Test Answers on Chapter 2 Quiz – Flashcards

When a researcher’s expectations or preferences about the outcome of a study influence the results obtained, it is referred to as

A. experimenter bias.
B. the placebo effect.
C. subject bias.
D. the sampling effect.

When research results are said to be statistically significant, it means that

A. the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is very low.
B. the observed findings are important.
C. the observed findings are interesting.
D. the observed findings and both important and interesting.

Statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions are called

A. significant statistics.
B. numerical statistics.
C. descriptive statistics.
D. inferential statistics.

The tendency for survey subjects to provide answers that place them in a favorable light is referred to as

A. response stereotyping.
B. sampling bias.
C. socially desirable responding.
D. a placebo effect.

The primary reason for the ethical dilemmas psychologists encounter regarding the use of deception in research reflects concerns

A. about the possibility of inflicting harm on human subjects.
B. whether subjects believe the deception.
C. whether the deception affects all participants equally.
D. for the well-being of animals used in research.

Recording all instances of an event for a particular time period (such as how many times an older brother strikes his younger brother) without the subjects’ awareness is an example of

A. naturalistic observation.
B. conducting an experiment.
C. correlational research.
D. compiling a case study.

Which of the following statements concerning experimenter bias is false?

A. Experimenter bias is often intentional
B. Experimenter bias may influence the research project in subtle ways
C. Experimenter bias may influence the researcher’s observations or recording of participants responses
D. Experimenter bias may influence the behavior of the participants

The use of reinforcement principles to modify a child’s unruly behavior reflects the goal of science that deals with

A. deterministic and teleological.
B. understanding and prediction.
C. measurement and description.
D. application and control.

Dr. Kincaid was interested in the topic of autistic savants (individuals with limited abilities in many areas, but with an exceptional talent in one specific area). In the initial part of the investigation, Dr. Kincaid carefully observed and compiled detailed files on three individuals who were autistic savants. Dr. Kincaid is conducting

A. case study research.
B. experimental research.
C. correlational research.
D. survey research.

The various methods and procedures used in conducting psychological research and evaluating the research of other psychologists are consistent with which unifying theme in psychology?

A. Our behavior is shaped by our cultural heritage.
B. Psychology is empirical.
C. Our behavior is determined by multiple causes.
D. Psychology is theoretically diverse.

The tendency to respond to questions in a manner unrelated to the content of a question is called

A. cognitive confabulation.
B. response set.
C. counter confound.
D. counter placebo effect.

What is the mode of the following data? 2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 7, 12

A. 4
B. 6
C. 5
D. 3

Helen conducted a study in which she measured the response time for males and females to complete a spatial task. She found that the mean response time was 1.48 minutes for males and 1.63 minutes for females. For Helen to be confident that an actual difference exists between the males and females in her study, she must

A. calculate an inferential statistic.
B. redo the experiment.
C. calculate a correlation coefficient.
D. obtain a larger sample.

“Statistically significant” means that the results of an experiment most likely

A. resulted from chance variations.
B. had practical significance.
C. were not due to chance.
D. were important.

Dr. Macator predicts that people will act more aggressively during the heat waves of summer than they will during the cold spells of winter. This suggests that Dr. Macator believes that temperature and level of aggression are

A. independent variables.
B. negatively correlated.
C. uncorrelated.
D. positively correlated.

When studying a research question where it would be impractical to manipulate the variables of interest, a researcher would use a(n)

A. common sense method.
B. logical method.
C. experimental method.
D. descriptive/correlational method.

In scientific investigations, researchers must clearly define the variables under study by precisely describing how they will be measured or controlled. These definitions are referred to as

A. dictionary definitions.
B. precise definitions.
C. operational definitions.
D. objective definitions.

A correlation between two variables exists when scores on one variable

A. are different from the scores on the second variable.
B. are unrelated to scores on the second variable.
C. are related to scores on the second variable.
D. cause or determine the scores on the second variable.

To determine whether students would like more courses scheduled in the late afternoon and evening hours, the student services department sends questionnaires to 50 students selected at random from the 5,000 who are registered at the campus. In this instance, the 5,000 students who are registered at the campus would be

A. a representative sample.
B. a population.
C. the independent variable.
D. a biased sample.

Which of the following techniques is MOST likely to prove useful in determining why one particular child is afraid to go to school?

