Deck 2: Doing Social Psychology Research

Question 1

Which of the following is not a testable hypothesis?

A) Women tend to have more opposite-sex friends than men.
B) Stereotypes are more likely to impact judgments when people are tired.
C) People smile more when they are lying than when they are telling the truth.
D) Refusing to help someone in need is morally wrong.

Answer 1

Refusing to help someone in need is morally wrong.

Question 2

All of the following are goals of basic research except

A) solving practical or real-world problems.
B) testing psychological theories.
C) building a foundation of knowledge for the field.
D) discovering general principles of behavior.

Answer 2

solving practical or real-world problems.

Question 3

Which of the following statements concerning theories in social psychology is true ?

A) Theories can develop from hypotheses, but hypotheses do not develop from theories.
B) Theories are valued to the extent that they are generative.
C) Complex theories tend to be valued more than simple theories.
D) Theories must be accurate to be useful.

Answer 3

Theories are valued to the extent that they are generative.

Question 4

Which of the following is most consistent with Bem's theory of self-perception?

A) People prefer to perceive themselves in positive rather than negative terms.
B) Becoming aware of one's own actions is threatening to the self-concept.
C) The way that people see themselves is determined only by their private thoughts and feelings.
D) Individuals sometimes rely on their own behavior to infer their attitudes and feelings.

Question 5

A hypothesis is a(n)

A) organized set of principles used to explain and predict observed phenomena.
B) specific procedure for manipulating or measuring variables in an experiment.
C) explicit testable prediction about the conditions under which an event will occur.
D) measure of the strength and association between two or more variables.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the primary goal of basic research?

A) To examine human behavior in real-world settings
B) To test specific hypotheses derived from a specific theory
C) To integrate the different research methodologies within one subfield of social psychology
D) To solve practical problems

Question 7

Which of the following is not a common attribute of theories in social psychology?

A) They are high in simplicity.
B) They encompass a wide range of relevant information.
C) They preclude the need for testing further hypotheses.
D) They address limited and specific aspects of the way people behave.

Question 8

All social psychological research must begin with a(n)

A) question.
B) independent variable.
C) subject variable.
D) control group.

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the process of "treeing" when searching the psychology literature?

A) Searching for all articles on a given topic using an electronic database such as PsycINFO
B) Breaking down the size of an electronic search by using several limiting terms
C) Limiting searches to articles that have been cited by many other articles
D) Using the reference sections of relevant articles to find other relevant articles

Question 10

Hypotheses must be all of the following except

A) explicit.
B) testable.
C) predictive.
D) comprehensive.

Question 11

Melissa's research examines the cognitive processes involved in persuasion and how those processes can be used to persuade women to have yearly mammograms. This work represents an integration of

A) hypothetical and theoretical research.
B) specific and general research.
C) basic and applied research.
D) independent and dependent research.

Question 12

Which of the following concerning research questions in social psychology is false ?

A) Research questions can be inspired by real-world events.
B) Social psychologists sometimes develop research questions based on their own personal experiences and observations.
C) Social psychologists can only develop testable research questions by reading about prior research in the field.
D) Music, poetry, and literature can all inspire research questions.

Question 13

A hypothesis provides a means of ________ a theory.

A) testing
B) proving
C) generalizing
D) creating

Question 14

Social psychologists use electronic databases, such as PsycINFO to

A) find published research on a particular topic.
B) determine the scientific and moral value of their research question.
C) help them select a random sample of participants from the population of interest.
D) increase the external validity of their research.

Question 15

Which of the following is not listed by your textbook as a primary means by which social psychologists discover what past research has been conducted on a given topic?

A) Electronic databases such as PsycINFO
B) The reference sections of other published articles
C) Calling other researchers personally
D) Textbooks

Question 16

All else being equal, social psychologists prefer a(n) ________ theory to a(n) _______ theory.

A) complex; simple
B) simple; complex
C) intuitive; counterintuitive
D) popular; unpopular

Question 17

Sebastian is learning about research methods in his social psychology course. All of the following are benefits he is likely to experience except

A) the findings he learns about in class will be easier to understand and remember.
B) it will improve his reasoning about everyday events.
C) he will become a more critical consumer of information in general.
D) he will develop a better appreciation for the advantages of uncontrolled anecdotal observations.

Question 18

Social Psychologists use the scientific method when they study human behavior in order to

A) allow other social psychologists to attempt to replicate the findings.
B) ensure that the right people get credit for the research.
C) provide a solid theoretical foundation for social psychological research.
D) encourage social psychologists to conduct more basic, rather than applied, research.

Question 19

One major difference between research in social psychology versus research in other fields such as chemistry is that

A) social psychology is less of a science than many other fields.
B) many people have common sense intuitions about the questions that social psychologists study empirically.
C) social psychologists are less likely to rely on empirical observation to draw conclusions.
D) in social psychology, researchers are less concerned with theories and more concerned with data.

