Deck 2: Research Methods

Question 1

What is it called when people change their behavior because they are being observed

A) reactivity
B) social desirability bias
C) operationalization
D) participant observation

Answer 1

reactivity

Question 2

Which type of research is most likely to have problems with generalizability

A) experiment
B) survey
C) archival study
D) case study

Answer 2

case study

Question 3

Which describes an abstract idea that cannot be directly observed

A) hypothesis
B) variable
C) social desirability
D) construct

Answer 3

construct

Question 4

Which is a specific statement of what you will believe will happen in an experiment

A) scientific method
B) hypothesis
C) observation
D) construct

Question 5

Why should constructs be operationalized

A) So that variables are specific enough to be measured.
B) So that hypotheses can be proven true.
C) So that constructs can remain general.
D) So that applied research can be conducted.

Question 6

Which of the following types of research would be most likely to analyze divorce records

A) archival study
B) naturalistic observation
C) survey
D) experiment

Question 7

Which is a similarity between archival studies and naturalistic observation

A) They are both types of true experiments.
B) They both rely on surveys as their primary method of data collection.
C) Neither require direct interaction with participants.
D) Neither are frequently used research techniques.

Question 8

Which of the following is the correct order of the scientific method

A) observe, form a hypothesis, test a hypothesis, interpret the results
B) form a hypothesis, test a hypothesis, observe, interpret the results
C) test a hypothesis, observe, interpret the results, form a hypothesis
D) observe, interpret the results, form a hypothesis, test a hypothesis

Question 9

What is the main difference between naturalistic observation and participant observation

A) Naturalistic observation involves animals; participant observation involves people.
B) Naturalistic observation does not require permission from and IRB; participant observation does.
C) Naturalistic observation only watches a group; participant observation involves researchers joining the observed group.
D) Naturalistic observation is solely researcher observation; participant observation is solely participant led.

Question 10

Horoscope predictions are not typically good hypotheses. Why not

A) Because they aren't written by scientists.
B) Because they aren't falsifiable.
C) Because they deal with the occult.
D) Because their methodology is outdated.

Question 11

Which is the best way to begin scientific research

A) form a hypothesis
B) analyze results
C) observe a behavior pattern
D) test a hypothesis

Question 12

Which example best illustrates participant observation

A) study participants taking notes during an experiment
B) a researcher pretending to be a participant
C) careful monitoring of participants during the course of an experiment
D) a summation of participant reactions to an experiment

Question 13

The Three Faces of Eve (a psychiatric exploration of a woman's dissociative identity disorder) would be considered to be what type of research

A) archival study
B) naturalistic observation
C) case study
D) experiment

Question 14

Which of the following hypotheses violates the falsifiability rule

A) Black cats are less likely to be adopted at shelters.
B) Black is a genetically dominant fur color in cats.
C) All black cats are more aggressive than all calico cats.
D) Black cats are more likely to come from large litters of kittens.

Question 15

Which social psychology researcher said "There is nothing so practical as a good theory."

A) Kurt Lewin
B) Leon Festinger
C) Albert Bandura
D) Solomon Asch

Question 16

Which of the following means to use a single person or event to test a hypothesis

A) archival study
B) naturalistic observation
C) survey
D) case study

Question 17

Which is a systematic way of creating knowledge through observation, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and interpreting results

A) scientific method
B) theory
C) statistical analysis
D) naturalistic observation

Question 18

Dr. Belton is an industrial/organizational psychologist. He designs programs intended to improve employee satisfaction. Which type of researcher is he

A) basic
B) applied
C) theoretical
D) observational

Question 19

Dr. Arriaga works at a university and tries to improve theories that predict helping behavior. Which type of researcher is she

A) basic
B) applied
C) observational
D) archival

Question 20

Timothy lied about his feelings of anxiety when he participated in research because he wanted to seem "normal." This is best explained by:

A) self-report
B) poor operationalization
C) faulty survey methods
D) social desirability bias

Question 21

Nathan lies on a survey because he wants to impress the researcher. He likely does this because of what

A) social desirability bias
B) reactivity
C) participant observation
D) self-report scale bias

Question 22

Which of the following is the best hypothesis

A) Children love cats.
B) Children are more likely to pet cats than dogs.
C) Children prefer friendly cats.
D) Children like cats because they are smaller than dogs.

