PSYC

What percentage of sexually active teenagers in 2013 reported NOT using contraceptives?

13.7

Which of the following is most likely an example of illusory correlation?

A person is biased toward concluding there is a causal relationship between two events.

True or false: Basic research is considered more important than and superior to applied research.

F

True or false: In what he describes as an "evolved theory of science," Goldstein (2000) states that scientists will accept the findings and observations of other scientists unquestioningly.

F

True or false: An explanation of behavior that appears satisfactory will continue to be adequate even when other causes are identified in subsequent research.

False

True or false: If the occurrence of a behavior is accurately predicted, then the cause of the same behavior will be identified correctly.

False

A skilled consumer of research would ask which of the following questions about any research study? (Check all that apply.)

Have other researchers found similar results?, What was measured?, How do they know that one thing caused another?, To what or who can we generalize the results?

Identify an advantage of using the scientific approach over other ways of knowing about the world.

It is an open system that allows ideas to be refuted or supported by others.

In the context of the primary ways of knowing, identify an accurate statement about relying on intuition to make conclusions about human behavior.

It leads to an unquestioned acceptance of personal judgments or personal experiences.

Identify an accurate statement about the category of behavioral research called basic research.

It tries to answer fundamental questions about the nature of behavior.

According to the "evolved theory of science" described by Goldstein (2000), which of the following is a characteristic of scientific inquiry?

Observations made by scientists are accurately reported to other scientists and the public.

What are the primary implications of being able to predict behavior through scientific research? (Check all that apply.)

One can anticipate events, One can make better decisions.

______ is the use of seemingly scientific terms and demonstrations to substantiate claims that have no basis in scientific research.

Pseudoscience

Which of the following are characteristics of scientific inquiry, according to Goodstein's "evolved theory of science"? (Check all that apply.)

Science is adversarial, Scientific evidence is peer reviewed, Data play a central role, Scientists are not alone

Identify an accurate statement about the characteristics of scientific inquiry that are defined by an "evolved theory of science," as described by Goodstein (2000).

Science is adversarial.

True or false: It is important to learn research methods, because research findings influence political positions, legislation, and judicial decisions.

T

How is technology contributing to the decline in the teen birth rate?

Teens are spending less time interacting face-to-face and are researching more sexual health topics online.

In the context of the primary ways of knowing, identify a problem associated with accepting on faith the statements of any authority.

The statements may not be true.

Which of the following claims made in a research paper is pseudoscientific?

a claim by scientific experts based on their intuitions

According to Goodstein's "evolved theory of science," one characteristic of scientific inquiry is that science is adversarial. This means that science is ______.

a way of thinking in which ideas do battle with other ideas in order to move ever closer to truth

When determining the causes of behavior, nothing other than a causal variable could be responsible for the observed effect. According to Cook and Campbell (1979), this type of evidence is called elimination of _________ __________

alternative explanations

A research group studies the effect of performance incentives on the productivity of employees and suggests better performance-enhancing programs. In this scenario, the study best exemplifies ______.

applied research

In behavioral research, which of the following is conducted to address issues in which there are practical problems and potential solutions?

applied research

Identify the kinds of claims that are most likely to be evaluated as pseudoscientific. (Check all that apply.)

claims with evidence that is based on anecdotes and testimonials rather than scientific data, claims that rely on imprecise, biased, or vague language

Match the related concept to the question that a skilled consumer of research asks of any research study.

construct validity matches What was measured? internal validity matches To what or whom can we generalize the results? external validity matches How do they know that one thing caused another? accumulation of studies matches Have other researchers found similar results?

The data from a study on the effect of team sports on social relationships showed that people who play team sports have better social relationships. It also showed that people who did not play team sports had less successful social interactions. In the context of types of evidence described by Cook and Campbell (1979), the type of evidence used in this study is called ______.

covariation of cause and effect

When the cause is present, the effect occurs; when the cause is not present, the effect does not occur. According to Cook and Campbell (1979), this type of evidence used to identify the cause of a behavior is called ______.

covariation of cause and effect

In the context of the scientific approach, the role of ______ is central and fundamental when scientists search for observations that will verify or reject their ideas about the world.

data

A researcher studying food habits among adolescents makes notes about the kinds of food the sample group eats, which brands they buy, what their preferences are, etc. This fulfills the first goal of science, which is to ______.

