Research Methods Exam 1 (Chapt. 1-4)

Benjamin is a social psychologist who studies marriage. He believes that marital satisfaction has two components: the ability to trust one's partner and a belief that one can be a good spouse. He conducts a study to test his ideas. Assuming that his data match his theory, which of the following statements should he make? "The data prove my theory." "My theory is generalizable." "The data provide support for my theory." "The data complicate my theory."

"The data provide support for my theory."

Marcella is conducting a PsycINFO search for treatments for autism spectrum disorder by searching "autism treatment." However, her search is returning too many results. If she is interested in getting more specific results, Marcella could search: using the "or" function for all thesaurus synonyms for autism. "autism treatment" and "behavioral" and enter an age range of interest. "autism spectrum disorder" or "treatment" or "symptom improvement." "autis*treatment."

"autism treatment" and "behavioral" and enter an age range of interest.

Which of the following phrases would NOT indicate that a researcher is making a causal claim? "curbs" "seems to decrease" "suggests a change" "is at higher risk of"

"is at higher risk of"

You submit a study for approval by the institutional review board (IRB), and they tell you that written informed consent is required. Which of the following can be excluded from your informed consent document? A statement of benefits A statement of risks A description of the study's hypotheses A list of procedures

A description of the study's hypotheses

Which of the following is NOT an example of coercion? A researcher hinting to participants that their employer will be told if they do not participate A researcher offering three points of extra credit to college students to participate in a study A researcher offering homeless participants $1,000 to participate in a study A researcher telling participants that he will be fired if he is unable to recruit at least 50 participants

A researcher offering three points of extra credit to college students to participate in a study

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test. Imagine that Dr. Kushner is a clinical psychologist who volunteers his time at a local prison counseling several inmates. Because of his connections there, he is considering using prisoners as his participants. Why is this choice potentially problematic? According to the Belmont Report, prisoners are entitled to special protection. Prisoners do not make good participants since they may not tell the truth. Prisoners are unable to give informed consent. More prisoners may want to participate than Dr. Kushner can actually study.

According to the Belmont Report, prisoners are entitled to special protection.

Which of the following is the difference between claims based on personal experience (anecdotal claims) and frequency claims? Anecdotal claims involve a single variable; frequency claims involve two variables. Anecdotal claims are not based on scientific studies but frequency claims are. Anecdotal claims are less interesting than frequency claims. Anecdotal claims appear in newspapers; frequency claims appear in journals.

Anecdotal claims are not based on scientific studies but frequency claims are.

Which of the following has been used as a defense of animal research by animal researchers? Animal research has resulted in many benefits to both animals and humans. Animal research requires less research funding than human research. Animal research is less likely to result in physical harm to the subject compared to human research. Animal research has not had the same types of scandals that human research has had (e.g., the Tuskegee Study).

Animal research has resulted in many benefits to both animals and humans.

After reading the chapter, Cyril says to himself, "I am sure other people might engage in faulty thinking, but I never would." What is Cyril experiencing? Bias blind spot Confirmation bias Faulty intuition Motivated thinking

Bias blind spot

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test. Dr. Kushner plans to tell his participants that the reason he is waking them up during the night is to recalibrate the EEG machine. This would be an example of which of the following? Deception through omission Deception through commission Deception through permission Deception through exception

Deception through commission

Lana is writing her first empirical journal article. Although she thinks she knows why she found the results she did, she also wants to mention some alternative explanations for her findings. In which section will she mention these alternative explanations? Method Results Discussion References

Discussion

Dr. Kang, a cognitive psychologist, conducts an experiment examining the effect of emotion on memory. He provides lists of 15 words to two groups of participants at his university. He puts the names of all the participants in a hat. The first 20 names he assigns to Group A and the last 20 he assigns to Group B. Group A is given a list of words that are very emotional in content (e.g., passion, murder). Group B is given a list of words that are neutral in content (e.g., houseplant, desk). He then measures how many words each group is able to remember after being distracted for 5 minutes by watching a video about the history of the university. He finds that Group A remembers 15% more words than Group B. Which of the following makes Dr. Kang's study an experiment? Dr. Kang manipulated one variable and measured another. Dr. Kang used a distractor task. The study was conducted at a university. The study was conducted by a professor

Dr. Kang manipulated one variable and measured another.

Which of the following is a limitation of Google Scholar compared to PsycINFO? Google Scholar does not provide PDF versions of articles. Google Scholar is not free to use. Google Scholar is not limited to just psychology and related fields. Google Scholar can only be accessed from certain computers.

