Big Validity it most directly threatens? A. Low internal reliability - Internal validity B. Biased sampling techniques - Statistical validity C. Small sample size - External validity D. Poor criterion validity - Construct validity E. One or more of the above (pick which)

D. Poor criterion validity - Construct validity

Informed consent procedures are an application of which ethical principle? A. Fidelity and Responsibility. B. Beneficence. C. Integrity. D. Respect for Persons. E. Justice.

D. Respect for Persons.

Which feature is most important in our acceptance of a theory, according to the text? A. It is supported by data. B. It is falsifiable. C. It is parsimonious. D. It is abstract. E. That it include little green men as part of the theory

A. It is supported by data.

In reading an empirical journal article, what are the two questions you should be asking yourself as you read? A. What is the argument? What evidence supports the argument? B. Why was this research done? Were there any significant findings? C. How reputable is (are) the author(s)? Did the findings include support for the hypotheses? D. How does this research relate to other research? What are ways to extend this research further?

A. What is the argument? What evidence supports the argument?

In an experiment looking at cat cognition, a set of tabbies are randomly assigned to receive food rewards or praise rewards as they attempt to learn how to shake hands and how to sit. Of course, none of the cats learn either behavior. What are levels of the independent variable in this study? A. Reward Type and Behavior B. Food and Praise C. Shaking Hand and Sitting D. Food and Sitting E. Praise and Shaking Paws

B. Food and Praise

Some health researchers are interested in measuring whether spending time with dogs can decrease stress and anxiety. In their project they measure student cortisol levels (a marker of stress), then have the students spend time with dogs over the next two weeks before measuring cortisol levels again. However, the researchers had to change the brand of cortisol strip used at time 2. Which threats to validity are a possibility here? A. Design Confound B. Instrumentation C. Testing D. Regression to the mean E. More than one (say which)

B. Instrumentation

In looking at her results for a recognition memory experiment Maryam notices that there is a large range in working memory capacity (WMC) in the participants. She randomly assigned participants to group A or group B. Critically, group A did better on the task than group B, AND group A had a higher working memory capacity than group B. Which of the following best describes this situation? A. The difference in WMC is a design confound B. The difference in WMC is increasing the error variance in her study C. The difference in WMC is an example of an individual difference D. The difference in WMC is decreasing the treatment variance in the study E. The difference in WMC is not really a threat to the way she interprets the study

B. The difference in WMC is increasing the error variance in her study C. The difference in WMC is an example of an individual difference

"There are far more dogs than cats in this city. That's all you see in the parks—dogs, dogs, dogs!" This person appears to be basing a belief on A. a good story. B. the availability heuristic. C. a present/present bias. D. the confirmation bias. E. a bias blind spot.

B. the availability heuristic.

Which of the following is an example of an association claim? A. "Guzzling a 20-ounce bottle of soda ramps up cellular aging." B. "41% of people surveyed reported that they were having a good day." C. "People who sit within two tables of the bartender have three or more alcoholic drinks, on average, than those who sit three tables away." D. "Viewing a recent conflict as it would look one year in the future led to increased feelings of forgiveness."

C. "People who sit within two tables of the bartender have three or more alcoholic drinks, on average, than those who sit three tables away."

Which of the following samples is most likely to generalize to its population of interest? A. A convenience sample of 12,000 B. A quota sample of 120 C. A stratified random sample of 120 D. A self-selected sample of 120,000

C. A stratified random sample of 120

A student is collecting data for a class project. At first she gives a survey to other students wherever, but realizes some environments may be too noisy for the participant to focus. So she decides to only give the survey in quiet places free of distractions. This change in location was... A. An attempt to increase systematic variance B. An attempt to increase unsystematic variance C. An attempt to decrease unsystematic variance D. An attempt to eliminate design confounds E. An attempt to increase variance due to treatment

C. An attempt to decrease unsystematic variance

Which of these statements is true of external validity? A. Psychologists usually strive to generalize to all people. B. For generalization to a population, the larger the sample the better. C. External validity comes from how the sample is obtained, rather than the sample size. D.A sample that contains female college students can generalize to all female college students.

