PY 205- Research Methods in Psychology - Final Study Guide Ch. 6-10
c. snowball
Beth is working on a research study focused on attention span in children. Among the participants, the group of 11-year-old boys is underrepresented. Beth asks her 11-year-old brother to distribute flyers about participation in the study to his male classmates and soccer team. Which type of sampling is this? Select one: a. random b. multistage c. snowball d. self-selected
b. mediator
When a third variable explains the relationship between two other variables, that kind of third variable is called a _____. Select one: a. predictor variable b. mediator c. moderator d. spurious correlation
b. when the sample size is small and the outlier is extreme on both variables
When is an outlier most likely to be problematic? Select one: a. when the sample size is large and the outlier is extreme on both variables b. when the sample size is small and the outlier is extreme on both variables c. when the sample size is small and the outlier is extreme on one of the variables d. when the sample size is large and the outlier is extreme on one of the variables
c. criterion variable
When using multiple regression, which is the term for the variable the researcher is most interested in explaining or predicting? Select one: a. moderator b. independent variable c. criterion variable d. predictor variable
d. smaller than
Which correctly completes the following sentence? A sample is always __________ a population. Select one: a. unrelated to b. the same size as c. larger than d. smaller than
d. a sample in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
Which kind of sample is best for external validity? Select one: a. a sample that includes members of the population who are motivated to volunteer b. a sample that includes as many members of the population as possible c. a sample that can be collected as quickly and conveniently as possible d. a sample in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
d. temporal precedence; internal validity
Which of the answer pairs correctly completes the following sentence: Although we cannot establish causation with correlational designs, longitudinal designs address concerns of _____ and multiple regression addresses concerns of ____? Select one: a. temporal precedence; covariance b. internal validity; covariance c. internal validity; temporal precedence d. temporal precedence; internal validity
b. responding to a controversial question on a survey by selecting the response right in the middle
Which of the following describes a "fence-sitting" response to a survey? Select one: a. responding to the questions on a survey by consistently selecting all the "yes" or "strongly agree" responses b. responding to a controversial question on a survey by selecting the response right in the middle c. responding to the questions on a survey by consistently selecting all the "no" or "strongly disagree" responses d. responding in a socially desirable way
d. use unobtrusive data
Which of the following is a method that researchers use to reduce reactivity in observational studies? Select one: a. Use multiple observers. b. Develop a clearer coding system. c. Use a masked or blind study design. d. Use unobtrusive data
b. use a masked or blind study design
Which of the following is a method to control for observer bias? Select one: a. Use unobtrusive observations. b. Use a masked or blind study design c. Wait for the participants to become used to the observer before collecting data. d. Measure the traces of behavior rather than using direct observation.
d. Use measures, such as the Implicit Association Test, to evaluate implicit, unconscious opinions.
Which of the following is a way to control for socially desirable responding? Select one: a. Prepare different versions of a survey, with questions in different sequences. b. Consider using a semantic differential question format. c. Remove the neutral option from the survey so a person must choose one side or the other d. Use measures, such as the Implicit Association Test, to evaluate implicit, unconscious opinions.
b. they involve two measured variables
Which of the following is an essential feature of studies that support association claims? Select one: a. They involve a correlation between 0 and 1. b. They involve two measured variables. c. They involve a correlation between one quantitative variable and one categorical variable. d. They involve a correlation between one measured variable and one manipulated variable.
b. convenience sampling
Which of the following is considered a nonprobability sampling method? Select one: a. stratified random sampling b. convenience sampling c. multistage sampling d. cluster sampling
b. systematic sampling
Which of the following is considered a representative sampling method? Select one: a. convenience sampling b. systematic sampling c. snowball sampling d. self-selected sampling
d. random sampling
Which of the following is most important for enhancing external validity? Select one: a. a large sample size b. using measures that are valid and reliable c. random assignment d. random sampling
b. a census
Which of the following is the term used when every member of a population is studied? Select one: a. oversampling b. a census c. a representative sample d. a biased sample
d. They can be time-consuming for researchers because the responses need to be coded.
Which of the following is true about open-ended questions? Select one: a. They are the most common format psychologists use to ask questions. b. They are more efficient than asking forced-choice questions. c. They completely lack construct validity. d. They can be time-consuming for researchers because the responses need to be coded.
b. Self-reports are valuable sources of information when researchers are interested in a person's internal experiences
Which of the following is true about self-reports? Select one: a. Self-reports are always biased by socially desirable responding. b. Self-reports are valuable sources of information when researchers are interested in a person's internal experiences. c. Self-reports are always less reliable and valid than observational data. d. Self-reports are superior to observational data because they aren't susceptible to observer bias.
a. Unlike r, beta reflects the independent contribution of the predictor variable, controlling for the contributions from the other predictor variables
Which of the following is true about the difference between beta and r? Select one: a. Unlike r, beta reflects the independent contribution of the predictor variable, controlling for the contributions from the other predictor variables b. Unlike r, the size of beta is not related to the magnitude of the effect. c. Unlike r, a beta of zero reflects a statistically significant relationship between the predictor variable and the criterion variable. d. Unlike r, beta cannot be negative.
