Pysch Ch.2
In an experiment, researchers manipulate one factor to see its effect on a target factor. What is this target factor called?
dependent variable
A correlation coefficient is a measure of the
direction and strength of the relationship between two variables
To study the development of relationships, Dr. Rajiv carefully observed and recorded patterns of verbal and nonverbal behaviors among boys and girls in the school yard. Which research method did Dr. Rajiv employ?
naturalistic observation
Our tendency to believe we know more than we do illustrates
overconfidence
When provided with the unscrambled solution to anagrams, people underestimate the difficulty of solving the anagrams by themselves. This best illustrates
overconfidence
Which of the following is most likely to inhibit critical thinking?
overconfidence
Correlational research is most useful for purposes of
prediction
Critical thinkers can best be described as
questioning
To accurately infer cause and effect, experimenters should use
random assignment
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
random assignment
Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population?
random sampling
Replication involves
repeating an earlier research study
To graphically represent the correlation between two variables, researchers often construct a
scatterplot
The range is
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution
Abdul has volunteered to participate in an experiment evaluating the effectiveness of aspirin. Neither he nor the experimenters know whether the pills he takes during the experiment contain aspirin or are merely placebos. The investigators are apparently making use of
the double-blind procedure
Professor Smith told one class that drinking alcohol has been found to increase sexual desire. He informed another class that drinking alcohol has been found to reduce sexual appetite. The fact that neither class was surprised by the information they received best illustrates the power of
the double-blind procedure
The scientific attitude of humility is most likely to be undermined by
the hindsight bias
The healing power of the positive expectations is best illustrated by
the placebo effect
In the hypothesis "Students who study a list of terms in the morning, just after waking up, will recall more terms than the students who study the list just before falling asleep," what is the independent variable?
time of day
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
an experiment
The belief that weather conditions signal the onset of arthritis pain best illustrates
an illusory correlation
An experiment was designed to study the potential impact of alcohol consumption on emotional stability. A specification of the procedures used to measure emotional stability illustrates
an operational definition
Which of the following defines ethical principles that should guide human experimentation?
informed consent, protection from harm, confidentiality, debriefing
The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it
may be unrepresentative of what is generally true
Professional psychological associations require researchers to
minimize infection, illness, and pain in animal subjects
The news media reported that a new pesticide was not harmful to humans. Which of the following statements best exemplifies critical thinking in response to this report?
"I wonder who funded this study?"
In groups of five individuals, two report annual incomes of $10,000, and three report incomes of $14,000,$15,000, and $31,000, respectively. The life of this group's distribution of annual incomes is
$10,000
A moderate positive correlation has been found between a person's weight and hours of television watched per week. Which of the following scatterplots best shows this relationship?
1
Which of the following scatterplots represents a relationship with a correlation coefficient that would be close to positive one(+1)?
1
Which of the following scatterplots represent the strongest negative correlation?
2
Which of the following scatterplots represents a relationship with a correlation coefficient that would be close to negative one(-1)?
2
Mr. and Mrs. Klostreich have six children aged 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, and 16. The mean age of the Klostreich children is
8
During the past year, Zara and Ivan each read 2 books, but George read 9, Ali read 12, and Marsha read 25. The median number of books read by these individuals was
9
Which of the following statements is most correct about the relationship between correlation and causation?
Correlation indicates the possibility of a causal relationship, but it does not prove causation.
Why is replication important to science?
Repeated research with similar results increases confidence in the reliability of the original findings.
Random sampling is to ___________ as random assignment is to ___________.
Surveys; experiments
Which of the following is true for those assigned to a control group?
The experimental treatment is absent
In 1848, Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman, survived when an explosion drive an iron rod through his head damaging the functioning of the frontal lobes. This instance provided evidence that the frontal lobe plays a role in personality and behavior. Researchers have continued to study Gage's brain to better understand this link. Which research method is being used?
case study
Which research method is typically used to examine one participant in depth, usually because the individual's situation/behavior is rare or unusual?
case study
Historians of science describe which three attitudes as the basis of the scientific viewpoint?
curiosity, skepticism, humility
A research interested in providing a causal relationship between two variables should choose which research method?
experiment