Deck 2: Where to Start

Question 1

Testing common sense ideas:

A) is of little value because it consists of things we already know are true.
B) never results in new knowledge.
C) should only be done if a theory has been developed.
D) is valuable because such notions often turn out to be incorrect.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Deena,a research student,decides to test the proverb "Birds of a feather flock together" as part of her research project.In this scenario,_____ is most likely to be the initial source of Deena's idea.

A) practical problems
B) past research
C) scientific theory
D) common sense

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A researcher who reads the study on cell phone use by Cramer et.al. ,decides to conduct a study to find ways to reduce cell phone use while driving.Which of the following sources of idea is best illustrated in this scenario?

A) Past research
B) Observation of the world
C) Common sense
D) Myth

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following best represents a prediction?

A) "Female defendants are more likely to receive shorter prison sentences than male defendants."
B) "Are gender and judgments of criminal behavior related?"
C) "Do ratings of social desirability vary according to gender?"
D) "Male and female defendants involved in criminal cases are chosen as the participants of a study to determine the relationship between gender and judgments of criminal behavior."

Question 5

A researcher is asked to guide the formulation of public policy on obesity.She conducts a research on the prevalent eating disorders.In this scenario,the idea behind the research originates from _____.

A) past research
B) practical problems
C) theories
D) common sense

Question 6

A professor conducts a study on tipping behavior in restaurants and hotels,which is designed to determine whether factors such as posture and communication influence tips left by customers.He conducts this study based on his experience in working at a restaurant as a youth.From this scenario,it can be inferred that the initial idea for the professor's study stems from:

A) past research.
B) his common sense and intuition or gut feeling.
C) a scientific theory.
D) his observation of an actual event.

Question 7

If the prediction "Participants who consume alcohol will score lower on a reaction time test than participants who do not consume alcohol" is confirmed,we can say the hypothesis is _____.

A) tentative
B) supported
C) unalterable
D) ambiguous

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true of a theory?

A) It is used to organize and explain specific facts.
B) It is invariably the same as a hypothesis.
C) It can only be expressed as a mathematical formula.
D) It cannot be modified to account for new data.

Question 9

A researcher designs a study to examine the relationship between gender and time spent talking in a group.According to the researcher,the outcome of the study is likely to be that males talk more than females in a gender-balanced group.The researcher's statement about the outcome of the study is an example of a:

A) theory.
B) research question.
C) prediction.
D) moral judgment.

Question 10

When an interesting discovery,such as Pavlov's phenomenon of classical conditioning,is a result of an accident or luck,this finding can be attributed to:

A) directive research.
B) purposeful research.
C) serendipity.
D) inquisition.

Question 11

Sean,a psychologist,watches a group of teenagers listen to a rock band and decides to conduct a research on the effects of music videos on children and adolescents.In this case,the initial source of idea for the research is:

A) common sense.
B) past research.
C) the world around.
D) a theory.

Question 12

Which of the following best illustrates a research idea that originates from the observation of the world?

A) A researcher studies the relationship between music lyrics and early sexual behavior among adolescents after watching a group listen to music.
B) A researcher uses the theory of evolution to investigate and come up with solutions to solve the problem of endangered species that are close to becoming extinct.
C) A researcher advances the work done by authors in 1988.
D) A researcher decides to test the validity of the proverb "Birds of a feather flock together."

Question 13

A study is conducted to confirm the statement "Punishment will be harsher for drunk drivers who cause serious injuries than for drivers who cause mild injuries." This statement which is a guess at the outcome of a hypothesis is an example of a:

A) theory.
B) prediction.
C) scientific law.
D) research question.

Question 14

The statement "Females are more likely to report greater incidences of sexual harassment than males" is an example of a _____,while the question "Do reported incidences of sexual harassment vary according to gender?" is an example of a(n)_____.

A) hypothesis;research question
B) prediction;hypothesis
C) guess;prediction
D) rule;axiom

Question 15

A researcher poses the following question: "Does the breed of a dog determine its ability to learn complex interactive skills?" This question is an example of a(n):

A) hypothesis.
B) prediction.
C) forecast.
D) axiom.

Question 16

A hypothesis is a:

A) statement that has already been confirmed by the results of a study.
B) tentative statement about something that may be true.
C) fact that has been demonstrated to exist or known to exist.
D) scientific law that is often represented by mathematical formula.

Question 17

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?

A) A hypothesis is a narrow idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it,while a prediction is the broad research topic that questions existing knowledge.
B) A hypothesis is a tentative idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it,while a prediction is the result of a particular research.
C) A hypothesis is a tentative idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it,while a prediction is a guess at the outcome of a hypothesis.
D) A hypothesis is a tentative idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it,while a prediction is the evidence that either supports or refutes that idea.

Question 18

A(n)_____ consists of a systematic body of ideas about a particular topic or phenomenon.