c. controlled for
Which of the following phrases in a popular media article suggests that multiple regression was used? Select one: a. "depends on" b. "made a difference in" c. "controlled for" d. "is more likely than"
a. population
Which of the following refers to the entire set of people in which the researchers are interested? Select one: a. population b. biased sample c. quota sample d. representative sample
c. 1,000
Which sample size is often cited as the optimal balance between statistical accuracy and polling effort? Select one: a. 100 b. 2,000 c. 1,000 d. 500
d. a cluster sampling of 1,000 teenagers from around the United States
Which sample would be most likely to represent the population of American teenagers? Select one: a. a snowball sampling of 1,500 teenagers from around the United States b. a convenience sample of 1,200 U.S. teenagers c. a purposive sample of 1,250 U.S. teenagers d. a cluster sampling of 1,000 teenagers from around the United States
d. longitudinal
Which type of research design involves measuring the same variables, for the same people, across different points in time? Select one: a. cross-sectional b. multiple regression c. pattern and parsimony d. longitudinal
a. pattern and parsimony
Which type of study design is used when researchers investigate causality by using a variety of correlational studies that all point in a single, causal direction? Select one: a. pattern and parsimony b. longitudinal study c. cross-lag design d. multiple-regression design
b. internal validity
Which type of validity is important to interrogate for causal claims, but not association claims? Select one: a. construct validity b. internal validity c. statistical validity d. external validity
c. moderator
When a relationship between two variables depends on the level of a third variable, that kind of a third variable is called a _____. Select one: a. mediator b. predictor variable c. moderator d. spurious correlation
c. stratified random sampling
A college administrator knows that 70% of the students at her college are from out of state, so she decides to make sure that she includes 70 out-of-state students and 30 in-state students in her survey about admission practices at the college. She has a list of all the out-of-state and in-state students currently enrolled at the college. She randomly selects 70 students from the out-of-state list and 30 students from the in-state list. Which sampling method is she using? Select one: a. multistage sampling b. cluster sampling c. stratified random sampling d. quota sampling
a. there may be some other third variable
A multiple-regression analysis is run to examine third variables as a follow-up to the study indicating that boys with unusual names are more likely to commit crimes. Unusual names, ethnic backgrounds, and geographical regions are all included as predictor variables. Even after controlling for all these variables, unusual names still predict criminal activity. Which of the following explains why this study doesn't establish causation? Select one: a. There may be some other third variable. b. The beta values are not shown, so there isn't enough information to establish covariance. c. No significant cross-lag correlations were found. d. Temporal precedence isn't established between the variables.
c. all registered voters in Texas
A political research center obtains a list of phone numbers for all registered voters in Texas and uses a random number generator to select 1,000 of the phone numbers to call. They ask each voter which candidate for governor they plan to vote for in the upcoming election. To which population of interest does the research center want to generalize? Select one: a. all Texans b. all the people likely to vote for the Republican candidate for governor c. all registered voters in Texas d. all Americans
d. simple random sampling
A political research center obtains a list of phone numbers for all registered voters in Texas and uses a random number generator to select 1,000 of the phone numbers to call. They ask each voter which candidate for governor they plan to vote for in the upcoming election. Which sampling method is being used? Select one: a. systematic sampling b. multistage sampling c. stratified random sampling d. simple random sampling
a. They will tell you why they think they made that choice, but they may not accurately identify the true reason for their choice.
According to research by Nisbett and Wilson (1977), which of the following is true of people when they are asked why they made a certain choice? Select one: a. They will tell you why they think they made that choice, but they may not accurately identify the true reason for their choice. b. They will refuse to tell you why they made a certain choice because they don't know. c. They will purposefully lie about why they made that choice to seem more socially desirable. d. They can accurately describe why they made that choice.
d. moderator
Dr. Aarons does a study that finds having a cognitively demanding job is associated with cognitive benefits in later years, but only among men, not among women. In her findings, in the relationship between having a cognitively demanding job and cognitive benefits later in life, sex plays which of the following roles? Select one: a. criterion variable b. confounding third variable c. mediator d. moderator
c. purposive sampling
Dr. Jennings is doing a study on the experience of being a racial minority on a college campus. He goes to the Asian Student Association, Black Student Union, and Hispanic Student Group on his campus to recruit participants for his study. Dr. Jennings only includes Asians, African Americans, and Hispanic participants in his study. Which type of sampling is Dr. Jennings using? Select one: a. quota sampling b. systematic sampling c. purposive sampling d. cluster sampling
c. quota sampling
Dr. Lawrence is the director of Counseling Services at her university. She is planning to conduct a survey of 100 students at the university to see how aware they are of the counseling services offered at the university. She wants the proportion of men and women in her sample to reflect the proportion in the university as a whole (55% women and 45% men). Dr. Lawrence plans to stand in the Student Union and ask people to participate until she has given the survey to 55 women and 45 men. Which type of sampling method is Dr. Lawrence going to use? Select one: a. cluster sampling b. multistage sampling c. quota sampling d. stratified random sampling
a. No, because the participants are selected nonrandomly
Dr. Lawrence is the director of Counseling Services at her university. She is planning to conduct a survey of 100 students at the university to see how aware they are of the counseling services that are offered at the university. She wants the proportion of men and women in her sample to reflect the proportion in the university as a whole (55% women and 45% men). Dr. Lawrence plans to stand in the Student Union and ask people to participate until she has given the survey to 55 women and 45 men. Is Dr. Lawrence collecting a representative sample? Select one: a. No, because the participants are selected nonrandomly. b. No, because 100 people are not enough for a representative sample. c. Yes, because the sample includes a representative proportion of men and women. d. Yes, because all the students in her sample match the population of interest.
