Psychology - Unit 1 Test

Professor Ambra was skeptical about the accuracy of recently reported research on sleep deprivation. Which process would best enable her to assess the reliability of these findings? a. random sampling b. replication c. the case study d. naturalistic observation

b. replication

Professor Woo noticed that the distribution of students' scores on her last biology test had an extremely small standard deviation. This indicates that the a. test was a poor measure of the students' knowledge. b. students' scores tended to be very similar to one another. c. mean test score was lower than the median score. d. test was given to a very small class of students.

b. students' scores tended to be very similar to one another.

In the hypothesis "Students who study a list of terms in the morning, just after waking up, will recall more terms than students who study the list just before falling asleep," what is the independent variable? a. number of terms remembered b. time of day c. memorization d. list of terms

b. time of day

Dimitri and Dominic are identical twins who were separated at birth and raised by different families. When they found each other through DNA tracking, they were surprised to see how different they were. Which research method would a psychologist most likely use to document their behavioral differences? a. Experiment b. Correlation c. Case Study d. Meta-analysis

c. Case Study

Dr. Meerdink wants to know if creativity varies throughout the day. In a morning class, she asks her college students to list as many uses as possible for a stick. On the same day 12 hours later, she asks students in an evening class to list as many uses as possible for a stick. Which of the following factors is the dependent variable? a. Morning b. Evening c. Creativity d. College students

c. Creativity

Dr. Ivey is researching using stimulants to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To minimize experimenter bias, Dr. Ivey should use which of the following research designs? a. Random assignment b. Random selection c. Double-blind procedure d. Case study

c. Double-blind procedure

A researcher conducted a study to investigate whether women in the first trimester of pregnancy score higher on levels of disgust than women who are in a later stage of pregnancy. The researcher believes that being more selective about food choices helps pregnant women avoid diseases that could harm their fetuses. A researcher from which of the following psychological perspectives would most likely be interested in examining this relationship? a. Psychodynamic b. Cognitive c. Evolutionary d. Sociocultural

c. Evolutionary

Dr. Bell works with young children who need help to manage their anxiety. By following the principle of nonmaleficence, which of the following is Dr. Bell doing for his clients? a. Paying them for their time and trouble. b. Making sure they have not participated in research in the past. c. Protecting them from physical and psychological harm. d. Keeping their information confidential.

c. Protecting them from physical and psychological harm.

Respondents to surveys and questionnaires often report that they are healthier, happier, and less prejudiced than would be expected based on the results of other types of research. This finding can best be explained by which of the following? a. Sampling bias b. Experimenter bias c. The social desirability bias d. The placebo effect

c. The social desirability bias

A researcher who publishes the results of a case study might be most worried about violating which ethical principle of human experimentation? a. protection from harm b. informed consent c. confidentiality d. coercion

c. confidentiality

Because she had a serious traffic accident on Friday the 13th of last month, Felicia is convinced that all Friday the 13ths will bring bad luck. Felicia's belief best illustrates a. overconfidence. b. the illusion of control. c. illusory correlation. d. the hindsight bias.

c. illusory correlation.

Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population? a. replication b. random assignment c. random sampling d. naturalistic observation

c. random sampling

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her college, Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the college registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students. Ariana employed the technique of a. replication. b. random assignment. c. random sampling. d. correlation.

c. random sampling.

What do scientists call an explanation that organizes observations and predicts future behaviors or events? a. replication b. operational definition c. theory d. hypothesis

c. theory

While reviewing scores from a test on contralateral hemispheric lateralization, a teacher discovered that the mean score was higher than the median. Which of the following statements is most likely correct? a. The range of the set of scores is the difference between the mean and the median. b. The standard deviation is equal to the mean. c. The distribution of scores for the test is normal. d. The distribution of scores for the test is positively skewed.

d. The distribution of scores for the test is positively skewed.

Why would the median, rather than the mean, be the appropriate measure of central tendency in determining housing values in a particular community? a. The median is best used to sort values into groups. b. The median is useful for measuring how much values deviate from one another. c. The median allows you to examine the gap between the lowest and highest value. d. The median is minimally affected by extreme scores.

d. The median is minimally affected by extreme scores.

A correlation coefficient is a measure of the a. frequency of scores at each level of some measure. b. average squared deviation of scores from a sample mean. c. statistical significance of a difference between two sample means. d. direction and strength of the relationship between two variables.

d. direction and strength of the relationship between two variables.

Thinking that she had outperformed most of her classmates, Glenda was surprised to receive just an average grade on her psychology test. Glenda's experience best illustrates a. illusory correlation. b. the hindsight bias. c. the placebo effect. d. overconfidence.

d. overconfidence

If a result is statistically significant, this means that the a. results of the research have practical significance b. participants received scores above the 50 percentile. c. scores were 1 standard deviation from the mean. d. psychologist accepts a 5 percent likelihood that the results occurred by chance.

d. psychologist accepts a 5 percent likelihood that the results occurred by chance.