Question 23

Which best defines social desirability bias

A) People shape their responses so that others will have positive impressions of them.
B) People change their behavior because they are being observed.
C) Researchers are likely to elicit positive behaviors from participants.
D) Researchers are most likely to focus on participants they view positively.

Question 24

Defining aggression as hitting, pushing, or shouting is an example of what

A) hypothesizing
B) operationalization
C) analyzing
D) construction

Question 25

Love, aggression, and intimacy are all examples of what

A) confounding variables
B) operationalization
C) archival data
D) constructs

Question 26

Dr. Enzo is studying the effects of meditation vs. medication on the anxiety levels of men and women. What is the dependent variable in her study

A) meditation
B) medication
C) anxiety levels
D) gender

Question 27

The following statement is intended to measure what "I am always courteous, even to people who are disagreeable."

A) reactivity
B) observer bias
C) social desirability bias
D) participant honesty

Question 28

Which of the following is a benefit of archival research

A) There is little data collection work because the information has already been collected.
B) The statistical analyses are simpler.
C) You get to design exactly the questions you want answered.
D) The information is more current than other types of research.

Question 29

A preexperimental design that explores a single event, person, or group in great detail is known as:

A) one-shot case study
B) one-group pretest-posttest design
C) pretest-posttest control group design
D) between-participants design

Question 30

Caitlin is in an experiment in which her reaction to violent videos is being measured. This measurement of the study outcome would be called what

A) independent variable
B) causation
C) dependent variable
D) correlation

Question 31

If you were looking for a scholarly book or peer-reviewed journal on social psychology, which database would be most helpful

A) ProQuest
B) JSTOR
C) EBSCO
D) PsychINFO

Question 32

Which type of research design investigates change that occurs among different groups of participants

A) within-participants design
B) posttest-only control group design
C) pretest-posttest control group design
D) between-participants design

Question 33

A researcher pretends to drop a package and notes who is most likely to help her pick it up. She does not need to reveal her deception to anyone because this is what type of research

A) quasi-experiment
B) true experiment
C) naturalistic observation
D) archival

Question 34

Which of the following statements is falsifiable

A) You will travel in the future.
B) Six-year-olds are more likely to master conservation than 4-year-olds.
C) Most of our motivations are unconscious.
D) The most important aspect of dreams is latent content.

Question 35

Dr. Carlson is studying the effect of temperature on memory. One week he has 20 participants test in a cold room. The next week he has the same 20 participants test in a hot room. This is what type of research design

A) pretest-posttest control group design
B) within-participants design
C) one-group pretest-posttest design
D) between-participants design

Question 36

In what type of research are groups not formed by random assignment

A) true experiments
B) posttest-only control group designs
C) quasi-experiments
D) within-participants design

Question 37

Which type of research is best at establishing causality

A) true experiment
B) quasi-experiment
C) correlational research
D) preexperiment

Question 38

Which is the best example of naturalistic observation

A) analyzing trends in student database usage
B) watching students check out library books
C) watching education students give practice lectures
D) listening to recordings of Spanish classes

Question 39

A within-participants study randomly orders which condition of the independent variable comes first. This is likely an attempt to compensate for what

A) lack of control group
B) order effects
C) reduced variability of participants
D) random assignment

Question 40

Before choosing which experiment condition a participant belongs in, the researcher flips a coin. What is the researcher likely doing

A) eliminating all confounding variables
B) assigning the participant to the control group
C) assigning the participant to the experimental group
D) randomly assigning the participant to a condition

Question 41

Which best illustrates a correlation

A) As the temperature rises, so does iced tea consumption.
B) Dogs usually eat more than cats.
C) Many people own televisions and computers.
D) Horses have long tails.

Question 42

Which design is the best at showing change resulting from the independent variable

A) one-group pretest-posttest
B) one-shot case study
C) posttest-only
D) pretest-posttest control group design

Question 43

Which best defines correlation

A) Two variables are related to each other.
B) One variable causes a change in another.
C) As one variable increases, another increases.
D) As one variable decreases, another decreases.

