Deck 2: B: Research in Health Psychology

Question 1

A questioning approach to all information,including that found in news reports,journal articles,or the arguments of others,best illustrates:

A) the hindsight bias.
B) overconfidence.
C) critical thinking.
D) effective psychology.

Answer 1

critical thinking.

Question 2

After detailed study of a veteran of the Iraq War,a health psychologist concludes that the stresses of war can cause long-lasting psychological damage.Which research method did the psychologist use to deduce this?

A) survey
B) case study
C) cohort study
D) experiment

Answer 2

case study

Question 3

A nonexperimental study in which a researcher observes and records participants' behaviors,often forming hypotheses that are later tested more systematically,is called a(n):

A) descriptive study.
B) field study.
C) experiment.
D) correlational study.

Answer 3

descriptive study.

Question 4

Professor Armstrong wishes to construct a graph representing the correlation between the height and weight of a group of people.She would be best advised to construct a:

A) bar graph.
B) line graph.
C) scatterplot.
D) meta-analysis.

Question 5

In a scatterplot depicting a perfect correlation,the data points would fall:

A) in a downward slope from the upper left part of the graph to the lower right.
B) in an upward slope from lower left to upper right.
C) along a straight line.
D) in any of these arrangements.

Question 6

In the early twentieth century,many experts incorrectly attributed the disease pellagra to unsanitary sewage removal instead of a dietary deficiency.Their failure to consider alternative explanations for the disease,and to leap to an untested conclusion,is an example of:

A) evidence-based reasoning.
B) meta-analysis.
C) confirmation bias.
D) belief bias.

Question 7

If health psychologists discovered that the greater number of cigarettes people smoke each day the shorter their life-expectancy,this would demonstrate that:

A) smoking and life-expectancy are negatively correlated.
B) smoking and life-expectancy are positively correlated.
C) smoking causes cancer.
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 8

A descriptive study in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing general principles is called a:

A) case study.
B) placebo control.
C) longitudinal study.
D) natural experiment.

Question 9

In which type of research is a representative sample of people asked to answer questions about their attitudes or behaviors?

A) case study
B) experiment
C) meta-analysis
D) survey

Question 10

The strength of a correlation is indicated by _____,and the direction of a correlation is indicated by _____.

A) the absolute value of r;whether r is positive or negative
B) the sign (positive or negative)of r;the absolute value of r
C) the slope of a scatterplot;the spread of the data points in a scatterplot
D) the number of participants on which the correlation is based;the value of r

Question 11

In a study comparing key locations in the westward African migration,researchers found that as BMI increased,so did the prevalence of:

A) sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
B) hypertension.
C) AIDs.
D) cancer.

Question 12

The field of medicine that investigates the causes,spread,and control of diseases within the population is:

A) psychoneuroimmunology.
B) behavioral medicine.
C) epidemiology.
D) psychosomatic medicine.

Question 13

A health psychologist who wishes to study the health outcomes of shift work decides to interview assembly line workers as they finish their shifts.In this example,the psychologist is conducting a(n)_____ study.

A) epidemiological
B) experimental
C) descriptive
D) observational

Question 14

A form of faulty reasoning in which our expectations prevent us from seeing alternative explanations for our observations is called:

A) belief bias.
B) overconfidence.
C) confirmation bias.
D) tautological reasoning.

Question 15

Correlational research is most useful for purposes of:

A) revealing cause-and-effect relationships.
B) explanation.
C) prediction.
D) hypothesis testing.

Question 16

The unstructured descriptive study in which the researcher unobtrusively records participants' behaviors is called a:

A) case study.
B) survey.
C) nondescriptive study.
D) naturalistic observation.

Question 17

If health psychologists discovered that tall people have higher blood pressure than shorter people,this would demonstrate that:

A) blood pressure is inherited.
B) blood pressure and height are positively correlated.
C) being tall causes blood pressure to rise.
D) blood pressure and height are negatively correlated.

Question 18

Kendra mistakenly interprets a statement of association between two variables as evidence of causation.Angel,who understands Kendra's error in interpreting data in this instance,is demonstrating higher:

A) prevalence.
B) incidence.
C) statistical literacy.
D) meta-analysis.

Question 19

A line graph of the relationship between age and the use of health care is best described as a(n):

A) curvilinear relationship.
B) linear relationship.
C) scatterplot.
D) positive correlation.

Question 20

Which of the following correlations between height and blood pressure would enable you to most accurately predict a person's blood pressure from his or her height?

A) r = +0.67
B) r = -0.81
C) r = +0.53
D) r = -0.21

Question 21

Which of the following research methods does not belong with the others?