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 a. the double-blind procedure. b. replication. c. operational definitions. d. random assignment.

d. random assignment.

To understand the unusual behavior of an adult client, a clinical psychologist carefully investigates the individual client's current life situation and his physical, social-cultural, and educational history. Which research method has the psychologist used? a. correlation b. naturalistic observation c. experimentation d. the case study

d. the case study

In an experiment designed to study the effectiveness of a new drug, research participants who receive a placebo are participating in the ________ condition. a. control b. experimental c. correlational d. dependent variable

a. control

Carlos finds a correlation of -0.76 between outside temperature and degree of depression in a sample of 450 American citizens. Which of the following can be concluded from the research finding? a. Cold temperatures cause people to become depressed. b. As outside temperature increases, people's depression levels decrease. c. No conclusions can be drawn because the sample was limited to only American citizens. d. Depression can be alleviated with exposure to warm outside temperatures.

b. As outside temperature increases, people's depression levels decrease.

A small sample of living neural tissue is being studied under a powerful microscope. The researcher notices that some of the neural cells have connections to capillaries and seem to nourish and support the other neural cells. What type of research is being conducted? a. Experiment b. Naturalistic observation c. Correlational d. Case study

b. Naturalistic observation

Petra, a graduate student, studies creativity, and she is frustrated that several studies in her field do not have precise operational definitions for creativity or divergent thinking. It is important for researchers to use precise operational definitions for which of the following reasons? a. They want to ensure that conditions are assigned randomly b. They want to be able to replicate the experiment c. They want to organize the hypotheses appropriately d. They are conducting experimental research but not correlational research

b. They want to be able to replicate the experiment

A psychological researcher designs a study to determine whether positive feedback affects self-esteem. The researcher requires each participant to toss twenty coins into a coffee can that is three feet away. Half of the participants are told that their performance is superior, and the other half are told that their performance is well below average. Although some of the participants want to quit tossing coins after a few attempts, they are told that once they begin the study they have to complete it. After the coin toss, participants take a test measuring self-esteem. Following the test, all participants are debriefed and told that information about their performance was false. Results of the study indicate that participants who are told their performance is well below average report lower levels of self-esteem than do those who are told their performance is superior. Which of the following violations of ethical guid

b. Violation of the right to withdraw

| .:'" |.:'"_____ x: Self-Reported Sleep, y: Happiness Scores A research group conducted a study investigating the connection between self-reported number of hours slept in a given week and scores on a happiness measure. Based on the scatterplot above, the group can report that there is a. no relationship between amount of self-reported sleep and happiness b. a positive correlation c. a negative correlation d. a perfect, positive relationship between amount of self-reported sleep and happiness

b. a positive correlation

A researcher who gathers and analyzes data from student essay test responses without talking with the students about the study violates which ethical principle of human experimentation? a. confidentiality b. informed consent c. debriefing d. coercion

b. informed consent

To study the development of relationships, Dr. Rajiv carefully observed and recorded patterns of verbal and nonverbal behaviors among boys and girls in the schoolyard. Which research method did Dr. Rajiv employ? a. naturalistic observation b. experimentation c. the case study d. meta-analysis

a. naturalistic observation

If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people are, this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are a. causally related. b. negatively correlated. c. dependent variables. d. positively correlated.

b. negatively correlated.

Our tendency to believe we know more than we do illustrates a. naturalistic observation. b. overconfidence. c. illusory correlation. d. placebo.

b. overconfidence

A hypothesis is a(n) a. testable prediction that gives direction to research. b. observable relationship between specific independent and dependent variables. c. statement of procedures used to define research variables. d. unprovable assumption about the unobservable processes that underlie psychological functioning.

a. testable prediction that gives direction to research.

Dr. Roberts hypothesized that students in a classroom seating 30 would get higher course grades than students seated in an auditorium seating 300. In this example, a. classroom size has been operationally defined. b. Dr. Roberts has found a cause-effect relationship. c. the independent variable is the measurement of course grades. d. Dr. Roberts has demonstrated the importance of random sampling.

a. classroom size has been operationally defined.

Which of the following statements best describes the placebo effect? a. Dr. Kennedy observed that if people expected a treatment to work, it would, even if the patient received a fake treatment. b. Dr. Tyler observed that people taking antipsychotic medication improved their quality of life more than those who did not take medication. c. Dr. Adams helped his clients uncover unconscious feelings about their childhood trauma, which helped them become better adjusted to stress. d. Dr. Lincoln used active listening to help clients sense and perceive the world better.

a. Dr. Kennedy observed that if people expected a treatment to work, it would, even if the patient received a fake treatment.

Professor Saito is investigating whether online teaching compared to the standard classroom lectures affect intelligence scores. After selecting student participants and assigning half to an online course and half to a standard lecture course, he administers an exam to both groups. What is the independent variable in this research? a. The type of course instruction b. The length of the exam c. The student participants d. Student scores on the exam

a. The type of course instruction