a. No, because external validity isn't the top priority for the type of claim he is making.
Dr. Rhodes is interested in how differing levels of light affect how people perceive color. He finds participants for this research study by making an announcement in several psychology classes at his university. Should Dr. Rhodes be concerned about using this sampling method for his research study? Select one: a. No, because external validity isn't the top priority for the type of claim he is making. b. Yes, because his sample will not be representative of all college students. c. Yes, because external validity is the top priority for the type of claim he is making. d. No, because his sample is representative of all college students.
c. convenience sampling
Dr. Rhodes is interested in how differing levels of light affect how people perceive color. He finds participants for this research study by making an announcement in several psychology classes at his university. Which kind of sampling method is Dr. Rhodes using? Select one: a. systematic sampling b. snowball sampling c. convenience sampling d. cluster sampling
c. confounding third variable
Dr. Russell did a study that found praise provided by supervisors is associated with higher levels of work productivity only because more-motivated employees are praised more often, and highly motivated people are more productive. In her findings, employee motivation is a ___________ in the relationship between praise from supervisors and work productivity. Select one: a. criterion variable b. mediator c. confounding third variable d. moderator
d. mediator
Dr. Samuels does a study that finds children with unusual names are more likely to have delinquency records as adolescents because they were teased more, and the teasing makes them act out. In the relationship between having an unusual name and adolescent delinquency, Dr. Samuels found that teasing plays which of the following roles? Select one: a. moderator b. confounding third variable c. criterion variable d. mediator
d. confounding third variable
Dr. Stevens did a study that found having a cognitively demanding job is associated with cognitive benefits in later years because people who are highly educated take cognitively demanding jobs, and people who are highly educated have better cognitive skills. In the relationship between having demanding job and cognitive benefits in later years, she found that the amount of education plays which of the following roles? Select one: a. criterion variable b. moderator c. mediator d. confounding third variable
b. there is a restriction-of-range problem
Dr. Stevens wants to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and depression. He selects as his research subjects a sample of American athletes who are currently training for the summer Olympic Games. Dr. Stevens finds no relationship between BMI and depression. Which of the following is one problem with his research design that could have kept him from finding a relationship between those variables? Select one: a. There is a third-variable problem. b. There is a restriction-of-range problem. c. There is a problem with outliers in his sample. d. There is a directionality problem.
b. a third-variable problem
Dr. Thompson researches gang-related crime in a large city. She notices more graffiti appears when there are more ice cream trucks in town. She does a study that measures the frequency of new graffiti being reported and ice cream truck sales for each week over a year. She finds a positive association between ice cream truck sales and graffiti and concludes the ice cream trucks are encouraging graffiti. Her colleague, Dr. Richardson, points out that both ice cream sales and graffiti might be influenced by rising temperatures during the summer. Which kind of problem has Dr. Richardson identified? Select one: a. a problem with outliers in the sample b. a third-variable problem c. a moderation problem d. a restriction-of-range problem
b. a moderator
If the relationship between two variables changes depending on the level of another variable c, which of the following is the term for this other variable, c? Select one: a. a third-variable problem b. a moderator c. a confound d. a mediator
c. variable A at time 1 is associated with variable B at time 2
In a study in which two variables are measured at two different time points, which of the following is an example of a cross-lag correlation? Select one: a. Variable B at time 1 is associated with variable B at time 2. b. Variable A at time 1 is associated with variable B at time 1. c. Variable A at time 1 is associated with variable B at time 2. d. Variable A at time 1 is associated with variable A at time 2.
