Question 1

There is a moderately strong, positive relationship between different forms of prejudice: People who are prejudiced against Group X also tend to be prejudiced against Group Y. Given this information, we should expect the correlation between anti-Jewish prejudice and anti-Asian prejudice to be about ____.

Accepted Answer

Since there is a moderately strong positive relationship between different forms of prejudice, we can expect a correlation between anti-Jewish prejudice and anti-Asian prejudice to be positive but not very high. Therefore, the correlation coefficient should be somewhere between 0.3 and 0.5. Choice B (0.4) falls within this range and is the closest option.

Question 2

Can correlational studies or experiments ever be conducted outside of the laboratory?

Accepted Answer

Both correlational studies and experiments can be performed in the lab or in the "real world." While laboratory studies have the advantage of being highly controlled, studies conducted outside the lab can more accurately reflect real-world conditions. For example, a study examining the correlation between exercise and mental health may collect data through self-report questionnaires administered to participants in their natural environments, outside of the lab. Similarly, an experiment on the effects of sleep deprivation might have participants sleep (or not sleep) in their own homes, rather than in the lab, to better simulate their typical sleep patterns.

Question 3

Researchers often attempt to design studies that will be high in both experimental realism and mundane realism. However, ____.

Accepted Answer

Experimental realism is generally considered to be far more important because it is more relevant to the research question and the ability to generalize findings to real-world situations. Mundane realism, while important, is less crucial to the validity of the study.

Question 4

Suppose that you are a research participant in a laboratory study that is looking at fear and social support. The researcher shows you an extremely scary movie and then asks you whether you feel like talking to anyone (and if so, who)once the movie is over. Although you are in a laboratory setting the whole time, which does not resemble "real life" at all, you become engrossed in the procedures of the study and almost forget that you are in a study. Thus, in your experience, this study is ____.

Accepted Answer

The study is high in experimental realism because the participant becomes engrossed in the procedures of the study, forgetting that they are in a laboratory setting. However, it is low in mundane realism because the procedure of watching a scary movie and then being asked about social support is not a common or everyday experience for most people outside of a laboratory setting.

Question 5

If an experiment gets participants psychologically involved and engaged, but the setting does not resemble the real world, then the experiment would be said to be ____.

Accepted Answer

The experiment would be high in experimental realism because it is able to elicit psychological involvement and engagement from the participants. However, the setting does not resemble the real world, which means it would be low in mundane realism.

Question 6

Compared to laboratory experiments, field experiments tend to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Field experiments are conducted in natural settings, which increases their external validity (generalizability to real-world situations). However, they are often more difficult to control, which can decrease internal validity (the ability to confidently conclude that the independent variable caused the observed effects on the dependent variable). Therefore, field experiments tend to have higher external validity but lower internal validity compared to laboratory experiments.

Question 7

Today, ____ studies conducted at universities must first obtain institutional review board approval.

Accepted Answer

All studies conducted at universities, regardless of funding, must obtain institutional review board approval to ensure ethical treatment of human subjects.

Question 8

If an experiment does NOT get participants psychologically involved and engaged, even though the setting of the experiment closely resembles the real world physically, then the experiment would be said to be ____.

Accepted Answer

Experimental realism refers to the extent to which an experiment is engaging and involves its participants psychologically, while mundane realism refers to how much an experiment physically resembles the real world. If participants are not psychologically involved, the experiment is low in experimental realism, but if the setting closely resembles the real world, it is high in mundane realism.

Question 9

The term "reactance" is used to refer to the tendency for people to ____.

Accepted Answer

Reactance refers to the negative emotional reaction that people experience when others try to restrict their freedom or limit their choices. This can manifest as a desire to resist or push back against the perceived threat to one's autonomy.

Question 10

When findings from a study are likely to generalize to other people and other settings, the study is said to have ____.

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which findings from a study can be generalized to other people and settings beyond the study's specific sample and context.

Question 11

In which of the following situations would Igor be MOST likely to experience reactance?

Accepted Answer

Reactance occurs when a person feels that their freedom or autonomy is being threatened or taken away. In this scenario, Igor's privacy has been violated by his brother reading his journal, which would likely lead to him feeling reactance.

Question 12

Suppose that a researcher decided to study everyday altruism towards men versus towards women by leaving (fake)fully addressed college applications in airport lobbies (identical except with male versus female applicant names), and then tracking the number of people who send in the application. What kind of study of this?