Question 44

Which is the best reason to use a quasi-experimental design

A) A variable of interest may be impossible to randomly assign.
B) They are less expensive than other designs.
C) Fewer participants are required.
D) Large populations can easily be reached.

Question 45

Which research technique is best at eliminating confounding variables

A) preexperiment
B) true experiment
C) quasi-experiment
D) correlational

Question 46

According to the text, neural reaction to sexual images is positively correlated with high-risk sexual behaviors. What does this association show

A) Sexual images cause high-risk sexual behaviors.
B) High-risk sexual behaviors cause increased sensitivity to sexual images.
C) As neural reaction to sexual images increase, so does the likelihood of high-risk sexual behaviors.
D) As favorable reactions to sexual images increase, so does the likelihood of high-risk sexual behaviors.

Question 47

Why might a researcher select correlational research over other types of designs

A) They are researching conditions which it would be impossible to recreate in an experiment.
B) The data are easier to collect.
C) The statistical analyses are simpler.
D) Causation is easier to determine.

Question 48

Professor Babbitt believes that students' scores on the final exam were very low because most of the class had the flu. He attributes the low score to what

A) reactivity
B) participant observation
C) desirability bias
D) confounding variable

Question 49

Which of the following is sometimes called a "before-after design?"

A) preexperiment
B) one-shot case study
C) one-group pretest-posttest
D) posttest-only control group

Question 50

A theater owner notices that people buy more popcorn on sunny days than rainy days. What has she discovered

A) There is a relationship between the weather and popcorn sales.
B) Sunny days drive an increase in popcorn sales.
C) Rainy days drive a decrease in popcorn sales.
D) The weather causes increases and decreases in popcorn sales.

Question 51

The seminal text Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research was written by whom

A) Campbell and Stanley
B) Petty and Cacioppo
C) Festinger and Carlsmith
D) Wyer and Srull

Question 52

Dr. Kelly is studying the effects of time constraint on performance. She is studying men and women of various ages. What is the independent variable in this study

A) performance
B) time constraint
C) gender
D) age

Question 53

Which provides the best illustration of a quasi-experiment

A) A researcher tests the effects of a new medication on blood pressure.
B) A researcher tests to see whether men or women are complete word puzzles.
C) A researcher tests to see what color reflective paint is brightest.
D) A researcher tests to see whether children run faster or slower after sugar intake.

Question 54

Which of the following research designs would be most likely to make use of archival data

A) preexperimental
B) true experimental
C) quasi-experimental
D) correlational

Question 55

Which best illustrates a negative correlation

A) As ocean levels increase, the number of safe beaches decreases.
B) As restaurant portion sizes increase, the average BMI also increases.
C) As the number of oysters decreases, the number of pearls decreases.
D) Temperature changes may increase or decrease the amount of outside exercise.

Question 56

Which is the best definition for a one-shot case study

A) A pretest, treatment, and posttest are administered to one group.
B) A before and after design is used with a control group and an experimental group.
C) A preexperimental design is used that explores one person in great detail.
D) A posttest only is used with a control and an experimental group.

Question 57

Which research design is the mostly tightly controlled

A) pretest-posttest control group design
B) one-group pretest-posttest
C) quasi-experiment
D) one-shot case study

Question 58

There is a positive correlation between the amount of ice cream sold and the number of drowning deaths. What does this likely reflect

A) Ice cream causes cramping that results in drowning deaths.
B) The statistical analyses were likely flawed.
C) As drowning deaths increase, the number of ice creams sold decreases.
D) Correlation does not imply causation.

Question 59

Which design requires the smallest number of participants

A) correlational
B) quasi-experiment
C) one-shot case study
D) posttest-only control group

Question 60

Juan's research finds that children with depressed parents are more likely to also be depressed. What type of research is this

A) preexperiment
B) quasi-experiment
C) true experiment
D) correlational

Question 61

Which is an example of a positive correlation

A) As the temperature drops, the amount of hot soup consumption increases.
B) People often get a glass of water before taking a nap.
C) During the summer, furnaces are less likely to be used.
D) As the number of cigarettes smoked increases, so does the likelihood of developing lung cancer.

