Question 1

There is an illusory correlation between psychiatric hospital admissions and the full moon. To create this illusory correlation, which of the following experiences do we notice most?

Accepted Answer

We notice the experience of a full moon and many psychiatric admissions the most because it confirms our belief in the correlation between the two. The absence of both a full moon and psychiatric admissions (option A) or the absence of both (option D) does not provide evidence for or against the correlation. Option B, where there are many psychiatric admissions but no full moon, may actually contradict our belief in the correlation, making it less noticeable.

Question 2

Which of the following correlations represents the weakest correlation between two variables?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following correlations represents the...

Question 3

A graph that can be used to represent the pattern of relationship between scores from two variables is called a

Accepted Answer

A scatterplot is the best choice as it displays the relationship between two variables by showing the distribution of data points on a graph with one variable plotted on the x-axis and the other variable plotted on the y-axis. This allows for an easy visualization of the pattern of relationship between the two variables. Frequency polygons, histograms, and bar graphs are all useful for displaying data, but they are not well-suited for representing the relationship between two variables.

Question 4

Correlations allow researchers to make __________ about the world, whereas observational and case studies allow us to __________ it.

Accepted Answer

Correlations allow researchers to make predictions about the world by identifying relationships between variables, but they do not establish causation. Observational and case studies, on the other hand, provide detailed descriptions of phenomena or individual cases, allowing for a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Question 5

Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the strongest positive relationship between two variables?

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient of +.46 indicates a moderate to strong positive relationship between two variables. The closer a correlation coefficient is to +1.0, the stronger the positive relationship between the variables. A coefficient of +.27 or lower indicates a weak positive relationship or no relationship at all. Negative correlation coefficients indicate a negative relationship between the variables. Therefore, choice C (+.46) represents the strongest positive relationship.

Question 6

Which of the following is strongly associated with illusory correlations?

Accepted Answer

Illusory correlations occur when people falsely perceive an association between two events or situations, often because of a preexisting belief or expectation. This is closely related to confirmation bias, where individuals tend to notice and remember information that confirms their preconceptions and ignore or forget information that contradicts them.

Question 7

A fictional study revealed that there is a negative correlation between exam grades and the average number of glasses of beer (r = -.52), wine (r = -.63), coolers (r = -.46), or hard alcohol (r = -.59) consumed each night. Which of these alcoholic beverages shows the strongest association with poor exam performance?

Accepted Answer

Wine shows the strongest association with poor exam performance as it has the largest negative correlation coefficient (-.63) compared to beer (-.52), coolers (-.46), and hard alcohol (-.59).

Question 8

Suppose that researchers find no relationship between your likelihood of getting cancer and your home's proximity to power lines. This would be an example of which type of correlation?

Accepted Answer

A zero correlation indicates that there is no relationship between the two variables being studied. In this case, there is no relationship between the proximity of power lines to one's home and the likelihood of getting cancer.

Question 9

Which of the following correlation coefficients would allow you to make the strongest prediction?

Accepted Answer

The closer a correlation coefficient is to -1 or 1, the stronger the prediction. Therefore, the answer is B because it has the strongest negative correlation coefficient (-.67).

Question 10

You read a research study that claims to have found a correlation of r = -.43 between smoking and vegetable consumption. This means that

Accepted Answer

The negative correlation coefficient (r = -.43) indicates an inverse relationship between smoking and vegetable consumption. This means that as one variable (smoking) increases, the other variable (vegetable consumption) decreases. Therefore, the more people smoke, the fewer vegetables they eat (option B).

Question 11

There is an illusory correlation between joint pain and rainy weather. To establish this illusory correlation, which of the following experiences do we notice most?

Accepted Answer

To establish an illusory correlation, we need to notice instances where two events seem to be related but are not actually causally linked. In this case, joint pain and rainy weather are not necessarily connected but it is easy to think there is a relationship between the two. To establish this illusory correlation, we would notice instances where both events occur together (it is raining and there is joint pain). Choice A is the best option as it describes the instances that are most likely to reinforce the idea of a correlation between joint pain and rainy weather.

Question 12

As the number of losses by the Edmonton Oilers hockey team increase, the number of fans decrease. This is an example of a __________ correlation.

Accepted Answer

A negative correlation exists between the number of losses by the Edmonton Oilers hockey team and the number of fans. As one variable increases, the other decreases.

Question 13

Most likely, shoe size is __________ associated or correlated with psychology exam scores.

Accepted Answer

There is no logical or empirical connection between shoe size and psychology exam scores. Therefore, there is no correlation, positive or negative, between them.

Question 14

According to the text, many people believe without evidence that there are strong correlations between the full moon and strange behaviour, such as violent crime, suicides, psychiatric admissions, and births. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

The described belief is an example of an illusory correlation, as there is no actual evidence to support the supposed relationship between the full moon and unusual behavior.

Question 15

Researchers found no link between autism and immunizations. which type of correlation is this?

Accepted Answer

A zero correlation indicates no relationship between the two variables being studied, in this case, autism and immunizations.

Question 16

If there is no discernible relationship between scores on students' homework assignments and their exam scores in an introductory biology class, then what type of correlation exists?

Accepted Answer

A correlation of zero means that there is no relationship between the two variables being compared (in this case, homework scores and exam scores). It does not indicate a positive or negative relationship.

Question 17

Superstitions are often based on

Accepted Answer

Superstitions are often based on illusory correlations, which are false perceptions of a relationship between events. These correlations are created by our brains trying to find patterns and associations even when there aren't any.

Question 18

Which of the following correlation coefficients is the strongest?

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient of -.47 represents a stronger negative correlation than the others.

Question 19

Jaime knows that the correlation between alcohol abuse and liver damage is very strong but argues that this relationship is unlikely to apply to him because both his grandparents and parents drank heavily throughout their lives and never suffered from any liver problems. What is the main problem with Jaime's reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Jaime is using anecdotal evidence, which is not reliable and does not account for individual differences and other variables that could explain why his family members did not suffer from liver problems despite their heavy drinking. Correlation does not necessarily imply causation, but research has shown a strong link between alcohol abuse and liver damage, and it is still a significant risk factor that should not be dismissed based on individual cases or beliefs.

Question 20

As the average daily temperature decreases, the number of persons who are observed wearing sweaters in the workplace increases. This is an example of a __________ correlation.

Accepted Answer

This is a negative correlation, as the decrease in temperature is associated with an increase in the number of persons wearing sweaters.

Quiz 2: Research Methods