Midterm - Research Methods
A researcher is intrigued by an explanation of children's problem-solving strategies found in a journal article and develops a research study to determine whether the article's ideas are cor- rect. How would this study be classified? a. Basic research b. Applied research
A
Which of the following is a brief summary of a psychology article? a. Abstract b. Synopsis c. Key word d. Author name
A
3.1 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
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 size 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
2.1 1. While shopping, you observe the behavior of adolescents at the mall and get some ideas about what may be causing the behavior. This is an example of getting research ideas from a. theory. b. casual observation. c. systematic observation. d. secondhand information.
b
2.3 1. What is typically included in the introduction section of a research article? a. It provides interpretation of the findings. b. It describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research. c. It includes the results of statistical analyses.
b
Which of the following describes participants taking on the negativistic subject role? a. They are concerned that their performance in the study will be used to evaluate them. b. They try to act so that their data are in contrast to the hypothesis. c. They try to act so that their data are consistent with the hypothesis. d. They try to avoid acting on the basis of their suspicions.
b
Which principle of the Belmont Report corresponds to the guideline of "No Harm"? a. Respect b. Beneficence c. Justice d. None of the Belmont principles corresponds to "No Harm."
b
1.2 1. Which of the following is the best description of the scientific method? a. A circular process that leads to a final answer b. A linear process that moves directly to a final answer c. A circular process that leads to a tentative answer d. A linear process that leads to a tentative answer
c
3.2-2 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 the test avoided eye contact. Assuming that more eye contact is associated with higher self-esteem, what kind of validity is being demonstrated? a. face b. concurrent c. predictive d. convergent
c
4.2 What kind of research was the focus for most of the early attempts to establish ethical research guidelines? a. Psychological research with animal subjects b. Psychological research with humans c. Medical research with humans d. Medical research with animals
c
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
Which of the following was not mentioned as a safeguard against fraud? a. Careful review by the IRB b. Potential replication of the research c. Peer review of the research report d. The consequences of being found guilty of fraud
a
Why is an artifact like experimenter bias a threat to the validity of measurement? a. The measurements may be distorted by the artifact. b. Different measurements may be obtained under the same conditions if the artifact were not present. c. The artifact may provide an alternative explanation for the results. d. None of the other options accurately describes the threat.
a
Last year Tim 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
Which of the following is a responsibility for the IRB but is not mentioned in the responsibilities for the IACUC? a. Review of research proposals b. Minimizing risk of harm to those participating in research c. Insuring informed consent d. Insuring that researchers are qualified
c
1.1 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
3.4 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
4.3 The guidelines for nonhuman subjects in research are similar to the guidelines for human participants but also include extra provisions concerning what additional topic(s)? a. Housing b. Medical care c. Daily maintenance d. All of the above
d
What questions should you ask when reading an introduction to a research article? a. Is the literature review up-to-date? b. Is the hypothesis related to the literature reviewed? c. Does the prediction logically follow the hypothesis? d. All of the above.
d
3.5 Why is the range effect known as a "ceiling effect" a problem for researchers? a. The scores are already so high that there is no chance of measuring improvement. b. The scores are already so low that there is no chance of measuring a decrease. c. There is so much room for improvement that the measurements are almost certain to increase. d. There is so much room for lower performance that the measurements are almost certain to
a
5.1 Dr. Near conducts an experiment on memory for individuals who are above the age of 65. Although there are millions of people above the age of 65, she selects a group of 25 to participate in the experiment. What name is given to the group of 25? a. A sample b. An accessible sample c. A population d. A subgroup
a
A researcher would like to select a sample of 50 people so that five different age groups are equally represented in the sample. Assuming that the researcher does not know the entire list of people in the population, which sampling technique should be used? a. Quota sampling b. Stratified random sampling c. Proportionate stratified random sampling d. Cluster sampling
a
A restaurant chef tried replacing rice with pasta in one of her recipes to see what would hap- pen. Which method of acquiring knowledge is she using? a. Method of empiricism b. Rational method c. Method of authority d. Scientific method
a
The first step in the research process is a. identifying a topic area and searching the literature to find a research question. b. forming a hypothesis. c. deciding which individuals should participate in the study. d. selecting a research strategy.
