Research methods Final

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Factorial experiments: a) include two or more dependent variables. b) include two or more independent variables. c) focus on unmeasured factors. d) focus on organismic factors.

Falsifiability means: A. A theory is inaccurate. B. A theory is specific enough that it can specify outcomes that would fail to support the theory. C. Scientists are skeptical about accepting a theory. D. Unethical scientists sometimes fabricate results.

.In a study of the span of apprehension, or how many objects you can assess (report seeing) after a brief exposure, the length of exposure is held constant and the number of objects is varied, from one to twelve. After a large number of trials, the percentage correct for each number of objects is found. What is the dependent variable in this experiment? A) the percentage correct B) the number of objects C) the length of exposure D) the number of trials

A Type I error occurs when A) a null hypothesis is rejected but should not be rejected. B) a null hypothesis is not rejected but should be rejected. C) a test statistic is incorrect.

A clinical psychologist conducted an experiment to compare 3 different types of therapy. The experiment was run with 90 hospitalized patients diagnosed with an anxiety disorders. The 90 patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: Therapy A, Therapy B, or Therapy C. The clinician then measured the length of each patient's hospital st'y in order to determine if there was a significant difference in the effectiveness of the 3 types of therapy. What was the dependent variable in this experiment? A. Length of hospital stay B. Patients with an anxiety disorder C. The patient's psychiatric'status D. Type of therapy

A company has developed a memory improvement program called REMEMBERALL. They would like to determine if the program improves memory. To do so, they collect data on 40 experimental participants. Before getting any training with the program, participants are given a memory test. They then get 1 hour of training with REMEMBERALL. After this, they get a second memory test to determine if their memory has improved as a result of the REMEMBERALL training. What type of design was used in this experiment? A. Within Subjects B. Between subjects C. Mixed design D. A pseudo-experimental design

A drought in California created the opportunity for a quasi-experiment on the effectiveness of fines on water conservation (Agras et al., 1980). Three comparable cities were considered: two that instituted fines at different times and a third that did not. Water consumption data for the three years before the onset of the fines was used as baseline and subsequent consumption data was gathered through the end of the drought. Effectiveness of fines was assessed by examining consumption the following month. Fines did appear to have an effect on consumption. Questioning how the effect size was determined involves interrogating which validity? A. statistical B. construct C. internal D. external

A psychologist designs an experiment to test the hypothesis that maternal love is an essential ingredient in a child's emotional development. The experimenter chooses to measure maternal love by measuring how often each child's mother hugs him/her. In this scenario, which of the following is an apt description of the term used to measure 'maternal love' in this experiment? A. Operational definition B. Model C. Independent variable D. Construct

A random sample can best be defined as: A) A sample in which each potential participant has an equal chance of being selected B) A sample that is carefully chosen so the characteristics of participants correspond to the larger population C) A selection of cases from a larger population D) A selection of cases from the control group E) A sample of a larger population from the experimental group

A study of the effects of signage on stair use in university buildings (Grimstvedt et al., 2010) examined the effect of placing signs encouraging stair use near elevators. Based on their design, Blake is designing a study for her campus. The initial part of the study will be a month-long measuring of elevator and stair use in four different buildings on the campus. This will be followed by the treatment: the posting of signs. Elevator and stair use will then be measured for another month. What type of design is this? A. stable-baseline B. matched-groups C. multiple-baseline D. interrupted time-series

Alex is studying the effect of practice on improving performance in highly trained athletes. The mediator in the relationship might be the confidence that comes from practice. Which of these is not one of the tests that would be used to test the hypothesis that confidence is a mediator between practice and improved performance? A) run a regression test with concentration and confidence as predictor variables and compare the results B) test for a relationship between practice and confidence C) test for a relationship between confidence and improved performance D) run a regression test with both practice and confidence as predictor variables for improved performance and check if the relationship between practice and performance goes away

Basing our conclusions on person experience is faulty because it has confounds. In this context, a confound means: A. In real-world experiences, more than one thing changes at the same time. B. The conclusion we draw from personal experience has left us confused. C. There has been no comparison group. D. We will have trouble thinking of counterexamples

Cherry et al (2010) examined the knowledge of normal and pathological memory aging in college students, social workers, and health care professionals. Participants completed a questionnaire and mean scores were computed for both normal and pathological memory aging. Scores differed among the groups of participants. What was the independent variable? Topic: n/a a. participant vocation b. knowledge of normal memory aging c. knowledge of pathological memory aging d. relative score on the questionnaire

Factorial designs allow us to study both ______ effects of the independent variables on the dependent variables. a) main and interactive b) dependent and independent c) symbiotic and dichotomous d) rank order and correlational

Horselenberg et al (2003) reported an experiment based on Kassin and Kieche (1996) in which the participant was falsely accused of striking a computer key that caused the data to be deleted. The earlier study showed that 69 percent of the participants were willing to sign a confession that they had struck the key. Horselenberg's study included the signed confession, which included giving up part of the participation fee. Horselenberg's study, conducted in the Netherlands, found similar results to Kassin's, conducted in the United States. What validity does this affect? Topic: n/a a. external b. internal c. construct d. statistical

Horselenberg et al (2003) reported an experiment based on Kassin and Kieche (1996) in which the participant was falsely accused of striking a computer key that caused the data to be deleted. The earlier study showed that 69 percent of the participants were willing to sign a confession that they had struck the key. Horselenberg's study included the signed confession, which included giving up part of the participation fee. What type of study was Horselenberg's? Topic: n/a a. conceptual replication b. replication c. meta-analysis d. confirmation

How can multiple regression address issues of internal validity? A) by ruling out third variables B) by establishing temporal precedence C) by eliminating selection threats D) by introducing a control condition

If a researcher determines that there is a difference between the groups in his/her experiment, assuming there are no confounds in the experiment and it is determined that sampling error is not solely responsible, the difference must be due to the _______________. A. Independent variable B. Random sampling of the population of interest C. Dependent variable D. Statistical significance of the results

If you repeat a study and the results are the same as the first time, what term is used for the study? Topic: n/a a. replicable b. significant c. valid d. consistent

In a business class experiment on the endowment effect, Theo is comparing the value of a coffee mug to someone who owns it and is selling it to someone who is buying it. The endowment effect describes the tendency of sellers to value something they own more than buyers do. Participants are randomly assigned to be buyers or sellers of a mug with their first name on it. Buyers select the maximum price they would pay for the mug. Sellers select the minimum price they would accept for the mug. What is the independent variable in this experiment? A) role of the participant B) price that the buyer will pay C) price that the seller will accept D) name of the participant

In a quasi-experiment (Minke, 2011), the effectiveness of Skejby, a Danish half-way house which mixes offenders with non-offenders, was compared to that of the control condition of half-way houses housing only offenders. Measurement of effectiveness was based on rate of recidivism of former inmates. What threat to internal validity would occur if inmates were allowed to choose their own half-way house? A. selection B. testing C. history D. regression

In a study in which two variables are measured at two different points in time, what type of correlation shows whether an earlier measure of one variable is associated with the later measure of the other variable? A) cross-lag B) longitudinal C) autocorrelation D) cross-sectional

In a word list-learning experiment, participants are given a list of words to study for 3 minutes and then, following a delay, are asked to recall the list. The length of time between the study period and the recall is being manipulated: it is 2 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes. Which of the following is a confounding variable? A) All participants in the 2-minute condition are tested at 8:00a.m., those in the 5-minute condition are tested at noon, and those in the 10-minute condition are tested at 4:00 p.m. B) The same list is used for each condition and is randomized for each participant. C) The three groups are run simultaneously in three different rooms, and the room for each condition is randomly chosen before each group arrives. D) Three different experimenters administer the task and rotate which condition they are administering.

In most experiments, trade-offs are made between validities because it is not possible to achieve all four (describe in class and text) at once. What is the most common trade-off? A. Internal vs external B. Construct vs. statistical C Internal vs. Construct D. External vs. statistical E. Liar! There are no trade-offs.

