psych multiple choice chapter 2

A correlation coefficient is a measure of the a. direction and strength of the relationship between two variables. b. average squared deviation of scores from a sample mean. c. difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. d. statistical significance of a difference between two sample means. e. frequency of scores at each level of some measure.

a

A specification of how a researcher measures a research variable is known as a(n) a. operational definition. b. standard deviation. c. observation. d. control condition. e. replication.

a

Both the researchers and the participants in a memory study are ignorant about which participants have actually received a potentially memory-enhancing drug and which have received a placebo. This investigation involves the use of a. the double-blind procedure. b. naturalistic observation. c. random sampling. d. replication. e. the hindsight bias.

a

If college graduates typically earn more money than high school graduates, this would indicate that level of education and income are a. positively correlated. b. negatively correlated. c. dependent variables. d. causally related. e. independent variables.

a

In a distribution of test scores, which measure of central tendency would likely be the most affected by a couple of extremely high scores? a. mean b. median c. range d. mode e. standard deviation

a

In an experiment, researchers manipulate one factor to see its effect on another factor, called the a. dependent variable. b. confounding variable. c. placebo effect. d. operational definition. e. control group.

a

The arithmetic average of a distribution of scores is the a. mean. b. standard deviation. c. range. d. mode. e. median.

a

The explanatory power of a scientific theory is most closely linked to its capacity to generate testable a. predictions. b. variables. c. hypotheses. d. assumptions. e. correlations.

a

The most foolproof way of testing the true effectiveness of a newly introduced method of psychological therapy is by means of a. experimental research. b. case study research. c. survey research. d. correlational research. e. naturalistic observation.

a

To accurately infer cause and effect, experimenters should use a. random assignment.This answer is correct. b. standard deviations. c. scatterplots. d. naturalistic observation. e. correlation coefficients.

a

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her college, Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the college registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students. Ariana employed the technique of a. random sampling. b. replication. c. naturalistic observation. d. correlation. e. random assignment.

a

What technique do researchers use to reduce the impact of confounding variables? a. random assignment b. scatterplots c. naturalistic observation d. hindsight bias e. measures of central tendency

a

Which of the following is the best definition of illusory correlation? a. a perceived but nonexistent correlation b. any independent variable that does not truly cause a dependent variable c. a scatterplot indicating the likelihood that a variable will or will not change d. a statistical relationship between two variables e. a predication about the relationship between two variables

a

Examining correlational evidence to determine what further research would be needed to establish a causal relationship is an example of ________ thinking? a. hindsight b. critical c. naturalistic d. experimental e. correlational

b

If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that a. weight is a causal variable dependent on reading ability. b. better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children. c. body weight has no causal influence on the reading abilities of children. d. there is very little statistical relationship between weight and reading ability among children. e. low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children.

b

In a test of the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving skills, research participants are allowed to sleep either 4 or 8 hours on each of three consecutive nights. This research is an example of a. a correlational study. b. an experiment. c. naturalistic observation. d. survey research. e. a case study.

b

In the hypothesis "Students who study a list of terms in the morning, just after waking up, will recall more terms than students who study the list just before falling asleep," what is the dependent variable? a. list of terms b. number of terms remembered c. time of day d. students e. memorization

b

The King James Version of the Bible was completed when William Shakespeare was 46 years old. In Psalm 46 of this translation, the forty-sixth word is "shake," and the forty-sixth word from the end is "spear." Before concluding that the biblical translators were trying to be humorous with these specific word placements, you would be best advised to recognize the danger of a. assuming that most people share your opinions. b. perceiving order in coincidental events. c. generalizing from extreme examples. d. considering these facts as statistically significant. e. randomly sampling biblical passages.

b

The belief that weather conditions signal the onset of arthritis pain best illustrates a. operational definition. b. an illusory correlation. c. the hindsight bias. d. overconfidence. e. random sampling.

b

Variation is to central tendency as ________ is to ________. a. median; mean b. range; median c. scatterplot; bar graph d. correlation; scatterplot e. mode; mean

b

Which of the following statements is most correct about the relationship between correlation and causation? a. if one variable is strongly negatively correlated with another variable, the relationship is not causal. b. Correlation indicates the possibility of a causal relationship, but it does not prove causation. c. If one variable is strongly positively correlated with another variable, the relationship is causal. d. Both correlations and causations need to be proven with experimental data. e. Correlations are statistical relationships, causations are logical relationships.

b

A hypothesis is a(n) a. unprovable assumption about the unobservable processes that underlie psychological functioning. b. observable relationship between specific independent and dependent variables. c. testable prediction that gives direction to research. d. statement of procedures used to define research variables. e. set of principles that organizes observations and explains newly discovered facts.

