Research Methods Quiz

In 1848, Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman, survived when an explosion drove an iron rod through his head damaging the functioning of the frontal lobes. This instance provided evidence that the frontal lobe plays a role in personality and behavior. Researchers have continued to study Gage's brain to better understand this link. Which research method is being used? a. correlation b. naturalistic observation c. experimentation d. case study e. survey

d. case study

The news media reported that a new pesticide was not harmful to humans. Which of the following statements best exemplifies critical thinking in response to this report? a. "I wonder who funded this study?" b. "I think I'll use this product, but I think I'll wear gloves." c. "I don't believe this study because I got a rash after using this poison on my garden." d. "I think I will try this pesticide on my own garden to kill pests." e. "I don't like to use pesticides, but this one is safe."

a. "I wonder who funded this study?"

Which of the following correlations between annual income and education level would best enable you to predict annual income on the basis of level of education? a. +0.50 b. -0.001 c. +0.10 d. +0.05 e. -0.01

a. +0.50

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 dependent variable? a. number of terms remembered b. memorization c. time of day d. list of terms e. students

a. number of terms remembered

The process of replication is most likely to be facilitated by a. operational definitions b. the hindsight bias c. overconfidence d. the placebo effect e. illusory correlation

a. operational definitions

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. illusory correlation c. random sampling d. the illusion of control e. the hindsight bias

b. illusory correlation

According to Professor Fayad, we like people who like us because their affection for us boosts our own self-esteem. His idea is an example of a. replication b. hindsight bias c. a theory d. naturalistic observation e. illusory correlation

c. a theory

If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that a. there is very little statistical relationship between weight and reading ability among children b. weight is a causal variable dependent on reading ability c. better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children d. body weight has no causal influence on the reading abilities of children e. low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children

c. better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children

The most foolproof way of testing the true effectiveness of a newly introduced method of psychological therapy is by means of a. correlational research b. naturalistic observation c. experimental research d. survey research e. case study research

c. experimental research

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

d. control

Researchers use experiments rather than other research methods in order to distinguish between a. random samples and representative samples b. facts and theories c. hypotheses and operational definitions d. case studies and surveys e. causes and effects

e. causes and effects

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

a. overconfidence

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of a. prediction b. explanation c. experimentation d. control e. replication

a. prediction

To study the effects of noise on worker productivity, researchers have one group of subjects work in a noisy room and a second group work in a quiet room. To ensure that any differences in the productivity of the two groups actually result from the different noise levels to which the groups are exposed, the researchers would use a. random assignment b. correlational measurement c. replication d. the case study e. naturalistic observation

a. random assignment

Research shows that women who are referred by a physician to participate in a study of eating disorders have more severe problems than women who volunteer on their own to participate in the study. If research on eating disorders regularly involves only women referred by physicians, the results of the studies might be limited because of the presence of a. sampling bias b. nonrandom assignment c. social desirability d. placebo effects e. dependent variables

a. sampling bias

Both the researchers and the participants in a memory study are ignorant about which participants have actually received a potentially memory-enhancing drug and which have received a placebo. This investigation involves the use of a. the double-blind procedure b. naturalistic observation c. the hindsight bias d. replication e. random sampling

a. the double-blind procedure

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. independent variables b. negatively correlated c. causally related d. positively correlated e. dependent variables

b. negatively correlated

A majority of respondents in a national survey agreed that "classroom prayer should not be allowed in public schools." Only 33% of respondents in a similar survey agreed that "classroom prayer in public schools should be banned." These divergent findings best illustrate the importance of a. the hindsight bias b. wording effects c. operational definition d. random assignment e. overconfidence

b. wording effects

Which of the following questions most likely could be answered using an empirical approach? a. What happens after we die? b. What is the basis of faith? c. What causes aggression? d. Is human nature basically good or evil? e. How will style choices change in the future?

c. What causes aggression?