In psychology lab, Tetiana is conducting an experiment on depth perception using the Howard-Dolman box. Inside the box are two vertical rods and a horizontal ruler. The participant manipulates the rods until they appear to be aligned at the same distance away, then the experimenter measures how far out of alignment they are. There are three conditions: left eye only, right eye only, and both eyes. Tetiana is using a repeated measures design. What is the dependent variable in this experiment? A) distance out of alignment of the rods B) how long the participant takes to complete the experiment C) improvement in performance by the participant D) eye/eyes used

Jared is conducting an experiment with ESP (extrasensory perception) training. He begins with a pretest of his 40 participants and divides them into two groups based on their scores. The participants with the 10 lowest scores are given extensive training on how to detect the signals. The participants with the 30 highest scores are given no training. Both groups are retested and the average score of the participants with the training improved, while the average score of the participants without the training actually fell. What threat to internal validity should Jared consider? A) regression B) maturation C) history D) attrition

What type of research misconduct involves representing the ideas or words of others as one's own? A) plagiarism B) obfuscation C) suppression D) data falsification

Josiane has found an online test that claims to measure IQ. It consists of choosing the correct definitions for a series of words. She is concerned that it doesn't include any tests of other things that are part of IQ such as problem solving or visualspatial ability. What type of validity is she questioning? A) content validity B) concurrent validity C) convergent validity D) discriminant validity

Lorenzo is studying aggression in children. First, a questionnaire about their own aggression is administered to the children. Then the children are observed while at play and instances of aggression are recorded. The results of these two parts of the study are compared. The total number of instances of aggression for each child is used as the measure in the observational part of the study. What type of quantitative variable is this? A) ratio scale B) interval scale C) ordinal scale D) categorical

Martins et al. (2010) studied factors relating to the retrieval of names of famous people based on pictures. Famous faces tests are used in studies of memory. They were interested in understanding the factors that influence successful recall. Five groups of stimuli were formed based on reason for celebrity and time of peak fame. Multiple regressions for age, gender, and education were performed for each of the groups. For each of the groups, the beta for the predictor variable of education was positive and statistically significant. Why couldn't you say that education improves recall of names for famous people? A) The temporal precedence is not established and there may be another variable that accounts for the relationship. B) The p values are not large enough. C) More variables should have been included in the multiple regression. D) There were some uncontrolled variables.

Mendoza et al. (2009) introduced a coin rotation task as a convenient test of motor dexterity. It involves timed completion of twenty 180° rotations of a nickel using the thumb, index, and middle fingers. What type of variable is motor dexterity? A) conceptual B) operational C) extraneous D) categorical

Professor Kwan studies violence and designs a study of the effects of video game violence on children. From schools near his university, two groups of low-income Hispanic children are assigned to play either a violent or non-violent video game two hours each evening for a month. The children's teachers are asked to assess changes in behavior. Data analysis shows no effect of game type, but Professor Kwan knows that several children didn't follow the procedure so he makes up data for them and then shows a significant effect. Which part of APA Ethical Standard 8 did the data violate? A) Reporting of Research Results B) Plagiarism C) Sharing Research Data for Verification D) Deception in Research

Replicating an experiment with a large manipulation of your independent variable makes it more likely to avoid a null result by: A) Increasing between-group variability B) Decreasing within-group variability C) Improving the study's internal validity

Science is a creative process. A) True B) False

The Department of Motor Vehicles has had a complaint that some of the people who administer the road test pass a much higher percentage of the people they test than other test administrators. What type of reliability is being questioned here? A) interrater reliability B) internal reliability C) test-retest reliability D) external reliability

The Ranschburg effect in short-term memory involves repeated items: if they are close together in a list, recall is facilitated; if they are far apart, recall is impaired. Francis designs an experiment on this effect using three conditions for a 12 animal names list: no repetition, repetition of the third animal as the fifth item, and repetition of the second animal as the tenth item. Each item is viewed for one-second, then participants recall them in order. Ten participants are tested in each condition. The study showed null effects, and large variability within the groups. What is a likely solution? A) add more participants B) change the design to a posttest-only design C) change to a double-blink placebo control study D) retrain the observers

The Stroop article you read and completed a brief writing assignment for used what type of scale for their dependent variable? A) Ratio B) Interval C) Ordinal D) Categorical

The students in 50-student introductory psychology class were randomly assigned to one of two review sessions, each being taught with a different technique. The next day, every student got all 10 of the test questions correct. What problem does Professor Zhao have in determining the better teaching technique for review sessions? A) ceiling effect B) confound acting in reverse C) attrition D) instrumentation

To be an empiricist, above all else, one should: A) Base one's conclusions on direct observations. B) Strive for parsimony. C) Be sure that one's research can be applied in a real-world setting D) Discuss one's ideas in a public setting, such as social media.

What are the values in a regression table that show the relationship between the predictor variables and the dependent variable? A) beta, β B) the correlation coefficient, r C) Cronbach's alpha, α D) phi coefficient, φ

What is a way of mathematically averaging the results of all studies that have been completed with the same variables? Topic: n/a a. meta-analysis b. correlation c. effect size measurement d. analysis of variance

What is it called when the effect of one independent variable depends on the level of the other independent variable? A) interaction B) effectiveness C) significance D) measurement

What is needed to support an association claim? A. Covariance B. Temporal precedence C. Strong internal validity (Removal of possible confounds) D. All of the above

What is the technique used as a follow-up analysis in meta-analyses that separates the studies into different categories based on subgroups of a variable? Topic: n/a a. testing for moderators b. file drawer analysis c. situational correlation d. covariant analysis

What is the term for a quasi-experimental design with at least one treatment group and one comparison group, but in which the participants have not been randomly assigned to the groups? A. nonequivalent control group design B. independent groups design C. factorial design D. randomized block design

What type of scale was our dependent variable in our in-class stroop experiment? A) ratio scale B) interval scale C) ordinal scale D) categorical

What type of threat occurs in a quasi-experiment with non-random assignment to groups, when the control group does not match the treatment group on at least one important factor? A. selection B. history C. maturation D. regression

What type of threat to internal validity should concern researchers if they notice the participants taking less and less time to complete the assessment questionnaire which is administered weekly? A. testing B. history C. selection D. instrumentation

When an experimenter actively lies to a participant, this is: A) deception through commission. B) a clear violation of the APA principles. C) deception through omission. D) a violation of federal guidelines.

When authors of a research article are describing just the results of a factorial study, which of these terms would you not expect to see? A) correlation B) main effect C) interaction effect D) significant

Which of the following does not characterize a small-N design? A. Researchers determine that a result is replicable by a test of statistical significance. B. Individuals' data are presented. C. Each participant is treated as a separate experiment. D. Researchers decide whether a result is replicable by repeating the experiment with a new participant.

Which of the following is a categorical variable? A) base played by a baseball player B) score on the verbal portion of the SAT C) score on the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale D) days of class missed last semester

Which of the following is not one of the categories of ethical violations illustrated by the Tuskegee Syphilis Study? A) There was a failure to obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board before beginning the study. B) The participants were not treated respectfully. C) A disadvantaged group was targeted. D) The participants were harmed.

Which of the following sentences describes a moderator for the relationship between risk taking and liking spicy foods? A) There is a positive relationship between liking spicy foods and risk taking for men, but no real relationship for women. B) Older adults tend to like spicy foods less than younger adults. C) The relationship between liking spicy foods and risk taking is the same for people in cities and in rural areas.

Which of the following statements describes our hypothesis in our classroom stroop experiment? A) The stroop effect should be weakened when the words are presented upside-down. B) The stroop effect is not real and we expect to see no differences between any of our conditions. C) The stroop effect should remain present no matter which orientation the words are presented. D) Presenting the words upside-down should enhance the interference that produces the stroop effect.