d. observer effects
In a study, students received rats they believed to be genetically bred as "maze-bright" or "maze-dull" rats. For the next several days, students trained and recorded how long it took for their rats to complete a maze. Although the rats were genetically the same breed, the "maze-bright" rats showed improvement in their performance every day, whereas the "maze-dull" rats did not. This study is examining which of the following? Select one: a. socially desirable responding b. observer bias c. reactivity d. observer effects
c. sample size
In addition to effect size, you must also know which of the following to determine if a correlation is statistically significant? Select one: a. scale of the scatterplot b. direction of the association c. sample size d. external validity
c. foreign-language achievement
Onwuegbuzie et al. (1999) examined foreign-language anxiety as a predictor of foreign-language achievement. They performed a multiple-regression analysis and included other predictor variables, including academic achievement, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth. Which of the following is the criterion variable? Select one: a. foreign-language anxiety b. academic achievement c. foreign-language achievement d. perceived self-worth
c. Yes, because in those settings people can reasonably expect their behavior to be public, not private
Is it ethical for psychological researchers to observe people in a public place? Select one: a. No, because the researchers will have to individually identify the people they observe. b. Yes, because as long as it is for the sake of science, it is ethical to observe people in public or private places. c. Yes, because in those settings people can reasonably expect their behavior to be public, not private d. No, because informed consent cannot be obtained from those being observed
a. autocorrelations
Iva is studying whether students gain weight during their first year of college. She collects weights from all the incoming freshmen in the fall, then collects weights from them again at the end of the spring term. Which is the term for the correlation she finds when she compares the fall and spring weights of the students? Select one: a. autocorrelations b. nonlinear c. cross-lag d. cross-sectional
b. a problem with an outlier in the sample
Jenna is interested in the association between the height of professional basketball players and their free-throw shooting percentage. She looks at the correlation between NBA players and their free-throw percentage from last season and she finds a statistically significant negative association. Jenna's friend Elizabeth suggests Jenna should look at a scatterplot of the data. Jenna follows Elizabeth's advice and finds one of the players is much shorter than the rest of the players and that player has a much better free-throw shooting percentage. When Jenna removes this player from her analysis, she finds there is no longer a statistically significant relationship between height and free-throw shooting. Which kind of problem has Elizabeth helped Jenna identify? Select one: a. a third-variable problem b. a problem with an outlier in the sample c. a moderation problem d. a restriction-of-range problem
a. use more neutral language
Jenny recently learned of plans to cut down an old, beautiful tree on her campus to make way for a new bike path. Jenny is opposed to cutting down the tree, and she decides to survey some students at her university to see if others also oppose cutting down the tree. She plans to share the results of her survey with the school administration to argue to keep the tree. One question on Jenny's survey asks, "Would you be in favor of brutally cutting down this majestic tree to make way for a stupid bike path?" In which way could this question be changed to improve its construct validity? Select one: a. Use more neutral language. b. Split the question into two separate questions. c. Add another option such as "or would you favor leaving the poor tree alone." d. Change the wording so that it is positively worded
c. negatively worded
Jenny recently learned of plans to cut down an old, beautiful tree on her campus to make way for a new bike path. Jenny is opposed to cutting down the tree, so she decides to survey some students at her university to see if others also oppose cutting down the tree. She plans to share the results of her survey with the school administration to argue to keep the tree. One question on Jenny's survey asks, "Do you oppose not cutting down this tree?" A problem with this question is that it is which type of question? Select one: a. double-barreled b. leading c. negatively worded d. forced choice
a. leading
Jenny recently learned of plans to cut down an old, beautiful tree on her campus to make way for a new bike path. Jenny is opposed to cutting down the tree, so she decides to survey some students at her university to see if others also oppose cutting down the tree. She plans to share the results of her survey with the school administration to argue to keep the tree. One question on Jenny's survey asks, "Would you be in favor of brutally cutting down this majestic tree to make way for a stupid bike path?" This question is which one of the following types? Select one: a. leading b. forced choice c. negatively worded d. double-barreled
a. semantic differential
Joseph wants to find out what customers at his restaurant think about the food and the service. He creates a survey for diners to fill out at the end of their meal. It requests the diners do the following: 1) Please rate the food from 1 to 10, where 1 is yucky and 10 is delicious; 2) Please rate the service from 1 to 10 were 1 is unacceptable and 10 is outstanding. Which kind of question format is Joseph using? Select one: a. semantic differential b. forced choice c. open-ended d. Likert scale
d. She could include reverse-worded items
Judy writes a survey to assess how much people worry. Her survey has 20 questions to which people can rate their level of agreement on a seven-point Likert scale. All the questions are worded so that higher responses will indicate a higher level of worry. After having 100 people complete her survey, she finds many respondents often respond to all the questions by choosing only the "strongly agree" option. She improves the construct validity of her survey by doing which of the following? Select one: a. She could change the number of response options to remove the neutral option. b. She could include filler questions to mask the purpose of the survey. c. She could encourage people to be as honest as possible when filling out the survey. d. She could include reverse-worded items
c. acquiescence
Judy writes a survey to assess how much people worry. Her survey has 20 questions to which people can rate their level of agreement on a seven-point Likert scale. All the questions are worded so that higher responses will indicate a higher level of worry. After having 100 people complete her survey, she finds many respondents often respond to all the questions by choosing only the "strongly agree" option. This kind of responding is called which of the following? Select one: a. ambivalence b. faking good c. acquiescence d. fence sitting
a. the amount of time spent with friends is a third-variable problem
June is interested in looking at whether social media use predicts feelings of loneliness and found there was a positive relationship between the two variables. However, she finds that after controlling for the amount of time a person spends with friends per week, social media use was no longer associated with feelings of loneliness. Which of the following is the correct interpretation of this finding? Select one: a. The amount of time spent with friends is a third-variable problem. b. The amount of time spent with friends is not associated with social media use. c. The beta for amount of time spent with friends is significant. d. The amount of time spent with friends predicts social media use
d. Hours of sleep and well-being are positively associated because, overall, teenagers report sleeping more and having greater well-being than young adults.
