Unit 2 Psych
On an IQ test with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, what was Scott's score if he was two standard deviations above the mean? -100 -130 -60 -75 -115
130
A psychologist administered the most recent edition of the Stanford-Binet IQ test to 50 students and their scores are shown in the chart above. How many students earned scores higher than two standard deviations above the mean? -2 -20 -5 -8 -10
2
Which of the following most accurately describes an independent variable? -A factor that can be used to predict how people in an experiment will respond -Some characteristic of research participants that is constant, such as gender -Some aspect of a participant's response that is measured in an experiment -A factor that is equated for the experimental and the control group -A factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in order to observe its effects on some other factor
A factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in order to observe its effects on some other factor
What type of graph would a researcher use to represent these data? -A histogram -A stem-and-leaf plot -A scatterplot -A normal curve -A frequency distribution
A scatterplot
Researchers have found a negative correlation between income and dental problems. What conclusion can correctly be drawn from this statement? -Having a higher income causes fewer dental problems. -A rise in the incidence of dental problems causes income to be lower. -As income increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases. -As income increases, dental procedures become more affordable. -As income increases, the likelihood of requiring dental care increases.
As income increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases.
Which of the following is true of the frequency distributions shown in the graphs above? -The standard deviation of distribution B is zero. -Distribution B and distribution C have the same variation. -Distribution B has more variation than distributions A or C. -The standard deviation of distribution A is infinite. -Distribution A has more variation than distributions B or C.
Distribution B has more variation than distributions A or C.
Which of the following statements best describes the placebo effect? -It is typically experienced by individuals in long-term therapy. -It is considered an invalid concept in research on client-centered therapy. -It is found only among individuals in psycho-analysis. -It can be brought about by the individual's expectations. -It can be induced by antipsychotic drugs.
It can be brought about by the individual's expectations.
In a normal distribution, which of the following statements is true about the area that falls between one standard deviation above and one standard deviation below the mean? -It contains the bottom 68% of the distribution. -It contains the middle 68% of the distribution. -It contains the middle 50% of the distribution. -It contains the bottom 50% of the distribution. -It is the same as the square of the average deviation.
It contains the middle 68% of the distribution.
Which of the following best describes the graph above? -Positively skewed distribution -Negatively skewed distribution -Normal Distribution -Histogram -Frequency polygon
Negatively skewed distribution
Which of the following most accurately describes a dependent variable? -Some aspect of a participant's response that is measured in an experiment -A factor that is manipulated by the experimenter in order to observe its effects on some other factor -A factor that is equated for the experimental and the control group -A factor that can be used to predict how people in an experiment will respond -Some characteristic of research participants that is constant, such as gender
Some aspect of a participant's response that is measured in an experiment
An instructor conducted an experiment to determine the effects of two different methods of study on the amount students learned in introductory physics. The results showed that the average amount learned by the group using one method was greater than the average amount learned by the group using the other. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Which of the following is the most appropriate conclusion to be drawn? -The better study method will have different effects for students of varying levels of ability. -The group of students attaining the higher mean score had studied more than the other group. -Neither group learned a significant amount. -There is a positive correlation between the results of the two methods. -There is a possibility that the difference between the two groups occurred by chance.
There is a possibility that the difference between the two groups occurred by chance.
Operational definitions are used for which of the following reasons? -They enable researchers to replicate studies by precisely describing the variables and how they are used. -They keep the participants in the control group from knowing they have received the placebo. -They determine which test of statistical significance will be used to analyze the results of the experiment. -They exclude mental processes from being studied, as they are no longer considered part of the scientific study of psychology. -They determine whether the experiment is better suited for a laboratory or a field setting.
They enable researchers to replicate studies by precisely describing the variables and how they are used.
Which of the following best describes the response of members of the American Psychological Association to ethical issues in research? -They have developed codes of ethics for research with animal subjects only. -They disclaim ethical concerns regarding research. -They have just begun to address such issues. -They have developed codes of ethics for research with human participants only. -They have developed codes of ethics for research with both human participants and animal subjects.
They have developed codes of ethics for research with both human participants and animal subjects.
A person displays a set of rare behaviors that psychologists had not known about previously because nobody had ever shown them before. The best strategy to investigate the nature of those behaviors is -cross-sectional research -a case study -an experiment -a survey -correlational research
a case study
A research design involves two randomly assigned groups of participants. One group receives a one-time treatment, and the other does not. Later, the two groups are compared to see whether the treatment had an effect. Psychologists call this kind of research -a case study. -a correlational study. -a survey. -an experiment. -a cross-sequential study.
an experiment.
Statistical significance indicates that the results -cannot be based on chance. -do not need replication. -fit a normal distribution. -are highly unlikely to be based on chance. -have practical importance.
are highly unlikely to be based on chance.
Factors, other than an independent variable, that can have an effect on an experiment are called -operational definitions. -dependent variables. -inferential statistics. -a theory. -confounding variables.
confounding variables
Data with a relatively low standard deviation can best be described as having more -consistency. -generalizability. -dispersion. -errors. -failures.
consistency
In an experiment to test the effects of hunger on aggressive behavior, aggressive behavior would be the -dependent variable. -hypothesis. -control. -placebo. -independent variable
dependent variable.
Random assignment allows the researcher to more accurately -infer cause and effect. -perceive order in random events. -operationally define the independent variable. -develop more predictive correlations. -make generalizations about a population.
infer cause and effect.
A research psychologist generalizes from a particular sample to an entire population. This is an example of -a correlational study -inferential statistics -stratified sampling -random sampling -descriptive statistics
inferential statistics
A study can be regarded as scientific only if its findings are accepted by experts in the field. -it utilizes an effective placebo. -its conclusions can be verified or refuted by subsequent studies. -its findings are consistent with established theories. -its conclusions are based on strong correlational data.
its conclusions can be verified or refuted by subsequent studies
To determine the range of a set of scores, you must know the -if the distribution is skewed. -mode. -lowest and highest score. -mean. -median.
lowest and highest score
Experimental research differs from correlational research in that experimental research -defines the strength of the relation -may reveal a causal relation -allows for prediction -uses a dependent variable -establishes a mathematical relation
may reveal a causal relation
Representative samples are better than biased samples because they -are larger in size. -have larger ranges. -have lower standard deviations than biased samples. -more accurately reflect the population. -eliminate the inclusion of atypical scores.
more accurately reflect the population
Jane Goodall lived among wild chimpanzees intermittently for decades, studying their social and family systems while keeping her interaction with the chimpanzees to a minimum. Her research method can most accurately be described as -survey -case study -correlational research -experiment -naturalistic observation
naturalistic observation
A correlation of +0.8 differs from a correlation of +0.4 in that it is more -explanatory. -descriptive. -causal -accurate. -predictive
predictive
Which of the following statistics best approximates the relation between the variables? -50% -r= -.90 -r= .50 -N=20 -N=10
r= -.90
The mean can lead to an inaccurate conclusion about data when -the correlation of the data approaches zero. -the sample size is large. -there are a few extreme high scores. -the distribution is bell-shaped. -the median and mode are equal.
there are a few extreme high scores
A pharmacologist is testing whether a new anti-anxiety medication, Moodcor, will cause people to gain weight. To test this, she gives 100 people Moodcor for one month and 100 people a placebo drug. At the end of the month, she monitors any weight gain. In this experiment, the dependent variable is -100 people given Moodcor. -100 people given the placebo. -Moodcor. -weight gain. -the experimenter.
weight gain