Which of the following statements is correct about interactions? a) They detect differences between differences. b) They are additive effects. c) They are spurious effects. d) They are indicative of a confound

Which of these is not a drawback of a within-groups design? A) Extraneous differences are held constant across conditions. B) Participants cannot be returned to their original state after each condition. C) Demand characteristics may result from hypothesis guessing with repeated testing. D) Order effects can threaten internal validity.

Which of these is not an advantage of within-groups designs? A) elimination of practice effects B) assurance of equivalence of the groups C) requirement of fewer participants D) more statistical power

Which type of claim is always done in generalization mode? Topic: n/a a. frequency b. association c. causal d. relational

While a case study can provide a lot of qualitative data, it lacks the ability to gather generalizable quantitative data. A) True B) False

A Type II error occurs when A) a null hypothesis is rejected but should not be rejected. B) a null hypothesis is not rejected but should be rejected. C) a test statistic is incorrect.

A drought in California created the opportunity for a quasi-experiment on the effectiveness of fines on water conservation (Agras et al., 1980). Three comparable cities were considered: two that instituted fines at different times and a third that did not. Water consumption data for the three years before the onset of the fines was used as baseline and subsequent consumption data was gathered through the end of the drought. Effectiveness of fines was assessed by examining consumption the following month. With regard to the monitoring of water consumption, what type of design was this? A. stable baseline B. multiple baseline C. reversal D. cross-sectional

A good theory must be ______. A. Intuitive B. Falsifiable C. Correlated D. True

A psychologist is working with the parents of four children who exhibit violent behaviors toward each other. The parents have been instructed to record the number of these behaviors each child exhibits in the pre-dinner hour for one week. The parents then begin a using positive reinforcement technique to shape the behavior of the youngest child, while continuing to record. The recording continues and the technique is used on one additional child each week. By the end of six weeks, there is a significant decrease in violent behaviors for each of the children. What type of design is this? A. stable-baseline B. multiple-baseline C. reversal D. interrupted time-series

A recent study (Koordeman et al., 2011), conducted in the Netherlands, on the effects of commercials for alcohol or alcohol consumption in the movie theater, found that young adults who consume large amounts of alcohol each week are influenced by the commercials, whereas young adults who consume small amounts of alcohol each week were not influenced. Participants saw one of two types of beverage commercials: alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Their consumption of alcohol during the movie was then measured. Finally, they completed a questionnaire on their drinking habits. What is a participant variable in this study? A) type of commercial shown B) amount of alcohol consumed by the young adult during the week C) amount of alcohol consumed during the movie D) the movie shown

A researcher found that clients who were randomly assigned to same-sex groups participated more in a group exercise session than clients who were assigned to coed groups. In this experiment, the independent variable was: A. The amount of participation in the group exercise sessions B. The gender composition of the groups C. The clients' attitude towards group exercise D. How much the clients' mental health improved

A study of the effects of nutrition labels on menu choices was conducted by a restaurant chain following the implementation of a city law requiring that information. The 15 main courses were chosen for study. The data for sales of the main courses for the month preceding the start of use of the new menus and the month following that start were compared. Sales figures showed that the average energy content of the purchased main courses dropped, while overall sales remained steady. What type of design is this? A. nonequivalent control group design B. interrupted time-series design C. nonequivalent groups time-series design D. none of the above

A theory is an educated guess about how something works. A) True B) False

Accepting the information in a professor's lecture without question is a reliance on ___________. A. Intuition B. Authority C. Scientific evidence D. Pseudoscientific information

After reading a report by Rockoff (2010), Yingying is studying the effects of others present and their roles on the rate of gambling bets using a simulated slot machine. Her levels of others present are one, two, or six. Her levels of roles are gamblers and observers. She constructs a 2 × 3 table of her results of average time between bets. There are two rows for the roles and three columns for the others present. The values in the first row are 10, 20, and 20 and in the second row are 20, 10, and 10. Describe her results. A) no effect of role, no effect of others present, and an interaction B) main effect of role, no effect of others present, and an interaction C) no effect of role, main effect of others present, and no interaction D) main effect of role, main effect of others present, and no interaction

Cherry et al (2010) examined the knowledge of normal and pathological memory aging in college students, social workers, and health care professionals. Participants completed a questionnaire and mean scores were computed for both normal and pathological memory aging. Scores differed among the groups of participants. What is the dependent variable? Topic: n/a a. memory aging b. score on the questionnaire c. non-health care professional d. health care professional

Clever Hanz (The horse who could do math?) provides an unusual example of which threat to internal validity? A) Selection Bias B) Demand Characteristics C) Practice Effects D) Maturation

Emma is planning an experiment on the effects of being read to on vocabulary size in toddlers. She plans to measure the vocabulary size of a group of 18-month-olds, read to them three times a week for a month, then measure the vocabulary size again. What threat to internal validity should she be concerned about? A) regression B) maturation C) attrition D) testing

Gathercole and Baddeley (1990) examined phonological memory skills in children with disordered language development using two control groups, one made up of much younger children who were matched on verbal abilities. If they had done a follow-up study a year later, which type of threat to internal validity would this age difference have caused? A. history B. maturation C. regression D. selection

Gucciardi and Dimmock (2008) reported on an experiment on choking under pressure in skilled golfers. They varied anxiety level and putting condition in a 2 × 3 within-group design. Anxiety level (low or high) was varied with a competition being introduced following the low-anxiety trials. The putting conditions were thinking of cue words about either putting technique, irrelevant items, or a single swing thought such as "smooth." Mean distance from hole was computed for the 10 putts in each condition. High anxiety increased distance in the technique condition but not in the other two conditions. What does this describe? A) a main effect B) a two-way interaction between anxiety and condition C) a two-way interaction between high anxiety and technique D) a three-way interaction between anxiety, technique, and swing thought

Having a lot of unsystematic variability suggests that you have a design confound. A) True B) False

Horselenberg et al (2003) reported an experiment based on Kassin and Kieche (1996) in which the participant was falsely accused of striking a computer key that caused the data to be deleted. The earlier study showed that 69 percent of the participants were willing to sign a confession that they had struck the key. Horselenberg's study included the signed confession, which included giving up part of the participation fee. In Horselenberg's study the researcher made the accusation rather than a peer, so that the situation more closely paralleled false confessions of a crime. What were the researchers trying to increase? Topic: n/a a. internal validity b. experimental realism c. situational variation d. larger effect size

How many possible orders for 'full' counterbalancing are there in a study with three conditions? A) three B) six C) nine D) twelve

If researchers suggest that participants who do not participate in a research study will suffer negative consequences, it is: A) autonomy. B) coercion. C) failing to provide special protection. D) a debriefing failure.

If the relationship between two variables changes depending on the level of a third variable in association research, what is this third variable called? A) continuous B) moderator C) predictor D) dependent

In a business class experiment on the endowment effect, Theo is comparing the value of a coffee mug to someone who owns it and is selling it to someone who is buying it. The endowment effect describes the tendency of sellers to value something they own more than buyers do. Participants are randomly assigned to be buyers or sellers of a mug with their first name on it. Buyers select the maximum price they would pay for the mug. Sellers select the minimum price they would accept for the mug. What is the dependent variable in this experiment? A) role of the participant B) value selected for the mug C) type of mug D) name of the participant

In a quasi-experiment (Minke, 2011), the effectiveness of Skejby, a Danish half-way house which mixes offenders with non-offenders, was compared to that of the control condition of half-way houses housing only offenders. Measurement of effectiveness was based on rate of recidivism of former inmates. What threat to internal validity would occur if the inmates who were sent to prison from the half-way house for violations were not included in the recidivism measurement? A. selection B. attrition C. maturation D. history

In a study of aggression in children, the researcher watches a group of children on the playground and records the number of instances of physical or verbal attacks. Which category of measured variable is this researcher using? A) self-report measures B) observational measures C) physiological measures D) neuropsychological measures