Michelle found a positive association between hours of sleeping and well-being. She looked to see whether this association was the same for teenagers (ages 16-19) and young adults (ages 20-24). Which of the following would most likely suggest this association between hours of sleep and well-being is a spurious association? Select one: a. Hours of sleep and well-being are positively associated for teenagers but have a zero association for young adults. b. The association between hours of sleep and well-being is stronger for teenagers than young adults. c. The association between hours of sleep and well-being are both equally positively associated for teenagers and young adults. d. Hours of sleep and well-being are positively associated because, overall, teenagers report sleeping more and having greater well-being than young adults.
c. No, because internal validity was not established
Mischel (1972) studied delay of gratification in preschoolers: Children were offered a special reward if they could wait or a less attractive treat if they chose not to wait. A follow-up study was done years later, looking at the same children as adolescents. The researchers found an association between the waiting times of the preschoolers and parents' reports of the same children's behaviors as adolescents. Overall, a positive relationship between waiting time as a preschooler and self-control in adolescence emerged. Which correctly answers whether a causal relationship can be inferred? Select one: a. No, because temporal precedence was not established. b. No, because covariance was not established. c. No, because internal validity was not established. d. Yes, because covariance, temporal precedence, and internal validity were established.
c. strong
Mischel (1972) studied delay of gratification in preschoolers: Children were offered a special reward if they could wait or a less attractive treat if they chose not to wait. A follow-up study was done years later, looking at the same children as adolescents. The researchers found an association between the waiting times of the preschoolers and parents' reports of the same children's behaviors as adolescents. The parents' ratings of likelihood of yielding to temptation correlated with the preschool waiting time measurement at r = −.50. Which describes this effect size according to Cohen's benchmarks? Select one: a. zero b. moderate c. strong d. weak
b. How well was delay of gratification measured?
Mischel (1972) studied delay of gratification in preschoolers: Children were offered a special reward if they could wait or a less attractive treat if they chose not to wait. A follow-up study was done years later, looking at the same children as adolescents. The researchers found an association between the waiting times of the preschoolers and parents' reports of the same children's behaviors as adolescents. Which of the following is a question one could ask to assess the construct validity of this association? Select one: a. Is there a third variable that explains this relationship? b. How well was delay of gratification measured? c. Can the results be generalized to all American children? d. Were the results statistically significant?
c. Yes, because the transgender people in the final sample were sampled randomly from the population of transgender people in the organization
Mr. Stratford is the president of a national organization of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people in the United States. He wants to survey 1,000 members of his organization about the position they want the organization to take on several political issues. He knows that transgender people make up only 5% of his organization, but he wants to make sure their views are accurately represented. He decides to randomly sample 100 transgender members and then adjust the final results so transgender people are weighted to their actual proportion in the organization. Is Mr. Stratford collecting a representative sample? Select one: a. No, because the transgender people are over-represented in the final sample. b. Yes, because 1,000 people is enough to make a representative sample. c. Yes, because the transgender people in the final sample were sampled randomly from the population of transgender people in the organization d. No, because the sample is not representative of the entire population in general.
c. oversampling
Mr. Stratford is the president of a national organization of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people in the United States. He wants to survey 1,000 members of his organization about the position they want the organization to take on several political issues. He knows that transgender people make up only 5% of his organization, but he wants to make sure their views are accurately represented. He decides to randomly sample 100 transgender members and then adjust the final results so transgender people are weighted to their actual proportion in the organization. Which type of sampling is Mr. Stratford using? Select one: a. quota sampling b. cluster sampling c. oversampling d. snowball sampling
c. by ruling out third variables
Multiple-regression designs help address internal validity in which of the following ways? Select one: a. by introducing a control condition b. by eliminating selection threats c. by ruling out third variables d. by establishing temporal precedence
b. could outliers be affecting the relationship?