c

A questioning attitude regarding psychologists' assumptions and hidden values best illustrates a. the hindsight bias. b. hypotheses. c. critical thinking. d. illusory correlation. e. overconfidence.

c

Because she had a serious traffic accident on Friday the 13th of last month, Felicia is convinced that all Friday the 13ths will bring bad luck. Felicia's belief best illustrates a. the illusion of control. b. the hindsight bias. c. illusory correlation. d. overconfidence. e. random sampling.

c

Formulating testable hypotheses before conducting research is most directly useful for restraining a thinking error known as a. illusory correlation. b. overconfidence. c. the hindsight bias. d. random sampling. e. random assignment.

c

Hypotheses are best described as a. explanations. b. replications. c. predictions. d. assumptions. e. confirmations.

c

If scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) are normally distributed, with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, what percentage of scores will fall between 85 and 115? a. 95 b. 80 c. 68 d. 47 e. 34

c

If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that a. there is very little statistical relationship between weight and reading ability among children. b. weight is a causal variable dependent on reading ability. c. better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children. d. low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children. e. body weight has no causal influence on the reading abilities of children

c

In a group of five individuals, two report annual incomes of $10,000, and the other three report incomes of $14,000, $15,000, and $31,000, respectively. The mode of this group's distribution of annual incomes is a. $80,000. b. $31,000. c. $10,000. d. $16,000. e. $15,000.

c

In a study of the effects of alcohol consumption, some participants drank a nonalcoholic beverage that actually smelled and tasted like alcohol. This nonalcoholic drink was a a. replication. b. random sample. c. placebo. d. dependent variable. e. double blind.

c

Redelmeier and Tversky (1996) followed 18 patients with arthritis for 18 months. Patients were asked to record their pain and joint tenderness, while researchers documented changes in the weather. Nearly all patients believed that their condition was associated with weather changes, when the actual correlation was near zero. These participants need to be reminded that a. the sample size may not have been representative of the population. b. the results may not be statistically significant. c. we are likely to recall instances that confirm our beliefs. d. the results of correlational studies are typically highly questionable. e. subtle changes in how questions are worded can have major effects on results.

c

The healing power of positive expectations is best illustrated by a. hindsight bias. b. replication. c. the placebo effect. d. illusory correlation. e. overconfidence.

c

The hindsight bias leads people to perceive research findings as a. invalid. b. inexplicable. c. unsurprising. d. unpredictable. e. unreplicable.

c

The relief of pain following the ingestion of an inert substance that is presumed to have medicinal benefits illustrates a. illusory correlation. b. the hindsight bias. c. the placebo effect. d. the double-blind effect. e. random assignment.

c

The scientific attitude of humility is most likely to be undermined by a. naturalistic observation. b. correlational evidence. c. the hindsight bias. d. operational definitions. e. random assignment.

c

To provide a baseline against which they can evaluate the effects of a specific treatment, experimenters make use of a(n) a. independent variable. b. dependent variable. c. control condition. d. experimental condition. e. random sample.

c

Which of the following correlations between self-esteem and body weight would enable you to most accurately predict body weight from knowledge of level of self-esteem? a. 0.00 b. +0.01 c. +0.60 d. -0.10 e. -0.06

c

A soft drink company recently invested in a new advertising campaign to increase sales. Which of the following would allow executives to best judge the results of their latest commercials? a. compute the median of sales for each of their product lines, then compare b. compute the range based on the highest monthly sales this year with the lowest sales of last year c. compare the mean sales of soft drinks with that of their major competitor d. compare the means of sales before and after the beginning of the new campaign to determine statistical significance e. compute the mode to determine which soft drinks have the highest sales

d

During the last Central High School basketball game, the starting five players scored 11, 7, 21, 14, and 7 points, respectively. For this distribution of scores, the range is a. 12. b. 21. c. 11. d. 14. e. 7.

d

Researchers are interested in studying the relationship between poor prenatal nutrition and early cognitive development. Because of ethical concerns, which research method would be most appropriate for researchers to use? a. naturalistic observation b. case study c. experimentation d. correlational e. survey

d

Slender women are considered especially beautiful in one country; in another country, stout women are seen as particularly attractive. In both countries, however, women perceived as very beautiful receive preferential treatment. This best illustrates that ________ often underlie cultural differences. a. genetic dissimilarities b. negative correlations c. unconscious preferences d. common psychological processes e. gender differences

d

To assess the effect of televised violence on aggression, researchers plan to expose one group of children to violent movie scenes and another group to nonviolent scenes. To reduce the chance that the children in one group have more aggressive personalities than those in the other group, the researchers should make use of a. the double-blind procedure. b. replication. c. naturalistic observations. d. random assignment. e. operational definitions.