C. External validity comes from how the sample is obtained, rather than sample size.

If a scale or measure has good interrater reliability, it A. Means the measure has good statistical validity. B. Will have a negative slope on a scatterplot. C. Will have a positive slope on a scatterplot. D. Will also have good internal reliability. E. Means the measure is invalid.

C. Will have a positive slope on a scatterplot.

If you were assessing the discriminant validity of a measure, which coefficient would you hope to see: Select one: a. .01 b. -.30 c. .62 d. -.76

a .01

Frequency and association claims can be interrogated for all of the following validities except: A. Internal B. External C. Construct D. Statistical

a Internal

A researcher (Yoda) is studying the effect of popularity on academic success. He decides to measure popularity by asking each of 50 elementary school students to tell him how many friends he or she has. He assumes that having more friends means that the child is more popular. Which of the following best describes Yoda's measurement? a.Its scale is ratio. 0 b.It is a self-report measure. 0 c.It is a behavioral measure. 0 d.Number of friends reported is Yoda's operational definition of popularity. 0 e.Two of the above (Indicate which by marking the circles above) f.Three of the above (Indicate which by marking the circles above) g.All of the above h.None of the above

a, b, d, f

Which of the following is/are a source of unsystematic variance? Select one or more: a. measurement error b. design confounds c. situation noise d. placebo effects e. individual differences

a, c, e

Which of the following is NOT one of the telltale signs that a researcher has used multiple regression in the research? Select one: a. "as caused by" b. "controlled for" c. "correcting for" d. "taking into account"

a. "as caused by"

A factorial design with two independent variables, one with two levels and the other with four levels, would be represented in a factorial design as Select one: a. 2 x 4 b. 2 x 2 x 4 c. 2 x 2 d. 2 x 7 e. 2 x 2 x 2

a. 2 x 4

Which of the following terms is not related to the other three? Select one: a. Curvilinear association b. Alternative explanation c. 3rd variable problem d. Spurious association

a. Curvilinear association

In which type of source are you least likely to find a full review of previously published studies on a topic? Select one: a. Empirical journal article b. Review journal article c. Meta-analysis d. A chapter in an edited book

a. Empirical journal article

Which of the following describes a mediator relationship? Select one: a. Facebook use and college grades are correlated because Facebook use leads to less time studying, which leads to lower grades. b. Facebook use and college grades are more strongly correlated among nonathletes, and less strongly correlated among athletes. c. Facebook use and college grades are only correlated with each other because students in more difficult majors get worse grades, and students in difficult majors have less time to use Facebook

a. Facebook use and college grades are correlated because Facebook use leads to less time studying, which leads to lower grades.

Which of the following is a reason to trust the advice of authorities? Select one: a. If the authority systematically and objectively evaluates research to reach their position. b. Authorities cherry-pick the evidence to support their own position. c. Authorities base their advice on their own experience and intuition. d. The research cited by authorities may be unreliable.

a. If the authority systematically and objectively evaluates research to reach their position.

All of the following questions interrogate statistical validity except... Select one: a. Is there temporal precedence? b. is the association affected by outliers? c. What is the effect size? d. Is there restriction of range?

a. Is there temporal precedence?

Which is correctly paired with the Big Validity it most directly threatens? Select one: a. Poor criterion validity - Construct Validity b. Biased sampling techniques - Statistical Validity c. Small sample size - External Validity d. Reactivity - External Validity e. Low internal reliability - Internal Validity

a. Poor criterion validity - Construct Validity

For which of the following claims would external validity be particularly important? Select one: a. Smoking rates hit new low in US b. Want a higher GPA? Go to a small college c. Breastfeeding may boost children's IQ d. Obese kids less sensitive to tastes

a. Smoking rates hit new low in US

A replication study will generally not help to support external validity when it is a... Select one: a. direct replication. b. conceptual replication. c. meta - analysis. d. replication-plus-extension study.

a. direct replication.

Multiple regression analyses Select one: a. do not firmly establish causation because they cannot control for all third variables. b. establish causation because they control for third variables. c. do not establish causation because they do not assess covariance.

a. do not firmly establish causation because they cannot control for all third variables.

