Question 1

Dr. Zoeworks for a research foundation that focuses on epigenetics. Dr. Zoe's work most likely examines ____.​

Accepted Answer

The research foundation focuses on epigenetics, which involves the study of how external factors can affect the function of genes without altering their DNA sequence. Diseases and stress factors are examples of external factors that can alter gene function, which suggests that Dr. Zoe's work most likely examines those factors.

Question 2

Dr. Narayan is interested in how much of personality is inherited, so she tests whether the personalities of siblings are more similar to each other than they are to distant cousins. This research would best be described as ____.​

Accepted Answer

The research described involves testing the heritability of personality traits and is therefore best described as behavioral genetics. Twin analysis and genetic engineering are more specific methods within the larger field of behavioral genetics. Psychoanalytic approaches focus more on the role of past experiences and the unconscious in shaping personality.

Question 3

Ellen wants to see if the level of lighting in a room will affect the performance of individuals on an IQ test. One group in her study is placed in a room with very bright lights and a second group is placed in a room with more normal lighting. She finds that the individuals in the bright light group have better scores on the test than do the individuals in the normal light group. The difference between the two groups' scores is statistically significant, which means that the ____.​

Accepted Answer

The phrase "statistically significant" means that the observed difference in test scores between the two groups is unlikely to have occurred by chance, suggesting a real effect of lighting on performance.

Question 4

Steve is pushing Little Larry around on the fifth-grade playground when Larry says, "Your parents raised you to be a rude brat." Steve replies, "Shut up, wimp. It's survival of the fittest on this playground, and I was born to rule." Steve and Larry are engaged in a debate over ____.​

Accepted Answer

Steve's comment about "survival of the fittest" suggests a belief in nature, or innate qualities, as being the most important factor in determining success on the playground. Larry's comment about Steve's parents suggests a belief in nurture, or how upbringing and environment shape behavior. This is a debate over the relative importance of nature versus nurture.

Question 5

Using your critical thinking skills to evaluate research designs and statistical methods becomes most important when you think about results that are ____.​

Accepted Answer

When results are dramatic or unexpected, it is important to evaluate the research design and statistical methods to ensure that the results are valid and reliable. This can help to identify any potential errors or biases that may have influenced the results. Evaluating research design and statistical methods can also help to determine the significance of the results and their potential implications for future research and practice.

Question 6

Dr. Harshaw is planning to research the relationship between behavioral genetics and the effect of impulsivity on consumer behavior. To complete his research, Dr. Harshaw would likely conduct a ____.​

Accepted Answer

Dr. Harshaw is researching the relationship between behavioral genetics and impulsivity, which suggests a focus on the genetic component of behavior. Twin studies are a common method for studying genetic influences on behavioral traits, and involve comparing similarities between identical and fraternal twins to assess the heritability of a particular trait. Therefore, a twin study would be an appropriate method for Dr. Harshaw's research question. The other answer choices are not as relevant to his specific research question.

Question 7

Dr. Essen wants to conduct a study on eating habits. He suspects that there are both environmental and genetic influences that affect a person's eating behavior. To study this behavioral genetics topic, Dr. Essen will likely conduct a ____ study.​

Accepted Answer

To study the genetic and environmental influences on eating habits, the most appropriate study design would be a family study. This type of study involves examining the eating behaviors of family members who share similar genetics and environments. By comparing eating habits among biological relatives, researchers can better understand the relative contribution of genetic and environmental factors to eating behavior. Marriage studies would not be relevant to this research question, double-blind studies are typically used in clinical drug trials, and randomizing studies involve randomly assigning participants to different treatment groups.

Question 8

Some people believe that a person is born intelligent (or not)and education does little to affect this. This is an example of the ____ argument.​

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the nature argument which holds that intelligence is determined at birth by genetics and is not influenced by education or environment (nurture).

Question 9

Dr. Tarantino wants to know the degree to which heredity and environment affect differences among individuals. Which research approach would he be least likely to consider?​

Accepted Answer

A gender study mainly focuses on differences between males and females based on biological sex, socialization, and cultural factors. It does not directly address the extent to which heredity and environment affect individual differences. The adoption, family, and twin studies directly examine the role of heredity and environment in shaping individual differences in traits and behaviors.

Question 10

Dr. Ayhee's research is focused on exploring how environmental effects, such as stress and disease, can alter the functions of genes in the human body, even though the DNA itself remains unchanged. This field of study is known as ____.​

Accepted Answer

The field of study focused on exploring how environmental effects can alter the functions of genes in the human body is known as epigenetics. Option A (forensic psychology) is not related to this topic, option C (inferential studies) is a statistical technique used to generalize from a sample to a population, and option D (environmental psychology) is the study of how the physical environment affects human behavior and emotions.

Question 11

One of the most important conclusions to be drawn with regard to the relative roles of heredity and environment is that ____.​

Accepted Answer

Heredity and environment are closely intertwined and interact with each other in complex ways, making it difficult to separate their relative roles. Studies have shown that both factors are important in shaping an individual's traits and behavior, and that the contribution of each factor can vary depending on the specific trait or behavior being examined. Therefore, it is not accurate to say that one factor is generally more important than the other.

Question 12

During a thesis meeting, Dr. Volde suggests that Anwen consider using inferential statistics in her upcoming research project. After the meeting, Anwen meets her friend Jack and confesses that she doesn't know what Dr. Volde is talking about. Jack explains that inferential statistics ____.​

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to draw conclusions about a population based on sample data. It involves using mathematical procedures such as hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and regression analysis to make inferences about the population.