In a study of the span of apprehension, or how many objects you can assess (report seeing) after a brief exposure, the length of exposure is held constant and the number of objects is varied, from one to twelve. After a large number of trials, the percentage correct for each number of objects is found. What is the independent variable? A) the percentage correct B) the number of objects C) the length of exposure D) the number of trials

In a word list-learning experiment, participants are given a list of words to study for 3 minutes and then, following a delay, are asked to recall the list. The length of time between the study period and the recall is being manipulated: it is 2 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes. Since different groups need different amounts of time, the first 25 participants who arrive are assigned to the 10-minute group, the next 25 are assigned to the 5-minute group, and the final 25 are assigned to the 2-minute group. What confound does this create? A) demand characteristic B) selection effect C) experimenter bias D) carryover effect

In psychology lab, Tetiana is conducting an experiment on depth perception using the Howard-Dolman box. Inside the box are two vertical rods and a horizontal ruler. The participant manipulates the rods until they appear to be aligned at the same distance away, then the experimenter measures how far out of alignment they are. There are three conditions: left eye only, right eye only, and both eyes. Tetiana is using a repeated measures design. How is the independent variable being manipulated in Tetiana's design? A) independent groups B) within-groups C) concurrently D) as a participant variable

In scientific writing, what is an abstract? A) existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence. B) A brief summary of a peer reviewed article, providing a general idea of the purpose, methods, findings and conclusions of the study. C) A detailed description of the procedures that allows someone to replicate your experiment. D) A tool used to identify and flag falsified data, which essentially abstracts misinformation from scientific databases.

Mischel (1972) studied delay of gratification in preschoolers: Children were offered a special reward if they could wait or a less attractive treat if they chose not to wait. A follow-up study was done years later, looking at the same children as adolescents. Associations were found between the waiting times of the preschoolers and behaviors of the same children as adolescents. Parents rated various self-control skills on a Likert-type scale and also completed a personality test for their adolescents. What type of validity is being considered when results of these two measures of the adolescents are compared? A) test-retest B) convergent C) external D) internal

Onwuegbuzie et al. (1999) examined foreign language anxiety, a known predictor of foreign language achievement, using a multiple regression analysis of variables including academic achievement, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth. Which of the following questions interrogates external validity of this study? A) What was the measure of perceived scholastic competence? B) Which languages were studied? C) What effect size was found? D) Are there subgroups in the study?

Professor Horvat studies the relationships between job and home satisfaction. She designs a study to test the same group of workers on various factors of work satisfaction and home satisfaction. She administers the test two times, one year apart. She finds that home satisfaction measured at the first time correlates strongly with job satisfaction at the second time, but there is no correlation between job satisfaction measured at time one and home satisfaction measured a year later. For which of the rules of causation do these two correlations provide evidence? A) covariance B) temporal precedence C) internal validity D) none of the above

Professor Silva is a clinical psychologist who teaches a course in abnormal psychology at the university. He maintains a clinical practice and several of his current students are his clients. Which of the APA's Five General Principles does this violate? A) Integrity B) Fidelity and Responsibility C) Justice D) Respect for People's Rights and Dignity

Psychologists generally prefer the experimental method to other research methods because A) Experiments are more likely to support psychologists' hypotheses. B) Experiments can show cause-effect relationships. C) It is easier to obtain a random sample for an experiment. D) Double-blind designs are unnecessary in an experiment. E) Experiments are more likely to result in statistically significant findings.

Replicating an experiment with a more sensitive dependent variable makes it more likely to avoid a null result by: A) Increasing between-group variability B) Decreasing within-group variability C) Improving the study's internal validity

Some colleges no longer require the SAT I or the ACT tests, instead basing their admissions on other factors, such as high school GPA. A large reason that they have done this is that they have found a low correlation between the scores on the tests and the students' freshman year GPA. What type of validity was missing and led the colleges to change admissions criteria? A) face validity B) predictive validity C) discriminant validity D) content validity

The Ranschburg effect in short-term memory involves repeated items: if they are close together in a list, recall is facilitated; if they are far apart, recall is impaired. Francis designs an experiment on this effect using three conditions for a 12 animal names list: no repetition, repetition of the third animal as the fifth item, and repetition of the second animal as the tenth item. Each item is viewed for one-second, then participants recall them in order. Ten participants are tested in each condition. What is the independent variable? A) names of the animals B) repetition condition C) items recalled D) viewing time

The Yerkes-Dodson law (1908), shows that performance increases with arousal up to a point, but beyond that, performance decreases with increasing arousal. What type of correlation this? A) Zero B) Curvilinear C) Positive D) Negative

What does it mean to say that "most theory testing is done on WEIRD people?" Topic: n/a a. that people who volunteer for psychology studies are unusual in some way b. that most participants are Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic c. that most psychologists go into the field because they have personal problems they hope to solve d. that most people who participate in studies are white, individual, empathetic, reliable, and dedicated

What is the "publication bias" in psychology? Topic: n/a a. Famous psychologists are more likely to be published than unknowns. b. Significant relationships are more likely to be published than null effects. c. Results of research in areas of public interest are more likely to be published. d. Studies done by friends of the editors of journals are more likely to be published.

What type of psychologist would be interested in the relationship between parenting styles and child development and how that varies across different countries and ethnic groups? Topic: n/a a. developmental b. cultural c. clinical d. perception

What type of research design involves measuring the same variables for the same people across different points in time? A) cross-sectional B) longitudinal C) naturalistic observation D) case study

When is it a good idea to base conclusions on the advice of authorities? A) When authorities have an advanced degree B) When authorities based their advice on research that systematically and objectively compares different conditions C) When authorities have several years of experience in their area of specialty D) Never

Which is not one of the three forms of replication? Topic: n/a a. direct replication b. meta-analysis replication c. replication-plus-extension d. conceptual replication

Which of the following are two ethical issues raised by Milgram's studies of obedience? A) the pain of the electrical shocks experienced by the learners and the stress experienced by the teachers B) the stress experienced by the teachers and the lasting effects of the study on the teachers C) the distress felt by the experimenter who had to order the teacher to shock the learner and the pain of the electric shocks experienced by the learners D) targeting of a disadvantaged group and the disrespectful treatment of participants

Which of the following is NOT a place where psychological scientists publish their work? A) Scientific Journals B) Online Podcasts C) Chapters in edited textbooks D) Full-length books

Which of the following is not a method to interrogate construct validity in an experimental design? A) pilot studies B) checking for statistical significance C) manipulation checks D) adding additional conditions

Which of these does not need to be considered as an alternative explanation of the results in a within-groups design experiment? A) fatigue B) selection C) practice D) boredom

Which of these is not a solution to individual differences as a source of within-group variability? A) use a within-groups design rather than an independent groups design B) use a matched-groups design rather than an independent groups design C) use a double-blind study D) add more participants

Which of these is not an internal validity threat that results from human subjectivity? A. observer bias B. history C. placebo effects D. demand characteristics

Which research method affords a scientist the greatest amount of control over the variable s/he is studying? A. Descriptive method B. Experimental method C. Correlational method D. No difference in control among these methods

A drought in California created the opportunity for a quasi-experiment on the effectiveness of fines on water conservation (Agras et al., 1980). Three comparable cities were considered: two that instituted fines at different times and a third that did not. Water consumption data for the three years before the onset of the fines was used as baseline and subsequent consumption data was gathered through the end of the drought. Effectiveness of fines was assessed by examining consumption the following month. If we question whether effectiveness of fines is best measured by consumption, what validity are we interrogating? A. internal B. external C. construct D. statistical

A multiple-regression analysis is run to examine third variables as a follow-up to the study indicating that boys with unusual names are more likely to commit crimes. Unusual names, ethnic backgrounds, and geographical regions are all used as predictor variables. Even after controlling for all of these variables, unusual names predict criminal activity. Why doesn't this study establish causation? A) Temporal precedence isn't established. B) The beta values are not shown, so there isn't enough information to conclude causation. C) There may be some other third variable. D) No cross-lag correlation was done.