Random assignment means that... Select one: a. every participant has an equal chance to be in each level of the manipulated variable b. the researchers follow a pre-specified rule to assign participants to groups c. every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample d. the sample is representative and unbiased

a. every participant has an equal chance to be in each level of the manipulated variable

In a factorial design, a participant variable is treated like a(an) Select one: a. independent variable b. dependent variable c. design confound d. design confound, but only if subjects weren't randomly assigned to conditions

a. independent variable

Parsimony is useful because of: Select one: a. its use of many different methods to support one theory b. its efficient use of one or two results to support a theory c. the fact that it allows multiple interpretations of the same study result

a. its use of many different methods to support one theory

Choose ALL of the following that are correctly matched. Select one or more: a. random sampling—external validity b. random assignment—internal validity c. random sampling—internal validity d. random assignment—external validity

a. random sampling—external validity b. random assignment—internal validity

A meta-analysis, if not done carefully, may yield an overestimate of the true effect size due to publication bias. This is known as... Select one: a. the file drawer effect. b. experimental realism. c. the Muller-Lyer illusion. d. ecological validity.

a. the file drawer effect.

__________ control(s) for order effects in within-groups designs. Select one: a. Using a placebo b. Counterbalancing c. Conducting a pilot study d. Manipulation checks

b Counterbalancing

Conscientious people live longer because they engage in healthy behaviors. In this context, engaging in healthy behaviors is a... Select one: a. moderator b. mediator c. third variable d. confound

b mediator

Which of the following is/are true? (Select all that apply.) Select one or more: a. A measure can be valid but not reliable. b. A measure can be reliable but not valid. c. A measure can be both reliable and valid. d. A measure can be neither reliable nor valid.

b, c, d

Which of the following is the best example of an independent variable? A. A researcher systematically records how many Furman students are thrown into the lake on their birthdays over the course of the school year. B. Students in the north village are randomly assigned to drive to campus or to bike to campus. C. A researcher examines whether high school GPA predicts students' grades on the first exam in college. D. A sports medicine researcher examines how short students and tall students perform on a ball throwing task.

b, d

Which of the following is an example of observer bias in a study of mood and arm strength? Select one: a. A study participant performs with more strength in the happy mood condition because of subtle, encouraging cues from the research assistant. b. A research assistant records the participant as stronger in the happy condition than the sad condition, because that fits the hypothesis. c. A study participant feels self-conscious due to being observed in the experiment. d. A research assistant records arm strength from behind a one-way mirror.

b. A research assistant records the participant as stronger in the happy condition than the sad condition, because that fits the hypothesis.

The Belmont Report includes all of the following principles except: Select one: a. Beneficence b. Fidelity c. Justice d. Respect for Persons

b. Fidelity

Select the true statement among the following: Select one: a. Larger samples strengthen external validity. b. You cannot be sure of the findings' generalizability if those findings come from a convenience sample. c. A researcher prioritizing external validity usually wants to be able to generalize to the entire population of living humans. d. Samples drawn from a very particular population (e.g. 8-12 year old girls with ADD) do not need to be representative in order for results to be generalized.

b. You cannot be sure of the findings' generalizability if those findings come from a convenience sample.

If some outside event (such as a presidential election) influences most of the people in a study between pretest and posttest, this would be Select one: a. an order effect. b. a history threat. c. a selection threat. d. situation noise. e. a maturation threat.

b. a history threat.

Frequency claims... Select one: a. are also known as anecdotal claims. b. describe a particular rate or level of something. c. contain two manipulated variables. d. None of the above.

b. describe a particular rate or level of something.

All of the following can reduce a survey's construct validity except? Select one: a. acquiescence b. forced choice formats c. leading questions d. question order effects

b. forced choice formats

Interrogating the construct validity of association claims could mean asking about all of the following except: Select one: a. criterion validity b. internal validity c. internal reliability d. inter-rater reliability

b. internal validity

Eliminating design confounds from a study can... Select one or more: a. make it more difficult to recruit participants b. lower the amount of systematic variance in a study c. make it easier to determine if the IV influences the DV d. make random assignment optional.

b. lower the amount of systematic variance in a study c. make it easier to determine if the IV influences the DV

When conducting a poll, adding more people to the sample will... Select one: a. make the sample more externally valid. b. make the margin of error of the estimate smaller. c. Both A and B. d. Neither A nor B.

b. make the margin of error of the estimate smaller.