Accepted Answer

This is a field experiment as it is conducted in a natural setting (airport lobbies) and involves manipulating one variable (gender of the applicant name) to observe its effect on another variable (number of people who send in the application). The researcher does not have control over extraneous variables that may influence the results, making it different from a laboratory study where conditions are tightly controlled. It is also different from a correlational study as it involves inducing changes in the variable of interest rather than simply measuring existing relationships between variables. It is not a quasi-experiment as there is a clear manipulation of a variable and a control group is not necessary.

Question 13

If a study is high in external validity, then ____.

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which findings from a study can be generalized to other people and other settings. Therefore, if a study is high in external validity, the findings are more likely to apply to a wider range of individuals and situations. Choice B is incorrect because causality can only be established through controlling for other variables, which falls under internal validity. Choices C and D are incorrect because they refer to manipulations of the independent variable, which are related to experimental design and not external validity.

Question 14

If you know that achievement is positively correlated with life satisfaction, then you can conclude that ____.

Accepted Answer

A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases. In this case, as achievement increases, life satisfaction also increases. This does not provide evidence for causation in either direction, but it does suggest a relationship between the two variables.

Question 15

When experiments are conducted outside of the laboratory, in real-world settings, they are called ____.

Accepted Answer

Field experiments are conducted outside of the laboratory, in real-world settings, with the aim to replicate naturalistic conditions. Correlational studies investigate the relation between two variables, but they do not involve manipulation of variables. Quasi-experiments have experimental and non-experimental groups, but random assignment is not possible. Deception studies involve deceiving participants to investigate their behavior.

Question 16

Suppose that a researcher asked you to answer a series of incredibly personal questions about your sexual life. You might (justifiably)feel annoyed and intruded upon, and find yourself being rude to the researcher, or even purposely giving the researcher incorrect information. Your response would be an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

Reactance refers to the emotional response that occurs when people feel that their freedoms or autonomy is being threatened or restricted. In this scenario, the personal questions might be seen as a violation of privacy, leading the person to react with annoyance and deception. Experimental realism refers to the degree to which participants are engaged in and believe in a study, whereas mundane realism refers to the degree to which a study reflects real-life situations. Confederate behavior refers to the use of a research assistant who works with the experimenter but pretends to be another participant. None of these other options fully capture the participant's negative emotional response to the personal questions.

Question 17

Almost all research requires that researchers provide participants with a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

Obtaining informed consent is an essential aspect of ethical research. A consent form provides information about the nature of the study, its purpose, potential risks, benefits, and safeguards, and allows participants to voluntarily agree to participate or withdraw at any point. It also ensures that participants are aware of their rights and protections as research subjects. Therefore, a consent form is critical for most research studies. The other options may or may not be required, depending on the nature of the study and the institutional guidelines.

Question 18

Zhao's research interest is to determine if poverty causes one to be more politically liberal. However, he cannot randomly assign people to conditions of poverty versus wealth because (aside from the practical difficulty)it would be unethical to do so. Zhao will have to ____.

Accepted Answer

Given the ethical concerns and practical difficulties, Zhao will have to take a correlational approach. This means he will observe the levels of poverty and liberalism in a sample of people and determine if there is a relationship between the two variables. However, it should be noted that correlation does not imply causation, so Zhao will have to take additional steps to establish causality, such as conducting longitudinal studies or controlling for confounding variables.

Question 19

In the ____, medical doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service studied the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African American men who thought they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government from 1932-1972.

Accepted Answer

The study described is commonly known as the Tuskegee Study, which was conducted by medical doctors from the U.S. Public Health Service from 1932-1972. The study followed the natural progression of untreated syphilis in rural African American men in Alabama, who believed they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government. The study has been widely criticized as unethical due to the fact that the participants were not adequately informed about the nature of the study and were not given appropriate treatment for their condition.

Question 20

Dr. Hurtado and Dr. Yashari have recently conducted a study and found a positive correlation between music-listening and dancing ability: People who listen to lots of music tend to be excellent dancers. The correlation is statistically significant. Can they conclude that listening to music causes people to be better dancers? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

Correlation does not imply causation. Just because there is a positive correlation between music-listening and dancing ability, it does not necessarily mean that listening to music causes people to be better dancers. There could be other variables at play, such as natural rhythm or prior dance training. Additionally, this study is correlational and not experimental, so it cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Quiz 1: The Mission and the Method