Deck 2: Research Approaches and Methods of Data Collection

Question 1

What is the main difference between descriptive and experimental research approaches?

A) the former always uses qualitative data while the latter always uses quantitative data
B) descriptive research is done by social scientists while natural scientists do experimental research
C) descriptive research involves manipulating variables but experimental research does not
D) experimental research is designed to establish cause-and-effect relationships but descriptive research focuses on describing something

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a strength of the experimental approach?

A) proving your hypothesis is correct
B) inferring a causal relationship
C) manipulating precisely one or more variables
D) controlling extraneous variables

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What does it mean to say that an observation is "objective?"

A) the observation is empirical
B) it is done by professional
C) the observation has an intuitive basis
D) it is unaffected by the observer's personal biases

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of data collected in a quantitative research study?

A) pictures
B) ratings of teacher effectiveness
C) reaction time
D) b and c

Question 5

studies collect numerical data, while studies collect non-numerical data.

A) Qualitative; quantitative
B) Experimental; descriptive
C) Quantitative; qualitative
D) Quantity ; quality

Question 6

A researcher is interested in the effects of teaching styles on learning. She randomly assigns students to either a lecture-based class taught at 8:00
A) independent

A)m. or a discussion-based class taught at 2:00 p.m. Her results reveal that students in the discussion-based class performed better than those in the lecture-based class. In this example the time that the class is taught could be considered an) variable, making it impossible to establish a causal connection between teaching method and classroom performance.
B) dependent
C) extraneous
D) mediating

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a quantitative variable?

A) gender
B) religion
C) College GPA
D) relationship status

Question 8

According to the text, "observations of phenomena that are made to occur" in a psychology experiment, phenomenon refers to

A) an emotion.
B) a thought.
C) an observable behavior.
D) a natural event.

Question 9

Several recent studies have found that moderate drinkers of alcohol have lowered levels of heart disease risk than non-drinkers. It has been hypothesized that moderate drinking may reduce stress which in turn may lead to a reduction in the risk of heart disease. In this example lowered stress levels would be considered an) variable.

A) independent
B) dependent
C) extraneous
D) mediating

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a categorical variable?

A) reaction time
B) gender
C) age
D) height

Question 11

An) variable is one that can compete with the independent variable in explaining the outcome of the experiment.

A) independent
B) extraneous
C) dependent
D) moderating

Question 12

According to your text there are three conditions for making justified claims of cause and effect. Which of the following is NOT one of these conditions?

A) the independent and dependent variables must be related
B) the dependent variable must be manipulated by the researcher
C) the independent variable must precede the dependent variable
D) no other plausible explanations for the relation between the independent and dependent variables should exist

Question 13

The variable is the presumed cause of another variable while the variable is the presumed effect.

A) independent; dependent
B) dependent; independent
C) independent; extraneous
D) dependent; mediating

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a defining characteristic of a psychological experiment?

A) it involves objective observation
B) variables are manipulated in a highly controlled environment
C) it always takes place in a laboratory
D) one or more factors are varied while the rest are held constant

Question 15

In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded. In this example the independent variable is

A) the amount of time it takes someone to help.
B) the appearance of the man.
C) the participants in the study.
D) how crowded the bus is.

Question 16

An) variable specifies how a causal relationship between two variables is different depending on a particular situation or circumstance. For example, if a researcher finds that a new experimental drug is effective in alleviating depression in young adult but not older adults.

A) mediating
B) moderating
C) extraneous
D) independent

Question 17

In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded. In this example the dependent variable is

A) the amount of time it takes someone to help.
B) the appearance of the man.
C) the participants in the study.
D) how crowded the bus is.

Question 18

An effect is

A) a reaction that a person makes
B) the difference between what you want to happen and what does happen
C) the difference between what does happen and what you want to happen
D) the difference between what would have happened in the absence of a treatment and what did actually happen with the treatment

Question 19

Experimental research, as opposed to nonexperimental research, allows us to make statements about cause- and-effect relationships. Why is this so?

A) Experimental research involves studying only how two variables covary.
B) Experimental research uses statistical analysis.
C) In experimental research, we can observe the effects of manipulating variables under controlled conditions.
D) Experimental research uses objective observations.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT an example of data collected in a quantitative research study?

A) number of words a one year old can understand
B) parents' ratings of their child's language development
C) the number of words a one year old can say
D) recording of a one year old talking

Question 21

The "third variable" issue refers to

A) the possibility that two variables are correlated because both are caused by a third variable.
B) the ambiguity introduced when doing more complex research with more than two variables.
C) not considering "age" as a variable when doing developmental research.
D) the influence of the IV in quantitative experimental research.

Question 22

Nonexperimental quantitative research is particularly useful for

A) developing hypotheses for new experiments.
B) deciding which variable causes which effect.
C) manipulating the IV
D) controlling relevant environmental variables.