d

Why is replication important to science? a. It allows you to obtain a representative sample of cases to study. b. Researchers can test the impact of belief on behavior. c. Minimizing preexisting differences between groups increases confidence in the findings. d. Repeated research with similar results increases confidence in the reliability of the original findings. e. The natural setting eliminates the artificial environment of a lab.

d

Why would the median, rather than the mean, be the appropriate measure of central tendency in determining housing values in a particular community? a. The median is best used to sort values into groups. b. The median allows you to examine the gap between the lowest and highest value. c. The median allows you to generalize from representative samples to the general population. d. The median is minimally affected by extreme scores. e. The median is useful for measuring how much values deviate from one another.

d

After noting that a majority of professional basketball players are African-American, Ervin concluded that African-Americans are better athletes than members of other racial groups. Ervin's conclusion best illustrates the danger of a. randomly assigning variables. b. hindsight bias. c. replication. d. the placebo effect. e. generalizing from vivid cases.

e

Critical thinkers can best be described as a. overconfident. b. impatient. c. cynical. d. pessimistic. e. questioning.

e

Critical thinkers can best be described as a. pessimistic. b. impatient. c. overconfident. d. cynical. e. questioning.

e

How would a researcher likely respond to the statement, "Science can't really prove anything, because lab experiments are so artificial and not like the real world"? a. "That's not true. Lab experiments are usually very realistic. " b. "Most experiments aren't done in the laboratory." c. "The goal of science is to establish hypotheses, not prove things." d. "When operational definitions are inadequate, laboratory experiments are the only choice. " e. "Laboratory experiments can establish general principles that generalize to other contexts."

e

Mr. and Mrs. Klostreich have six children aged 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, and 16. The mean age of the Klostreich children is a. mc030-1.jpg b. 6. c. 5. d. 7. e. 8.

e

Professor Ober carefully observes and records the behaviors of children in their classrooms in order to track the development of their social and intellectual skills. Professor Ober is most clearly engaged in a. replication. b. correlation. c. survey research. d. experimentation. e. naturalistic observation.

e

Professor Shalet contends that parents and children have similar levels of intelligence largely because they share common genes. His idea is best described as a(n) a. illusory correlation. b. hindsight bias. c. naturalistic observation. d. replication. e. theory.

e

Random sampling is to ________ as random assignment is to ________. a. replication; correlation b. illusory correlation; control group c. correlational studies; case studies d. description; prediction e. surveys; experiments

e

Replication involves a. rejecting ideas that cannot be scientifically tested. b. the selection of random samples. c. overestimating the extent to which others share our views. d. perceiving order in random events. e. repeating an earlier research study.

e

Six different high school students spent $10, $13, $2, $12, $13, and $4, respectively, on entertainment. The mode of this group's entertainment expenditures is a. $12. b. $9. c. $10. d. $11. e. $13.

e

The process of replication is most likely to be facilitated by a. the placebo effect. b. illusory correlation. c. overconfidence. d. the hindsight bias. e. operational definitions.

e

To accurately infer cause and effect, experimenters should use a. naturalistic observation. b. scatterplots. c. correlation coefficients. d. standard deviations. e. random assignment.

e

To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is related to their income levels, researchers would most likely make use of a. double-blind. b. experimentation. c. case studies. d. naturalistic observation. e. correlational research.

e

To examine assumptions, discern hidden values, evaluate evidence, and assess conclusions is to engage in a. creating operational definitions. b. generating hypotheses. c. naturalistic observation. d. experimentation. e. critical thinking.

e

To examine assumptions, discern hidden values, evaluate evidence, and assess conclusions is to engage in a. generating hypotheses. b. experimentation. c. creating operational definitions. d. naturalistic observation. e. critical thinking.

e

To graphically represent the correlation between two variables, researchers often construct a a. pie chart. b. skewed distribution. c. bar graph. d. standard deviation. e. scatterplot.

e

What is the primary limitation of the case study research method? a. The case study is not part of the scientific method. b. Correlational findings from case studies cannot be interpreted as causal. c. Random sampling must be used to ensure representative findings. d. It is not an empirical method. e. Individual cases can be misleading and result in false generalizations.

e

Which of the following researchers used the case study method, carefully observing one exceptional individual in depth to reach conclusions that might be true of all of us? a. Jane Goodall b. John b. Watson c. William James d. James Randi e. Jean Piaget

e

Which technique most clearly minimizes the likelihood that any outcome differences between the experimental and control conditions can be attributed to age or personality differences in research participants? a. the double-blind procedure b. statistical measurement c. replication d. operational definitions e. random assignment

e

Psychologists are scientists True False

t