Nesta is making a scatterplot of the digit spans (how many numbers you can remember and repeat back) for his psychology class, with the memory for digits the students hear on one axis and the memory for digits the students read on the other. The association is strong, but he notices one student has a visual digit memory that is twice as long as anyone else. Which statistical validity question is he raising? Select one: a. Is there a restriction of range ? b. Could outliers be affecting the relationship? c. Is the relationship curvilinear? d. Is the correlation statistically significant?
a. More foreign-language anxiety is related to higher foreign-language achievement. b. Foreign-language anxiety has a greater effect than academic achievement does on foreign-language achievement
Onwuegbuzie et al. (1999) examined foreign-language anxiety as a predictor of foreign-language achievement. They performed a multiple-regression analysis and included other predictor variables, including academic achievement, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth. They found β = −.39 for foreign-language anxiety and .29 for academic achievement. Which of the following explains what this means? Select one: a. More foreign-language anxiety is related to higher foreign-language achievement. b. Foreign-language anxiety has a greater effect than academic achievement does on foreign-language achievement c. Academic achievement has a greater effect than foreign-language anxiety does on foreign-language achievement. d. Foreign-language anxiety is not related to foreign-language achievement.
a. People with lower levels of anxiety about learning a foreign language have higher levels of achievement in foreign language, even after controlling for the other variables.
Onwuegbuzie et al. (1999) examined foreign-language anxiety as a predictor of foreign-language achievement. They performed a multiple-regression analysis and included other predictor variables, including academic achievement, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth. They found β = −.39 for foreign-language anxiety. Which of the following explains what this means? Select one: a. People with lower levels of anxiety about learning a foreign language have higher levels of achievement in foreign language, even after controlling for the other variables. b. There is no relation between foreign-language anxiety and foreign-language achievement after controlling for the other variables. c. There is not enough information given here to answer this. d. Even after controlling for the other variables, people who are more anxious about learning a foreign language have higher levels of achievement in foreign language.
c. t test
Professor Fofana wonders if there is an association between students' grades and extra credit points earned in his classes. He first made a scatterplot, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in his course without extra credit on the y-axis. He then decides the plot would be clearer if he converted the numerical grades into passing or failing the course, so he plots a bar graph with pass/fail on the x-axis and the mean number of extra credit points earned on the y-axis. Which type of statistic would he run to determine if there is a relationship between pass/fail and extra credit points earned? Select one: a. Cronbach's alpha b. mean c. t test d. bivariate correlation
a. It is very unlikely this association was found in the sample when, in the full population, there is really no association
Professor Fofana wonders if there is an association between students' grades and extra credit points earned in his classes. He makes a scatterplot, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in his course without extra credit on the y-axis. He finds r = .28 and p < .001. Which of the following correctly explains what this means? Select one: a. It is very unlikely this association was found in the sample when, in the full population, there is really no association b. The result probably came from a zero-association population. c. The result is not statistically significant. d. There is probably no association between extra credit and course grades in the full population
b. the sample size
Professor Fofana wonders if there is an association between students' grades and extra credit points earned in his classes. He makes a scatterplot, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in his course without extra credit on the y-axis. He finds r = .28. In addition to this correlation coefficient, which of the following would Professor Fofana need to determine if this result is statistically significant? Select one: a. the range of responses b. the sample size c. the effect size d. the mean of the scores
b. students with higher grades are more likely than students with lower grades to do extra credit homework
Professor Fofana wonders if there is an association between students' grades and extra credit points earned in his classes. He makes a scatterplot, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in his course without extra credit on the y-axis. He finds r = .28. What does this correlation tell him about which students take advantage of the extra credit option? Select one: a. Students with higher grades are less likely than students with lower grades to do extra credit work. b. Students with higher grades are more likely than students with lower grades to do extra credit work. c. All students are equally likely to do extra credit work. d. Students with lower grades are more likely than students with higher grades to do extra credit work
c. medium, or moderate
Professor Fofana wonders if there is an association between students' grades and whether they complete extra credit in his classes. He makes a scatterplot, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in his course without extra credit on the y-axis. He finds r = .28. According to Cohen's conventions, how strong is this association? Select one: a. large, or strong b. small, or weak c. medium, or moderate d. not significant
c. cross-sectional
Professor Horvat designs a study to assess the work satisfaction and home-life satisfaction of a group of graduate students. She administers the same measures of work and home-life satisfaction on two occasions, 1 year apart. She finds at both the first time point and the second time point there is a strong correlation between work satisfaction and home-life satisfaction. Which type of correlations are these? Select one: a. autocorrelations b. curvilinear c. cross-sectional d. cross-lag
d. There are potential third variables that might explain the relationship
Professor Horvat designs a study to assess the work satisfaction and home-life satisfaction of a group of graduate students. She administers the same measures of work and home-life satisfaction on two occasions, 1 year apart. She finds home-life satisfaction measured at the first time point is strongly correlated with job satisfaction at the second time point, but there is no correlation between job satisfaction measured at the first time point and home life satisfaction measured at the second time point. Which of the following explains why Dr. Horvat can't conclude that home-life satisfaction causes job satisfaction? Select one: a. Home-life satisfaction did not occur before job satisfaction. b. Home-life satisfaction is not related to job satisfaction. c. Job satisfaction at the first time point is not correlated with home-life satisfaction at the second time point. d. There are potential third variables that might explain the relationship
a. covariance and temporal precedence
Professor Horvat designs a study to assess the work satisfaction and home-life satisfaction of a group of graduate students. She administers the same measures of work and home-life satisfaction on two occasions, 1 year apart. She finds home-life satisfaction measured at the first time point is strongly correlated with job satisfaction at the second time point, but there is no correlation between job satisfaction measured at the first time point and home life satisfaction measured at the second time point. Which of the three criteria for causation does Professor Horvat's study fulfill? Select one: a. covariance and temporal precedence b. temporal precedence and internal validity c. covariance, temporal precedence, and internal validity d. covariance and internal validity
d. cross-lag
Professor Horvat designs a study to assess the work satisfaction and home-life satisfaction of a group of graduate students. She administers the same measures of work and home-life satisfaction on two occasions, 1 year apart. She finds home-life satisfaction measured at the first time point is strongly correlated with job satisfaction measured at the second time point. Which type of correlation is this? Select one: a. autocorrelation b. curvilinear c. cross-sectional d. cross-lag
b. autocorrelations
Professor Horvat designs a study to assess the work satisfaction and home-life satisfaction of a group of graduate students. She administers the same measures of work and home-life satisfaction on two occasions, 1 year apart. She finds job satisfaction at the first time point is correlated with job satisfaction at the second time point. Which type of correlation is this? Select one: a. cross-lag b. autocorrelations c. negative d. cross-sectional
c. Which is truer of you? 1) I have little interest in computer games or 2) I would miss computer games if I couldn't play anymore.
