Deck 7: Variables and the Structure of Research

Question 1

Any characteristic of an individual, group, or social phenomenon that changes is called a(n):

A) scale.
B) variable.
C) attribute.
D) feature.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A set of attributes for a variable that reasonably all possible responses is said to be:

A) clearly independent.
B) fully measurable.
C) mutually exclusive.
D) exhaustive.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following list of attributes for the variable age would be both mutually exclusive and exhaustive?

A) 0-18; 18-25; 25-40; 40-55; 55 and older
B) 0-18; 19-25; 26-40; 41-55; 56 and older
C) 0-18; 19-25; 26-40; 41-55; 56-64
D) 15-18; 19-25; 26-40; 41-55; 56 and older

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The research question, ""Will teenagers who use drugs be more likely to commit crimes for the rest of their lives?"" is not a good research question because:

A) it is not measurable.
B) it is already answered.
C) it is not feasible to conduct this research.
D) the researcher does not appear to be disinterested.

Question 5

The research question, ""Do men commit more crimes than women?"" is not a good research question because:

A) it is not measurable.
B) it is already answered.
C) it is not feasible to conduct this research.
D) the researcher does not appear to be disinterested.

Question 6

The research question, ""Are inmates who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior less likely to recidivate?"" is not a good research question because:

A) it is not measurable.
B) it is already answered.
C) it is not feasible to conduct this research.
D) the researcher does not appear to be disinterested.

Question 7

The research question, ""Why are juvenile delinquents so difficult to deal with?"" is not a good research question because:

A) it is not measurable.
B) it is already answered.
C) it is not feasible to conduct this research.
D) the researcher does not appear to be disinterested.

Question 8

The hypothesis, ""There is no correlation between regular church attendance and juvenile delinquency"" is a(n):

A) alternative hypothesis.
B) null hypothesis.
C) hypothesis of difference.
D) None. The statement is not a hypothesis.

Question 9

The hypothesis, ""Mandatory exercise programs reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease among career police officers,"" is a(n):

A) alternative hypothesis.
B) null hypothesis.
C) hypothesis of difference.
D) None. The statement is not a hypothesis.

Question 10

The hypothesis, ""Cognitive intervention programs reduce recidivism among paroles,"" is a(n):

A) alternative hypothesis.
B) null hypothesis.
C) hypothesis of difference.
D) None. The statement is not a hypothesis.

Question 11

The hypothesis, ""Educational achievement is not related to drug experimentation among adolescents,"" is a(n):

A) alternative hypothesis.
B) null hypothesis.
C) causal hypothesis.
D) None. The statement is not a hypothesis

Question 12

The hypothesis, ""Female police officers are less likely than male police officers to conduct searches at night,"" is a(n):

A) hypothesis of association.
B) hypothesis of difference.
C) null hypothesis.
D) Cannot be determined from the information provided.

Question 13

The hypothesis, ""A police officer's ability to catch criminals increases as they become more experienced,"" is a(n):

A) hypothesis of association.
B) hypothesis of difference.
C) null hypothesis.
D) Cannot be determined from the information provided.

Question 14

The hypothesis, ""African-American motorists are more likely to be searched than Caucasian motorist when stopped for routine traffic violations,"" is a(n):

A) hypothesis of association.
B) hypothesis of difference.
C) null hypothesis.
D) Cannot be determined from the information provided.

Question 15

The intervening variable in the hypothesis ""Inmates who successfully complete a degree in prison are less likely to recidivate, unless they are released to the same social environment where they lived prior to their incarceration,"" is:

A) inmates.
B) a degree.
C) release to same social environment.
D) recidivate.

Question 16

The dependent variable in the hypothesis ""Young, male African-American motorists are more likely to be searched by a police officer during a stop,"" is:

A) young.
B) male.
C) African-American.
D) search.

Question 17

A statement that predicts how a change in one or more variables will cause a change in another variable is called a(n):

A) hypothesis.
B) causal guess.
C) causal relationship.
D) research proposition.

Question 18

A variable that changes as a result of a change in another variable is called a(n):

A) independent variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) intervening variable.
D) causal factor.

Question 19

The different characteristics or values that a variable can take on are called that variable's:

A) features.
B) levels.
C) characteristics.
D) attributes.

Question 20

The capacity for a list of attributes to contain all reasonably possible levels of a variable is referred to as:

A) exhaustiveness.
B) mutual exclusivity.
C) completeness.
D) reliability.

Question 21

The capacity for a list of attributes to provide one and only one option for each respondent is called:

A) exhaustiveness.
B) mutual exclusivity.
C) completeness.
D) reliability.

Question 22

A predictive statement that alleges a plausible connection between two or more variables is called a(n):

A) null hypothesis.
B) research proposition.
C) alternative hypothesis.
D) predictive hypothesis.

Question 23

A statement that alleges no plausible connection between two or more variable is called a(n):

A) null hypothesis.
B) research proposition.
C) alternative hypothesis.
D) predictive hypothesis.

Question 24

Which of the following is a variable?

A) Gender
B) Annual income
C) Hair color
D) All of the above

Question 25

A formal statement that predicts how a change in one or more variables might cause a change in another variable is called a(n):

A) hypothesis.
B) educated guess.
C) informed prediction.
D) scientific proposition.

Question 26

A variable that is alleged to be changed because of another variable is referred to as a(n):

A) continuous variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) independent variable.
D) intervening variable.

Question 27

The independent variable in the hypothesis ""Police officers who pursue hobbies unrelated to their profession are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease,"" is:

A) police officers.
B) hobbies.
C) cardiovascular disease.
D) Cannot be determined from the information provided.

Question 28

The hypothesis, ""The more impaired an offender is with respect to drug and alcohol consumption, the more violent their crime,"" is a(n):

A) hypothesis of association.
B) hypothesis of difference.
C) causal hypothesis.
D) Cannot be determined from the information provided.