describe behavior

In scientific research, a scientist begins with careful observation because the first goal of science is to ______.

describe behavior

The first goal of scientific research on behavior is to ______.

describe behavior

To know how to change behavior, one needs to ______.

determine the causes of the behavior

Which of the following steps is NOT included in the scientific method?

discover

According to scientific skepticism, scientists ______.

do not accept on faith the pronouncements of anyone

The idea that knowledge comes from observations is referred to as ______.

empiricism

A background in research methods will help people do which of the following? (Check all that apply.)

evaluate research reports, assess the effectiveness of programs designed to achieve certain goals, satisfy native curiosity, help evaluate public policy decisions

A final goal of behavioral science is to ______.

explain the events described in a study

The concept of ______ indicates that good scientific ideas are testable and can be supported or falsified by data.

falsifiability

In the scientific method, a prediction or ________ is developed.

hypothesis

A cognitive bias that occurs when one is predisposed to conclude there is a causal relationship between two events that stand out and occur together is called ______.

illusory correlation

In the context of behavioral research, it is accurate to say that it is concerned with ______.

immediate practical implications

Which type of contraceptive is the most effective for protecting against pregnancy?

intrauterine device (IUD)

Determining cause and explaining behavior are particularly closely related because ______.

it is difficult to know the true cause or all the causes of any behavior

In the context of the primary ways of knowing, a problem with intuition is that ______.

numerous cognitive and motivational biases affect our perceptions

In the context of the characteristics of scientific inquiry, for scientists, knowledge is primarily based on ______.

observations

Suppose we have noticed that some rats seem to couple more often than others. This would correspond to which step in the scientific method?

observe

In the context of basic and applied research, progress in science is dependent ______.

on an interconnection between the two

In the context of the primary ways of knowing, the scientific approach rejects the notion that ______.

one can accept on faith the statements of any authority

Many people in society, including legislators who control the budgets of research-granting agencies of the government, have demanded that all research be directly relevant to specific social issues. The problem with this attitude toward research is that ______.

one can never predict the ultimate applications of basic research

After a researcher has written a report, other scientists review it before it is published in a top-quality scientific journal. This process is known as _______ review.

peer

A major area of applied research that assesses the social reforms and innovations that occur in government, education, the criminal justice system, industry, health care, and mental health institutions is called ______.

program evaluation

An advantage of the scientific approach over other ways of knowing about the world is that it ______.

provides an objective set of rules for gathering, evaluating, and reporting information

A pharmaceutical company claims that substantial scientific research has proven that its product guarantees a permanent cure for obesity. However, researchers find that the company's claim has no valid basis in scientific research. In this scenario, which of the following is most likely used by the company to substantiate its claims?

pseudoscience

The role of scientists who review a scientific study or research in a peer review is to ______.

recommend whether the research should be published

In behavioral science, it is possible to make predictions when it is observed with some regularity that two events are ______.

related to one another

Supporting basic research is necessary because ______.

research with no apparent practical value can turn out to be very useful

Scientific ___________ , refers to an approach in which ideas must be evaluated on the basis of careful logic and the results from scientific investigations.

skepticism

If a scientific idea is falsified by data when it is tested, science is thereby advanced because this result will ______.

spur the development of new and better ideas

A research study found that the cause of aggressiveness in teenagers was excessive viewing of violent content on television. During this study, the researchers found that aggressive behavior was observed whenever violent content was viewed by young people. In the context of determining the causes of behavior, this scenario best exemplifies ______.

temporal precedence

In the context of determining the causes of behavior, a temporal order of events in which the cause precedes the effect is known as________ _______

temporal precedence

What if we decide to give only some female rats and not others caffeine, and then we watch to see if those given caffeine couple more often than those not given caffeine. This would correspond to which step in the scientific method?

test

Goodstein's "evolved theory of science" describes ______.

the characteristics of scientific inquiry

An accurate statement about empiricism is that it is ______.

the fundamental characteristic of scientific methods

Identify the general goals of scientific research on behavior. (Check all that apply.)

to predict behavior, to describe behavior, to understand or explain behavior, to determine the causes of behavior

In an influential paper on "reforms as experiments," Campbell (1969) argued persuasively that social scientists should evaluate each social program—an experiment designed to achieve certain outcomes—to determine ______.

whether its is having its intended effect.

When explaining a behavior in a research study, a scientist seeks to understand ______.

why the behavior occurs