A psychologist is interested in investigating the effectiveness of a new training method for teaching self-care skills to developmentally disabled children. She designed the following study: One group of children received the new training method 5 days a week for a month, a second group received the new method 3 days a week for a month, and a third group did not receive any training. After the month is over, a rater counted the number of self-care behaviors the children performed in a day. For example, the rater counted the number of times the children dressed and groomed themselves. What was the dependent variable in this experiment? A. Developmentally disabled children B. Type of training received C. Number of self-care behaviors D. The rater

A recent study (Koordeman et al., 2011), conducted in the Netherlands, on the effects of commercials for alcohol or alcohol consumption in the movie theater, found that young adults who consume large amounts of alcohol each week are influenced by the commercials, whereas young adults who consume small amounts of alcohol each week were not influenced. Participants saw one of two types of beverage commercials: alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Their consumption of alcohol during the movie was then measured. Finally, they completed a questionnaire on their drinking habits. What type of design is this? A) within-groups factorial B) mixed factorial C) independent-groups factorial D) nested factorial

A researcher is interested in the prevalence of depression in college students. To study this, she randomly samples 200 SUNY Binghamton students and has them complete a depression inventory. Based on this, she determines that 7% meet the criterion for clinical depression. The sample in this study is _______________ and the population is _______________. A. college students; adults B. random; the 200 SUNY Binghamton students in the study C. the 200 SUNY Binghamton students in the study; SUNY Binghamton students D. the 7% of the students who were depressed; all of the 200 students in the study

A study of the effects of nutrition labels on menu choices was conducted by a restaurant chain following the implementation of a city law requiring that information. The 15 main courses were chosen for study. The data for sales of the main courses for the month preceding the start of use of the new menus and the month following that start were compared. Sales figures showed that the average energy content of the purchased main courses dropped, while overall sales of main courses remained steady. What is the independent variable? A. sales for the month preceding the menu change B. sales for the month following the menu change C. menu labeling D. energy content in the main courses

According to Cohen's conventions for effect size, how do you describe an effect size when d = 0.50? A) not existent B) weak C) moderate D) strong

After reading a report by Rockoff (2010), Yingying is studying the effects of others present and their roles on the rate of gambling bets using a simulated slot machine. Her levels of others present are one, two, or six. Her levels of roles are gamblers and observers. She constructs a 2 × 3 table of her results of average time between bets. There are two rows for the roles and three columns for the others present. The values in the first row are 15, 15, and 15 and in the second row are 20, 15, and 10. Describe her results. A) no effect of role, no effect of others present, and no interaction B) no effect of role, main effect of others present, and no interaction C) no effect of role, main effect of others present, and interaction D) main effect of role, main effect of others present, and interaction

Cherry et al (2010) examined the knowledge of normal and pathological memory aging in college students, social workers, and health care professionals. Participants completed a questionnaire and mean scores were computed for both normal and pathological memory aging. Scores differed among the groups of participants. A second experiment was similar, but used a more diverse set of participants. What type of study was this? Topic: n/a a. multi-stage analysis b. direct replication c. conceptual replication d. replication-plus-extension

Consider this statement: "People who use Facebook got worse grades in college, even when the researchers controlled for the level of college preparation (Measured by SAT Scores) of the students" What does this statement mean? A) Facebook use and grades are correlated only because both of these are associated with SAT score. B) SAT score is a third variable that seems to explain the association between Facebook use and grades. C) SAT score can be ruled out as a third variable explanation of the correlation between Facebook use and Grades

Daneman and Carpenter (1980) found that the correlation of performance on a reading span test (a measure of working memory) and reading comprehension as measured by the verbal SAT was r = .59. Based on Cohen's (1992) guidelines, how would you describe this effect size? A) small B) medium C) large D) More information is needed to make this determination.

Dr. Kamran studies domestic violence in men and has designed a self-report scale to ask about attitudes toward women. She administers it to male prisoners immediately following their arrests. She compares the results from prisoners eventually convicted of domestic violence to those for the prisoners eventually convicted of other crimes. She finds significant differences between the group scores. What technique is she using to validate her scale? A) test-retest technique B) physiological measurements C) known-groups paradigm D) longitudinal research

Dr. Polack found that students in research methods love learning about correlations. Though this relationship only holds on sunny days. Sunny days might be called? A) A correlation B) A mediator C) A moderator D) A confound

What is the term for a replication of a study that is the same at an abstract level, but differs in the procedures for operationalizing the variables? Topic: n/a a. direct replication b. meta-analysis replication c. conceptual replication d. replication-plus-extension

Gucciardi and Dimmock (2008) reported on an experiment on choking under pressure in skilled golfers. They varied anxiety level and putting condition in a 2 × 3 within-group design. Anxiety level (low or high) was varied with a competition being introduced following the low-anxiety trials. The putting conditions were thinking of cue words about either putting technique or irrelevant items, or a single swing thought such as "smooth." Mean distance from hole was computed for the 10 putts in each condition. The main effect for anxiety was not significant. What does this mean about the marginal means? A) The marginal mean for the putting technique cue word condition was significantly different from the marginal mean for the irrelevant item cue word condition. B) The marginal mean for the irrelevant item cue word condition was significantly different from the marginal mean for the single swing thought cue word condition. C) The marginal means for the two anxiety conditions are not significantly different. D) The marginal means for all three cue words conditions are significantly different from each other.

Horselenberg et al (2003) reported an experiment based on Kassin and Kieche (1996) in which the participant was falsely accused of striking a computer key that caused the data to be deleted. The earlier study showed that 69 percent of the participants were willing to sign a confession that they had struck the key. Horselenberg's study included the signed confession, which included giving up part of the participation fee. Horselenberg looked at the relationship between a variety of personality traits and false confessions. Which mode was this portion of the work done in? Topic: n/a a. data-generating mode b. generalization mode c. theory-testing mode d. analysis mode

In a business class experiment on the endowment effect, Theo is comparing the value of a coffee mug to someone who owns it and is selling it to someone who is buying it. The endowment effect describes the tendency of sellers to value something they own more than buyers do. Participants are randomly assigned to be buyers or sellers of a mug with their first name on it. Buyers select the maximum price they would pay for the mug. Sellers select the minimum price they would accept for the mug. How does Theo control for selection effects? A) by using a control group B) by using matched-groups design C) by random assignment of participants D) by using a pretest/posttest design

In a business class experiment on the endowment effect, Theo is comparing the value of a coffee mug to someone who owns it and is selling it to someone who is buying it. The endowment effect describes the tendency of sellers to value something they own more than buyers do. Participants are randomly assigned to be buyers or sellers of a mug with their first name on it. Buyers select the maximum price they would pay for the mug. Sellers select the minimum price they would accept. Which validity is concerned with the significance of the difference in the prices? A) construct B) internal C) statistical D) external

In a quasi-experiment (Minke, 2011), the effectiveness of Skejby, a Danish half-way house which mixes offenders with non-offenders, was compared to that of the control condition of half-way houses housing only offenders. Measurement of effectiveness was based on rate of recidivism of former inmates. In the abstract, the authors describe Skejby as "an outstanding social experiment." What threat to internal validity occurs when researchers are not objective in their assessments? A. experimental demand B. placebo effect C. observer bias D. testing

In a study of a new drug for asthma, a researcher finds that the group receiving the drug is doing much better than the control group, whose members are receiving a placebo. Which principle of the Belmont Report requires the researcher to also give the control group the opportunity to receive the new drug? A) Informed Consent B) Justice C) Beneficence D) Respect for Persons

In our stroop experiment which of the following statements is accurate? A) We observed no reliable differences. B) We observe that the upside-down condition improved performance on the color identification task. C) We observe that the rightside-up condition improved performance on the color identification task. D) The stroop effect we significantly weaker in the upside-down condition

In psychology lab, Tetiana is conducting an experiment on depth perception using the Howard-Dolman box. Inside the box are two vertical rods and a horizontal ruler. The participant manipulates the rods until they appear to be aligned at the same distance away, then the experimenter measures how far out of alignment they are. There are three conditions: left eye only, right eye only, and both eyes. Tetiana is using a repeated measures design. She finds that d = 1.53. Cohen would claim that this effect size is what? A) weak/small B) moderate C) strong/large D) This cannot be determined without knowing the number of participants.

