Question 1

The correlation between the amount of time a college student studies and the student's height in inches is

Accepted Answer

There is no relationship between the amount of time a college student studies and their height in inches. Therefore, the correlation is zero.

Question 2

Statistical significance determines whether an observed difference between a treatment and control group is likely due to

Accepted Answer

Statistical significance determines whether the observed difference between a treatment and control group is likely due to chance. Random assignment helps to control for confounds, but it does not determine statistical significance. External validity refers to the generalizability of the study beyond the sample and is not related to statistical significance. Confounds are variables that could potentially affect the outcome but were not controlled for, and while they may impact statistical significance, they are not what determines it.

Question 3

Every incremental increase in variable A is associated with an exactly equal increase in variable B.The correlation between these two variables is

Accepted Answer

A correlation of +1.00 indicates a perfect positive linear relationship, meaning every increase in variable A results in an exactly equal increase in variable B.

Question 4

In well-designed research studies, medications that enhance serotonin functioning have been found to help patients recover from episodes of depression.Given the realities of the patient uniformity myth, it would be a mistake to conclude that

Accepted Answer

The patient uniformity myth suggests that all individuals with a particular diagnosis will have the same response to treatment, which is not the case. Therefore, it would be a mistake to conclude that all depressed patients will be helped by medications that enhance serotonin functioning, as some individuals may not respond to this treatment.

Question 5

If you observe that umbrellas cause rain since they always occur together, you may be confusing

Accepted Answer

Confusing correlation with causation means assuming that just because two things happen together, one causes the other. In this case, thinking that umbrellas cause rain is an example of this fallacy.

Question 6

A researcher studying the effect of a dietary supplement on sleep finds that research participants who take the supplement sleep an average of 7 hours and 25 minutes per night, while participants who were given a placebo pill with no active ingredients in it sleep for an average of 7 hours and 20 minutes.These findings are clearly

Accepted Answer

The difference of 5 minutes in sleep duration between the supplement group and the placebo group is very small and unlikely to have a meaningful impact on individuals' health or well-being, indicating that the findings are not clinically significant.

Question 7

The type of study that generally does not follow the scientific method and typically contains many confounds is the

Accepted Answer

Case studies often do not follow the scientific method strictly and can contain many confounds due to their in-depth, qualitative nature and focus on individual cases rather than controlled variables.

Question 8

As a child's age increases, so does her height.This is an example of a(n) _______ correlation.

Accepted Answer

As the child's age increases, her height also increases, indicating a positive correlation.

Question 9

It has been demonstrated that the amount of time watching violent shows on TV is correlated with aggressiveness in children.However, we cannot say that watching violence on TV causes children to be aggressive because

Accepted Answer

Correlation does not imply causation. All options A, B, and C are valid reasons why we cannot definitively say that watching violent TV causes aggression in children.

Question 10

In research, the term 'clinical significance' refers to

Accepted Answer

Clinical significance refers to the practical importance of a treatment effect - whether it has a real, noticeable impact on daily life for those affected, beyond just statistical significance.

Question 11

The more time one spends exercising, the less one generally weighs.The correlation between time on a treadmill each month and overall body weight would represent a(n) ______ correlation.

Accepted Answer

As the time spent exercising increases, overall body weight decreases. This negative relationship suggests a negative correlation between time on a treadmill each month and overall body weight.

Question 12

When studying family functioning, it has been observed that marital discord often increases as child behaviour problems increase in the family.Using the correlational model,

Accepted Answer

The correlational model only shows a relationship between variables, not causation.

Question 13

Joe is suffering from a severe anxiety disorder.His psychiatrist prescribes a medication that has been found in many research studies to help reduce anxiety.Joe takes the medication, but his anxiety level does not improve at all.Since the anxiety medication did not work, Joe concludes that his psychiatrist must be wrong and he must be suffering from some other disorder.The problem with Joe's conclusion is that he is failing to consider the

Accepted Answer

Joe's conclusion overlooks the patient uniformity myth, which is the incorrect assumption that all patients with the same diagnosis will respond similarly to a given treatment. This overlooks individual differences in response to medication.

Question 14

The patient uniformity myth refers to the tendency to

Accepted Answer

The patient uniformity myth refers to the incorrect assumption that all study participants are homogenous, ignoring individual differences.

Question 15

Randomisation is used to assign research participants to groups in order to

Accepted Answer

Randomisation helps ensure that any differences between groups are due to chance, thus reducing bias and increasing the validity of the results.

Question 16

One of the major problems with the case study method is that it is too easy to make false conclusions based on

Accepted Answer

The major problem with the case study method is that it is too easy to make false conclusions based on coincidence. Case studies often involve a small sample size and lack control over external factors, making it difficult to establish causality. As a result, researchers may mistake a correlation for a causal relationship or draw false conclusions based on chance occurrences.

Question 17

Epidemiology is the study of

Accepted Answer

Epidemiology is the study of the incidence, distribution and consequences of a problem in a population. It aims to identify the risk factors, causes and possible interventions to prevent or control the problem.

Question 18

Matilda designed a study in which she had a treatment group and a control group.She then took 100 participants and flipped a coin with each one to determine which group they would be in.This assigning of participants is called

Accepted Answer

Randomisation is the process of assigning participants to different groups using a random method, such as flipping a coin, to ensure that each participant has an equal chance of being placed in any group.

Question 19

The Surgeon General gathered data that demonstrated that the more people smoked, the more likely they were to develop lung cancer, heart disease and other dangerous illnesses.This data demonstrates

Accepted Answer

The data shows a positive correlation, meaning as smoking increases, the likelihood of developing serious illnesses also increases.

Question 20

The most accurate description of the correlational model is

Accepted Answer

The most accurate description of the correlational model is statistical examination of the relationships between variables. It involves measuring the degree of association between two or more variables, without seeking to establish causality. This is done to understand the nature of the relationship between these variables and to make predictions about future outcomes.

Quiz 4: Research Methods