Professor Law wants to construct a survey to assess involvement with computer games. Which is a forced-choice question? Select one: a. On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), rate the following statement: Computer games are a great pastime. b. What computer games have you played? c. Which is truer of you? 1) I have little interest in computer games or 2) I would miss computer games if I couldn't play anymore. d. On a scale of 0 (not at all) to 5 (very much), rate how much you like and play your favorite game.
c. What computer games have you played?
Professor Law wants to construct a survey to assess involvement with computer games. Which of the following would be an example of an open-ended question? Select one: a. On a scale of 0 (not at all) to 5 (very much), rate how much you like and play your favorite game. b. Which is truer of you? 1) I have little interest in computer games or 2) I would miss computer games if I couldn't play anymore. c. What computer games have you played? d. On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), rate the following statement: Computer games are a great pastime.
a. on a scale of 0 to 5, rate how much you like and play your favorite game
Professor Law wants to construct a survey to assess involvement with computer games. Which question is a double-barreled question? Select one: a. On a scale of 0 (not at all) to 5 (very much), rate how much you like and play your favorite game. b. What computer games have you played? c. Which is truer of you? 1) I have little interest in computer games or 2) I would miss computer games if I couldn't play anymore. d. On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), rate the following statement: Computer games are a great pastime.
b. On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), rate the following statement: Computer games are a great pastime.
Professor Law wants to construct a survey to assess involvement with computer games. Which question uses a Likert scale? Select one: a. What computer games have you played? b. On a scale of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree), rate the following statement: Computer games are a great pastime. c. On a scale of 0 (not at all) to 5 (very much), rate how much you like and play your favorite game. d. Which is truer of you? 1) I have little interest in computer games or 2) I would miss computer games if I couldn't play anymore.
d. generation of the people being examined
Professor Schwartz examines the relationship between time spent at a shopping mall and happiness. She finds that for millennials, the more time in the mall is associated with higher levels of happiness. She finds that for baby boomers, the more time in the mall is associated with lower levels of happiness. Which is the moderator in this relationship? Select one: a. time spent in the mall b. the relationship between happiness and mall time c. level of happiness d. generation of the people being examined
b. large
Researchers de Abreu, Gathercole, and Martin (2011) found the correlation of nonword repetition and digit recall in a memory was r = .59. Based on Cohen's (1992) guidelines, which of the following describes this effect size? Select one: a. small b. large c. more information is needed to make this determination d. medium
d. curvilinear
The Yerkes-Dodson law (1908) shows performance increases with arousal up to a point, but beyond that, performance decreases with increasing arousal. Which type of correlation is this? Select one: a. positive b. negative c. zero d. curvilinear
d. The bicyclists were probably responding in a socially desirable way on the self-report survey.
The campus safety committee has asked Professor Ibrahim to study bicycling on his campus. He trains two observers and has them observe the number of cyclists and their safety at various points around campus. After completing the observational study, Professor Ibrahim sends a survey out to the entire campus about bicycle safety, and asks all bicyclists to respond. He finds a large difference between their reports of how safely they ride and what his observers found. Which is the most likely cause of the self-report ratings being inconsistent with the observational data? Select one: a. The question order on the self-report survey probably affected the responses on the self-report survey. b. The bicyclists were probably faking bad on the self-report survey. c. The bicyclists were probably fence-sitting on the self-report survey. d. The bicyclists were probably responding in a socially desirable way on the self-report survey.