In psychology lab, Tetiana is conducting an experiment on depth perception using the Howard-Dolman box. Inside the box are two vertical rods and a horizontal ruler. The participant manipulates the rods until they appear to be aligned at the same distance away, then the experimenter measures how far out of alignment they are. There are three conditions: left eye only, right eye only, and both eyes. Tetiana is using a repeated measures design. She plans to have 60 participants and to use a Latin-square counterbalancing. How many participants will be in each counterbalance group? A) six B) ten C) twenty D) thirty

In what type of design does the experimenter sort the participants from lowest to highest of a relevant trait, form groups based on similar scores on that trait, then randomly assign those within each group to the different conditions? A) independent groups B) concurrent measures C) matched-groups D) within-groups

One of the advantages of descriptive studies is that they have a good deal of ___________ validity. A. Statistical B. Internal C. External D. Construct

Onwuegbuzie et al. (1999) examined foreign language anxiety, a known predictor of foreign language achievement, using a multiple regression analysis of variables including academic achievement, perceived scholastic competence, and perceived self-worth. Which of the following questions interrogates the statistical validity of the study? A) How was academic achievement measured? B) What were the ages of the participants? C) Were there outliers in the data? D) What stage of learning the foreign language were the participants in?

What should be added to a double-blind placebo control study to demonstrate that the placebo had an effect? A) a second group with a different placebo B) a researcher who evaluates the participants without knowing which group they are in C) a no-treatment/no-placebo group D) a subject group who were unaware of which group they were in

Professor Horvat studies the relationships between job and home satisfaction. She designs a study to test the same group of workers on various factors of work satisfaction and home satisfaction. She administers the test two times, one year apart. She finds that home satisfaction measured at the first time correlates strongly with job satisfaction at the second time, but there is no correlation between job satisfaction measured at time one and home satisfaction measured a year later. Which of the three rules of causation is not addressed by the results of this study? A) covariance B) temporal precedence C) internal validity D) none of the above; they all are addressed

Professor Horvat studies the relationships between job and home satisfaction. She designs a study to test the same group of workers on various factors of work satisfaction and home satisfaction. She administers the test two times, one year apart. She finds that job satisfaction at the initial testing is correlated with job satisfaction at the second testing, but that home satisfaction at the first testing is not correlated with home satisfaction at the second testing. What type of correlations are these? A) cross-sectional B) cross-lag C) autocorrelations D) negative

Professor Hu is examining the relation between memory and time spent sleeping in different age groups. He administers a memory test and a sleep time questionnaire to two groups of participants: one which is made up of 50-year-olds and the other made up of 65-year-olds. He finds the correlations between memory performance and sleep time for each group. What type of correlations are these? A) longitudinal B) autocorrelations C) cross-sectional D) cross-lag

Professor Simeon offers extra credit points in his introductory psychology classes. He wonders which students take advantage of this. He makes a scatterplot for his classes, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in course without extra credit on the y-axis. He decides the plot will be clearer if he converts the numerical grades into letter grades and plots a histogram with letter grades on the x-axis and the percentage of students in each letter grade earning extra credit on the y-axis. What type of statistic would he use to describe this relationship? A) Phi coefficient B) Likert scale C) point-biserial correlation D) Cronbach's alpha

Roediger and McDermott (1995) reintroduced a paradigm developed by Deese (1959) which produces false recall of a word when a participant is given a list of words to recall which centers on a particular word but does not include it. They replicated Deese's original study, and then ran a second experiment with new sets of stimulus words. What is the correct terminology for the second experiment? Topic: n/a a. direct replication b. meta-analysis replication c. conceptual replication d. replication-plus-extension

The Ranschburg effect in short term-memory involves repeated items: if they are close together in a list, recall is facilitated; if they are far apart, recall is impaired. Francis designs an experiment on this effect using three conditions for a 12 animal names list: no repetition, repetition of the third animal as the fifth item, and repetition of the second animal as the tenth item. Each item is viewed for one-second, then participants recall them in order. Ten participants are tested in each condition. What is the dependent variable? A) names of the animals B) repetition condition C) items recalled D) viewing time

The concept of the availability heuristic is illustrated when you A) choose one movie over another because you prefer the design of its poster at the cinema. B) never make a decision about where to eat because you are rarely hungry. C) vow to never drive again because of the horrible accident you witnessed in front of your house. D) refuse to buy food that you think is overpriced, even if you are wrong.

The method of gathering a sample from a population is an important consideration for establishing: A) Construct Validity B) Internal Validity C) External Validity D) Statistical Validity

Two universities are involved in a study of the effects on student retention and attitude toward campus life based on a pre-freshman year summer visit program that one of the schools had implemented. The schools, both state universities in the same state, were closely matched in student body characteristics. In the fall of the first year of the program, the school that was serving as the control was struck by a rare fall tornado, which did damage to several campus buildings. What type of threat to internal validity would this cause? A. regression B. maturation C. selection-history D. selection

Vida is studying the connection between school grades and time spent using social media. She finds a strong correlation, showing the students with lower grades spend more time using social media. She decides that before she can claim that increased use of social media causes grades to drop she must check the students' grade history. What criterion of causality is she concerned with? A) covariance B) statistical significance C) temporal precedence D) internal validity

What differences need to be investigated when a three-way design is used? A) two main effects and a two-way interaction B) three main effects and three-way interaction C) three main effects, three two-way interactions, and a three-way interaction D) three main effects, three two-way interactions, and three three-way interactions

What does it mean to say that research is probabilistic? A. Researchers refer to the probability that their theories are correct. B. Research predicts all possible results. C. Research conclusions are meant to explain a certain proportion of cases, not all cases. D. If there are exceptions to a research claim, it means that the claim is probably incorrect.

What does use of a Latin square assure with regard to conditions in a within-groups experiment? A) that each participant will have a unique order of the conditions B) that the order of the conditions will be randomized for each group C) that each condition appears in each position within the order at least once D) that all possible orders of conditions will be used

What information is given in the factorial design notation, 2 X 3 X 2? a) Interactions will be found. b) The design has 12 independent variables. c) The design has three independent variables, two levels of A, three levels of B, and two levels of C. d) The design has two independent variables, three dependent variables, and two demographic variables.

What is a variable that the experimenter holds constant on purpose? A) dependent B) independent C) control D) confound

What tool is used to check if multiple-item measurement scales have internal reliability? A) r, the correlation coefficient B) Kappa C) Cronbach's alpha D) s, the standard deviation

Which of the following coefficients of a correlation indicate the weakest relationship between two variables? A) 0.51 B) −0.28 C) 0.08 D) −1.00 E) 1.00

Which of the following is a categorical variable? A) IQ score B) blood pressure reading C) declared major in college D) current age

Which of the following is a physiological measure? A) responses to a questionnaire B) speed in solving a puzzle C) grip strength D) ratings by an observer

Which of the following is not one of the three R's provided by the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals? A) Reduction B) Replacement C) Restoration D) Refinement

Which of the following procedures is used to support that scientific findings reported by one experimenter are accurate? A. Serendipity B. Tenacity C. Replication D. Role-playing

Which of the following statements is true? a) No more than four factors can be included in a factorial design. b) Interactions with up to ten factors can be readily interpreted. c) Any number of factors can be included, but interpretation of interactions is more difficult as the number of factors increases. d) The number of factors has no bearing on the interpretation of results.

