Research Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a brief summary of a psychology article? a. abstract b. synopsis c. key word d. author name

a. abstract

What term is used for a variable that cannot be observed or measured directly but is useful for describing and explaining behavior? a. construct b. operational variable c. theoretical variable d. hypothetical variable

a. construct

During a study using behavioral research strategy, it is common to have two observers record behavior simultaneously. What is the purpose of this procedure? a. it is used to ensure objectivity of the measurements b. It's used to convert observations in numerical scores c. it provides an operational definition for the variables being measured d. it helps ensure that the behaviors are not influenced by the presence of an observer

a. it is used to ensure objectivity of the measurements

An elementary school teacher seperates students in high, medium, and low reading skill groups. What scale of measurement is being used? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio

b. ordinal

Which technique would probably be used by a researcher who wanted to observe behaviors in a private social club? a. naturalistic observation b. participant observation c. contrived observation d. unstructured observation

b. participant observation

What is an advantage to administering a survey over the internet? a. 100% response rate b. survey can be individualized based on response c. risk of interview bias d. none of the above

b. survey can be individualized based on response

For which of following questions would the scientific method be an appropriate method for seeking an answer. a. How many angels stand on the head of a pin? b. Is abortion immortal? c. What conditions promote student learning in an elementary school? d. How would life be different if the computer had never been invented?

c. What conditions promote student learning in an elementary school?

A hypothesis is a _______ statement and a prediction is a ______ statement. a. specific; general b. specific; specific c. general; specific d. general; general

c. general; specific

Which method of knowing is used when you find the address and phone number of a resturaunt by googling the name of the resturaunt? a. method of empiricism b. rational method c. method of authority d. scientific method

c. method of authority

What is meant by saying that "science is objective"? a. scientific answers are based on direct observation b. scientifc answers are based on logical reasoning c. scientific answers are obtained without influence by the researcher's biases or beliefs d. scientific answers are made available for evaluation by others

c. scientific answers are obtained without influence by the researcher's biases or beliefs

Which method of knowing is being used by a student who believes that his performance on tests is influenced by wearing a lucky hat? a. the method of empiricism b. the method of faith c. the method of tenacity d. the method of authority

c. the method of tenacity

What additional information is obtained by measuring on an interval scale compared to an ordinal scale? a. whether the measurements are the same or different b. the direction of the differences c. the size of the differences d. none of the above

c. the size of the differences

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using an operational definition? a. the operational definition may not be an accurate reflection of the construct b. the operational definition may leave out important components of the construct c. the operational definition may include extra components that are not a part of the construct d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Using a PET scan to measure brain activity while participants solve mathematics problems is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. self-report b. survey c. behavioral d. physiological

d. physiological

After measuring a set of individuals, a researcher finds that Bob's score is three times greater than Jane's score. What scale of measurement is being used? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio

d. ration

What kind of reasoning uses a few specific observations to produce a general hypothesis? a. inductive reasoning b. deductive reasoning c. scientific reasoning d. predictive reasoning

a. inductive reasoning

A restaurant chef tried replacing rice with pasta in one of her recipes to see what would happen. Which method of acquiring knowledge is she using? a. method of empiricism b. rational method c. method of authority d. scientific method

a. method of empiricism

Which of the following is usually the initial factor for determining whether a specific article is relevant to your research question? a. title b. abstract c. discussion section d. results section

a. title

Last year and his friend Jack were both too short to ride the roller coaster. Jack went to the park this year and was tall enough to ride. Tim knows that he is taller than Jack, so he knows that he will be able to ride the roller coaster as well. Which method of knowing is Tim using? a. method of empiricism b. rational method c. method of authority d. scientific method

b. rational method

The multipul-choice questions in an exam are examples of what type of survey questions? a. open-ended b. restricted c. rating-scale d. physiological

b. restricted

Research results indicate that more time individuals spend watching educational television programs as preschool children, the higher their high school grades will be. What kind of relationship exsists between educational TV and high school grades? a. cause-and-effect b. coincidental c. positive d. negative

c. positive

Which of the following accurately describes the relationship between validity and reliability? a. Measurement cannot be valid unless its reliable b. Measurement cannot be reliable unless its valid c. if a measurement is reliable, then it also must be valid d. none of the above

a. measurement cannot be valid unless it is reliable

Which of the following is *not* a good example of a research hypothesis? a. there is no relationship between fatigue and reaction time b increased sugar consumption leads to an increased level of activity c. smaller class sizes is related to better academic performance d. a person's level of self-esteem is related to how long he or she will persist at a difficult task

a. there is no relationship between fatigue and reaction time

In an observational study of children diagnosed with autism spectrum, you record how much time the child spends playing alone during a 30 minute observation period. Which method of quanitifying behavior is used? a. frequency b. duration c. interval d. individual

b. duration

Although the surveys can be used with a variety of different research strategies, which of the following is the defining characteristics of the survey research design? a. the research is conducts in field settings rather than a lab b. the intent is simply to describe the behaviors c. the intent is to demonstrate a relationship between behavior and other variables d. the intent is to explain the cause of the behaviors being surveyed

b. the intent is simply to describe the behaviors

Which of the following is the best description of the scientific method? a. a circular process that leads to a final answer b. a liner process that leads to tentative answer c. a circular process that leads to a tentative answer d. a linear process that leads to a tenative answer

c. a circular process that leads to a tentative answer

Counting the number of times a third-grade student leaves his or her seat without permission during a 30 minute observation period is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. self-report b. survey c. behavioral d. physiological

c. behavioral

When researchers use behavioral observation techniques to measure behaviors in movies, what is the measurement process called? a. behavioral observation b. event sampling c. content analysis d. archival research

c. content analysis

A research study reports that participants who scored high on a new test measuring self-esteem made eye contact during an interview, whereas participants who scored low on a test avoided eye contact. Assuming that more eye contact is associated with high self-esteem, what kind of validity is being demonstrated? a. face b. concurrent c. predictive d. convergent

c. predicitive

A researcher conducts a study in which 50 college students are assigned to different treatments and tested. In the study, the students are called a. research associates b. research cohorts c. research participants d. research subjects

c. research participants

What is the goal of an operational definition? a. simply to provide a definition of a hypothetical construct b. simply to provide a method for measuring a hypothetical construct c. to provide a definition and a method for measuring a hypothetical construct d. none of the above

c. to provide a definition and a method for measuring a hypothetical construct

Which of the following is typical of quantitative research? a. it involves measuring variables for each individual b. it usually involves numerical scores c. it uses statistical analysis to summarize and interpret results d. all of the above

d. all of the above

Which is the following is a distinction between science and pseudoscience? a. pseudoscience tends to dismiss or refuse to accept negative results b. pseudoscience tends to rely on testimonials and selected results c. pseudoscience tends to treat criticism as a personal attack d. all of the other options are differences between science and pseudoscience

d. all of the other options are differences between science and pseudoscience

Which of the following would be in danger of relying upon a primary source? a. the author of the primary source may describe or interpret research results incorrectly b. primary sources typically do not contain the details of methodology that are required for critical evaluation c. the author may describe results incorrectly and the source does not contain details of methodology d. there is no danger because you can rely on primary sources for accurate information

d. there is no danger because you can rely on primary sources for accurate information