Question 62

Which is an example of a negative correlation

A) Squirrels often race back and forth in the road when cars approach.
B) As use of social media increases, face-to-face conversations decrease.
C) The older children get, the more words they say.
D) As retails sales increase, credit card usage is higher.

Question 63

Select the data for which a correlation coefficient would be the most appropriate statistic.

A) investigating whether there is a relationship between attractiveness and number of dates
B) investigating the effects of a new medication on blood pressure
C) investigating the three most successful types of study techniques
D) investigating changes in weight after implementing a new exercise program

Question 64

Which of the following correlation coefficients is weakest

A) −0.32
B) −0.03
C) 0.24
D) 0.82

Question 65

Select the data for which a t-test would be the most appropriate statistic.

A) testing the relationship between weight and height of toddlers
B) testing reaction times of participants who have had either 4 or 8 hours of sleep
C) testing the effects of acidity and heat on three different brands of orange juice
D) testing to see whether cancer deaths decrease as exercise increases

Question 66

Select the data for which an ANOVA would be the most appropriate statistic.

A) testing the effects of different nutrition programs on rat length, weight, and number of illnesses
B) testing the connection between grades and studying
C) testing whether a running program results in faster or slower running times
D) testing to see whether accidents decrease as social media usage decreases

Question 67

If two bell-shaped curves have no overlap and their average scores are very far apart, this means what is large

A) standard deviation
B) correlation
C) coefficient
D) t-test

Question 68

Which best explains the definition of statistical significance

A) the importance of a finding
B) the level of data complication
C) the likelihood that a pattern of results didn't happen by chance
D) the strength of relationships between variables

Question 69

What is one difference between a correlation coefficient and an ANOVA

A) Correlation coefficients find the strength of a relationship between variables.
B) ANOVAs have a much more limited range of uses.
C) Scatterplots are more useful at illustrating the findings of an ANOVA.
D) Correlation coefficients are less helpful in discovering patterns in the data.

Question 70

Which describes a result that is most likely to come from order effects

A) Participants improve reaction time navigating a maze after going through several times.
B) Participants who are told (rather than asked) what to do will be more likely to withdraw from a study.
C) Participants perform better on tasks they have learned in a classroom.
D) Participants underperform on boring tasks.

Question 71

What is the purpose of using a scatter plot

A) to trim means
B) to determine standard deviation
C) to find patterns in data
D) to analyze variance

Question 72

What is one difference between a t-test and an ANOVA

A) T-tests can only measure correlations while ANOVAs can be used with any data type.
B) ANOVAs can test many groups, while t-tests only test two.
C) ANOVAs are more effective at eliminating the effects of confounding variables.
D) T-tests are more useful in determining the reliability of measures.

Question 73

Which of the following correlation coefficients is strongest

A) −0.89
B) −0.1
C) 0.5
D) 0.73

Question 74

In which situation would a within-participants design be most useful

A) when your study requires a control group
B) when you want to test three or more levels of independent variable
C) when it is very important to avoid order effects
D) when you only have access to a small number of participants

Question 75

Which statistic analyzes variance for groups of three or more

A) ANOVA
B) t-test
C) correlation coefficient
D) scatterplot

Question 76

If two bell-shaped curves have large overlap and their average scores are close, this means what is small

A) standard deviation
B) correlation
C) coefficient
D) t-test

Question 77

Which of the following p values is statistically significant

A) .04
B) .07
C) .1
D) .23

Question 78

Which statistic uses the mean and standard deviation to test for differences between two groups

A) ANOVA
B) correlation coefficient
C) scatterplot
D) t-test

Question 79

Which test design skips preliminary measurements and only measures effects of the independent variable

A) pretest-posttest control group design
B) one-group pretest-posttest design
C) posttest-only control group design
D) pretest-posttest between participants design

Question 80

Ruby graphs scores from variables to test for a pattern. What type of statistical concept is she using

A) ANOVA
B) scatterplot
C) correlation coefficient
D) t-test