Question 1

What is the role of replication in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

Replication reduces the chances that findings are due to experimenter bias, methodological flaws, or sampling errors. Replication ensures that findings are reliable and valid, which is essential for advancing psychological theory and practice. It also increases the generalizability of findings to different populations and contexts, and facilitates meta-analyses that can synthesize and interpret data from multiple studies.

Question 2

Which of the following is an example of an operational definition?

Accepted Answer

An operational definition is a clear and concise definition of a concept or variable that can be measured or observed. Option A provides a specific definition of obesity based on a measurable criterion (being 20 percent over normal weight). Options B, C, and D do not provide operational definitions as they are all subjective and cannot be clearly measured or observed.

Question 3

Cynthia wants to ensure that her research is consistent with the scientific method.Among the many characteristics of good research, she will need to be sure that ____.

Accepted Answer

C

Question 4

A newspaper headline in 2004 might have read, "Antidepressants raise suicide risk in children and adolescents." What did subsequent news stories report?

Accepted Answer

Subsequent news stories reported that more research was needed to determine the link between antidepressants and an increase in suicide risk as only one study found this to be the case.

Question 5

A coherent group of principles and hypotheses that explain some aspect of an area of study is a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

A theory is a coherent group of principles and hypotheses that explain some aspect of an area of study. A valid measure refers to the accuracy and consistency of a method or tool used to assess a particular construct. Correlation refers to the relationship between two variables, and an operational definition refers to defining a concept or construct in measurable terms.

Question 6

Professor Pierrot told his class, "Clinical research must be replicable, relationships between variables must be clearly hypothesized and defined, and the measures used must be both reliable and valid." What additional characteristic should the professor include in his instructions?

Accepted Answer

Base rate data refers to the frequency or proportion of events in the population being studied. Acknowledging base rate data is important in interpreting the results of research, as it can help researchers avoid drawing incorrect conclusions or making false claims.

Question 7

Operational definitions are employed in order to ____.

Accepted Answer

Operational definitions clarify what the researcher means by a particular variable by providing specific definitions and guidelines for how the variable will be measured or manipulated in the study.

Question 8

Which of the following is a hallmark of the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

Systematic data collection for the testing of hypotheses is a key feature of the scientific method. This involves making observations, collecting data, and analyzing the results in order to support or reject a hypothesis. The other options are not consistent with the principles of the scientific method.

Question 9

One psychologist says, "Depression stems from unconscious feelings of anger and abandonment that go back to childhood." Another psychologist says, "Depression is caused by illogical thoughts and assumptions." These differences of opinion ____.

Accepted Answer

The two psychologists have hypothesized different reasons behind depression, with one attributing it to unconscious feelings of anger and abandonment from childhood, and the other attributing it to illogical thoughts and assumptions. This highlights the fact that different theories can lead to different hypotheses for the same disorder. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because the disagreements between the psychologists do not imply that science is not self-correcting. Option B is also incorrect because psychology is considered a science. Option C is incorrect because the hypotheses of the two psychologists reflect different theoretical positions.

Question 10

Wayne, a young adolescent male, has a history of sexual abuse from his childhood.How significant could we expect his signs and symptoms of trauma that characterize the majority of individuals with child abuse histories?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Wayne, a young adolescent male, has a...

Question 11

Dr.Gonzalez devised a new scale to measure depressive symptoms of Hispanic females.To be sure that his test is actually measuring depressive symptoms, he will have his test group respond to his new instrument and the Beck Depression Inventory, as well as completing a social desirability scale, which should be unrelated to depression.Dr.Gonzalez is ____.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Gonzalez is checking the validity of his measure of depressive symptoms by assessing the extent to which it is related to another well-established measure of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) and a measure that should be unrelated to depression (social desirability scale). Validity refers to whether a test measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 12

Your neighbor tells you, "I'm concerned about vaccinating my children.I understand that scientists have proved that childhood vaccines cause autism." What response to your neighbor is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Multiple well-designed studies have thoroughly investigated the potential link between childhood vaccines and autism and found no evidence to support it. It is important to rely on scientifically sound information and evidence-based research when making decisions about vaccinations.

Question 13

Dr.Appel says, "Excessive alcohol consumption is when drinking interferes with social and occupational functioning." But Dr.Baker says, "Excessive alcohol consumption is when a person's frequency and quantity of drinking is in the top 10 percent of all drinkers." What the two doctors are disagreeing about is ____.

Accepted Answer

The two doctors are disagreeing about how to operationally define excessive alcohol consumption. Dr. Appel's definition focuses on the negative consequences of drinking, while Dr. Baker's definition focuses on the frequency and quantity of drinking compared to other drinkers.

Question 14

"I never accept the results of one study as conclusive.Findings must be replicated.I look carefully at the methods used to produce conclusions.Because of my skeptical attitude, you can guess I am a ____."

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions the importance of replication and careful examination of methods, which are key principles in scientific research. A scientist is a professional who conducts scientific research and adheres to these principles.

Question 15

A researcher finds that when people report their sexual activity on a mailed questionnaire, they indicate higher levels of bizarre fantasies than when they are questioned face to face.This indicates that these methods of measuring sexual activity ____.

Accepted Answer

The fact that there is a difference in the levels of bizarre fantasies reported between mailed questionnaires and face-to-face questioning suggests that the methods have low reliability, meaning they do not consistently measure the same thing in the same way. This could be due to factors such as social desirability bias or the anonymity provided by the mailed questionnaire.

Question 16

A portion of a research report says, "Gifted children-those under 14 and with an IQ over 130-are more likely to be popular than less-gifted children.Furthermore, their popularity is related to stronger social skills, and this ability is evident with adults as well as with children." What portion of the statement illustrates an operational definition?

Accepted Answer

The statement "Gifted children-those under 14 and with an IQ over 130" provides an operational definition of what the researchers mean by "gifted children." It specifies the age range and IQ criteria that must be met for a child to be considered gifted in this study. The other statements in the report describe findings or interpretations based on this definition.

Question 17

What conclusion can be reached from research findings reported in the mass media as conclusive?

Accepted Answer

Initial findings reported by newspapers often make bold claims, but these claims are not always supported by subsequent research or replication. Therefore, it is important to be cautious and not accept these initial findings as conclusive until they have been fully vetted and replicated by the scientific community. Additionally, newspapers may oversimplify or misinterpret complex research findings, further emphasizing the need for critical evaluation of media reports.

Question 18

Emily came to see her advisor about doing a research study for her Ph.D.dissertation. "What are you going to investigate?" he asked.
"I believe that drinking orange juice before an IQ test will raise a person's score," she said.Emily's answer constitutes a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

Emily's answer is a hypothesis, which is a tentative statement or prediction about the relationship between variables that can be tested through research.

Question 19

A research report includes this paragraph: "We hypothesized that anxiety disorders are more frequent in children whose parents are divorced.We looked at the frequency of anxiety problems in divorced and intact families, using court records to determine when the divorce took place." What component of scientific research is missing in this paragraph?

Accepted Answer

The paragraph lacks an operational definition of anxiety disorder, which is crucial for measuring and identifying the condition in the study participants.

Question 20

By definition, reliable measures ____; valid measures ____.

Accepted Answer

Reliable measures are consistent, meaning they produce similar results under consistent conditions. Valid measures, on the other hand, measure what they are supposed to measure, which means they accurately capture the concept or construct being studied. While consistency is important for a measure to be reliable, it is not sufficient for a measure to be valid. Validity requires that the measure actually captures the intended concept or construct.

Quiz 4: The Scientific Method in Abnormal Psychology