Google Scholar is not limited to just psychology and related fields.

Stefan wants to make a causal claim in his dissertation. Which of the following is necessary? He must make a frequency claim first. He must manipulate all of his variables. He must measure all of his variables. He must conduct an experiment.

He must conduct an experiment.

Dr. Kushner is planning on conducting a study next semester. He is curious as to whether sleep deprivation is associated with poorer cognitive performance. For example, if you sleep poorly the night before a big exam, will you do worse? Dr. Kushner is especially curious about selective sleep deprivation, where people are kept from entering REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Using an electroencephalograph (EEG) to monitor brain waves, he plans to let participants sleep until they enter REM sleep and then wake them. After the participants are awake for one minute, Dr. Kushner plans to let them return to sleep. As they enter REM sleep again, he will wake them again and follow the same procedure. He plans to do this through the entire eight-hour sleep session. The following morning, participants will be asked to take a sample SAT test. Which of the following is true regarding obtaining informed consent in Dr. Kushner's study? He does not need to obtain informed consent since participants will not be awake during most of the study. He does not need to obtain informed consent because he is not using deception. He needs to obtain informed consent because the study is anonymous. He needs to obtain informed consent because there is a likelihood of risk in his study.

He needs to obtain informed consent because there is a likelihood of risk in his study.

Elliott is double majoring in English and psychology. He plans on being a high school English teacher and is only majoring in psychology because he finds the classes interesting. Which of the following is an important reason for him to be a good consumer of research? His psychology advisor may ask for his help in copy-editing a research article. He will likely need to be a participant in research studies as part of his psychology major. He will probably want to read research related to enhancing his teaching. He will have to produce research before he can consume it.

He will probably want to read research related to enhancing his teaching.

You and your friends go to see a speaker on campus. The speaker, Dr. Darian, is an "expert" on getting into graduate school. Which of the following should make you less skeptical about his advice? His recommendations are based on techniques that have worked for his students. His recommendations are based on the techniques that helped him get into graduate school. His recommendations are based on research he conducted for his dissertation. His recommendations are similar to what you knew before you came to the talk.

His recommendations are based on research he conducted for his dissertation.

Jenny reads the following headline on an online article: "If You're Sexist, People Will Think You're Racist, and Vice Versa." (This headline is based on a study conducted by Sanchez and colleagues, 2017.) This study found that members of stigmatized groups are threatened by prejudice directed at other stigmatized groups. Their results showed that White women can be threatened by racism, and men of color threatened by sexism, and that these perceptions made participants expect unfair treatment. Which of the following questions assesses the construct validity of this study? Would this research generalize to children? Did the researchers establish temporal precedence? How did the researchers measure expectations of unfair treatment? How big was the effect of perceived discrimination?

How did the researchers measure expectations of unfair treatment?

When is it acceptable for a researcher to study only participants from a specific group, such as a researcher studying depression in a sample of Native American women? If the specific group being studied is especially prone to the problem being studied (e.g., if depression rates are higher in Native American women) If the specific group being studied has participated in similar research previously (e.g., earlier studies of intelligence in Native American women) If the researcher has special access to the specific group (e.g., the researcher works on a Native American reservation) It is never acceptable for such a specific group to be studied.

If the specific group being studied is especially prone to the problem being studied (e.g., if depression rates are higher in Native American women)

How would you adopt the mindset of a scientific reasoner? Using common sense to understand scientific data Remaining objective as you interpret scientific data Finding evidence that confirms your hypotheses Reminding yourself that because you know about potential biases, you cannot fall prey to them

Remaining objective as you interpret scientific data

Which of the following sources is most likely to contain only information that has been rigorously peer-reviewed? Chapters in edited books Full-length books Review journal articles Wikis

Review journal articles

Which of the following is a benefit of the peer-review process? Reviewers' names are made public so they can defend their critiques of an article. The journal editor provides input on study design to ensure rigorous scientific methods. Reviewers' names are kept anonymous so they can be open in their critiques of an article. Non-significant results are not considered for publication to ensure interesting research.

Reviewers' names are kept anonymous so they can be open in their critiques of an article.

Which of the following is true of variables? Variables are the same as constants. All variables can be manipulated. Some variables can be either manipulated or measured. Variables only need conceptual definitions.

Some variables can be either manipulated or measured.

Which of the following is NOT a research claim? Texting interferes with driver's ability to pay attention. Most drivers have reported texting while driving. Texting while driving is associated with poor impulse control. Teens spend too much time texting and driving.

Teens spend too much time texting and driving.