Question 20

Britney believes that exposure to violent television increases aggressive behavior by making people's own aggressive thoughts more accessible. Christina believes that violent television increases aggressive behavior by impairing people's cognitive abilities, which in turn makes them worry less about the consequences of their behavior as well as more likely to have aggressive thoughts. If we knew that violent television indeed increases aggressive behavior but knew nothing else on this topic, which of the two theories should we prefer?

A) Britney's because it is more testable than Christina's.
B) Britney's because it is simpler than Christina's.
C) Christina's because it is more empirical than Britney's.
D) Christina's because it is more testable than Britney's.

Question 21

Your book describes a study in which participants were provided with information about either the success rate or failure rate of condoms. The findings of this study indicate that

A) college students tend to be naively ignorant of the risks associated with some of their behaviors.
B) the simple wording and/or positioning of a question can have a drastic effect on self-report responses.
C) participants often lie when they are asked about sensitive personal issues.
D) all of these.

Question 22

Which of the following has been shown to increase the accuracy of self-reports?

A) Experimental research
B) Construct validity
C) Bogus pipeline
D) Random sampling

Question 23

Sapna is interested in the influence of nutrition on reaction time. She assigns participants to eat a salad and fruit for dinner every day for a week or to eat fast food each day. She then brings participants into the lab and asks them to push a button on a keyboard as fast as they can every time they hear a particular sound. What are the operational definitions of the variables in Sapna's study?

A) Nutrition; whether participants eat a salad or fast food
B) Nutrition; reaction time
C) Whether participants eat salad or fast food; reaction time
D) Whether participants eat salad or fast food; how quickly they push the button when they hear the sound

Question 24

Which of the following statements concerning self-report measures is false ?

A) They allow researchers access to individuals' private thoughts and feelings.
B) They are not influenced by the phrasing of a question or the response options provided.
C) They are sometimes inaccurate because people intentionally present themselves in a socially desirable way.
D) One problem they have is that individuals may not explicitly remember the thoughts or behaviors they are asked about.

Question 25

Researchers have developed interval-contingent, signal-contingent, and event-contingent report methods in order to

A) reduce the time that elapses between an actual experience and the person's report of it.
B) observe participants' behavior unobtrusively.
C) strengthen the ethical standards used in experiments.
D) incorporate a more diverse sample of participants and cultures in their research.

Question 26

Which of the following is not true of applied research in social psychology?

A) It was pioneered by Kurt Lewin.
B) It is more experimental than basic research.
C) It contributes to solutions of social problems.
D) It is often conducted by researchers who also conduct basic research.

Question 27

A researcher wanted to see if alcohol consumption raises or lowers a person's self-esteem. In one condition, he gives participants three glasses of punch spiked with alcohol and in the other he gives participants three glasses of plain punch. After participants finish their punch, they complete the Rosenberg (1965) self-esteem scale. In this study, self-esteem is the ________ and the Rosenberg questionnaire is the ________.

A) conceptual independent variable; operational independent variable
B) conceptual dependent variable; operational dependent variable
C) operational dependent variable; conceptual dependent variable
D) conceptual independent variable; operational dependent variable

Question 28

In comparison to self-report measures, observational measures are not affected by

A) experimenter expectancy effects.
B) participants' social desirability concerns.
C) sampling biases.
D) participants' memory biases.

Question 29

To assess the extent to which students are reading their textbooks, a professor notes how creased the spine of each book is. This professor is relying on

A) a descriptive study.
B) signal-contingent self-reports.
C) event-contingent self-reports.
D) observational measures.

Question 30

In encouraging social psychologists to generate useful, practical theories, Kurt Lewin

A) set apart reliability issues from validity issues.
B) urged the synthesis of basic and applied research.
C) reduced the distinction between hypotheses and theories.
D) emphasized the importance of experimental methodologies.

Question 31

Construct validity is best defined as the extent to which

A) the independent variable caused the observed change in the dependent variable.
B) the operational definitions reflect the conceptual variables of interest.
C) the experimental procedures are involving and meaningful to the participants.
D) different constructs within the study are correlated with one another.

Question 32

Which of the following examples best reflects the use of inter-rater reliability?

A) In a study examining the creativity of children's paintings, several judges are asked to rate the creativity of each painting. The degree to which the judges agree in their ratings is assessed.
B) In a study examining the favorite foods of college students, a large sample of students rate several foods according to their preferences. The degree to which students' responses are correlated is assessed.
C) In a study examining toy preferences of toddlers, the children are left alone to play with several toys for an hour. During the first half hour, one researcher observes their play. During the second half hour, a second researcher observes their play. The researchers' observations are then compared.
D) In a study examining well-being in the elderly, respondents living in different nursing homes are asked to rate the quality of their nursing home. Researchers then obtain a copy of participants' medical records. The relationship between the quality ratings and actual health is assessed.

Question 33

In her research on mood, Selena asks research participants to keep a journal for a period of one month. In this journal, participants write as much as they can about the various emotions they experience each day. Selena's research would best be described as

A) relying on signal-contingent self-reports.
B) high in inter-rater reliability.
C) a narrative study.
D) archival research.