A. Descriptive study
B. Naturalistic observation
C. Experiment
D. Case study

The correct sequencing of the sections of the main body of a journal article would be

A. introduction, discussion, method, results.
B. method, introduction, results, discussion.
C. discussion, introduction, method, results.
D. introduction, method, results, discussion.

A researcher wants to see if a protein-enriched diet will enhance the maze-running performance of rats. One group of rats is fed the high-protein diet for the duration of the study; the other group continues to receive ordinary rat chow. In this experiment, the rats’ maze-running performance is the

A. correlated variable.
B. dependent variable.
C. independent variable.
D. control variable.

Dr. Licciardi predicts that if people are observed while they perform a complex task, they will make more errors. Dr. Licciardi’s prediction is an example of

A. a hypothesis.
B. a theory.
C. inferential statistics.
D. an operational definition.

In which of the scientific research methods are distortions in self-reports MOST likely to be of concern to the researcher?

A. Experimental method
B. Survey method
C. Naturalistic observation method
D. Correlational method

Dr. Dobbins wants to study attachment patterns in single-parent families. The first step in her scientific investigation would be to

A. analyze the data.
B. formulate a testable hypothesis.
C. design the study and select the research method.
D. collect the data.

While a(n) ____ is the group of individuals actually observed in a research study, the ____ is the group of individuals that researchers want to generalize or extend their findings to describe.

A. sample; population
B. experimental group; control group
C. population; sample
D. control group; experimental group

A researcher who is conducting an opinion survey asks viewers who are watching a political debate to dial an 800 number and record their opinion to the “question of the day.” In this case, the researcher is likely to have

A. a random sample.
B. a biased sample.
C. a representative sample.
D. a random population.

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of using animals in psychological research?

A. The studies cost too much for the limited amount of information they provide.
B. It is unethical to subject an animal to pain.
C. Many of the studies are trivial.
D. The studies are a waste of time, as the results often do not apply to humans.

Research has revealed that subjects who participated in research involving deception

A. suffered extreme embarrassment at being “fooled.”
B. lost the ability to trust others.
C. were psychologically distressed at being deceived.
D. didn’t mind being misled and generally enjoyed taking part in research.

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

A. More than one-third of all psychological studies involve animals.
B. The American Psychological Association has developed strict ethical guidelines for research involving animals.
C. The majority of psychological studies using animals involve painful or harmful manipulations.
D. There have been few, if any, major advances in the treatment of mental or physical disorders in humans that are attributable to animal research.

The research method that is often used to obtain information concerning individuals’ behaviors, attitudes, and/or opinions is the

A. correlation method.
B. case study method.
C. survey method.
D. naturalistic observation method.

The fact that researchers often unintentionally influence the outcome of their studies implies the existence of

A. experimenter bias.
B. social desirability.
C. a placebo effect.
D. sampling bias.

Which of the following statements is MOST accurate?

A. Deception has been fairly common in psychological research since the 1960s.
B. In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the use of deception in psychological research.
C. Deception has never been used in psychological research.
D. Although deception has been used in the past, it has recently been banned by the American Psychological Association.

Derrick designed an experiment in which participants listened to a persuasive speech delivered either by a person who was very tall or a person who was average in height. In addition, the speeches were delivered either by individuals wearing business clothes or by people wearing casual clothes. In this example, Derrick

A. is using a double-blind procedure, which should reduce experimenter bias.
B. does not have a control group, which should reduce the impact of self-reporting bias in his study.
C. has two dependent variables and will be able to determine if persuasion interacts with any other factors.
D. has two independent variables and will be able to determine if height and style of clothing interact.

When, or if, a research project uses a sample that is NOT representative of the population from which it was drawn, the project would show the effect of

A. sampling bias.
B. placebo effect.
C. subject bias.
D. experimenter bias.

Sampling bias is a problem because it

A. makes it impossible to use inferential statistics.
B. makes it difficult to avoid a confounding of variables.
C. makes the effect of the independent variable appear to be bigger than it really is.
D. limits the generality of the findings.

An instructor wishes to find out whether a new teaching method is superior to his usual procedures, so he conducts an experiment. Everyone in his classes is quite excited about the prospect of learning under the new procedure, but he cannot administer the new teaching method to everyone: a random half of the students receive the new method and the remaining half receive the old. What is the most obvious flaw in this experiment?

A. Subjects should have been systematically assigned to groups.
B. Placebo effects or experimenter bias are likely to affect results.
C. The sample is not representative of the population.
D. Distortions in self-report will affect results.