A) intuition
B) hunch
C) premonition
D) theory

Question 19

A(n)_____ is a tentative idea or question that is waiting for evidence to support or refute it,whereas a(n)_____ is a guess about the outcome of a hypothesis.

A) prediction;scientific law
B) hypothesis;prediction
C) guess;research question
D) research question;axiom

Question 20

A theory:

A) generates new knowledge by guiding our observations.
B) is proven after many studies support its predictions.
C) is called a fact when it refutes a hypothesis.
D) remains unchanged once formed.

Question 21

Which of the following would be included in the default output when searching the PsycINFO with key terms?

A) Only those articles that have the specified key terms in a particular field
B) All articles that are relevant to the researcher conducting the research irrespective of whether they have the key terms
C) All articles that have that word or phrase anywhere in any of the fields listed
D) Only those articles that have that word or phrase and are relevant to the researcher conducting the research

Question 22

As Joan becomes familiar with the literature examining the influence of physical attractiveness on judgments of criminal behavior,she notes inconsistencies in the results.She concludes that this area of study needs to be further investigated.This scenario best represents _____ as a source of ideas for research.

A) observation of the world around us
B) theories
C) practical problems
D) past research

Question 23

The American Psychological Association computer database that stores the contents of Psychological Abstracts is:

A) PsycINFO.
B) Psychological Abstracts.
C) Social Science Citation Index (SSCI).
D) PubPsyc.

Question 24

A scientist intends to study alternative explanations for the theories on the origin of the universe as he finds the existing theories to be fallacious.This scenario is an example of using _____ as an initial source of idea.

A) myths
B) observation of an actual event
C) past research
D) common sense

Question 25

In the context of exploring past research,which of the following strategies should a researcher employ?

A) Use a single database.
B) Avoid using the words review and meta-analysis in the title of an article.
C) Avoid using the "cited references" information provided by Google Scholar.
D) Use a variety of key words.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is true of theories?

A) Theories can only be expressed as mathematical formulae.
B) Theories are supported by proving a fact.
C) Theories can be reevaluated.
D) Theories are proven by confirming a prediction.

Question 27

To find out how many authors have referred to a particular article in the years since it was published,one would consult:

A) Psychological Abstracts.
B) Annual Review of Psychology.
C) Psychological Bulletin.
D) Social Science Citation Index (SSCI).

Question 28

In view of the existing tension between the police department and the citizens of Metropolis,the city council conducts a survey among the residents for suggestions on how to improve police-community relations.This example best illustrates _____ as a source of research ideas.

A) myths
B) theories
C) past research works
D) practical problems

Question 29

When the results of an experiment are consistent with a prediction developed from a theory,we conclude that the theory is:

A) proven to be a hypothesis.
B) supported by the results.
C) established as a fact and cannot be challenged.
D) neither supported nor challenged by the results.

Question 30

The scientific meaning of the term "theory" is:

A) essentially the same as a hypothesis.
B) valid only if the theory can be proven.
C) grounded in data from prior research.
D) "just an idea" even if there are numerous hypotheses that support it.

Question 31

Which of the following PsycINFO search strategies should be employed by researchers?

A) Avoid using AND to limit a search.
B) Avoid using NOT to exclude search terms.
C) Use fields such as the TITLE and AUTHOR.
D) Use OR to limit a search.

Question 32

Using the Boolean operator AND when performing a search on PsycINFO will:

A) include sources that contain all the search terms specified.
B) include sources that contain either one of the search terms specified.
C) exclude sources that contain the search terms specified.
D) have no effect on the search.

Question 33

One advantage of using the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)as a source of locating previous research is it:

A) excludes the articles that have already been viewed by the researcher conducting the research.
B) does not require one to identify a "key article."
C) gives the references and abstracts of articles related to the topic published before a "key article."
D) allows one to search for subsequent articles that have referred to a "key article."

Question 34

How can one improve the quality of the search results when using Internet search services such as Google?

A) By avoiding the use of Boolean operators
B) By using search terms that are broad
C) By learning how to find exact phrases
D) By avoiding the use of advanced search rules as they are meant only for statisticians

Question 35

Using the Boolean operator OR when performing a search on PsycINFO will:

A) include sources that contain all the search terms specified.
B) expand the search.
C) exclude sources that contain the search terms specified.
D) have no effect on the search.

Question 36

In the context of conducting a PsycINFO search,an advantage of using the asterisk (*)is that:

A) it returns a bibliography of articles.
B) it returns only the "key article" related to a topic.
C) it expands the scope of a search.
D) it includes only those articles that are relevant to the researcher conducting the research.

Question 37

A student conducts a literature search for articles about the relationship between right/left hand dominance and creativity.She finds an article that is directly relevant to her topic of research.Which of the following resources is she most likely to use to find a bibliography of articles relevant to the original article?

A) Psychological Abstracts
B) Annual Review of Psychology
C) Social Science Citation Index
D) PsycINFO

Question 38

An advantage of using past research as a source of ideas for research is that:

A) new ideas are often generated from old ones.
B) new ideas are easily proved through experiments when compared to other sources of ideas.
C) new ideas do not require formulation of hypotheses to be supported.
D) new ideas are readily accepted without empirical evidence.