Javier wants his lab partner to tell him if he thinks the article he found for their project is appropriate. Rather than have him read the article, which two parts of the paper could Javier have his lab partner read to get a summary of the article? The abstract and the first paragraph of the introduction The abstract and the first paragraph of the discussion The abstract and the method section The last paragraph of the introduction and the results section

The abstract and the first paragraph of the discussion

The belief that the participants in a research study should be representative of the type of people who would also benefit from the findings of the research stems from which principle of the Belmont Report? The principle of justice The principle of respect for persons The principle of beneficence The principle of integrity

The principle of justice

Why might a researcher debrief his participants even if his study didn't include any deceptive elements? Because APA guidelines require debriefing in all studies regardless of deception To ensure that his participants had a good research experience To prevent participants from having negative experiences during the study To decrease the likelihood of data falsification

To ensure that his participants had a good research experience

Jenny reads the following headline on an online article: "If You're Sexist, People Will Think You're Racist, and Vice Versa." (This headline is based on a study conducted by Sanchez and colleagues, 2017.) This study found that members of stigmatized groups are threatened by prejudice directed at other stigmatized groups. Their results showed that White women can be threatened by racism, and men of color threatened by sexism, and that these perceptions made participants expect unfair treatment. The results of this study can be generalized to which of the following groups? White women and African American men All minority groups African American women Individuals receiving unfair treatment

White women and African American men

A psychiatrist is testing a drug that treats depression. He has given the drug to all his patients, and all of them have experienced a decrease in depressive symptoms. Although this is interesting, his experience is limited because he does not have: a reliable way to measure depressive symptoms. a comparison group that did not receive the drug. a hypothesis. psychotherapy to supplement the drug.

a comparison group that did not receive the drug.

Benjamin is a social psychologist who studies marriage. He believes that marital satisfaction has two components: the ability to trust one's partner and a belief that one can be a good spouse. This is known as: a theory. a hypothesis. data. research.

a theory

A local committee that reviews research that is conducted on animals is known as . an IACUC an AIRB an AWA an IRB

an IACUC

Research that is done specifically to solve a practical problem, like increasing memory ability or decreasing symptoms of depression, is known as: basic research. applied research. empirical research. translational research.

applied research

Another word for data is a(n) _________________. theory observation prediction outcome

observation

James is asked about the best way to study for an exam. He responds that the best way to study is by making flash cards. He easily thinks of all the times he used flash cards and he made As. However, he fails to take into consideration all the times he made As and did not use flash cards and the times he used flash cards and did not do well. His faulty thinking is an example of: cherry-picking evidence. availability heuristic. present/present bias. asking biased questions.

present/present bias.

In the theory-data cycle, theories first lead to _________________. questions answers data research

questions

A research consumer ____________ scientific results. analyzes produces reads graphs

reads

Dr. Kang, a cognitive psychologist, conducts an experiment examining the effect of emotion on memory. He provides lists of 15 words to two groups of participants at his university. He puts the names of all the participants in a hat. The first 20 names he assigns to Group A and the last 20 he assigns to Group B. Group A is given a list of words that are very emotional in content (e.g., passion, murder). Group B is given a list of words that are neutral in content (e.g., houseplant, desk). He then measures how many words each group is able to remember after being distracted for 5 minutes by watching a video about the history of the university. He finds that Group A remembers 15% more words than Group B. Which of the following is the independent variable in Dr. Kang's study? the length of the distractor task the number of words remembered the emotional or neutral content of the words the number of words on the list

the emotional or neutral content of the words

According to the text, the bridge between basic and applied research is known as: empirical research. practical research. translational research. compound research.

translational research

Vinai learns that people with schizophrenia have a problem labeling their emotions. Using this information, he designs a research study to examine whether teaching patients with schizophrenia to label the emotions of people they see in movie clips helps them to better label their own emotions. Vinai hopes that the findings of this research could then be used to create an intervention to treat schizophrenia. Vinai's study is an example of: basic research. applied research. empirical research. translational research.

translational research

Anderson is reading his morning paper and sees the following headline: "Men Should Avoid Rock Music When Playing Board Games." (This headline is based on a study conducted by Fancourt, Burton, & Williamon, 2016.) In the study, men and women played the game "Operation" when listening to different types of music. Male participants performed worse when listening to AC/DC than when listening to Mozart, but female participants' performance did not differ based on music. In this study, the authors were interested in participants' board game performance. Which of the following would be a reasonable operational definition of performance? an earnest attempt to finish quickly which board game participants chose to play performance when playing a board game whether participants won against a partner

whether participants won against a partner