A) case study
B) interview
C) survey
D) experiment

Question 22

Maria believes that high doses of caffeine speed up a person's reaction time.In order to test her hunch,she has five friends each drink three 8-ounce cups of coffee and then measures how quickly they are able to push a button when a tone is sounded.What is wrong with Maria's research strategy?

A) No independent variable has been specified.
B) No dependent variable has been specified.
C) There is no control condition.
D) There is no provision for repeating the experiment.

Question 23

A study that compares two groups that differ on the variable under study at the outset of the study is called a(n):

A) longitudinal study.
B) cross-sectional study.
C) retrospective study.
D) quasi-experiment.

Question 24

Unlike _____ twins,who develop from a single fertilized egg,_____ twins develop from separate fertilized eggs.

A) fraternal;identical
B) placental;nonplacental
C) nonplacental;placental
D) identical;fraternal

Question 25

In an experiment,the factor that may be influenced by the experimental treatment is the _____ variable.

A) experimental
B) dependent
C) correlational
D) independent

Question 26

A study comparing representative groups of people of various ages on a particular dependent variable is called a:

A) longitudinal study.
B) cross-sectional study.
C) epidemiological study.
D) field study.

Question 27

In a quasi-experiment,the ______ group takes the place of a _______ group.

A) comparison;control
B) control;comparison
C) comparison;experimental
D) control;experimental

Question 28

To study the potential effects of social isolation on blood pressure,some research participants were instructed to solve problems while working together;others solved problems working alone.Those who worked alone were assigned to the:

A) control group.
B) baseline group.
C) experimental group.
D) correlational group.

Question 29

Professor House believes that regular exercise boosts academic achievement.To find out,over the course of six months she compares the academic achievement of a group of students who by their own admission get little or no exercise,with that of a second group of students who exercise regularly.This is an example of a(n):

A) double-blind study.
B) expectancy study.
C) quasi-experiment.
D) clinical trial.

Question 30

When neither the subjects nor the experimenters know which group has received a treatment and which has not,the design is called:

A) double-blind.
B) single-blind.
C) naturalistic.
D) retrospective.

Question 31

A cohort is a group of people who:

A) serve as control participants in an experiment.
B) serve as comparison subjects in a quasi-experiment.
C) share at least one demographic characteristic,such as age,in common.
D) are observed over a long period of time.

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of longitudinal research?

A) A researcher compares how many different age groups perform on a memory test.
B) A researcher compares how the same group of people,at different ages,perform on a memory test.
C) An investigator compares the performance of an experimental group and a control group of participants on a memory test.
D) A researcher compares the performance of several different age groups on a test of memory as each group is tested repeatedly over a period of years.

Question 33

In a study of the effects of alcohol consumption on mood,alcohol would be the _____ variable.

A) experimental
B) dependent
C) correlational
D) independent

Question 34

The procedure used to help ensure that the experimental and control groups do not differ in any way that might affect the results of an experiment is called:

A) variable controlling.
B) random assignment.
C) representative sampling.
D) stratification.

Question 35

Chris answers a survey question in a way he thinks will confirm the researchers' beliefs.If the outcome of the study is influenced by Chris and other participants' expectations,a(n)______ _____ will have occurred.

A) operational definition
B) double-blind
C) single-blind
D) expectancy effect

Question 36

The group exposed to a newly synthesized drug that is being tested in an experiment is the:

A) control group.
B) baseline group.
C) experimental group.
D) standardized group.

Question 37

Differences between two or more groups due to the impact of members having been born and raised at different moments in history are called _____ differences.

A) cross-sectional
B) cohort
C) cross-sequential
D) confounding

Question 38

When health psychologists study variables that cannot be manipulated,they often conduct a:

A) randomized clinical trial.
B) quasi-experiment.
C) community field trial.
D) laboratory experiment.

Question 39

Heritability refers to:

A) the amount of variation in a trait among individuals that can be attributed to genes.
B) whether a particular trait is dominant or recessive.
C) how closely a child's traits match those of his or her parents.
D) Heritability refers to all of these definitions.

Question 40

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey is an example of a(n)_____ study.

A) experimental
B) cohort
C) longitudinal
D) cross-sectional

Question 41

The number of deaths of infants under one year old,per 1,000 live births in a given year,is referred to as the infant _____ rate.

A) mortality
B) morbidity
C) incidence
D) prevalence

Question 42

Which type of study begins with a group of people who are already suffering from a disease and then examines factors associated with that disease?

A) experimental
B) placebo
C) prospective
D) retrospective

Question 43

A person whose identical twin has Alzheimer's disease has a _____ percent chance of also developing the disease.

A) 5-10
B) 15-25
C) 30-45
D) 60-75

Question 44

Mortality is to death as morbidity is to:

A) trauma.
B) disease.
C) mortality.
D) pathogen.