Which of these is a field setting? Topic: n/a a. a psychology lab with EEG apparatus b. a neuropsychological lab with an MRI machine c. a preschool playground with video cameras d. a biology lab with galvanic skin response detectors

Which of these is important in responsibly reporting science stories in the popular press? Topic: n/a a. selecting the splashiest story b. coverage of the major statistical findings, including effect sizes and p-values c. inclusion of information about the context of a study and how it fits into the literature d. discussing the practical implications of the study results

Which of these is not a method to maximize external validity in a small-N study? A. triangulate by comparing results with other research B.specify a limited population to which to generalize C. replicate the study in a natural setting D. specify that the result only applies to the participant studied

Which of these is not a reason for a researcher to select a quasi-experimental design? A. enhancement of external validity B. to avoid the ethical issues a true experiment would cause C. improved internal validity D. opportunity to take advantage of real-world occurrences to study phenomena and events

Which of these statements is true of external validity? Topic: n/a a. A population always refers to the population of the earth. b. The larger the sample the better. c. It comes from how the sample is obtained rather than sample size. d. Studies must take place outside the laboratory to have external validity.

Yan and Sengupta (2012) examined the effects of price, attractiveness, and consumer on the perceived tastiness and expensiveness of a dish of fried rice. The study was a 2 × 2 × 2 design that varied price (inexpensive or expensive), picture (attractive or unattractive), and consumer (self or classmate) in a between-subjects design. How many cells are there in this study? A)1 B)3 C)8 D)16

. A researcher wants to investigate the impact of aerobic exercise on life satisfaction. The researcher decides to define aerobic exercise as 90 minutes a week of light jogging and defines life satisfaction as the raw score on a self-reported survey. The researcher's decision to define these two variables highlights the importance of what? A) Independent and Dependent variables B) Random selection of participants C) Experimental and Control Conditions D) Operational Definitions E) Confounding Variables

. Following a correlation study that shows a specific gene is associated with violent individuals, but not non-violent ones, a news headline announced, "Murder Gene Triggers Violent Acts". Why is this headline misleading? A) It explains phenomenon in hindsight B) It sees illusory correlations as being real C) It is confusing correlation with causation D) It is trying to make order in a series of random events E) It is making sweeping generalizations from an unrepresentative sample

A drought in California created the opportunity for a quasi-experiment on the effectiveness of fines on water conservation (Agras et al., 1980). Three comparable cities were considered: two that instituted fines at different times and a third that did not. Water consumption data for the three years before the onset of the fines was used as baseline and subsequent consumption data was gathered through the end of the drought. Effectiveness of fines was assessed by examining consumption the following month. If we question whether the results of this study could apply in another state with a drought, what validity are we interrogating? A. construct B. statistical C. internal D. external

A researcher is interested in whether children who play violent video games are more aggressive. She observes the number of hours that children play these games to see if there is an association between aggression and video games. Her results indicate that children who play violent video games for more hours tend to be slightly more aggressive. What general conclusion can she draw? A. Violent video games cause children to be more aggressive. B. There is a negative correlation between aggression and playing video games. C. Children who do not play video games are not aggressive. D. There is a positive correlation between aggression and playing video games.

A school district is comparing two reading programs for high school students reading below grade level. Two very similar schools are used to test the programs, a different one at each school. Students participating in the programs are pretested for their reading abilities and the mean scores are similar at both schools. The program at High School A is known to be much more rigorous than the program at High School B. The posttest shows more improvement at High School A, but more of the students dropped out of the program. What threat to internal validity does this pose? A. history B. selection C. maturation D. attrition

A study of the effects of nutrition labels on menu choices was conducted by a restaurant chain following the implementation of a city law requiring that information. The 15 main courses were chosen as for study. The data for sales of the main courses for the month preceding the start of use of the new menus and the month following that start were compared. Sales figures showed that the average energy content of the purchased main courses dropped, while overall sales of main courses remained steady. What is the dependent variable? A. the nutritional value of the main courses B. menu labeling C. sales per restaurant before the menu change D. the average energy content of the main courses purchased

Cherry et al (2010) examined the knowledge of normal and pathological memory aging in college students, social workers, and health care professionals. Participants completed a questionnaire and mean scores were computed for both normal and pathological memory aging. Scores differed among the groups of participants. A second experiment was similar, but used a more diverse set of participants. What type of validity did it affect? Topic: n/a a. construct b. statistical c. internal d. external

Clever Hans is a ______. A) German Philosopher B) Cognitive Psychologist C) Bad guy from the movie 'Die Hard' D) Horse

Factorial designs: a) include no more than one research hypothesis. b) cannot test participants across more than one condition. c) are ineffective when matched participants are included. d) contain more than one null hypothesis.

Georgina graduated as valedictorian of her high school class because of her class ranking. What type of scale is used for the quantitative variable of class ranking? A) nominal scale B) interval scale C) ratio scale D) ordinal scale

Horselenberg et al (2003) reported an experiment based on Kassin and Kieche (1996) in which the participant was falsely accused of striking a computer key that caused the data to be deleted. The earlier study showed that 69 percent of the participants were willing to sign a confession that they had struck the key. Horselenberg's study included the signed confession, which included giving up part of the participation fee. What is the dependent variable in this experiment? Topic: n/a a. the amount of the participation fee b. whether the data was deleted c. whether the participant struck the key d. whether the participant would sign the confession or not

How many independent variables and how many cells are there in a 2 × 3 × 4 study? A) 2 independent variables, 4 cells B) 2 independent variables, 9 cells C) 3 independent variables, 9 cells D) 3 independent variables, 24 cells

How many variables can be measured in a study that uses bivariate correlations? A) one B) two C) three D) any number greater than one

If we identify a bivariate correlation between amount of stress and symptoms of depression at r = .67, but then See that association drop to .33 when we include cortisol levels in a multiple regression, what can we say about cortisol if it is shown to be correlated with both stress and depressive symptoms? A) Cortisol is a moderator of the relation between stress and depression B) Cortisol is a mediator of stress and depression C) Cortisol is a third variable (confound) D) Cortisol is either a mediator or a confound, we would need to establish temporal precedence between stress and cortisol to claim cortisol is a mediator.

In a business class experiment on the endowment effect, Theo is comparing the value of a coffee mug to someone who owns it and is selling it to someone who is buying it. The endowment effect describes the tendency of sellers to value something they own more than buyers do. Participants are randomly assigned to be buyers or sellers of a mug with their first name on it. Buyers select the maximum price they would pay for the mug. Sellers select the minimum price they would accept. Which validity is concerned with applying the results to more expensive objects? A) construct B) internal C) statistical D) external

In a quasi-experiment (Minke, 2011), the effectiveness of Skejby, a Danish half-way house which mixes offenders with non-offenders, was compared to that of the control condition of half-way houses housing only offenders. Measurement of effectiveness was based on rate of recidivism of former inmates. What type of design is this? A. interrupted time-series B. nonequivalent groups interrupted time-series C. multiple baseline D. nonequivalent control group

In a quasi-experiment (Minke, 2011), the effectiveness of Skejby, a Danish half-way house which mixes offenders with non-offenders, was compared to that of the control condition of half-way houses housing only offenders. Measurement of effectiveness was based on rate of recidivism of former inmates. What was the dependent variable in this study? A. severity of crime committed B. length of time in half-way house C. type of half-way house D. rate of recidivism

In an experiment on improving children's handwriting, two different techniques of improving handwriting and a control condition are used. Using a pretest/posttest design, both groups who received the treatment showed more improvement than the control group. However, the two groups didn't show any difference from each other. The researcher believes that there is a difference, but that the 5-point assessment scale of handwriting cannot detect it. What measurement problem is the researcher concerned with? A) reliability B) sample size C) situation noise D) precision

In order to study a sample of participants from only one ethnic group, researchers must first demonstrate that the problem being studied is especially prevalent in that ethnic group. This is an application of which principle from the Belmont Report? A) Respect for Persons B) Beneficence C) Special Protection D) Justice

In psychology lab, Tetiana is conducting an experiment on depth perception using the Howard-Dolman box. Inside the box are two vertical rods and a horizontal ruler. The participant manipulates the rods until they appear to be aligned at the same distance away, then the experimenter measures how far out of alignment they are. There are three conditions: left eye only, right eye only, and both eyes. Tetiana is using a repeated measures design. What is the independent variable in this experiment? A) depth perception B) number of trials C) disparity from perfect alignment D) eye/eyes used

Manipulating the data to produce the desired or more interesting results is an example of: A) Deception through omission B) Debriefing C) Data Fabrication D) Data Falsification

Martins et al. (2010) studied factors relating to the retrieval of names of famous people based on pictures. Famous faces tests are used in studies of memory. They were interested in understanding the factors that influence successful recall. Five groups of stimuli were formed based on reason for celebrity and time of peak fame. Multiple regressions for age, gender, and education were performed for each of the groups. For "Current National Entertainers" β = -0.39 for age. What does this mean? A) There is no relation between age and recall of names for "Current National Entertainers." B) There is not enough information given here to answer this. C) Older people are better than younger people at recalling names of "Current National Entertainers." D) Younger people are better than older people at recalling names of "Current National Entertainers."