d. observer bias
The campus safety committee has asked Professor Ibrahim to study bicycling on his campus. He trains two observers and has them observe the number of cyclists and their safety at various points around campus. Both observers are very interested in the topic because they have been struck by bicycles. Which threat to construct validity should concern Professor Ibrahim even if the interrater reliability is high? Select one: a. selection bias b. reactivity c. observer effects d. observer bias
d. multistage sampling
The campus safety committee has asked Professor Ibrahim to study bicycling on his campus. He trains two observers and has them observe the number of cyclists and their safety at various points around campus. He randomly selects 10 observation locations from the places bicycles can be ridden on campus and randomly selects five 1-hour spans of time for each place. He has his observers make observations at each of the 10 places for each of the five time spans. Which type of sampling is he using? Select one: a. simple random sampling b. stratified random sampling c. systematic sampling d. multistage sampling
b. the reliability of the measurement
The campus safety committee has asked Professor Ibrahim to study bicycling on his campus. He trains two observers and has them observe the number of cyclists and their safety at various points around campus. Initially, the observers can't agree about what is dangerous behavior. Professor Ibrahim refines his codebooks to clearly define the rating scales and retrains the observers. Which is he addressing by doing this? Select one: a. reactivity b. the reliability of the measurement c. acquiescence d. socially desirable responding
b. the observers could make unobtrusive observations
The campus safety committee has asked Professor Ibrahim to study bicycling on his campus. He trains two observers and has them observe the number of cyclists and their safety at various points around campus. When the observations began, the observers noticed that bicyclists slowed down when they neared the observers. In which way could this reactivity be avoided? Select one: a. The observers could use random assignment. b. The observers could make unobtrusive observations c. the observers could use blind study design d. the observers could create a clear codebook
c. systematic sampling
The directors of an annual community concert want to learn the musical preferences of the audience. The ushers place a survey card on every sixth seat beginning with the second seat (2 and 6 were chosen from a random number table). All the cards are returned as the audience leaves. Which type of sampling is being used? Select one: a. cluster sampling b. stratified random sampling c. systematic sampling d. multistage sampling
b. Likert scale
The following item appears on a survey: "On a five-point scale, where 1 is strongly disagree, 2 is disagree, 3 is neither agree nor disagree, 4 is agree, and 5 is strongly agree, rate the following statement: "I look forward to coming to class." Which type of question format is being used? Select one: a. open-ended b. Likert scale c. semantic differential d. forced choice
b. Split the question into two so that it is not double-barreled.
The following problematic question appears on a survey: "Please indicate whether the following statement is true or false for you: My cell phone is new and has all the latest features." In which way could this question be changed to improve its construct validity? Select one: a. Change the order of "is new" and "has all the latest features" to address problematic question ordering. b. Split the question into two so that it is not double-barreled. c. Use more neutral language so it is not a leading question. d. Change the wording so that it is positively worded, not a double-negative.
b. self-selection bias
The student government at a college is interested in determining how important intercollegiate sports are to the students there. Because all students have e-mail accounts, the student government can send a survey to all the students. About 50% of the students respond. Which is the most likely bias in this sample? Select one: a. random sampling bias b. self-selection bias c. convenience sampling bias d. oversampling bias
a. cluster sampling
The superintendent of schools in a small town in Ohio made many policy changes to the way school administration worked in his district. A researcher at a nearby university wanted to look at what teachers in his district thought about the changes. The researcher made a list of all the schools in the district and used a random number generator to select a sample of five schools from the district. Then the researcher interviewed every teacher at each of those five schools. Which sampling method did the researcher use? Select one: a. cluster sampling b. simple random sampling c. systematic sampling d. purposive sampling
d. his income is probably higher than $32,000
There is a strong positive association between years of education and income. The mean income for American adults in 2005 was $32,000 and the average number of years of education was 12. If Mr. Lopez has 16 years of education, which would you predict about his income? Select one: a. There isn't enough information to make a prediction. b. The best estimate would be the mean income of $32,000. c. His income is probably lower than $32,000. d. His income is probably higher than $32,000.
c. t test and a bar graph
To look at the relationship between reaction time and level of expertise in tennis, experts and nonexperts in tennis were compared. Which of the following would be the most appropriate, easiest way to evaluate the relationship between these variables? Select one: a. correlation coefficient and a bar graph b. Cronbach's alpha and a bar graph c. t test and a bar graph d. correlation coefficient and a scatterplot
a. frequency
Typically, in which type of claim is it most important to have a random sample? Select one: a. frequency b. causal c. anecdotal d. association
a. temporal precedence
Vida is studying the connection between school grades and time spent using social media. She finds a strong correlation, showing students with lower grades spend more time using social media. She decides that before she can claim increased use of social media causes grades to drop, she must make sure the social media came before the low grades. Which criterion of causality is she concerned with? Select one: a. temporal precedence b. internal validity c. statistical significance d. covariance
b. internal validity
Vida is studying the connection between school grades and time spent using social media. She measures social media use at the beginning of the semester and grades at the end of the semester. Vida finds using more social media early in the semester was linked with lower school grades. Which other criterion of causality does she need if she wants to establish causation? Select one: a. covariance b. internal validity c. temporal precedence d. convergent validity