Deck 3: Research Methods

Question 1

What research method compares many people or subjects to a certain average, standard, or norm?

A) nomothetic
B) idiographic
C) T-data
D) interviews

Answer 1

nomothetic

Question 2

What research method focuses on comparisons and generalizations?

A) idiographic
B) interviews
C) surveys
D) nomothetic

Answer 2

nomothetic

Question 3

What research method in personality psychology focuses on characteristics in which individuals may be similar to one another?

A) idiographic
B) nomothetic
C) laboratory observation
D) correlation

Answer 3

nomothetic

Question 4

What research approach is person-centered and focuses on many characteristics integrated in a unique person?

A) nomothetic
B) idiographic
C) laboratory
D) projective methods

Question 5

What research approach refers to specific features within an individual and uses various assessments and measurements?

A) observation
B) laboratory
C) idiographic
D) nomothetic

Question 6

Which statement below is correct about nomothetic and idiographic research strategies?

A) Results are always the same in both types of research methods.
B) Most psychologists today acknowledge the importance of both research strategies.
C) None of these approaches capture the whole personality of a person.
D) It is difficult to focus only on an individual's behavior.

Question 7

What is L-data?

A) A subjective assessment of biographical data.
B) A description of behavior in a laboratory.
C) An individual's expressions of his views of various real or hypothetical scenarios.
D) A list of answers in response to questions asked to the person

Question 8

An individual's resume consists of a list of that person's educational background and working history. What research method is the resume an example of?

A) T-data
B) B-data
C) Q-data
D) L-data

Question 9

What is a subjective assessment of biographical data?

A) T-data
B) Q-data
C) L-data
D) B-data

Question 10

What kind of data is it when one is filling out a survey that assesses one's food preferences?

A) Q-data
B) T-data
C) L-data
D) B-data

Question 11

What type of data is it when one fills out a self-report in which he expresses his views on a real or hypothetical situation or issue?

A) L-data
B) Q-data
C) T-data
D) B-data

Question 12

What type of data includes descriptions of people's behavior in standardized experimental situations?

A) Q-data
B) L-data
C) T-data
D) B-data

Question 13

Which of the following is data originating from an experimental situation?

A) T-data
B) Q-data
C) L- data
D) S-data

Question 14

What is the acquisition of information about identifiable variables from a primary source?

A) correlation
B) interviews
C) observation
D) holistic

Question 15

What type of observation involves bringing participants in to a room and having them perform certain tasks?

A) naturalistic
B) laboratory based
C) longitudinal
D) unstructured

Question 16

What is an unstructured observation?

A) The researcher plays the role of an observer and describes various manifestations involving an individual under observation.
B) The researcher identifies which behaviors to observe and often require observer ratings of these features.
C) The researcher examines diaries, written notes, e-mails, and other posted messages.
D) The researcher uses open-ended items in a questionnaire.

Question 17

What are structured observations?

A) The researcher examines diaries, written notes, e-mails, and other posted messages.
B) The researcher uses open-ended items in a questionnaire.
C) The researcher plays the role of an observer and describes various manifestations involving an individual under observation.
D) The researcher identifies which behaviors to observe and often require observer ratings of these features.

Question 18

What is one way to control for biased and inaccurate data derived from observations?

A) collect comparable data by running an experiment
B) make an exhaustive list of behaviors to observe
C) use multiple observers to make observations of the individual under study
D) discuss with an experimenter whatever comes to mind

Question 19

What is the most common way of personality assessment?

A) using the laboratory based experiments
B) using questionnaires, diaries, or written reports
C) interviewing individuals
D) examining a person's personal belongings

Question 20

Dichotomous questions in a questionnaire involve

A) questions with five choices with responses ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.
B) questions that need to interpreted before responding.
C) questions that are responded to by writing a long essay.
D) questions that have only two choices to respond to, for example, "yes" or "no."

Question 21

Which of the following below is an example of a questionnaire item that consist of a statement for a person to respond to?

A) "On a scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (very much so), to what degree do you like ice cream?"
B) "What is your routine every morning?"
C) "Do you acknowledge your own mistakes?"
D) "What personality traits do you possess?"

Question 22

What is the tendency of respondents to give answers that are supposed to be received favorably by others?

A) self-serving bias
B) attribution error
C) social desirability bias
D) content bias

Question 23

What is the tendency to assess one's own features or behaviors as better than or more advanced than those of the "average" person?

A) social desirability bias
B) self-serving bias
C) holistic perspective
D) content bias

Question 24

What are the conditions selected and controlled by the experimenter in an experiment?

A) Control condition
B) Dependent variables
C) Independent variables
D) Design

Question 25

What are the outcomes expected to take place under the influence of the independent variable?

A) extraneous variables
B) dependent variables
C) confounding variables
D) control condition

Question 26

What kind of research method is used when a researcher controls the independent variable in a study?

A) structured observation
B) experiment
C) questionnaire study
D) naturalistic observation

Question 27

Which of the following below is the first step in conducting a content analysis?