As an adult ages, his/her physical strength declines. The relationship between age and physical strength is a(n)

A. nonexistent correlation.
B. equal correlation.
C. negative correlation.
D. positive correlation.

Broadening the scope of phenomena that psychologists are able to study is associated with

A. functional research methods.
B. hypothetical deductive research methods.
C. introspective research methods.
D. descriptive research methods.

In Margaritte’s sociology discussion group, 4 of the 5 students are between the ages of 19 and 23; the fifth student is 54 years old. If Margaritte wants to report the statistic that BEST represents the “average” age for her discussion group, she should report either

A. the mean or the median, because these numbers are typically the same.
B. the median or the mode, because these numbers will be more representative.
C. the mean or the standard deviation, so additional statistics can be calculated.
D. the mean or the mode, because these number are not affected by extreme scores.

Dr. Prutherow believes that people who are under stress will develop more colds than people who are not under stress. When he randomly selects 10 participants and exposes them to high levels of stress, he finds that 9 of the participants develop colds. Based on these results, he concludes that stress causes an increase in colds. Dr. Prutherow’s reasoning may be flawed because in this study,

A. there was no control group for comparison.
B. there was no dependent variable in his study.
C. he didn’t measure the independent variable when the study ended.
D. he didn’t formulate a hypothesis before he collected his data.

When variability in a data set is large, the standard deviation will be ____; when variability is small, the standard deviation will be ____.

A. large; large
B. large; small
C. small; small
D. small; large

If A and B are highly correlated, which statement MOST accurately describes the relationship between A and B?

A. Both A and B are caused by a third variable
B. The score on B causes the score on A
C. The score on A causes the score on B
D. The score on A can be used to predict the score on B

In psychology, MOST journal articles are

A. reports that describe original empirical studies.
B. reviews that summarize and reconcile the findings from a large number of studies.
C. descriptions of newly developed theories.
D. criticisms of previously published research.

John dislikes completing questionnaires, so each time he fills one out, he always circles the same item (such as “strongly agree” or “strongly disagree”). John’s behavior reflects

A. a response set.
B. a sampling bias.
C. social desirability.
D. the placebo effect.

The scientific approach requires that people specify exactly what they are talking about when they formulate hypotheses. Which advantage of scientific investigation does this illustrate?

A. Operational definitions
B. Acceptance of a degree of error
C. Precision
D. Skepticism

A scientific journal refers to

A. a periodical that publishes technical and scholarly articles.
B. a collection of biographies of famous scientists.
C. a detailed record of the daily procedures followed in conducting a study.
D. a personal diary kept by a scientist.

A standardized measure used to obtain a sample of a person’s behavior is called

A. a case study.
B. a psychological test.
C. a survey.
D. an experiment.

How much the scores in a data set vary from each other and from the mean refers to the concept of

A. correlation.
B. central tendency.
C. variability.
D. standard deviation.

Answering the question of “how” something works is most closely associated with which goal of science?

A. The search for truth
B. Understanding and prediction
C. Application and control
D. Measurement and description

If a college professor surveyed his students about their attitudes concerning the Social Security system and concluded that young adults doubt that they will ever receive Social Security benefits, his conclusion would be flawed because

A. his students were a random sample.
B. he knew his subjects before he surveyed them.
C. his students were not a representative sample of young adults.
D. he did not survey the entire population of young adults.

Reinhold is filling out the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and as he reads each question, he thinks about the way most other people would probably respond. When he answers, he selects the alternative that he thinks will present the most favorable impression. Reinhold’s answers reflect

A. non-representative sampling.
B. a negative response set.
C. a social desirability bias.
D. the placebo effect.

The scientific approach requires that people specify exactly what they are talking about when they formulate hypotheses. Which advantage of scientific investigation does this illustrate?

A. Precision
B. Acceptance of a degree of error
C. Operational definitions
D. Skepticism

The mode in a group of scores describes the ____ for that group of scores.

A. variability
B. association with another group of scores
C. central tendency
D. halfway point

Researchers use ____ to determine whether the observed difference between the two groups in the study was large enough to support the hypothesis.

A. descriptive statistics
B. correlational statistics
C. inferential statistics
D. mathematical statistics

In experiments, placing subjects in experimental groups such that each subject has an equal probability of ending up in any experimental group is referred to as

A. random forecasting.
B. random assignment.
C. random sampling.
D. random selection.

Research involving the repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results can be duplicated are referred to as

A. verification studies.
B. duplication studies.
C. clarification studies.
D. replication studies.

Which of the following statements about correlations is incorrect?