Question 45

A statistical indicator of the likelihood of a causal relationship between a specific risk factor and a health outcome is:

A) meta-analysis.
B) effect size.
C) attributable risk.
D) relative risk.

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a basic condition that must be met before inferring a cause-and-effect relationship between a risk factor and a health outcome?

A) The evidence must be consistent.
B) The relationship need not make sense.
C) There must be a dose-response relationship.
D) The alleged cause must have been in place before the health outcome appeared.

Question 47

In one study,health psychologists compared the reading level of children who attended a school close to a noisy airport with that of children attending a much quieter school.This type of study is an example of a(n):

A) community field trial.
B) retrospective study.
C) prospective study.
D) randomized clinical trial.

Question 48

Longitudinal epidemiological studies that begin with people who are disease-free and who then are followed for a period of years are called:

A) retrospective.
B) prospective.
C) correlational.
D) cross-sectional.

Question 49

Which of the following epidemiological methods is essentially the same as a true experiment?

A) retrospective study
B) prospective study
C) randomized clinical trial
D) meta-analysis

Question 50

John Snow's investigation of the 1848 cholera epidemic in London was an example of which type of research study?

A) cross-sectional
B) randomized clinical trial
C) quasi-experiment
D) retrospective study

Question 51

Prevalence refers to the:

A) number of unfavorable health outcomes in a group of people at a given time.
B) number of deaths due to a specific cause.
C) number of new cases of a disease in a specific population.
D) total number of diagnosed cases of a disease or condition.

Question 52

Morbidity refers to the:

A) number of unfavorable health outcomes in a group of people at a given time.
B) number of deaths due to a specific cause.
C) new cases of a disease in a specific population.
D) total number of diagnosed cases of a disease or condition.

Question 53

One of the best ways to distinguish the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on behavior is to compare children who have:

A) the same genes and environments.
B) different genes and environments.
C) similar genes and environments.
D) the same genes but different environments.

Question 54

Which of the following epidemiological methods is essentially the same as a longitudinal study?

A) retrospective study
B) prospective study
C) randomized clinical trial
D) meta-analysis

Question 55

Incidence refers to the:

A) number of unfavorable health outcomes in a group of people at a given time.
B) number of deaths due to a specific cause.
C) number of new cases of a disease in a specific population.
D) total number of diagnosed cases of a disease or condition.

Question 56

A characteristic or condition (such as smoking)that occurs with greater frequency in people with a disease (such as lung cancer)than it does in disease-free people is known as a:

A) pathogen.
B) virus.
C) risk factor.
D) immunogen.

Question 57

Mortality refers to the:

A) number of unfavorable health outcomes in a group of people at a given time.
B) number of deaths due to a specific cause.
C) number of new cases of a disease in a specific population.
D) total number of diagnosed cases of a disease or condition.

Question 58

Which type of epidemiological study played an important role in initially identifying the risk factors that lead to AIDS?

A) retrospective study
B) prospective study
C) randomized clinical trial
D) meta-analysis

Question 59

A quantitative technique that combines the results of many different studies examining the same effect or phenomenon is called a:

A) meta-analysis.
B) relative risk study.
C) qualitative research study.
D) double-blind study.

Question 60

Dr.Sengupta is conducting research on the etiology of bird flu.This means that she seeks to understand the:

A) number of new cases of the disease each year.
B) total number of diagnosed cases of the disease.
C) origins of the disease.
D) relationship between age and the disease.

Question 61

Attributable risk is determined by subtracting the _____ rate of a disease in people who have been exposed to a risk factor from the _____ rate of the disease in people who have not been exposed to the risk factor.

A) incidence;prevalence
B) prevalence;incidence
C) prevalence;prevalence
D) incidence;incidence

Question 62

The actual amount that a disease can be attributed to exposure to a particular risk factor is called the:

A) prevalence ration.
B) incidence-prevalence ration.
C) attributable risk.
D) relative risk.

Question 63

Epidemiologists have found that sedentary people are twice as likely to develop a particular health condition as people who exercise regularly.This means that:

A) sedentary people have a relative risk of 2.0 for this health condition.
B) sedentary people have a relative risk of 0.50 for this health condition.
C) there is a cause-and-effect relationship between lack of exercise and the health condition.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 64

The ratio of the incidence or prevalence of a health condition in a group exposed to a particular risk factor to the incidence or prevalence of that condition in a group not exposed to the risk factor is called:

A) prevalence ratio.
B) incidence-prevalence ratio.
C) prevalence-incidence ratio.
D) relative risk.

Question 65

Medical residency programs today train new physicians in how to critically appraise research using the principles of:

A) allopathic medicine.
B) holistic medicine.
C) evidence-based health care.
D) homeopathic medicine.