A) identify coding categories
B) categorize and interpret categories
C) make a list of questions to ask
D) vary the conditions of the independent variable

Question 28

Which of the following below is the second step in conducting a content analysis?

A) vary the conditions of the independent variable
B) categorize and interpret categories
C) make a list of questions to ask
D) identify coding categories

Question 29

In a content analysis, interpreting what was actually said or written is what part of the content of communication?

A) manifest
B) latent
C) peripheral
D) projective

Question 30

In a content analysis, interpreting the meaning of what was said or written is what part of the content of communication?

A) peripheral
B) manifest
C) latent
D) projective

Question 31

Dr. Fern transcribes and codes common themes in conversations between two individuals to investigate how one's personality is exhibited in social interaction. Dr. Fern is using what type of research procedure or method?

A) experiment
B) path analysis
C) projective test
D) content analysis

Question 32

According to Weber's content analysis, proverbs in the Chinese language illustrate

A) an individual's cautious behavior.
B) an individual's sensation-seeking behavior.
C) an individual's need for belonging.
D) an individual's mental state.

Question 33

What are the research methods called that require respondents to perform certain tasks and the results of which are expected to reveal meanings typically concealed from direct observation?

A) experiment
B) projective tests
C) objective tests
D) content analysis

Question 34

The tasks of interpreting pictures, drawing sketches, and completing stories or sentences are representative of what type of research method in personality psychology?

A) objective tests
B) projective tests
C) correlational analysis
D) B-data

Question 35

What is the advantage of using projective tests as opposed to using traditional questionnaires?

A) Projective tests have reliability and validity issues than traditional questionnaires.
B) Projective tests are relatively inexpensive to administer than traditional questionnaires.
C) In traditional questionnaires, direct question may encourage the respondents to give socially desirable answers, but in projective tests, respondents' responses may reflect emotions or motivations they would be unwilling to reveal.
D) Coding projective tests are more accurate than in traditional questionnaires.

Question 36

If a personality psychologist wants to know if a respondent often engages in violent thoughts, the psychologist could get honest responses from the respondent by using

A) objective tests.
B) questionnaires.
C) online surveys.
D) projective tests.

Question 37

What is a personality test that involves the evaluation of a subject's response to ambiguous stimuli like an inkblot?

A) Rorschah's inkblot test
B) Eysenck's inkblot personality scale
C) Stimulus Completion test
D) Personality scales

Question 38

Using self-reports, observations, experiments, and biographical data make up what kind of research method?

A) meta-analysis
B) holistic method
C) projective methods
D) objective methods

Question 39

What research method refers to the study of systems with multiple interconnected elements?

A) projective tests
B) content analysis
C) experiment
D) holistic methods

Question 40

The advantage of holistic methods of investigation is that

A) it attempts to combine different scientific methods.
B) it is a nonscientific way of examining phenomenon.
C) it requires mastery of types of research methods.
D) it is shorter and faster with data collection.

Question 41

Another advantage of holistic methods of investigation is that

A) it produces a comprehensive set of data that can be analyzed on different levels.
B) it is a nonscientific way of investigation and do not require thorough procedures to collect data.
C) it requires mastery of types of research methods.
D) it is shorter and faster with data collection.

Question 42

After identifying the problem, what is the first step in preparing for your research?

A) find out which variables are stated in past research
B) find out if anyone has done any research on this topic or problem before
C) define the variables to be used in the study
D) figure out how many subjects you need to run the study

Question 43

One of the goals for conducting the research is to identify what you want to achieve as a result. Which one below describes wanting to discover something previously unknown?

A) finding out which personality traits are supposed to be the most common in successful, stable, and happy interethnic marriages
B) explaining that couples in the most successful interethnic marriages resolve a minor problem through dialogue
C) explaining the situations that lead to marital stability
D) predict that those in maritally successful and stable interethnic marriages practice tolerance of their partner

Question 44

Which of the following below is the second step to preparing and conducting research?

A) choosing a sample
B) formulating hypothesis
C) reviewing your sources
D) describing your goals

Question 45

Which of the following is the third step to preparing and conducting research?

A) describing your goals
B) formulating hypothesis
C) choosing a sample
D) reviewing your sources

Question 46

Which of the following is the first step to preparing and conducting research?

A) formulating hypothesis
B) describing your goals
C) choosing a sample
D) reviewing your sources

Question 47

What are the three goals for conducting research?

A) to discover, to implement, and to predict
B) to describe, to explain, and to control
C) to calculate, to formulate, and to choose a sample
D) to discover, to explain, and to predict

Question 48

What are expectations or proposed explanations for something that you study called?

A) sampling
B) predictions
C) hypotheses
D) descriptions

Question 49

What is called the assumption that a research hypothesis should be disprovable which means that someone should have an opportunity to test it and as a result, reject it or support it?

A) parsimony
B) falsifiability
C) representativeness
D) testable

Question 50

Dr. Fillman found in her research that the most successful interethnic marriages tend to resolve a minor problem by engaging in a dialogue so as to prevent the problem grow bigger and lead to a more serious problem. Dr. Fillman's goal for her research was to ______.