A. A and B correlate +1.00; if you know A you can predict B without error.
B. A and B correlate -1.00; if you know A you can predict B without error.
C. A and B correlate +1.00; therefore, they are causally related.
D. A correlation of +.90 gives better predictability than a correlation of +.60.

Psychologists use a variety of data collection techniques; which of the following is best suited for studying attitudes?

A. Questionnaires
B. Physiological recordings
C. Psychological tests
D. Direct observations

The scientific approach requires that people specify exactly what they are talking about when they formulate hypotheses. Which advantage of scientific investigation does this illustrate?

A. Precision
B. Acceptance of a degree of error
C. Operational definitions
D. Skepticism

Helen conducted a study in which she measured the response time for males and females to complete a spatial task. She found that the mean response time was 1.48 minutes for males and 1.63 minutes for females. For Helen to be confident that an actual difference exists between the males and females in her study, she must

A. obtain a larger sample.
B. calculate an inferential statistic.
C. calculate a correlation coefficient.
D. redo the experiment.

Mrs. Smith, an elementary school teacher, believes that girls are smarter than boys. She predicts that the girls in her class will learn more than the boys during the school year. Her prediction is a(n)

A. hypothesis.
B. opinion.
C. fact.
D. theory.

Research has revealed that subjects who participated in research involving deception

A. lost the ability to trust others.
B. were psychologically distressed at being deceived.
C. didn’t mind being misled and generally enjoyed taking part in research.
D. suffered extreme embarrassment at being “fooled.”

In Margaritte’s sociology discussion group, 4 of the 5 students are between the ages of 19 and 23; the fifth student is 54 years old. If Margaritte wants to report the statistic that BEST represents the “average” age for her discussion group, she should report either

A. the median or the mode, because these numbers will be more representative.
B. the mean or the standard deviation, so additional statistics can be calculated.
C. the mean or the median, because these numbers are typically the same.
D. the mean or the mode, because these number are not affected by extreme scores.

The research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result is the

A. experimental method.
B. correlational method.
C. descriptive method.
D. scientific method.

Scientific theories are most directly associated with which goal of science?

A. Construction and revision
B. Application and control
C. Measurement and description
D. Understanding and prediction

The various methods and procedures used in conducting psychological research and evaluating the research of other psychologists are consistent with which unifying theme in psychology?

A. Psychology is theoretically diverse.
B. Our behavior is determined by multiple causes.
C. Psychology is empirical.
D. Our behavior is shaped by our cultural heritage.

Which of the following statements concerning anecdotal evidence is false?

A. Anecdotal evidence is based on a single example and may reflect sampling bias.
B. Anecdotal evidence can usually be found to support any position.
C. Anecdotal evidence often reflects a distortion in self-report.
D. Anecdotal evidence rarely influences a person’s opinion or behavior.

A standardized measure used to obtain a sample of a person’s behavior is called

A. a psychological test.
B. an experiment.
C. a survey.
D. a case study.

The research method that is often used to obtain information concerning individuals’ behaviors, attitudes, and/or opinions is the

A. naturalistic observation method.
B. survey method.
C. correlation method.
D. case study method.

Which of the following statements concerning anecdotal evidence is false?

A. Anecdotal evidence often reflects a distortion in self-report.
B. Anecdotal evidence can usually be found to support any position.
C. Anecdotal evidence is based on a single example and may reflect sampling bias.
D. Anecdotal evidence rarely influences a person’s opinion or behavior.

Dr. Jacobsen is investigating the link between social support networks and grades in school. Students in his classes are required to complete survey forms related to this research; however, they were never told about the purpose of the survey. In this case, some researchers might argue that Dr. Jacobsen’s research violates the ethical principle of

A. informed consent.
B. right to privacy.
C. protection for harm.
D. full disclosure.

If we were to measure the height and weight of 100 adult women, we would find that these two measures are

A. uncorrelated.
B. negatively correlated.
C. positively correlated.
D. increasingly correlated.

A researcher is investigating the effects of caffeine consumption on student writing performance. Because the researcher will evaluate both the speed of assignment completion and the number of grammatical errors, she will need to include more than one ____________ variable in her study

A. confounding
B. dependent
C. independent
D. extraneous

The tendency for participants to participate in survey research appears to have

A. declined noticeably in recent decades.
B. remained relatively constant since the early 1950s.
C. increased for mail surveys but decreased for phone surveys.
D. increased noticeably in recent decades.