An interaction can occur in an experiment with Select one: a. one independent variable b. two independent variables c. two dependent variables d. one independent variable as long as the IV has more than 2 levels

b. two independent variables

When examining the statistical validity of a frequency claim, one should look for the: Select one: a.strength of the association. b.margin of error estimate. c.statistical significance. d.length of the measurement.

b.margin of error estimate.

Which of the following phrases is a factorial design clue often found in a popular press article? Select one: a. 'controlled for' b. 'taking into account' c. 'it depends' d. 'in all cases'

c. 'it depends'

Which sample is the most likely to be representative? Select one: a. A quota sample of 150. b. A snowball sample of 150. c. A cluster sample of 100. d. A convenience sample of 100.

c. A cluster sample of 100.

Which of the following is an example of observer effects in a study of mood and arm strength? Select one: a. A research assistant records arm strength from behind a one-way mirror. b. A research assistant records the participant as stronger in the happy condition than the sad condition, because that fits the hypothesis. c. A study participant performs with more strength in the happy mood condition because of subtle, encouraging cues from the research assistant. d. A study participant feels self-conscious due to being observed in the experiment.

c. A study participant performs with more strength in the happy mood condition because of subtle, encouraging cues from the research assistant.

Which of the following describes a ratio scale for measuring shyness in young children? Select one: a. A teacher classifies each child in the class as shy or not shy b. A teacher rank orders students from most to least shy c. A teacher records how often each child speaks up spontaneously in class on a given day d. A parent completes a questionnaire that asks parents to rate each of 12 statements about the child from 1-strongly agree to 5-strongly disagree

c. A teacher records how often each child speaks up spontaneously in class on a given day

Which question would you ask to interrogate the internal validity of the following claim? Patients of female physicians live longer Select one: a. How was life expectancy measured? b. What was the margin of error around the estimate? c. Did the researchers eliminate potential confounds? d. Do the findings apply to all types of patients? e. None of the above; internal validity does not apply

c. Did the researchers eliminate potential confounds?

A great place to look for empirical, peer-reviewed studies on a topic if you don't have access to PsycInfo is... Select one: a. a chapter in an edited book b. a Wiki c. Google Scholar d. a retail book written for a general audience

c. Google Scholar

Design confounds are threats to... Select one: a. Construct validity b. National security c. Internal validity d. Statistical validity

c. Internal validity

Reading with a purpose means... Select one: a. Reading every word of an article b. Reading an article in order from start (abstract) to finish (discussion) c. Reading strategically to find out what the argument is and what evidence is presented d. Skimming through an article or book chapter to get the main idea

c. Reading strategically to find out what the argument is and what evidence is presented

This type of claim makes the strongest statement and is therefore held to a higher standard: Select one: a. frequency b. association c. causal d. anecdotal e. all claims make equally strong statements

c. causal

According to those who find the Milgram obedience studies unethical, the researchers did harm to the participants... Select one: a. because they did not inform participants of a cure. b. through physical harm they received from the shocks. c. from mental stress, that outweighed the research's benefits. d. because the participants were not debriefed afterwards.

c. from mental stress, that outweighed the research's benefits.

When a researcher is in theory-testing mode, Select one: a. cultural differences should be considered. b. external validity is a high priority. c. internal validity is a high priority. d. representative samples are a high priority.

c. internal validity is a high priority.

Which of the following strategies allows researchers to avoid "reactivity?" Select one: a. making sure that your observers have proper training so as to increase inter-rater reliability b. using a masked design, where the researchers are unaware of what condition people are in c. observing the results of behavior, rather than observing the behavior itself d. being sure to avoid leading questions

c. observing the results of behavior, rather than observing the behavior itself

Empirical journal articles... a. report a full review of the literature. b. are rarely peer-reviewed. c. report the results of research for the first time. d. are published in magazines and newspapers.

c. report the results of research for the first time.