Question 39

When conducting a search for previous literature using PsychINFO,one:

A) can use the OR operator to include those sources that contain all the search terms specified.
B) should avoid using standard psychological terms.
C) can use the NOT operator to exclude sources that contain the search terms specified.
D) should avoid using the Boolean operators.

Question 40

Which of the following Google search strategies would help researchers in conducting their research efficiently?

A) Specify a set of search words marked with "asterisk" to include only relevant sources.
B) Specify a set of "AND" words or phrases to expand a search.
C) Specify a set of "NOT" words or phrases to limit a search.
D) Specify a set of "OR" words or phrases to limit a search.

Question 41

In which section of a research article is a reader most likely to find suggestions for possible practical applications of the research and for future research on the topic?

A) The introduction
B) The method section
C) The results section
D) The discussion section

Question 42

Google Scholar is a specialized search engine that allows one to _____.

A) search for psychology related articles only
B) search for biographies of authors alone
C) purchase a research paper or a scholarly journal for his or her own use
D) locate published works on a particular topic on the entire Internet

Question 43

Which section of a research article summarizes the hypothesis,the procedure,conclusions,and discussion usually in 120 words or less?

A) The method section
B) The bibliography
C) The abstract
D) The results section

Question 44

Which of the following statements is true of Google Scholar?

A) It can be accessed only through Internet Explorer.
B) It is a paid service which requires an annual subscription.
C) It ranks a search output by the contents of an article along with its overall prominence.
D) It includes content from published works solely in the field of psychology and related sciences.

Question 45

In which section of a research article would a reader find a description of what was done in the past and why the present study is being conducted?

A) The abstract
B) The introduction
C) The method section
D) The results section

Question 46

Victor is writing a section of a research report that shows how past research and theory are connected to the current research problem and expected results.Victor is most likely writing the _____ section of the research report.

A) introduction
B) method
C) results
D) discussion

Question 47

Which one of the following statements would be appropriate for the method section of a research report?

A) Past research shows that men generally talk more than women.
B) For men,the average time spent talking was 10.7 minutes while for women the average was 7.4 minutes.
C) While three men and three women discussed an issue,an experimenter measured time spent talking by using a stopwatch.
D) Contrary to popular belief,in groups of mixed gender,men talk more than women,interrupt more than women,and are more likely to direct discussion topics.

Question 48

Juan is writing a section of a research report that describes who participated in the research along with a description of how the study was conducted.Juan is most likely to be writing the _____ section of the research report.

A) introduction
B) method
C) results
D) discussion

Question 49

Which section of a research article includes a description of exactly how the study was designed and conducted?

A) The introduction
B) The method section
C) The results section
D) The discussion section

Question 50

Kathy is writing a section of a research report in which she explains the possible reasons for results in her study and suggestions for practical applications of the research and future research ideas.Kathy is most likely to be writing the _____ section.

A) introduction
B) method
C) results
D) discussion

Question 51

In which section of a research article would a reader find a summary of the entire project?

A) The abstract
B) The references
C) The method section
D) The results section

Question 52

In which section of the research report would a researcher describe the practical application of an experiment's results?

A) The introduction
B) The method section
C) The results section
D) The discussion section

Question 53

In which section of a research article does a researcher review the research from various perspectives,give all possible explanations for the results,and elaborate on why one explanation is superior to another?

A) The introduction
B) The method section
C) The results section
D) The discussion section

Question 54

In which section of a research article would a researcher present the findings using statistical language?

A) The references section
B) The bibliography
C) The method section
D) The results section

Question 55

Which one of the following statements would be appropriate for the results section of a research report?

A) The difference between social desirability ratings of attractive versus unattractive individuals may be explained by the Cognitive Consistency Theory.
B) Past research suggests that differences exist in ratings of social desirability assigned to attractive versus unattractive individuals.
C) The average social desirability rating for attractive individuals was 6.4;however,the average rating for unattractive individuals was 3.2.
D) Future research should examine the effect of attractiveness on judgments of criminal behavior.

Question 56

Which one of the following statements would be appropriate for the discussion section of a research report?

A) The present findings suggest that evaluation of the seriousness of an alcohol-related crash may be influenced by the severity of the injuries received by the victim.
B) The participants read an account of an alcohol-related crash in which a victim received mild or severe injuries.
C) The participants were asked if they mostly drink coffee and drive or if they drink alcohol and drive.
D) The average age of participants in the research was 18.7 years.

Question 57

Which section of a research article is most likely to include the specific expectations of a researcher as formal hypotheses?

A) The introduction
B) The method section
C) The bibliography
D) The references

Question 58

Which of the following is included in the method section of a research report?

A) A review of theories and prior findings relevant to the research
B) A prediction about the results
C) A summary of past research
D) A description of the characteristics of participants