Nesta is making a scatterplot of the digit spans (how many numbers you can remember and repeat back) for his psychology class, with the spans for digits the students hear on one axis and the span for digits the students read on the other. The association is strong, but he notices that one student has a visual digit span that is twice as long as anyone else. What Statistical Validity Question is he examining? A) Is the correlation statistically significant? B) Are there subgroups? C) Is the relationship curvilinear? D) Could outliers be affecting the relationship?

Null results are hard to publish because: A) Your dependent variable may not have been sensitive enough to detect differences B) Your manipulation may not have produced a dramatic enough change in your independent variable to observe and effect. C) You may simply be observing a floor or ceiling effect. D) All of these

On the first midterm exam in an introductory psychology class, the grades are lower than Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans computers and cellphones from her class between the first midterm and the second midterm. When she compares the scores on the two exams for the people who had been using computers and cellphones, she finds a significant improvement on the second exam. Professor Mitchell points out that in her classes, students always do better on the second exam because they are more used to taking her tests. What threat to validity is she suggesting? A) attrition B) regression to the mean C) maturation D) testing

On the first midterm exam in an introductory psychology class, the grades are lower than Professor Mutola expected. She suspects that multitasking is to blame. She bans computers and cellphones from her class between the first midterm and the second midterm. When she compares the scores on the two exams for the people who had been using computers and cellphones, she finds a significant improvement on the second exam. She then compares scores for the other students in the class and finds less of an improvement. Which of these threats should she still consider? A) maturation B) history C) testing D) attrition

One way to prevent a confound in an experiment is to: A) Manipulate variables that are known to be strongly correlated B) Replicate your experiment many times C) Maximize external validity and construct validity D) Use random assignment

Professor Fofana offers extra credit points in his introductory psychology classes. He wonders which students take advantage of this. He makes a scatterplot for his classes, with the number of extra credit points earned on the x-axis and the numerical grade in course without extra credit on the y-axis. He finds that r = 0.179. What does this correlation tell him about which students take advantage of the extra credit option? A) Students with higher numerical grades are less likely than students with lower numerical grades to do extra credit work. B) Students with lower numerical grades are more likely than students with higher numerical grades to do extra credit work. C) All students are equally likely to do extra credit work. D) Students with higher numerical grades are more likely than students with lower numerical grades to do extra credit work.

Professor Hammond studies ethical behavior and designs a study to examine the amount of cheating at her school. At the beginning of class each day, she passes around a chart showing the dates of the class meetings, with boxes for students to initial if present. She photocopies the sheet after each class so that she can find if any students initial for days in the past that they were absent. The students are not aware that they were participating in the study until the end of the quarter. What standard of Ethical Standard 8 does this violate? A) Institutional Approval B) Offering Inducements for Research Participation C) Client/Patient, Student, and Subordinate Research Participants D) Informed Consent to Research

Professor Morgan questions whether the ratings he receives from his students on "teaching effectiveness" indicate how much the students learn in his class or are just based on how much his students like him. What part of the ratings is he questioning? A) the reliability B) the statistical significance C) the use of an interval scale D) the measurement validity

Sun Mi is designing a questionnaire on loneliness. She is concerned that some features of loneliness are similar to depression and to low self-esteem. What type of validity does she need to show to demonstrate that her questionnaire reveals loneliness and not depression or low self-esteem? A) convergent validity B) predictive validity C) face validity D) discriminant validity

Theoretically, random assignment should eliminate A) Sampling error. B) The need to use statistics. C) Concerns over external validity. D) Many confounding variables. E) Concerns over construct validity.

Use of team based learning in classroom is found to increase retention but I speculate that it is not TBL per say but collaboration that increases retention. Collaboration might be called: A) Moderator B) Internal Validity Threat C) External Validity Threat D) A third variable

What design is an experiment in which participants are randomly assigned to independent variable groups then tested on the dependent variable once? A) within-groups B) repeated measures C) pretest/posttest D) posttest only

What is needed to support a causal claim? A. Covariance B. Temporal precedence C. Strong internal validity (Removal of possible confounds) D. All of the above

What type of group is a level of the independent variable that is intended to represent a neutral condition? A) treatment B) comparison C) experimental D) control

What type of study is the pinnacle of behavioral research? Topic: n/a a. a factorial experiment b. a quantitative, longitudinal, controlled, experimental study c. a controlled, repeated measures study d. a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

What validity is ecological validity considered to be an aspect of? Topic: n/a a. construct b. statistical c. internal d. external

Which of the following groups are not recognized in the Belmont Report as entitled to special protection? A) children B) people with intellectual or developmental disabilities C) prisoners D) paid participants

Which of the following is a participant variable? A) age B) sex C) education D) all of the above

Which of the following research questions is best suited for correlational research? A) Are people who are depressed less satisfied with their relationships than non-depressed people? B) Do memory games improve test taking ability? C) Under what conditions is someone likely to help a stranger? D) Do political attitudes predict voting behavior?

Which of these can be conducted in generalization mode? Topic: n/a a. frequency claims b. association claims c. causal claims d. all of the above

Which of these is not a way that researchers in a quasi-experimental study attempt to achieve internal validity? A. matching participants B. seeking out naturally occurring comparison groups C. implementing a wait-list policy D. randomly assigning participants to conditions

Which of these is not one of the problems with study design that may cause the study to return a null hypothesis when the independent variable actually does cause a change in the dependent variable? A) reverse confounds B) weak manipulations C) insensitive measures D) large sample size

Which principle from the Belmont Report and the APA's Ethical Principles do animal rights activists draw upon to argue against the use of animals in experiments? A) Respect for Persons B) Beneficence C) Integrity D) Justice

Why is replication important in scientific research? A) It helps to create a representative sample of cases to study B) The natural setting eliminates the artificial environment of a lab C) Researchers can test the impact of beliefs on behavior D) Repeated research with similar results increases confidence in the reliability of the original findings E) Replication minimizes preexisting between groups; therefore, it increases validity of such research

Linear regression is used to examine peanut eating and nutty behavior. The slope of a regression line is found to be significant (β = .78). What can I infer? A) Eating peanuts leads to nutty behavior B) People who are exhibit nutty behavior tend to eat more peanuts C) Peanuts cause nutty behavior D) As peanut consumption increases so does nutty behavior E) Both B & D

When subjects in the experimental group put a puzzle piece in the wrong place, the experimenter unconsciously winced. The experimenter did not wince when subjects in the control group put a piece in the wrong place. The wincing of the experimenter must be eliminated because it is A) Fraudulent B) A demand characteristic C) A placebo effect D) A confabulation E) A confounding variable

Which of the following is true according to the article 'Myths of Science': A. Scientists are objective B. All questions can be answered with science C. With enough evidence theories can be proven absolutely true. D. All of the above E. None of the above

Research methods Final

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