Question 1

Researchers control factors that might influence a dependent variable by means of

Accepted Answer

Random assignment helps to distribute extraneous variables evenly among groups, making it easier to attribute changes in the dependent variable to the independent variable being studied. Replication is important for ensuring the reliability of findings, but it does not control for extraneous variables. Naturalistic observation involves simply observing behavior in its natural setting and does not involve manipulating variables. Operational definitions help to specify and standardize the measures used in a study, but they do not directly control for extraneous variables.

Question 2

Surveys are most likely to indicate that reckless behavior and self-control are

Accepted Answer

Reckless behavior and self-control are negatively correlated because as self-control increases, reckless behavior tends to decrease, and vice versa.

Question 3

In drug-treatment studies,double-blind procedures minimize outcome differences between experimental and control conditions that could be attributed to

Accepted Answer

Double-blind procedures are designed to minimize the placebo effect, which is the phenomenon where participants improve simply because they believe they are receiving a beneficial treatment. By keeping both the participant and the experimenter unaware of which condition the participant is in (experimental or control), the researcher can reduce the influence of the placebo effect on the outcome of the study. Replication, operational definitions, and random sampling are not directly related to the use of double-blind procedures in drug-treatment studies.

Question 4

The scientific attitude in psychology refers to the fact that

Accepted Answer

The scientific attitude in psychology refers to psychologists studying thoughts and actions with an attitude of skepticism and deriving their conclusions from direct observations. This means that they approach their research with an open mind but also question and critically evaluate their findings. They also value the use of empirical evidence and the scientific method in their research.

Question 5

Which method offers the most reliable way of assessing whether athletic performance is boosted by caffeine consumption?

Accepted Answer

The experiment is the most reliable way of assessing whether athletic performance is boosted by caffeine consumption because it allows for the manipulation of caffeine intake and control of other variables that could influence athletic performance. This means that cause-and-effect relationships can be established and the results can be replicated. Surveys, case studies, and naturalistic observation do not allow for the same level of control and manipulation of variables, which can limit the reliability of the findings.

Question 6

A tendency to notice and remember instances in which our premonitions of disaster are subsequently followed by harmful events is most likely to contribute to

Accepted Answer

Illusory correlations occur when we believe there is a relationship between two variables even when there is none. This tendency to notice and remember instances that confirm our beliefs, such as premonitions of disaster followed by harmful events, can lead to the perception of a correlation where none exists.

Question 7

Juwan eagerly opened an online trading account,believing that his market savvy would allow him to pick stocks that would make him a rich day trader. This belief best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Juwan's belief that he would be able to pick stocks that would make him rich as a day trader demonstrates overconfidence bias. This bias refers to the tendency for individuals to overestimate their abilities or knowledge in a particular area, such as investing in the stock market. Juwan's belief likely led him to take risks and invest in stocks without proper research or preparation, which could lead to financial loss.

Question 8

Every twenty-fifth person who subscribed to a weekly news magazine was contacted by market researchers to complete a survey of opinions regarding the magazine's contents. The researchers were applying the technique known as

Accepted Answer

The researchers were using random sampling by selecting every twenty-fifth person to complete the survey. Random sampling is a method of selecting a sample from a larger population in which each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

Question 9

To assess whether sense of humor is affected by sexual stimulation,researchers exposed married couples to either sexually stimulating or to sexually nonstimulating movie scenes prior to watching a comedy skit. In this research,the independent variable consisted of

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this research is the level of sexual stimulation, as the researchers are manipulating this variable by exposing some couples to sexually stimulating movie scenes and others to nonstimulating scenes.

Question 10

In an experimental study of the extent to which mental alertness is inhibited by sleep deprivation,alertness would be the

Accepted Answer

In this experimental study, the researchers are trying to measure the effect of sleep deprivation on mental alertness, so mental alertness would be the dependent variable. The independent variable is the amount of sleep deprivation that the participants receive. The experimental condition would be the group of participants who are sleep deprived, while the control condition would be the group of participants who have not been sleep deprived. Therefore, the best answer is D, as mental alertness is the dependent variable being measured.

Question 11

In a study of factors that might affect memory,research participants were assigned to drink either an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage prior to completing a memory test. Those who drank the nonalcoholic beverage were assigned to the ________ group.

Accepted Answer

The control group is the group that does not receive the experimental treatment or manipulation, in this case, the nonalcoholic beverage. The experimental group would be the group that does receive the manipulation, in this case, the alcoholic beverage.

Question 12

Which of the following BEST describes the hindsight bias?

Accepted Answer

Hindsight bias is the tendency people have to overestimate their ability to have predicted an outcome that could not possibly have been predicted. It occurs after an event has occurred and people perceive the event as being predictable, despite there being no evidence to suggest this was the case beforehand.

Question 13

Psychological theories

Accepted Answer

Psychological theories do all of these things, they organize scientific observations, explain observed facts, and generate hypotheses.

Question 14

A correlation of +0.70 between children's physical height and their popularity among their peers indicates that

Accepted Answer

A correlation of +0.70 indicates a strong positive relationship between children's physical height and their popularity among their peers. This means that higher levels of popularity are associated with greater physical height in children. However, this is not a causal relationship, meaning that physical height does not necessarily cause popularity.

Question 15

The scientific attitude of skepticism is based on the belief that

Accepted Answer

The scientific attitude of skepticism requires ideas to be tested against observable evidence, as this is the only way to determine if they are true or false. It is based on the belief that objective evidence should always be used to support or reject scientific claims, rather than intuition or personal beliefs.

Question 16

The scientific attitude of humility is based on the idea that

Accepted Answer

The scientific attitude of humility is based on the idea that researchers must be prepared to reject their own ideas in the face of conflicting evidence. This means that they must be open to changing their ideas and theories based on new evidence that may contradict their previous beliefs. It is important for scientists to remain objective and unbiased and to avoid blindly accepting new ideas and theories without first evaluating them critically. Additionally, scientific theories must be testable, and simple explanations of behavior may not always be the best or most accurate explanations.

Question 17

Theories are defined as

Accepted Answer

The definition provided in option D best describes theories as principles that help to organize observations and predict behaviors or events. Testable propositions (option A) are more closely aligned with hypotheses, while factors that may change in response to manipulation (option B) are variables. Statistical indexes (option C) are measures used to represent data.

Question 18

Jamie and Lynn were sure that they had answered most of the multiple-choice questions correctly because "the questions required only common sense." However,they each scored less than 60% on the exam. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

Jamie and Lynn's overconfidence in their abilities to answer the questions correctly led them to falsely believe that the questions only required common sense, when in reality they needed more knowledge and preparation. This is a classic example of overconfidence bias.

Question 19

Which research method runs the greatest risk of collecting evidence that may be unrepresentative of what is generally true?

Accepted Answer

The case study method runs the greatest risk of collecting evidence that may be unrepresentative of what is generally true because it focuses on an in-depth analysis of a single subject or a small group, which may not be generalizable to the larger population.

Question 20

To test the potential effect of hunger on taste sensitivity,groups of research participants are deprived of food for differing lengths of time before they engage in a taste-sensitivity test. This research is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an experiment because the researchers are manipulating the independent variable (food deprivation) and measuring its effect on the dependent variable (taste sensitivity). Additionally, the researchers are controlling for extraneous variables through random assignment to conditions, making this a true experiment.

Quiz 1: Doing Social Psychology