An instructor wishes to find out whether a new teaching method is superior to his usual procedures, so he conducts an experiment. Everyone in his classes is quite excited about the prospect of learning under the new procedure, but he cannot administer the new teaching method to everyone: a random half of the students receive the new method and the remaining half receive the old. What is the most obvious flaw in this experiment?

A. Subjects should have been systematically assigned to groups.
B. Distortions in self-report will affect results.
C. The sample is not representative of the population.
D. Placebo effects or experimenter bias are likely to affect results.

Which of the following statements regarding the use of deception in psychological research is FALSE?

A. Defenders of deception believe that some research questions can only be studied by using deception
B. Critics of deception believe that the conclusions from studies involving deception are not valid
C. Critics of deception believe that the deception may result in subjects becoming less trusting of others
D. Participants in research involving the use of deception generally report that they enjoyed the experience

Which of the following pairs of terms related to the goals of science are MOST clearly associated with the concept of correlation?

A. Prediction and application
B. Description and prediction
C. Description and understanding
D. Understanding and prediction

Hypotheses are typically expressed as

A. variables.
B. statistics.
C. theories.
D. predictions.

A high correlation coefficient (either positive or negative) indicates that

A. there is a high level of consistency between the two variables.
B. a change in one variable causes a change in the second variable.
C. a third factor or variable is always responsible for the relationship between the two variables.
D. the scores on the two variables are nearly identical.

The research method that is often used to obtain information concerning individuals’ behaviors, attitudes, and/or opinions is the

A. naturalistic observation method.
B. correlation method.
C. case study method.
D. survey method.

The various methods and procedures used in conducting psychological research and evaluating the research of other psychologists are consistent with which unifying theme in psychology?

A. Psychology is theoretically diverse.
B. Our behavior is shaped by our cultural heritage.
C. Psychology is empirical.
D. Our behavior is determined by multiple causes.

Which of the following is NOT a measure of central tendency?

A. Mode
B. Median
C. Mean
D. Variability

Following their first experiment, the authors of the Featured Study in the text conducted additional research to be sure that ____________ did not account for their initial findings.

A. deception by participants
B. dependent variables
C. placebo effects
D. experimenter bias

The scientific approach requires that people specify exactly what they are talking about when they formulate hypotheses. Which advantage of scientific investigation does this illustrate?

A. Skepticism
B. Operational definitions
C. Acceptance of a degree of error
D. Precision

Jackson is working with a company to help it develop more effective training programs for its employees. He has spent a great deal of time reviewing all the documentation the company has about the previous training opportunities it has provided for its employees. Up to this point in time, Jackson has been engaged in

A. meta-analysis.
B. archival research.
C. psychological testing.
D. direct observation.

Dr. Zelke surveys 50 university students to discover the relationship between textbook price and ratings of readability. Dr. Zelke finds that for these two variables the correlation coefficient is -0.70. This indicates that

A. there is no relationship between textbook price and ratings of readability.
B. increasing a textbook’s price will cause a decrease in its readability rating.
C. more expensive books tend to receive higher readability ratings than less expensive books.
D. more expensive books tend to receive lower readability ratings than less expensive books.

A clinical psychologist notes that an unusually large number of obese people are depressed or anxious, and she offers an explanation that excess weight causes emotional disorders. Her explanation is a(n)

A. opinion.
B. fact.
C. theory.
D. hypothesis.

Which of the following statements concerning anecdotal evidence is false?

A. Anecdotal evidence often reflects a distortion in self-report.
B. Anecdotal evidence rarely influences a person’s opinion or behavior.
C. Anecdotal evidence is based on a single example and may reflect sampling bias.
D. Anecdotal evidence can usually be found to support any position.

Dr. Jacobsen is investigating the link between social support networks and grades in school. Students in his classes are required to complete survey forms related to this research; however, they were never told about the purpose of the survey. In this case, some researchers might argue that Dr. Jacobsen’s research violates the ethical principle of

A. protection for harm.
B. right to privacy.
C. full disclosure.
D. informed consent.

Your grade point average is an example of which measure of central tendency?

A. Mean
B. Mode
C. Median
D. Midpoint

A standardized measure used to obtain a sample of a person’s behavior is called

A. an experiment.
B. a psychological test.
C. a survey.
D. a case study.