Question 1

A researcher might use previous research to develop an experiment that
A) explained conflicting findings.
B) found limiting conditions.
C) added to existing research.
D) Any of the above may be used.

Accepted Answer

A researcher might use previous research to develop an experiment for various reasons, including explaining conflicting findings, finding limiting conditions, and adding to existing research. All these objectives are valid and common in the scientific process, making D the correct choice.

Question 2

Which of the following is not a good way to get a research idea?
A) To extend previous research.
B) To explain conflicting findings.
C) To validate existing laws.
D) To find previous limiting conditions of a tested research question.

Accepted Answer

Validating existing laws is generally not considered a primary method for generating new research ideas. Research typically aims to explore new questions, test hypotheses, or address gaps in existing knowledge rather than solely to validate what is already established.

Question 3

When Sigmund Freud developed his theory of personality by observing patients in his clinical practice, he was using which of the following?
A) The correlational method
B) The inductive method
C) The limiting condition method
D) The dominant method

Accepted Answer

Freud developed his theory of personality through the inductive method, which involves making observations and then forming theories based on these observations. In his clinical practice, he observed patients and their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, and from these observations, he developed his psychoanalytic theory of personality.

Question 4

The short summary of a research article that is contained in computer databases is known as
A) an abstract.
B) a research summary.
C) a journal review.
D) a secondary source.

Accepted Answer

An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose.

Question 5

In scientific research,
A) ideas are primarily based on the opinions of others.
B) ideas are developed primarily through intuition.
C) ideas are obtained primarily through observation.
D) there are many different sources of ideas.

Accepted Answer

Scientific research ideas can come from a variety of sources including but not limited to observations, existing literature, practical problems, and theoretical questions. This diversity in sources allows for a broad spectrum of research topics and methodologies.

Question 6

Computer databases such as PsycINFO are searched using
A) primary terms.
B) secondary terms.
C) keywords.
D) journal abstracts.

Accepted Answer

Computer databases like PsycINFO are searched using keywords. These keywords are terms that represent the main concepts of the information or documents you are searching for.

Question 7

When conducting a literature search, it is usually best to
A) know exactly what you are looking for before you begin the search.
B) work from older sources toward newer sources.
C) locate only secondary sources.
D) be prepared to change your ideas about what you want to study as you learn about the literature.

Accepted Answer

Being open to changing your ideas as you learn more from the literature allows for a more comprehensive understanding and can lead to more refined and relevant research questions.

Question 8

A principle that is so general that it is assumed to apply to all situations is called a
A) theory.
B) law.
C) research hypothesis.
D) tautology.

Accepted Answer

A law is a principle that is so general that it is assumed to apply to all situations, often without exception, in a specific field of study.

Question 9

A general principle that holds in all situations is a __________, whereas a set of principles that explains many, but not all, behaviors is a __________.
A) law; theory
B) law; research hypothesis
C) theory; law
D) research hypothesis; theory

Accepted Answer

A law is a general principle that holds in all situations, while a theory is a set of principles that explains many, but not all, behaviors.

Question 10

Charles has noticed that every time it rains, both his car and his lawn mower are hard to start up. On the basis of these observations, he develops a theory that humidity reduces the ability of gasoline to burn effectively. Charles's theory can be said to have been developed on the basis of which of the following?
A) The inductive method
B) The deductive method
C) The empirical method
D) The abstract method

Accepted Answer

Charles's theory is developed through the inductive method, as he observes specific instances (difficulty in starting his car and lawn mower in humid conditions) and develops a general theory (humidity reduces the ability of gasoline to burn effectively) based on these observations.

Question 11

A literature search will be most efficient if it
A) starts at a specific level and expands to a more general level.
B) starts at a general level and then progresses to a more specific level.
C) starts at one level and stays the same throughout the search.
D) considers primarily general, rather than specific, levels of information.

Accepted Answer

Starting a literature search at a general level allows the researcher to gather a broad understanding of the topic. This approach helps in identifying key themes, terms, and areas that require further exploration. As the search progresses, it can then be narrowed down to more specific aspects, making the process more efficient by focusing on the most relevant information.

Question 12

The Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) is used to
A) locate key terms used in PsycINFO.
B) search for recent articles that have cited older articles.
C) search for demographic information about authors.
D) compare the number of citations used in different research reports.