Professor Delano suggests that because people are especially attracted to those who are good-looking, handsome men will be more successful than average-looking men in getting a job. The professor's prediction regarding employment success is an example of a. illusory correlation b. the placebo effect c. a hypothesis d. an operational definition e. the hindsight bias

c. a hypothesis

Researchers are interested in studying the impact of drugs on human fetuses. In this case, why would a correlational study be more appropriate than an experiment? a. because cause and effect can only be determined by a correlational study b. because correlational studies allow you to observe behavior in non artificial environments c. because participants could not be ethically assigned to an experimental or control condition d. because correlational studies permit researchers to estimate the reported behaviors of a whole population e. because researcher using correlational studies may generalize to the population from an atypical case

c. because participants could not be ethically assigned to an experimental or control condition

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

c. naturalistic observation

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. random assignment b. correlation c. random sampling d. naturalistic observation e. replication

c. random sampling

The results of a correlational study involving student volunteers in a psychology laboratory might not apply to the general population because a. laboratory environments are generally too artificial to generate accurate results b. only experimental studies apply to the general population c. the sample is not randomly chosen and therefore may not be a representative sample d. correlational studies do not involve naturalistic observation e. in correlational study, no variables are actually manipulated

c. the sample is not randomly chosen and therefore may not be a representative sample

Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the weakest degree of relationship between two variables? a. -0.05 b. +0.25 c. -0.99 d. -0.12 e. +1.00

d. -0.12

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. the independent variable is the measurement of course grades b. Dr. Roberts has found a positive correlation between classroom size and course grades c. Dr. Roberts has found a cause-effect relationship d. classroom size has been operationally defined e. Dr. Roberts has demonstrated the importance of random sampling

d. classroom size has been operationally defined

Which of the following statements is most correct about the relationship between correlation and causation? a. if one variable is strongly positively correlated with another variable, the relationship is casual b. if one variable is strongly negatively correlated with another variable, the relationship is not casual c. correlations are statistical relationships, causations are logical relationships d. correlation indicates the possibility of a causal relationship, but it does not prove causation e. both correlations and causations need to be proven with experimental data

d. correlation indicates the possibility of a causal relationship, but it does not prove causation

What is the primary limitation of the case study research method? a. the case study is not part of the scientific method b. it is not an empirical method c. random sampling must be used to ensure representative findings d. individual cases can be misleading and result in false generalizations e. correlational findings from case studies cannot be interpreted as casual

d. individual cases can be misleading and result in false generalizations

In order to learn about the political attitudes of all students enrolled at Arizona State University, Professor Marlow randomly selected 800 of these students to complete a questionnaire. In this instance, all the students enrolled at Arizona State University are considered to be a(n) a. independent variable b. representative sample c. dependent variable d. population e. control

d. population

Random sampling is to ___________ as random assignment is to ______________. a. replication; correlation b. correlational studies; case studies c. illusory correlation; control group d. surveys; experiments e. description; prediction

d. surveys; experiments

According to Emily's grandfather, Adolf Hitler's obvious emotional instability made it clear from the beginning days of his international conflicts that Germany would inevitably lose World War II. The grandfather's claim best illustrates a. an illusion of control b. random sampling c. illusory correlation d. the hindsight bias e. overconfidence

d. the hindsight bias

Which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between the religious beliefs of Americans and their attitudes toward abortion? a. naturalistic observation b. experimentation c. random assignment d. the survey e. the case study

d. the survey

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. memorization b. students c. number of terms remembered d. time of day e. list of terms

d. time of day

Following the scientific discovery that a specific brain structure is significantly larger in violent individuals than in those who are nonviolent, a news headline announced: "Enlarged Brain Structure Triggers Violent Acts." The headline writer should most clearly be warned about the dangers of a. generalizing from unrepresentative samples b. explaining events in hindsight c. perceiving illusory correlations d. discerning order in random events e. confusing correlation with causation

e. confusing correlation with causation

In a drug treatment study, participants given a pill containing no actual drug are receiving a(n) a. replication b. experimental treatment c. double-blind d. random sample e. placebo

e. placebo

If college graduates typically earn more money then high school graduates, this would indicate that level of education and income are a. independent variables b. negatively correlated c. dependent variables d. causally related e. positively correlated

e. positively correlated