Experiments establish temporal precedence when... Select one: a. researchers measure the independent variable after manipulating the dependent variable b. researchers randomly assign participants to conditions c. researchers manipulate the independent variable before measuring the dependent variable d. researchers manipulate the dependent variable before the independent variable

c. researchers manipulate the independent variable before measuring the dependent variable

The main effect is Select one: a. the most important effect in a study with more than one independent variable b. found only in studies with one independent variable c. the overall effect of one independent variable at a time d. the outcome of an experiment where the key hypothesis is supported

c. the overall effect of one independent variable at a time

Regression to the mean is most likely to threaten internal validity when... Select one: a. the dependent variable is measured only once b. the study uses a concurrent measures design c. the study uses a pre/post design and extreme scores on the pre-test are present d. the experimental and control groups start out equal on the dependent variable

c. the study uses a pre/post design and extreme scores on the pre-test are present

An association claim has... Select one: a.one measured variable. b. two manipulated variables. c. two or more measured variables. d. one manipulated and one measured variable.

c. two or more measured variables.

Which of the following are true about confounds: interval validity is threatened only when a confound __________ with the independent variable. Select one: a. varies unsystematically b. interferes c. varies systematically d. works well

c. varies systematically

Which of the following is NOT an ethical principle outlined by the Belmont Report? A. Respect for persons B. Beneficence C. Justice D. Integrity

d Integrity

When the size or direction of an association between 2 variables differs across the levels of another variable, the other variable is acting as a(n)... Select one: a. outlier. b. subgroup. c. confound. d. moderator.

d moderator

Which of the following is a potential reason for why a study obtained a null effect? Select one: a. too much unsystematic variability within each group b. not enough variability between the different groups c. the independent variable does not actually make a difference d. All of the options are correct

d. All of the options are correct

Written informed consent is probably not needed for which study? Select one: a. A lab-based study of memory that only lasts 10 minutes b. A study of children who have not yet learned to read or write c. A study asking questions about sexual behaviors that will be treated confidentially d. An observational study of people in a parking lot after a big sporting event

d. An observational study of people in a parking lot after a big sporting event

Which of the following research questions best illustrates an example of basic research? a. Has our company's new marketing campaign led to an increase in sales? b. How satisfied are patients with the care they receive at this hospital? c. Do crossword puzzles improve memory in older adults? d. Can 2-month-old babies discern the difference between four objects and six objects?

d. Can 2-month-old babies discern the difference between four objects and six objects?

A measure of head size (circumference of skull at widest point) is not a good measure of intelligence because... Select one: a. It is hard to get people to hold still b. It is unreliable but still valid c. It is unreliable and therefore not valid d. It is reliable but not valid e. It is valid but not reliable

d. It is reliable but not valid

A correlation of r = 0.85 for test-retest reliability reflects: Select one: a. A strong correlation among the items on a multi-item questionnaire b. A strong correlation between two coders' ratings c. A weak correlation between scores at one time and scores on the same questionnaire at a later time d. None of the above

d. None of the above

Which entity is responsible for interpreting ethical principles and ensuring research on humans is conducted ethically? Select one: a. The American Psychological Association (APA) b. The researcher(s) conducting the study c. The editors of the journal that publishes the study d. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the institution where the study is conducted e. The granting agency that is funding the study

d. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the institution where the study is conducted

A study examines the association between playing video games and physical activity levels in teenage boys. In this study, gender is a... Select one: a. conceptual variable. b. independent variable. c. manipulated variable. d. constant. e. operational definition.

d. constant.

Which claim is most likely to be tested in generalization mode? Select one: a. causal claim b. association claim c. anecdotal claim d. frequency claim

d. frequency claim

A(n) ______ measure operationalizes a variable by recording a participant's ______. Select one: a. self-report; observable behaviors b. behavioral; intrapersonal thoughts c. observational; questionnaire answers d. physiological; biological data

d. physiological; biological data

You can tell when a study is correlational because... Select one: a. the researchers used the correlation coefficient. b. the researchers used a t test. c. the researchers used a scatterplot. d. the variables are all measured.

d. the variables are all measured.