Multiple choice questions
What is the range of the following 12,25,33,40,80 A)68 B)98 C)33 D)38 E)190
A
Which measure of central tendency is most influenced by outliers A)mean B)median C)mode D)standard deviation E)Histogram
A
Which of the following is most important when conducting survey research A)Choosing a representative sample B)choosing a large sample C)choosing a biased sample D)choosing a sample that includes every member of the population E)choosing a sample whose answers will likely support your hypothesis
A
Which of the following questions is best investigated by means of a survey? A) Are people more likely to vote republican or Democrat in the next election B)Are violent criminals genetically different from nonviolent criminals C)does extra sleep improve memory D)what is the best study technique for AP exams? E)What role does exercise play in weight loss
A
"Monday morning quarterbacks" rarely act surprised about the outcome of the weekend football games. This tendency to Believe they knew how the game would turn out is best explained by which psychological principle A) Overconfidence B) hindsight bias C) common sense D) illusory correlation E) random sampling
B
A testable prediction that drives research is known as a(n) A) theory B)hypothesis C)operational definition D)guess E)Random sample
B
In a drug study neither the participants nor the person distributing the pills knows who is receiving the new drug and who he receiving the placebo. This type of research design is said to be a(n) ______ study A) correlational B)confounding C)double-blind D)single-blind E)illusory
C
Which of the following demonstrates the need for psychological science A) psychology's methods are unlike those of any other science B)psychological experiments are less valuable without psychological science C)our common sense thinking about human thoughts and behaviors is not always accurate D)common sense thinking does not provide the correct answers unless it is applied through scientific method E)psychological science research is superior to that of other sciences such as biological and physics
C
Which of the following is a positive correlation A) as study time increases, students achieve lower grades B) as levels of self esteem decline, levels of depression increase C)people who exercise regularly are more likely to be overweight D)gas mileage decreases as vehicle weight increases E)repeatedly shooting free throws in basketball is associated with a smaller percentage of missed free throws
C
Which of the following is a potential problem with case studies A) they provide too much detail and the researcher is likely to lose track of the most important facts B) the are generally too expensive to be feasible C) the information learned may not apply to the wider population D) the are technically difficult and make researchers don't have the skills to do them properly E) the dependent variable is difficult to operationally define in a case study
C
A researcher looking for gender differences in 3-year olds observes a preschool class and records how many minutes children of each gender play with dolls. She then compares the two sets of numbers. What type of descriptive research is she conducting? A) case study B)Experiment C)random sample method D)naturalistic observation E)survey
D
A student is interested in mowing how widely the academic aptitude of college-bound students varies at her school. Which of the following statistical methods should she use to determine how much students SAT scores vary from the schools average SAT score A) Correlation coefficient B) Mean C) Median D) Standard Deviation E) range
D
There is a negative correlation between TV watching and grades. What can we properly conclude from this research? A) we can conclude that this is an illusory correlation B) We can conclude that Tv watching leads to lower grades C) we can conclude that TV watching leads to higher grades D) we can conclude that the grades students get impact their TV watching habits E) We can conclude that a student who watches a lot of TV is likely to lower grades
E
Which of the following animal studies is most likely to receive approval A)do monkeys who smoke get cancer B) are dogs who are abused violent C)will rats deprived of food for 1 week survive D) what are the effects of raising kittens in isolation E)can dolphins learn simple language
E
descriptive statistics ________ while inferential statistics ___________. A)indicate the significance of the data; summarize the data B)describe data from experiments; describe data from surveys and case studies C)Are measures of central tendency; are measures of variance D)determine if data can be generalized to other populations; summarize data E)summarize data; assess is data can be generalized
E
What ethical principle requires that at the end of the study participants be told about the true purpose of the research A) institutional review board approval B)informed consent C)confidentiality D)debriefing E)protection from physical harm
D
Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest relationship between two variables A) +0.30 B) +0.75 C)+1.3 D)-0.85 E)-0.05
D
Why is random assignment of participants to groups an important aspect of a properly designed experiment A) If the participants are randomly assigned, the researcher can assume that the people in each group are similar B)By randomly assigning participants the researcher knows that whatever is learned from the experiment will ask one true for the population from which the participants were selected C)random assignment keeps expectation from influencing the result of the experiment D)if participants are not randomly assigned it is impossible to replicate the experiment E)statistical analysis cannot be performed on an experiment if random assignment is not used
A