Question 13

Melanie has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. If the disorder is genetic, who is at greatest risk of developing the disorder?​

Accepted Answer

Identical twins share the same genetic material, so if bipolar disorder is genetic, Melody would be at the greatest risk of developing the disorder. Marty, Marvin, and Marissa may also have an increased risk due to their genetic relationship to Melanie, but it would not be as high as Melody's risk as an identical twin.

Question 14

Observational methods, case studies, surveys, correlational studies, and experiments generate mountains of numbers-known as data-that represent research results and provide the basis for drawing conclusions about them.​

Accepted Answer

Data refers to the numerical information obtained in research, regardless of the method used to generate it.

Question 15

One can say that the results of a study are not statistically significant when the results ____.​

Accepted Answer

When the results of a study are not statistically significant, it means that the observed effect could have occurred by chance. In other words, there is not enough evidence to confirm that the observed effect is real and not just a random fluctuation. This is why scientists often use a threshold called the p-value to determine statistical significance. A p-value of less than 0.05 (or 5%) is typically considered statistically significant, which means that the observed effect is unlikely to have occurred by chance. If the p-value is greater than 0.05, then the results are not statistically significant and the observed effect could have reasonably occurred by chance.

Question 16

A researcher wants to know if intelligence is based more prominently on factors of family environment or on heredity. Her research focuses on identical twins who are raised together in the same home and those who were separated at birth and raised in different homes by different parents. According to the textbook, this researcher is conducting a(n)____ study.​

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher wants to know if intelligence...

Question 17

A researcher wants to know what conclusions she can reasonably draw from the data that she collected in her experiment. The researcher should use ____ statistics to understand the meaning of her data.​

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics allow the researcher to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample, which is essential in understanding the significance of the data collected in an experiment. Descriptive statistics, on the other hand, simply summarize the data collected without making any inferences or conclusions. Quantitative and variable are terms that are descriptive of the data itself, but do not describe the type of statistics used to analyze the data.

Question 18

Veronica is preparing a lecture for class tomorrow on the topic of behavioral genetics. The content of her lecture will focus on ____.​

Accepted Answer

The topic of behavioral genetics focuses on how genes affect behavior. A is too broad, as it encompasses all aspects of inheritance, not just behavior. B is related to genetics and development, but does not specifically address the role of genes in behavior. D is a separate field that deals with the relationship between the brain and behavior, but does not necessarily focus on genetics.

Question 19

For his sociology research paper, Sawyer would like to report descriptive statistics from his survey findings. In other words, the statistics Sawyer plans to report will ____.​

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics summarize a data set numerically, such as measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of variability (range, standard deviation). Options B, C, and D all relate to inferential statistics, which involve making inferences and testing hypotheses based on sample data to draw conclusions about a population.

Question 20

Kami starts reading books to his child before she is born. Now that she is two, he begins spending a little time each day on educational games, hoping that this will increase her intelligence. Kami believes that the most important determinant of mental development is ____.​

Accepted Answer

Kami believes that education and exposure to educational games will increase his child's intelligence, indicating that he believes in the nurture aspect of mental development.

Quiz 2: Research in Psychology

Dr. Zoeworks for a research foundation that focuses on epigenetics. Dr. Zoe's work most likely examines ____.

Dr. Narayan is interested in how much of personality is inherited, so she tests whether the personalities of siblings are more similar to each other than they are to distant cousins. This research would best be described as ____.

Steve is pushing Little Larry around on the fifth-grade playground when Larry says, "Your parents raised you to be a rude brat." Steve replies, "Shut up, wimp. It's survival of the fittest on this playground, and I was born to rule." Steve and Larry are engaged in a debate over ____.

Using your critical thinking skills to evaluate research designs and statistical methods becomes most important when you think about results that are ____.

Dr. Harshaw is planning to research the relationship between behavioral genetics and the effect of impulsivity on consumer behavior. To complete his research, Dr. Harshaw would likely conduct a ____.

Dr. Essen wants to conduct a study on eating habits. He suspects that there are both environmental and genetic influences that affect a person's eating behavior. To study this behavioral genetics topic, Dr. Essen will likely conduct a ____ study.

Some people believe that a person is born intelligent (or not) and education does little to affect this. This is an example of the ____ argument.

Dr. Tarantino wants to know the degree to which heredity and environment affect differences among individuals. Which research approach would he be least likely to consider?

Dr. Ayhee's research is focused on exploring how environmental effects, such as stress and disease, can alter the functions of genes in the human body, even though the DNA itself remains unchanged. This field of study is known as ____.

One of the most important conclusions to be drawn with regard to the relative roles of heredity and environment is that ____.

During a thesis meeting, Dr. Volde suggests that Anwen consider using inferential statistics in her upcoming research project. After the meeting, Anwen meets her friend Jack and confesses that she doesn't know what Dr. Volde is talking about. Jack explains that inferential statistics ____.

Melanie has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. If the disorder is genetic, who is at greatest risk of developing the disorder?

Observational methods, case studies, surveys, correlational studies, and experiments generate mountains of numbers-known as data-that represent research results and provide the basis for drawing conclusions about them.

One can say that the results of a study are not statistically significant when the results ____.

A researcher wants to know what conclusions she can reasonably draw from the data that she collected in her experiment. The researcher should use ____ statistics to understand the meaning of her data.

Veronica is preparing a lecture for class tomorrow on the topic of behavioral genetics. The content of her lecture will focus on ____.

For his sociology research paper, Sawyer would like to report descriptive statistics from his survey findings. In other words, the statistics Sawyer plans to report will ____.

Kami starts reading books to his child before she is born. Now that she is two, he begins spending a little time each day on educational games, hoping that this will increase her intelligence. Kami believes that the most important determinant of mental development is ____.