Psych - Chapter 1 Practice
11. The distinction between basic research and applied research is that basic research _____, whileapplied research _____. A. concentrates on fundamental questions often of a theoretical nature; concentrates on identifyingand resolving practical problems B. relies more heavily on the social sciences such as psychology or sociology; relies more heavilyon the fundamental sciences such as chemistry or biology C. concentrates on identifying and resolving practical problems; concentrates on fundamentalquestions often of a theoretical nature D. relies more heavily on the fundamental sciences such as chemistry or biology; relies moreheavily on the social sciences such as psychology or sociology
A
12. Professor White finds that students who read a daily newspaper display more knowledge of currentevents than students who do not read a daily newspaper. This identification of a cause of behaviouris an example of what type of evidence? A. Covariation of cause and effect B. Elimination of alternative explanations C. Temporal precedence D. Cognitive awareness
A
14. The four goals of scientific research are to A. describe, predict, explain, and determine the causes of behaviour. B. describe, predict, eliminate, and determine the causes of behaviour. C. describe, prescribe, eliminate, and undermine behaviour. D. describe, prescribe, explain, and undermine behaviour.
A
17. Which of the following goals of science is most important for changing behaviour? A. Determination of cause B. Description C. Explanation D. Prediction
A
19. Martha observes which food item is purchased the most in the student cafeteria. Martha's behaviourbest illustrates which goal of science? A. Describing behaviour B. Predicting behaviour C. Explaining behaviour D. Determining cause of behaviour
A
22. In determining the cause of behaviour, which principle considers the order in which two eventsoccur together? A. Temporal precedence B. Observational analysis C. Elimination of alternative explanations D. Covariation of cause and effect
A
24. In determining the cause of behaviour, the principle of _____ considers that when the cause ispresent, the effect occurs; but, when the cause is not present, the effect does not occur. A. covariation of cause and effect B. temporal precedence C. elimination of alternative explanations D. observational analysis
A
25. A researcher finds that people who own more than two cars have bigger homes, more garage space,and make more money than people who own only one or two cars. The researcher's inference thathaving more than two cars causes people to have homes with bigger garages is lacking which typeof causal evidence? A. Elimination of alternative explanations B. Covariation of cause and effect C. Historical precedence D. Temporal precedence
A
29. The fundamental characteristic of the scientific approach is A. empiricism. B. authority. C. falsifiability. D. intuition.
A
34. The empirical approach to science requires that A. knowledge be based on observations. B. skepticism should be avoided when data are being presented. C. ideas based on intuition not be examined. D. only knowledge presented by an authority figure be deemed correct.
A
36. Which statement best illustrates the scientific goal of predicting behaviour? A. Plants that are played music will grow more than plants that are not played music. B. People drink more beer at a football games than at an opera. C. Females have more conservative attitudes towards casual sex than do males. D. People who live in warm climates have different attitudes about the environment than peoplewho live in cold climates.
A
37. Claims that are made on the basis of evidence that is designed to appear scientific, but which lackunderlying scientific data, are referred to as A. pseudoscience. B. plagiarism. C. fraud. D. illusory correlations.
A
39. The advantage of employing the scientific approach over other ways of knowing about the world isthat it A. provides an objective set of rules for gathering, evaluating, and reporting information. B. allows scientists to show that the explanations we make for the actions we observe are alwayscorrect. C. allows scientists the opportunity to show the public their findings are always correct. D. allows one to rule out intuition and authority as sources of ideas about behaviour.
A
4. Which statement best illustrates the scientific goal of describing behaviour? A. Jurors judge attractive defendants more leniently than unattractive defendants. B. A loud noise will gain a person's attention more than a soft noise will because the loud noisestartles the person. C. Alcohol consumption increases the likelihood of an automobile accident because it affects adriver's reaction time. D. Puppies who drink milk will grow more than puppies who drink water because milk contains agreater amount of nutrients.
A
42. Determining the cause of a behaviour is difficult because A. describing, predicting, explaining, and determining cause are all closely connected. B. explanations that are initially satisfying may turn out to be inadequate. C. it is difficult to know the true cause or all causes of behaviour. D. satisfactory explanations may be discarded or revised as new evidence is gathered.
A
48. Scientists use intuition and their positions of authority A. to generate ideas for research. B. whenever they need to replicate another scientist's findings. C. under no circumstances. D. to draw conclusions about behaviour.