Accepted Answer

The Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) is primarily used to search for recent articles that have cited older articles, allowing researchers to trace the impact and influence of research over time.

Question 13

Scientists sometimes conduct research that is designed to find limiting conditions of previous research or to explain conflicting findings in previous research. In general, this approach to doing research
A) limits the amount of knowledge that the research can produce.
B) will be less informative than developing ideas on the basis of the scientist's well-validated intuition.
C) contributes to the accumulation of scientific knowledge.
D) tends to produce difficulties for scientists who wish to replicate the study.

Accepted Answer

This approach helps in refining and expanding the existing body of knowledge by addressing gaps or inconsistencies in previous research, thus contributing to the overall accumulation of scientific knowledge.

Question 14

A theory that can be used to account for many different findings is
A) parsimonious.
B) general.
C) not useful.
D) ambiguous.

Accepted Answer

A theory that is able to account for many different findings is considered general because it applies broadly across various situations and phenomena.

Question 15

When looking for literature sources for a research project, Sarah looked for information in the Journal of Counseling Psychology and in her social psychology textbook. What types of sources are each of these?
A) Secondary, secondary
B) Secondary, primary
C) Primary, secondary
D) Primary, primary

Accepted Answer

The Journal of Counseling Psychology publishes original empirical research, which makes it a primary source. A textbook, which summarizes and synthesizes information from various primary sources, is considered a secondary source.

Question 16

One of the disadvantages of using our observation of everyday life to generate a research hypothesis is that
A) the hypothesis may be shown to be incorrect.
B) the hypothesis is likely to be tautological.
C) the results of the research may not relate to existing knowledge in the domain being studied.
D) the hypothesis is unlikely to be falsifiable.

Accepted Answer

Everyday observations may lead to hypotheses that are not well-grounded in existing scientific literature, making it difficult to relate findings to established knowledge.

Question 17

A textbook that reviews behavioral research on animal behavior would be considered a(n)
A) final source.
B) primary source.
C) secondary source.
D) academic source.

Accepted Answer

A textbook that reviews behavioral research on animal behavior compiles and summarizes findings from original research, making it a secondary source. Primary sources are the original research articles, while secondary sources review or summarize these findings.

Question 18

In general, the abstract of a research report
A) represents a relatively complete summary of the report.
B) adequately represents the research, except for the statistical tests.
C) is too brief to provide a complete understanding of the research.
D) is located at the end of the citation index.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, the abstract of a research...

Question 19

Most computer databases
A) allow searches only by subject terms.
B) do not contain a great proportion of the relevant articles.
C) are updated about once every two years.
D) allow keywords to be combined to make the search more specific.

Accepted Answer

Most computer databases allow for the use of keywords in searches, and these keywords can often be combined to refine and make the search more specific, improving the relevance and precision of search results.

Question 20

A literature search is usually conducted
A) to be certain that no research relevant to the research hypothesis has already been conducted.
B) to avoid duplication of effort and to expand and modify the original research hypothesis.
C) to locate previous research that was ethically invalid.
D) to locate previous research that was not falsifiable.

Accepted Answer

A literature search is conducted to avoid duplication of effort and to expand and modify the original research hypothesis by building on existing knowledge.

Quiz 2: Developing the Research Hypothesis

A researcher might use previous research to develop an experiment that

Which of the following is not a good way to get a research idea?

When Sigmund Freud developed his theory of personality by observing patients in his clinical practice, he was using which of the following?

The short summary of a research article that is contained in computer databases is known as

In scientific research,

Computer databases such as PsycINFO are searched using

When conducting a literature search, it is usually best to

A principle that is so general that it is assumed to apply to all situations is called a

A general principle that holds in all situations is a , whereas a set of principles that explains many, but not all, behaviors is a .

A literature search will be most efficient if it

The Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) is used to

Scientists sometimes conduct research that is designed to find limiting conditions of previous research or to explain conflicting findings in previous research. In general, this approach to doing research

A theory that can be used to account for many different findings is

When looking for literature sources for a research project, Sarah looked for information in the Journal of Counseling Psychology and in her social psychology textbook. What types of sources are each of these?

One of the disadvantages of using our observation of everyday life to generate a research hypothesis is that

A textbook that reviews behavioral research on animal behavior would be considered a(n)

In general, the abstract of a research report

Most computer databases

A literature search is usually conducted