psych unit 1 test

A researcher studying stress wants to be sure that income levels do not affect the results of the research. Which of the following is used to reduce the effects of confounding variables in experiments?

Random assignment

what is a control group?

The group that does not receive the experimental treatment in an experiment.

Researchers are investigating the effects of a 20-minute antibullying video on adolescent helping behavior. Fifty-seven eighth-grade students from a middle school are participating. Based on the information presented, which of the following is the dependent variable in the study?

The number of helping behaviors

group of researchers conduct a study where they tell the participants that they will be doing a memory study, but the researchers were actually measuring levels of anxiety about doing well on a task. The group of researchers should be sure to do which of the following at the conclusion of this study?

Explain the true purpose of a study immediately after the study is complete.

what is a case study?

a description of the behavior or abilities of a single individual

what is a cofounding variable?

a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an effect in an experiment

What is correlation?

a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things

what is an experiment?

a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.

what is a survey?

a technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

what is a positive correlation?

as one variable increases, so does the other

what is a negative correlation?

as one variable increases, the other decreases

what is a random assignment?

assigning participants to experimental and control groups by chance, thus minimizing preexisting differences between the different groups

what is a mean

average

what is a biological approach?

behavior and mental processes are largely shaped by the nervous system; brain, hormones, and genes.

what is psychodynamic approach?

behavior comes from unconscious drives, usually stemming from childhood (founded by Freud)

Clinical researchers are interested in gaining insight into the causes of abnormal behavior. One way that they do this is to delve deeply into the histories of patients with a common diagnosis, interviewing family, friends, teachers, therapists, physicians, babysitters, and others who can provide rich details about the patients' lives. Then, researchers try to see if there are any common themes in the information gathered. What research method does this strategy represent? Responses

case study

Dimitri and Dominic are identical twins who were separated at birth and raised by different families. When they found each other through DNA tracking, they were surprised to see how different they were. Which research method would a psychologist most likely use to document their behavioral differences?

correlation

Dr. Meerdink wants to know if creativity varies throughout the day. In a morning class, she asks her college students to list as many uses as possible for a stick. On the same day 12 hours later, she asks students in an evening class to list as many uses as possible for a stick. Which of the following factors is the dependent variable?

creativity

Drawing a random sample of people from a town for an interview study of social attitudes ensures that

each person in the town has the same probability of being chosen for the study

what is humanistic approach?

emphasizes individual potential for growth and stress individual choice and free will, people's choices, people seek self-actualization

what is behavioral approach?

emphasizes learning, especially each person's experience with rewards and punishment, focuses on observational behavior (founded by Watson)

what is evolutionary approach?

emphasizes ways in which behavior and mental processes are adaptive for survival (Darwinism)

what is cognitive approach?

emphasizes ways in which people receive, store, retrieve, and process information, how we see the world, how we react to sad and happy events

what is social-cultural approach?

focuses on how culture influences the way we think and act, examples: gender, race, and age

what is the mode

most frequently occurring number

what is naturalistic observation?

observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

what is a quantitative analysis?

obtains easily quantifiable data on a limited number of measurement points (numbers)

what is double blind experiment?

participants and researchers are unaware of who has obtained the treatment

what is single blind experiment?

participants don't know whether they are receiving treatment or not

what is cross-sectional research?

people of different ages are compared at the same point in time

what is a longitudinal research?

same participants are studied over time.

what is a laboratory observation?

study of behavior in a controlled situation

what is experimenter bias?

the experimenter can unintentionally alter patients behavior

what are generalizable studies?

the fair way in an experiment (ex. random selection)

what is an experimental group?

the group that receives the treatment

true or false. correlation does not imply causation

true

what is an independent variable?

variable that is manipulated

what is a dependent variable?

variable that is measured

what is an operational definition?

which group successfully did the experiment

Dr. Yang is conducting a study in which the researcher instructs participants to act cruelly or dishonestly toward another study participant. She hopes that the study will help her to understand better how different factors affect whether people obey a person who has authority. To meet ethical guidelines, what must Dr. Yang include in this study?

A debriefing session to explain the study purpose to the participants

Dr. Felder is studying whether the color of a drink impacts how a person experiences the taste of the drink. She has an orange-flavored liquid that she dyes either orange, purple, or blue, and gives it to participants to drink. She then asks them to describe the taste. Which of the following would best help her evaluate the impact of vision on taste?

Create an additional control condition in which participants wear blindfolds while they taste the drink.

what is a median

Middle number