A
7. A Ph.D student is interested in determining the fundamental causes of depression in humans. Herultimate goal is that her research may one day result in new drugs to treat the disease. This is anexample of what type of research. A. Basic and applied B. Neither basic nor applied C. Basic D. Applied
A
13. When students assume that their textbook must be correct, they are relying on _________ as a wayof knowing. A. creativity B. authority C. the a priori method D. experience
B
15. The statement, "Participants in quiet environments score consistently higher on math achievementtests than participants in noisy environments" is an example of ________ behaviour; while thestatement, "The difference between participants in quiet versus noisy rooms on math achievementscores occurs because there is less distraction in quiet rooms" is an example of ________ behaviour. A. explaining; determining the cause of B. describing; determining the cause of C. explaining; predicting D. describing; predicting
B
18. When Dr. Jones attempts to determine reasons why female defendants are rated more leniently thanmale defendants, he is attempting to meet which goal of science? A. Predicting behaviour B. Explaining behaviour C. Determining cause of behaviour D. Describing behaviour
B
20. Which of the following is NOT a goal of science? A. Describing behaviour B. Eliminating behaviour C. Predicting behaviour D. Determining the cause of behaviour
B
21. Which of the following is NOT a requirement for identifying a cause of a behaviour? A. Temporal precedence B. Observational analysis C. Elimination of alternative explanations D. Covariation of cause and effect
B
23. Dave knows that when Ken drinks alcohol he becomes very talkative. This identification of a causeof behaviour is an example of what type of evidence? A. Elimination of alternative explanations B. Temporal precedence C. Covariation of cause and effect D. Observational analysis
B
31. When you accept unquestionably what your own personal judgment tells you about the world, youare relying on _______. A. scientific understanding B. intuition C. authority D. skepticism
B
33. The problem with using intuition to make conclusions about human behaviour is that A. it rarely leads to meaningful insight. B. it is easy to draw erroneous conclusions because our biases affect our perceptions. C. intuitions are never correct contrary to what people believe. D. it is more time-consuming than the scientific approach.
B
41. Research studies designed to answer practical problems are referred to as A. quantitative research. B. applied research. C. didactic research. D. basic research.
B
44. Accepting the information in a professor's lecture without question is a reliance on ______. A. intuition B. authority C. pseudoscientific information D. scientific evidence
B
47. Dr. Pentel conducts research to determine whether or not an after-school program improves schoolperformance in fifth-grade children. Dr. Pentel is most likely engaged in _____. A. topical research B. a program evaluation C. theoretical research D. basic research
B
5. An important component of the scientific approach is peer review. Which of the following is NOT areason for employing peer review? It aims to A. ensure that only the best research is published. B. allow publication of only those findings with which other researchers agree. C. ensure that research with major obvious flaws will not be part of scientific literature. D. ensure that the best ideas are supported by research, and allows others to build upon theresearch thereby further advancing the field of study.
B
6. When data fails to provide support for some idea that is advanced, we can say that _______ has occurred. A. peer review B. falsifiability C. an error D. skepticism
B
38. A major area of applied research that evaluates the social reforms and innovations that occur in thegovernment, industry, and mental health settings is _______ research. A. governmental B. theory-oriented C. program evaluation D. industrial
C
28. The statement, "The average intelligence test score of children living in the Nation's capital city is108" is an example of a(n. ________ of behaviour; the statement "Children from smaller familieshave higher intelligence test scores than children from larger families" is an example of a(n.________ of behaviour. A. explanation; explanation B. explanation; description C. description; description D. description; explanation
C
45. A general rule to help detect pseudoscience is to be highly ______ when scientific assertions aremade based on evidence that is _____. A. skeptical; reputable B. convinced; vague C. skeptical; vague D. convinced; reputable
C
1. Which one of the following journal-article titles most likely represents an applied research study? A. "The influence of a food reward on maze running behaviour in kittens" B. "Measurement of reaction times to different coloured lights" C. "Increasing recycling of fast-food containers: A test at an amusement park" D. "Cognitive factors influencing logical reasoning"
C
10. Which of the following characteristics is true of pseudoscience? The A. hypotheses are always falsifiable. B. hypotheses are testable. C. claims are stated using scientific-sounding terminology and ideas. D. claims rigorously consider conflicting evidence.