A) predict
B) formulate further hypotheses
C) explain
D) describe

Question 51

Jill proposed that there were gender and personality differences in choosing computer science as a major. In order to find support or reject this, Jill must test this by ______.

A) formulating testable and falsifiable hypotheses
B) choose an equal number of men and women for her sample
C) predicting the outcome
D) explain how this could work

Question 52

What is a part of a larger group so that by studying it, the researcher can generalize the results to that larger group.

A) sample
B) proportion
C) majority
D) quota

Question 53

What indicates the extent to which the sample is different from the population it represents?

A) marginal error
B) cell means
C) sampling error
D) random sample

Question 54

To lower the sampling error in a study, what should be done when conducting research?

A) clarify definitions of variables being used in the study
B) make sure to run a large sample
C) conduct a thorough review of sources and references
D) use qualitative research

Question 55

When variables are difficult to measure, what specific method of research is preferred?

A) quantitative
B) qualitative
C) nonparametric
D) parametric

Question 56

Which of the following is an example of a qualitative method?

A) experiment
B) correlation
C) assessment
D) biographical research

Question 57

Dr. Newby investigates how children express their emotions through their drawings. Dr. Newby is using what kind of research method?

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

Question 58

What is the systematic investigation of behavioral or psychological phenomena by means of statistical or mathematical data and various computational techniques called?

A) qualitative
B) quantitative
C) sampling data
D) personality questionnaires

Question 59

What is one important issue in evaluating personality assessment instruments?

A) How many items are in the assessment instrument.
B) Whether there are reversed items in the assessment instrument.
C) How the items in the assessment instrument are phrased.
D) How the assessment instrument is scored.

Question 60

Ann used a specific assessment instrument to measure the trait of authoritarianism. She noted that some of the items directly asked if the respondent is prejudicial toward minority groups. She is worried at this type of phrasing because respondents are more likely to respond out of ______.

A) social desirability
B) anxiety
C) embarrassment
D) pride

Question 61

To measure inconsistency or deception in individuals' answers on personality questionnaires, ______ are used.

A) reversed items
B) correction scales
C) factual items
D) application questions

Question 62

What is the extent to which a particular method gives consistent results called?

A) validity
B) sampling error
C) reliability
D) convergence

Question 63

A measure that is obtained by administering the same test twice over a certain period to the same person or group is called ______.

A) convergent reliability
B) face validity
C) parallel forms reliability
D) test-retest reliability

Question 64

Giving two or several versions of the test to the same person or the same group is called ______.

A) interrater reliability
B) parallel forms reliability
C) construct validity
D) convergent validity

Question 65

The company has applicants fill out a number of assessment questionnaires in order to have an idea of how each applicant will perform three months from now on the job. What kind of validity is this method assessing?

A) external validity
B) construct validity
C) convergent validity
D) predictive validity

Question 66

What kind of validity is used to ensure that the assessment instrument assesses what it is intended to measure according to a theory?

A) construct validity
B) external validity
C) predictive validity
D) convergent validity

Question 67

What type of measurement scale is primarily used for identification purposes?

A) ordinal
B) ratio
C) nominal
D) interval

Question 68

An item in a questionnaire asks "what do you value the most in other people?" This item taps into what type of measurement scale?

A) nominal
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) ratio

Question 69

"What is your college classification?" is an item using what type of measurement scaling?

A) ratio
B) ordinal
C) interval
D) nominal

Question 70

What is the type of measurement scale that possesses an identifiable "zero" value?

A) ratio
B) nominal
C) ordinal
D) interval

Question 71

The sign in a correlation coefficient indicates ______.

A) that the two or three variables are related to each other
B) that a third variable is affecting the current correlational direction
C) that the variables are either positive or negatively related
D) that the magnitude of the relationship between the variables is significant

Question 72

What does it mean if variables are negatively correlated?

A) As one variable goes up, the other variable goes up too.
B) As one variable goes up, then the other variable goes down.
C) As one variable goes down, the other variable also goes down.
D) The variables are not significantly correlated.

Question 73

What is a method to deal with large numbers of observed variables that are thought to reflect a smaller number of underlying variables?

A) meta analysis
B) correlation
C) factor analysis
D) measurement scaling

Question 74

What is an active and systematic strategy for understanding knowledge on the basis of sound reasoning and evidence?

A) critical thinking
B) meta analysis
C) scientific knowledge
D) post hoc thinking

Question 75

What is rooted in procedures designed to provide reliable and verifiable evidence based on facts?

A) meta analysis
B) critical thinking
C) scientific knowledge
D) causality

Question 76

______ are variables that may be divided into two mutually exclusive categories while ______ consist of a theoretically infinite number of points lying between two polar opposites.

A) Continuous; dichotomous
B) Dichotomous; continuous
C) Facts; opinions
D) Scientific knowledge; correlational analysis

Question 77

Research methods in personality psychology is a "one-size-fits-all" standard that every psychologist must follow.

Question 78

L-data is a subjective assessment of biographical data.

Question 79

The data resulting from filling out a survey assessing one's food preferences is called T-data.

Question 80

Observation can produce inaccurate and biased data.