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a persons ability to remember the names of the US presidents. Thirty males and thirty females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results found that GROUP A did substantially better than GROUP B but about the same as GROUP C The independent variable in this study is A) the mint candy B) the test scores C) the cookies D) the food treatment E) the lair of presidents
D
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a persons ability to remember the names of the US presidents. Thirty males and thirty females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results found that GROUP A did substantially better than GROUP B but about the same as GROUP C Which of the following are the experimental group(s) of this study? A) Group A B) Group B C)Group C D) Group A&C E) Group B&C
D
In a perfectly normal distribution of scores which of the following statements is true A) the mean median and mode are all the same B)the mode is equal to the standard deviation C)the scores are positively correlated D)the mean minus the mode equal the median E)there is a positive skew to the distribution of data
A
Researchers are interested in finding out if voters are more likely to vote for congressional candidates who have more pleasant facial expressions. Starting at a random point, the researchers contact every hundredth person on the voter list to ask about candidate facial expressions. Which method are the researchers using in choosing the people they will call A)Random sample B)Periodic sample C)Biased sample D)survey E)operational definition
A
Researchers have discovered that individuals with lower income levels report having fewer hours of total sleep therefore A)income and sleep levels are positively correlated B)income and sleep levels are negatively correlated C) income and sleep levels are inversely correlated D) income and sleep levels are not correlated E) income and sleep levels cause individuals to have fewer hours of sleep
A
Researchers studying gender have found that A) there are more similarities than differences between the genders B)there are no significant cognitive differences between the genders C)there are no significant emotional differences between the genders D)research tools are not capable of determining if there are no are not true differences between the genders E)differences between the genders are becoming more pronounced over time
A
Which of the following is an example of negative correlation? A)People who spend more time exercising tend to weigh less B)teenage females tend to have fewer speeding tickets than teenage males C)students with lose IQ scores to tend to have lower grades D)As hours of studying for a test decrease so do grades on the test E)students shoe sizes are not related to their grades
A
Why is an operational definition necessary when reporting research findings? A)an operational definition allows others to replicate it B)an operational definition provides more context and includes many examples of the concept described C)An operational definition is easier to translate into multiple languages than a dictionary definition D)An operational definition uses more scientific language than a dictionary definition E)An operational definition is not necessary since a dictionary definition will work as well for replication
A
A journalism student is writing an article about her schools new cell phone policy and she'd like to interview a random sample of students. Which of the following is the best example of a random sample A) the writer arrives early and interviews the first five students who Come through the main entrance B) the writer pulls the names of five students from a a hat that contains all the students names. She interviews the five selected students C) the writer asks her teacher is she can distribute a brief survey to the students in her AP psychology class D) the writer passes out a brief survey to 50 students in the hall and uses 18 returned to her as a basis of her article E) the writer asks the principal for the names of 10 students who have had their cell phones confiscated for a day for violating the policy. She interviews those 10
B
A researcher calculates statistical significance for her study and finds a 5 percent chance that results are due to chance. Which of the following is an accurate interpretation of this finding? A)this is highly statistically significant B)this is minimum result typically considered statistically significant C)this is not statistically significant D)there is no way to determine statistical significance without replication of the study E)chance or coincidence is unrelated to statistical significance
B
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a persons ability to remember the names of the US presidents. Thirty males and thirty females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results found that GROUP A did substantially better than GROUP B but about the same as GROUP C The dependent variable in this study is A) The mint candy B) the test scores C) the cookies D) eating any good E) The list of presidents
B
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a persons ability to remember the names of the US presidents. Thirty males and thirty females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results found that GROUP A did substantially better than GROUP B but about the same as GROUP C Which of the following is/are the control group(s) of this study? A) Group A B) Group B C) Group C D) Groups A&Group b E) Groups B&C
B
The laboratory environment is designed to A)exactly recreate the events of everyday life B)re create psychological forces under controlled conditions C)re create psychological forces under random conditions D)minimize the use of animals and humans in psychological research E)provide the opportunity to do the case study research
B
The tendency to exaggerate the correctness or accuracy of our beliefs and predictions is called A) Hindsight bias B)overconfidence C) critical thinking D)skepticism E)reliability