C
16. The statement, "Obese persons eat faster than non-obese persons" is an example of ________behaviour; and the statement, "The different eating habits of obese and non-obese persons arecaused by physiological factors" is an example of ________ behaviour. A. predicting; explaining B. explaining; predicting C. describing; explaining D. explaining; describing
C
26. The statement "People eat more when they are alone than when they are with friends" is an exampleof _____ behaviour. A. explaining B. predicting C. describing D. determining the cause of
C
32. John has decided to purchase several copies of a new children's book because he has a feeling thatthe availability of this book will be scarce in the future. Which of the following best explains John'sbehaviour? A. Empirical evidence B. Authority C. Intuition D. Skepticism
C
49. You have just read an article in a popular magazine that stated, "People who jog live longer thanpeople who don't jog." As a scientist, you would probably A. accept the statement as true. B. begin jogging. C. want to see the study that lead to this conclusion. D. assume that the statement is false.
C
2. Which one of the following journal-article titles most likely represents an example of basicresearch? A. "Teaching youths with autism to offer assistance" B. "Effect of size and lettering style of signs on wayfinding accuracy in a hospital" C. "Encouraging recycling: An evaluation of a media campaign" D. "Effect of situational factors on assessment of blame: A test of attribution theory"
D
27. The statement, "High school seniors with higher SAT scores will have higher college GPAs" is anexample of ________ behaviour. The statement "Males have higher average quantitative SATscores than do females" is an example of ________ behaviour. A. explaining; describing B. describing; predicting C. predicting; explaining D. predicting; describing
D
3. Which one of the following journal article titles most likely represents an example of a basicresearch study? A. "Increasing knowledge of dangers in the home: An online survey" B. "A peer tutoring program as a method to increase cultural sensitivity" C. "Buying behaviour: The influence of item shelf placement in retail grocery stores" D. "The effect of self-awareness on a cognitive reasoning task"
D
30. Which statement best illustrates the scientific goal of explaining behaviour? A. Females who commit a crime will be rated more leniently than males who commit the samecrime. B. Men do not like to go shopping with women. C. Fourth grade boys run faster than fourth grade girls. D. Differences in assigned guilt ratings between attractive and unattractive defendants is due to aphysical attractiveness stereotype.
D
35. Administrators at the county's juvenile hall have implemented a reward program to decreasedisruptive behaviour during meal times. The scientific approach would dictate that the program A. address theoretical issues. B. modify theoretical concepts. C. integrate intuition in the design of the program. D. be evaluated to determine whether or not it is having the intended effect.
D
40. People are likely to believe information presented by a speaker who is seen as prestigious,trustworthy, and credible because of a reliance on A. intuition. B. informational bias. C. pseudoscientific information. D. authority.
D
43. Which is NOT a characteristic of scientific inquiry as described by Goodstein's evolved theory ofscience? A. Science will grow when there is open exchange and competition among ideas. B. Scientists search for observations that will verify their ideas about the world. C. Scientists must report their observations accurately to others. D. Peer review of research is unnecessary with well designed studies.
D
46. The process by which scientists with expertise in a particular field judge the scientific merit ofanother's research within that same field is referred to as _____________. A. falsifiability B. skepticism C. intuition D. peer review
D
50. Determining the cause of behaviour is an important goal of science because A. we cannot describe behaviour without knowing the cause of behaviour. B. it makes the scientist appear more credible. C. we cannot predict behaviour without knowing the cause of behaviour. D. it is important to know the cause of behaviour if we want to change a behaviour.
D
51. One reason for why the use of intuition results in erroneous conclusions is A. it is unethical to employ intuition in research. B. intuitions are never correct. C. our perceptions are always incorrect. D. we have a tendency to conclude that there must be a causal relationship when we observe theco-occurrence of two related events.
D
8. Which one of the following statements is accurate? A. Applied research is far more important than basic research. B. Basic research is far more important than applied research. C. Basic and applied research are both of less importance than theoretical research. D. Basic and applied research are both equally important.
D
9. A scientist states that "there is evidence for the existence of ghosts because she herself has felt theirpresence." This claim should A. be accepted because she has personally felt their presence. B. be accepted because she is also a scientist. C. cause you to believe in ghosts. D. result in you being skeptical about her claim.
D