a
Using an anonymous questionnaire to determine how many times students send or receive text messages during class is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. Self-report b. Survey c. Behavioral d. Physiological
a
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
What name is given to the group of individuals from which researchers actually select participants for research studies? a. The accessible population b. The target population c. The representative population d. The real population
a
Which of the following accurately describes the relationship between validity and reliability? a. Measurement cannot be valid unless it is reliable. b. Measurement cannot be reliable unless it is valid. c. If a measurement is reliable, then it also must be valid. d. None of the above is an accurate description.
a
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
3.3 1. An elementary school teacher separates students into high, medium, and low reading skill groups. What scale of measurement is being used to create the groups? a. Nominal b. Ordinal c. Interval d. Ratio
b
5.3 Which of the following sampling techniques is most likely to result in a biased sample? a. Simple random sampling b. Convenience sampling c. Proportionate stratified random sampling d. Systematic sampling
b
A researcher would like to describe and compare the attitudes of four different ethnic groups of students at a local state college. What kind of sampling would be best to obtain participants for the study? a. Simple random sampling b. Stratified random sampling c. Proportionate stratified random sampling d. Systematic sampling
b
How would research studies that are intended to answer practical problems be classified? a. Basic research b. Applied research c. Systematic research d. Necessary research
b
If each person in a large group has an equal chance of being included in an experiment, then 5.2 what kind of sampling is being used? a. Systematic sampling b. Random sampling c. Convenience sampling d. Cluster sampling
b
2. Which method of knowing is used when you find the address and phone number of a restaurant by googling the name of the restaurant? a. Method of empiricism b. Rational method c. Method of authority d. Scientific method
c
2.4 For which of the following questions would the scientific method be an appropriate method for seeking an answer. a. How many angels can stand on the head of a pin? b. Is abortion moral or immoral? c. What conditions promote student learning in an elementary classroom?
c
3.1 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 other options describe the purpose of an operational definition
c
3.2-1. Research results indicate that the more time individuals spend watching educational television programs as preschool children, the higher their high school grades will be. What kind of rela- tionship exists between educational TV and high school grades? a. Cause-and-effect b. Coincidental c. Positive d. Negative
c
A hypothesis is a __________ statement and a prediction is a __________ statement. a. specific; general b. specific; specific c. general; specific d. general; general
c
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.
c
A teacher obtains a sample of children from a fifth-grade classroom by randomly selecting the third, fifth, and eighth rows and taking all the students in those rows. What kind of sampling is being used? a. Simple random sampling b. Systematic sampling c. Cluster sampling d. Stratified sampling
c
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
If a researcher explains what will happen in a research study using language that potential participants probably cannot understand, then what ethical guideline is being violated? a. Confidentiality b. Preventing harm c. Informed consent d. Anonymity
c
What additional information is obtained by measuring on an interval scale compared to an ordi- nal 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
What is meant by saying that "science is objective"? a. Scientific answers are based on direct observation. b. Scientific 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
1.2-5 Which of 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
1.3 1. 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
2.2 Which of the following would be a 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
3.1 -3 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 part of the construct. d. All of the other options are disadvantages.
d
5.3 A researcher recruits a sample of 25 preschool children for a research study by posting an announcement in a local daycare center describing the study and offering a $10 payment for participation. What kind of sampling is the researcher using? a. Cluster sampling b. Quota sampling c. Simple random sampling d. Convenience sampling
d
For situations in which the researcher cannot know the complete list of potential participants, what kind of sampling is necessary? a. Target sampling b. Nontarget sampling c. Probability sampling d. Nonprobability sampling
d
What is typically included in the method section of a research article? a. It provides interpretation of the findings. b. It describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research. c. It includes the results of statistical analyses. d. It provides the details of the methodology used in the study.
d
Which of the following is a responsibility of the IRB? a. They decide whether the process for selecting participants is fair and equitable. b. They decide whether it is necessary to have a signed informed consent form for each participant. c. They decide whether the privacy and confidentially of participants is protected. d. All of the above.
d
Which of the following is an example of plagiarism? a. Copying someone else's words without giving them credit b. Paraphrasing someone else's words without giving them credit c. Using someone else's ideas without giving them credit d. All of the above are examples of plagiarism
d