B
Which method should a psychology researcher use if she is interested in testing whether a specific reward in a classroom situation causes students to behave better? A) Case study B) Experiment C) Survey D) Naturalistic observation E) Correlation
B
Researchers wanted to find out if eating cookies would increase a persons ability to remember the names of the US presidents. Thirty males and thirty females were used in the experiment. A third of these people (group A) were given cookies while studying the names. Another third (Group B) were given nothing while studying the names. The final third (Group C) were given mint flavored candy while studying the names. After gathering all their results found that GROUP A did substantially better than GROUP B but about the same as GROUP C Which of the following is the best conclusion for this study? A) Eating cookies will always improve memory recall B) Eating cookies tends to improve memory recall C) Eating cookies or mint candy tends to improve memory recall D) Eating nothing is associated with poor concentration E) Eating mint flavored candy will always improve memory recall
C
Which of the following describes the placebo effect A) Students in art class are not told that their work will be evaluated for scholarship B) Participants in an experiment do not know if they are in the experimental or control group C) participants in drug study are given an inert pill instead of the drug and behave as though they were given the drug D)only females are chose for a study, even though the population includes males E)excitements manipulate one variable in a study but not any others
C
Which of the following groups of scores would have the smallest standard deviation A) 20,40,60,80 B)5,15,25,35,45 C)2,4,6,8,10 D)100,200,300,400,500 E) 15,30,45,60,75
C
While taking a standardized test with randomly scrambled answers, you notice that your last four answers have been "c." Which of the following is true concerning the probability of the next answer being "c"? A) It is higher, streaks last B) It is lower C) It is unaffected by previous answers D)You should check previous answers E) it's higher to trick you
C
An individual with an exceptional memory is identified. For any given date, she is capable if recalling major events, the weather, and what she did that day. What research method is being used if a psychologist conducts an in depth investigation of this individual using questionnaires brain scans and memory tests A)Naturalistic B)survey C)interview D)case study E)theory method
D
In an experiment to test the effects of room temperature on test performance the independent variable is A)The scores on the test before the experiment begins B)the scores on the test at the end of the experiment C)wether the teacher was male or female D) the temperature of the room E)the style of the test
D
In the normal distribution, what percentage of the scores in the distribution falls within one standard deviation on either side of the mean? A) 34% B) 40% C) 50% D) 68% E) 95%
D
What must a researcher do to fulfill the ethical principle of informed consent? A) Keep information about participants confidential B)provide financial compensation to the participants C)protect participants from potential harm D)provide participants with enough information about a study to enable a rational decision about whether to participate E)provide participants with postexpiremental explanation of the study
D
Which of the following is an example of hindsight bias? A)Armand is certain that electric cars will represent 80 percent of vehicles in 20 years and only reads research studies that support his hypothesis B)Lisa underestimates how much time it will take her to finish writing her college application essays and as a result fails to meet an important deadline C)Experts predicting the world events with 80% overconfidence turned out to be correct less than 20% D)Aliyah, after reading a definition on one of her flashcards, turns the card over to see the term and then tells herself she knew why the answer was all along E) Dr.Grace overestimates how effectively her new treatment method works because she fails to seek out any evidence refuting her theory
D
Which of the following represents naturalistic observation A)researchers go to the mall and distribute surveys about the stores in the mall B)researchers bring participants into a laboratory to see how they respond to a puddle with no solution C)a principal looks at the relationship between the number of students absences and their grades D)researchers observe students seating patterns in the cafeteria E)two grandparents sit in the front row to watch their grandsons first piano recital
D
purpose of random assignment is to A)allow participants in both the experimental and control groups to be exposed to the independent variable B)ensure that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected to participate in the research C)eliminate the placebo D)reduce potential confounding variable E)generate operational definitions for the independent and dependent variables
D
Which of the following is not an ethical principle regarding experimental research on humans? A)researchers must protect participants from needless harm and discomfort B) participants must take part in the study on a voluntary basis C) Personal information about indivisible participants must be kept confidential D) research studies must be fully explained to participants when the study is complete E) participants should always be informed of the hypothesis of the study before they agree to participate
E
After the student council election, a friend tells you he has known for weeks who would be elected president. What does this seem to illustrate? A) common sense B) critical thinking C)hindsight bias D)overconfidence E)perceiving order in random events
hindsight bias