Question 23

As noted in your text, one disadvantage of the experimental approach is the inability to:

A) control extraneous variables
B) establish cause and effect
C) assess the effects of variables that cannot be manipulated
D) make objective observations

Question 24

Although we cannot establish causality from a correlational study, statistical techniques are available to help clarify relationships. One of these is known as and involves identifying multiple variables that are related to a single outcome either directly or indirectly through mediating variables).

A) path analysis
B) triangulation
C) multiple covariance
D) test of inference

Question 25

Ramon determines that in his neighborhood "amount of ice cream consumed" and "number of violent crimes" are positively correlated -- the more ice cream consumed, the more crimes are committed. He concludes that something in ice cream leads people to commit violent crimes. What has Ramon overlooked?

A) the "third variable" problem as some other variable could lead to an increase in both ice cream consumption and violent crime
B) the reactive effect as the people in his neighborhood were probably aware that he was observing them, and altered their behavior toward what they thought he wanted to see
C) his observations are qualitative and therefore inappropriate
D) he collected his data only after-the-fact

Question 26

Field experiments, according to Tunnell 1977), should include:

A) natural behaviors.
B) natural settings.
C) natural treatments.
D) all of the above.

Question 27

What is the primary weakness of a correlational study?

A) an inability to determine if two variables are associated
B) we cannot determine the strength of a relationship
C) correlational studies tend to be artificial
D) we cannot establish cause and effect with a correlational study

Question 28

An advantage of doing experiments in the laboratory over the field setting is that

A) participants can be randomly assigned in the lab.
B) more extraneous variables can be held constant in the lab.
C) variables can be manipulated in the lab.
D) there is no selection bias in the lab.

Question 29

An increasing number of researchers are conducting experiments over the Internet because of the advantages it affords. Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of using the Internet to conduct and experiment?

A) the experiment is brought to the participant instead of the participant coming to the experiment
B) there is a less experimental control
C) there is a greater probability of self-selection
D) there is a greater probability of dropout of participants

Question 30

You want to conduct a study to determine whether wedding proposals tend occur more frequently during storm-related power outages. What kind of study would you be conducting?

A) meta-analysis
B) longitudinal
C) natural manipulation
D) phenomenological

Question 31

What is the most critical aspect of the experimental method that allows us to make statements about cause and effect based on experimental data?

A) real-life setting
B) operationalism
C) objectivity
D) control

Question 32

Which of the following would not be considered a field experiment?

A) effects of computer-based instruction on computing confidence in a teacher training program
B) effects of music on laboratory memory performance among introductory psychology students
C) effects of self-selected incentives on productivity among auto workers
D) effects of television violence on playground aggression among kindergarteners.

Question 33

In chapter 1, we learned that the main objectives of scientific research are description, explanation, prediction, and control. Of all the nonexperimental research techniques studied, correlational research is particularly well suited for which objectives?

A) description and prediction
B) explanation and control
C) prediction and control
D) description, explanation, prediction, and control

Question 34

Why might laboratory experiments be criticized as less than valuable and potentially problematic?

A) they are subjective and that leads to a lack of confidence in results
B) laboratory-based results may not generalize to the "real world"
C) knowledge gained in a lab is not informative
D) we can never really understand human behavior

Question 35

Compared with field research, which of the following is true about laboratory research?

A) laboratory research achieves greater naturalism
B) laboratory research allows for greater generalizability of research
C) laboratory research achieves a greater degree of control over extraneous variables
D) field research does not allow for direct manipulation of variables

Question 36

According to your text, what is probably the most commonly cited disadvantage of using laboratory experiments to learn about human behavior?

A) because they tend to be done in highly controlled settings, their results may not be generalizable to the real world
B) with their mechanistic approach to human behavior, they ignore the participants' thoughts and emotions
C) operational definitions reduce the abstract concept to a trivial level, making broad interpretations difficult at best
D) because they tend to use other species, the results are usually irrelevant to human behavior

Question 37

The third variable problem refers to

A) correlations that are not reliable.
B) correlations that are not valid
C) correlations between two variables that exist only because of their relations with another variable
D) correlations must include a minimum of three factors to be reliable.

Question 38

If we find that two variables are correlated, which of the following conclusions would be unjustified?

A) we know that changes in one of the variables cause changes in the other
B) we know that we can predict to some extent the value of one variable if we know the value of the other
C) we know that the two variables covary, i.e., change in value together
D) we know that we have quantified a relationship between the two variables

Question 39

An increasing number of researchers are conducting experiments over the Internet because of the advantages it affords. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using the Internet to conduct and experiment?

A) ease of access to culturally diverse populations
B) having access to a large sample of individuals
C) a tremendous cost savings over other types of experiments
D) there can be multiple submissions to the study by the same person

Question 40

What is the main difference between experimentation done in a field setting and experimentation done in a laboratory?

