Question 1

When a variable that is not of interest in a study may explain the results of a study is a ______.

Accepted Answer

The third variable problem occurs when a variable that is not of primary interest in a study may explain the observed relationship between the variables of primary interest. This can lead to spurious or false relationships between variables.

Question 2

Most of the research showing a link between smoking and long-term health in humans has involved ______ studies.

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies examine the relationship between two or more variables, which is appropriate for investigating the link between smoking and long-term health outcomes in humans. Descriptive studies aim to describe a phenomenon, while predictive studies aim to predict future outcomes. Analytical studies involve comparing groups or conditions to identify differences.

Question 3

A research question that asks about the presence of behavior, how frequently it is exhibited, or whether there is a relationship between different behaviors is a ______ research question.

Accepted Answer

Descriptive research questions seek to describe the presence and frequency of behaviors or relationships between behaviors without making predictions or evaluations. Positive and negative research questions refer to the direction of a predicted relationship, while predictive research questions seek to make predictions about future outcomes.

Question 4

In a correlational study, the variable that is used to predict the outcome variable is called the ______ variable.

Accepted Answer

In a correlational study, the predictor variable is used to predict the outcome variable. The dependent variable is the outcome variable that is being predicted by the predictor variable. Confounding variable is a variable that is related to both the predictor and outcome variable, making it difficult to determine the true relationship between the two. Third variable is any variable that is not the predictor or outcome variable but could potentially influence the relationship between them.

Question 5

The strong ______ correlations between age and incidence of Alzheimer's disease found in many studies seem to indicate a 50% likelihood of getting Alzheimer's disease by age 85.

Accepted Answer

The word "strong" and the phrase "50% likelihood" suggest a positive correlation between age and incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Choice B (negative) is the opposite of this and not supported by the given information. Choice C (causal) suggests that age causes Alzheimer's disease, which is not necessarily the case. Choice D (predictive) is tempting, but since the correlation is with age and not other factors, it would be more accurate to say that age is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease rather than a predictor of it.

Question 6

In correlational research multiple measures are collected from ______ group(s) of subjects to determine if those measures co-vary.

Accepted Answer

In correlational research, the focus is on the relationship between two or more variables. Therefore, only one group of subjects is needed to collect multiple measures and check if those measures are correlated.

Question 7

In many studies related to ______, correlational studies are the only options because we cannot subject someone to factors that may negatively harm them for ethical reasons.

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies may be the only feasible option when studying the relationship between certain health factors and outcomes. It would be unethical to intentionally expose a group of people to harmful factors for experimental purposes. Hence, a correlational study might be the only possible approach.

Question 8

Of the following, the ______ represents the correlational research design.

Accepted Answer

Choice B involves examining the relationship between two variables (handedness score and time to complete cognitive task) and is thus an example of correlational research design. Choices A and C both involve experimental designs where one variable is manipulated to see its effect on another variable.

Question 9

Important information can be gained from correlational studies about the likelihood of an event based on the relationship with another event, but this relationship may or may not be ______.

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies can identify a relationship between two variables, but they cannot determine causation. This means that the relationship between the two events may or may not be causal. Therefore, choice C (causal) is the best answer. Choices A (positive), B (negative), and D (predictive) are possible outcomes of correlational studies, but they do not address the issue of causation.

Question 10

In ______ studies, researchers examine two or more measures to determine if those measures are related.

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies involve examining the relationship between two or more variables or measures. This type of study is used to determine if there is a significant correlation between the variables, and if so, to what extent they are related. Descriptive studies focus on describing a phenomenon or group of individuals without examining relationships, predictive studies aim to predict future outcomes based on present factors, and analytical studies involve breaking down complex phenomena into smaller, more manageable components for analysis.

Question 11

A correlational study ______ provide causal information about the relationship between the measures, it can only describe the relationship between the behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies only establish a relationship between two variables but do not provide information about causality. Thus, the answer is "cannot."

Question 12

A relationship between variables characterized by an increase in one variable that occurs with an increase in the other variable is called ______.

Accepted Answer

A positive relationship is characterized by an increase in one variable that occurs with an increase in the other variable.

Question 13

Groups of subjects are not compared in a correlational study as they are in ______ experiments.

Accepted Answer

Quasi-experiments involve comparing groups of subjects, while correlational studies do not involve comparing groups. Analytical, descriptive, and predictive are not relevant categories for this comparison.

Question 14

Suppose that a researcher found that as introversion (as measured on a standardized questionnaire) of participants goes up, number of social activities attended per week goes up. This finding represents ______.

Accepted Answer

This represents a positive relationship, meaning as one variable increases, so does the other. In this case, as introversion increases, the number of social activities attended also increases.

Question 15

A relationship between variables characterized by an increase in one variable that occurs with a decrease in the other variable is called a ______.

Accepted Answer

A negative relationship is characterized by an increase in one variable that occurs with a decrease in the other variable. A positive relationship, on the other hand, is characterized by an increase in both variables occurring together. A causal relationship implies that one variable causes an effect on the other variable, while a predictive relationship suggests that one variable can be used to predict the value of the other variable.

Question 16

Correlational studies are not well-suited for answering ______ research questions.

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies can identify a relationship between two variables, but cannot establish causality between them. Therefore, they are not well-suited for answering causal research questions.

Question 17

The ______ analyses allow predictions.

Accepted Answer

Regressions are used to analyze relationships between variables and can be used to make predictions based on that relationship. T tests, ANOVAs, and ANCOVAs are statistical analyses that test for differences between groups or variables, but do not necessarily allow for predictions.

Question 18

Suppose that a researcher found that as introversion (as measured on a standardized questionnaire) of participants goes up, the number of social activities attended per week goes down. This finding represents ______.

Accepted Answer

A negative relationship means that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases. In this case, as introversion increases, the number of social activities attended per week decreases, indicating a negative relationship.

Question 19

In a correlational study, the variable that is predicted by the predictor variable is called the ______ variable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a correlational study, the variable that...

Question 20

A research question that asks if one behavior can be predicted from another behavior to allow predictions of future behavior is a ______ research question.

Accepted Answer

A research question that asks if one behavior can be predicted from another behavior to allow predictions of future behavior is a predictive research question. Therefore, the correct choice is D.

Quiz 11: More About Correlational Studies