A) in field experimentation, variables are not manipulated
B) in field experimentation, no attempt is made to control extraneous variables
C) in field experimentation, the setting is "real life" and not contrived
D) in field experimentation, one can study only a small number of people

Question 41

A research technique that combines features of both longitudinal and cross-sectional designs - testing cohorts of individuals but also retesting them over time - is referred to as a design.

A) cross-sequential
B) qualitative
C) repeated cross-sectional
D) grouped longitudinal

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a weakness of observation as a major method of data collection?

A) reactivity
B) typically dominated by one participant
C) can be expensive
D) data analysis can be time consuming.

Question 43

Qualitative research can be described in the following way:

A) it is objective, involves multiple methods, and focuses on people in subcultures
B) it is opinionated, involves two specific methods, and focuses on cultures, not people
C) it is emotional, involves historical methods, and focuses on people with odd cultural
Practices
D) it is interpretive, involves multiple methods, and focuses on people in their natural environment

Question 44

Which of the following could be considered a limitation of qualitative research?

A) because it is typically conducted in an artificial laboratory setting the findings may not apply to the real world
B) results from qualitative research are overly objective - not allowing for interpretation of individual participants perspectives
C) it is not particularly useful for generating theoretical ideas
D) different researchers may provide different interpretations of the same data

Question 45

Qualitative research is interpretive, which involves

A) extracting information from non-numerical data.
B) using objective measurements.
C) quantifying non-numerical data.
D) using only rating scales

Question 46

observation is done in the real world, while observation is done in a controlled environment.

A) Laboratory; naturalistic
B) Event; time-sampling
C) Participant; complete
D) Naturalistic; laboratory

Question 47

research is primarily descriptive and useful in theory generation while research is more useful in testing hypotheses.

A) Quantitative; qualitative
B) Qualitative; quantitative
C) Experimental; correlational
D) Cross-sectional; longitudinal

Question 48

Suppose a researcher used a cross-sectional research design and found that older adults tend to be more socially conservative than younger adults. He concludes that as we get older we tend to become more conservative in our thinking. Which of the following is a potential problem with this conclusion?

A) the researcher cannot establish causation because this is a qualitative study
B) the problem of attrition has not been addressed
C) an age-cohort effect could explain these findings
D) The problem of accurately measuring age

Question 49

are a paper and pencil self report method of collecting attitude and opinion information, while are a face to face self report method for collecting the same information.

A) Questionnaires; interviews
B) Tests; interviews
C) Interviews; questionnaires
D) Questionnaires; focus groups

Question 50

Which of the following is a strength of a face to face interview over a paper and pencil questionnaire?

A) high measurement validity
B) high reactivity
C) opportunity for clearing up ambiguity in responses
D) less expensive

Question 51

Which of the following methods of data collection is used to measure personality, aptitude, achievement, or performance?

A) observation
B) focus groups
C) tests
D) secondary data

Question 52

In a longitudinal study of a behavior, a researcher would

A) select groups of participants from each age group and study each group at one time.
B) observe and participate in the behavior in question.
C) measure the degree to which the behavior changed when a factor thought to influence it also changes.
D) study one group of similarly aged people multiple times over a long period of time.

Question 53

Focus groups are useful in which of the following types of research?

A) experimental
B) qualitative
C) quantitative
D) correlational

Question 54

data is data that was left behind by another research or collected for some other purpose.

A) Primary
B) Interview
C) Secondary
D) Observation

Question 55

A researcher decides to measure the development of moral reasoning from early to late childhood. At a single point in time she tests 20 four-year olds, 20 six-year olds, and 20 eight-year olds by presenting each with the same moral dilemma and recording their responses on a questionnaire. She then compares the performance of the three groups. The researcher is using a type of design referred to as:

A) longitudinal
B) cross-sectional
C) cohort-sequential
D) qualitative

Question 56

The cohort-sequential design is an alternative developmental design

A) where different age groups are tested longitudinally
B) where one age group is tested longitudinally
C) where different age groups are tested once
D) where one age group is tested once

Question 57

Qualitative researchers use many methods in part to

A) find one that produces the expected outcome.
B) make the process more like an experiment.
C) provide a better understanding of the phenomenon being investigated.
D) verify their quantitative observations.

Question 58

Which of the following is a weakness of using tests at a method of data collection?

A) expense
B) reactivity
C) biased questions
D) all of the above

Question 59

For his senior thesis, Jacob is studying the development of motor coordination in monkeys from birth to old age, but only has one semester to collect his data. What kind of descriptive research design should he use?

A) longitudinal
B) experimental
C) cross sectional
D) historical

Question 60

Which of the following methods of data collection is subject to reactivity?

A) questionnaires
B) interviews
C) focus groups
D) all of the above