Question 34

The use of machines to measure dependent variables in observational studies can reduce the need for

A) internal validity.
B) random sampling.
C) construct validity.
D) inter-rater reliability.

Question 35

Dr. Gillig is worried that when he asks participants to indicate on a questionnaire how they feel about members of other racial groups, they will respond in a socially desirable manner instead of indicating how they really feel. If Dr. Gillig uses a bogus pipeline in his research, he is hoping to convince participants

A) that it is not important whether they look good or look bad.
B) he can tell when they are lying as opposed to telling the truth.
C) that their responses are completely anonymous and confidential.
D) he, too, is biased, so they should feel free to admit their own racial biases.

Question 36

Which of the following is false about construct validity?

A) It is relevant to both the dependent and independent variables in a study.
B) It can be identical for two researchers who have different operational definitions of the same conceptual variable.
C) It ensures that the study is high in internal validity.
D) It facilitates the testing of both hypotheses and theories.

Question 37

Unlike questionnaire studies, narrative studies require

A) that participants answer specific questions.
B) that participants forsake anonymity.
C) coding of participant responses.
D) strict time limits.

Question 38

Self-report measures and observational measures are similar in that both

A) can be influenced by social desirability concerns.
B) require high inter-rater reliability to be considered accurate.
C) are subject to biases and distortions in memory.
D) provide direct access to people's thoughts and feelings.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about conceptual variables is false ?

A) They are more general and less abstract than operational definitions.
B) There is usually only one way to operationally define them.
C) In social psychology, they are often intangible and assessed indirectly.
D) Any social psychological study includes at least one of them.

Question 40

In a study concerning the cues that signal deception, Winston uses the number of times a person shifts in his or her seat as a measure of lying. Virginia points out that people may shift their position because they are nervous about being perceived as a liar, even though they are actually telling the truth. Virginia is questioning the _____ of Winston's measure of lying.

A) construct validity
B) inter-rater reliability
C) mundane realism
D) internal validity

Question 41

Luke would like to know if there is a relationship between the number of psychology courses people take and their level of empathy. He surveys a randomly selected group of college students. Each student indicates the number of psychology courses he or she has taken and then completes an empathy scale. Luke's research is best described as a(n)

A) correlational study.
B) experiment.
C) prospective study.
D) archival study.

Question 42

Which of the following correlation coefficients reflects the strongest meaningful relationship?

A) -0.67
B) 0
C) +0.86
D) +1.25

Question 43

Which of the following statements concerning correlational research is true ?

A) In correlational research, variables are measured, but not manipulated.
B) In correlational research, one variable is manipulated and one is measured.
C) Correlational research can be conducted using observational, but not archival, measures.
D) Correlational research can be conducted using archival, but not observational, measures.

Question 44

A study that examines existing records or databases is referred to as a

A) case study.
B) archival study.
C) anecdotal study.
D) survey.

Question 45

To examine potential gender differences in the qualities individuals seek in their romantic partners, HaeJin compares the personal ads placed by men and women. HaeJin is conducting a(n)

A) survey study.
B) observational study.
C) archival study.
D) experiment.

Question 46

A television producer is interested in whether women like soap operas more than sitcoms. The producer uses a random number table to select a sample of one hundred households, and then makes phone calls to these households every afternoon for three weeks. Of those who were home when the producer called, 75% reported they liked soap operas more than sitcoms. Which of the following might raise questions about the results?

A) The use of archival data
B) The representativeness of the sample
C) The construct validity of the measure
D) The operational definition advanced by the magazine

Question 47

The different research methods used by social psychologists tend to emphasize all of the following except

A) an objective approach.
B) a variable approach.
C) a systematic approach.
D) a quantifiable approach.

Question 48

The primary goal of using correlational research is to

A) determine the causal relationship between an independent and dependent variable.
B) describe the population's average score on a particular measure.
C) manipulate one variable but hold the other constant.
D) determine the nature and strength of the association between two measured variables.

Question 49

In principle, the purpose of random sampling is to make sure that research participants

A) have the right to withdraw from a study without incurring any penalty.
B) are fully informed as to the procedures and hypotheses of the study.
C) do not differ from one another in systematic ways.
D) constitute a representative sample from the population of interest.

Question 50

Latrell, the editor of a popular sports magazine, would like to know more about the demographics of the magazine's readers. He designs a questionnaire to assess this information and sends it to a random sample of the magazine's readers. Latrell is conducting a(n)

A) survey.
B) observational study.
C) archival study.
D) experiment.

Question 51

Which of the following is not a causal explanation that would be consistent with a positive correlation between the number of hours a person sleeps per night and her level of positive mood?

A) The more sleep a person gets, the better her mood.
B) People who are happy are less likely to suffer from insomnia.
C) Stress causes people to sleep less and be in a bad mood.
D) People who are depressed tend to need more sleep than other people.

Question 52

Which of the following does not make use of random sampling?

A) Public opinion polling
B) Election Day exit polling
C) Market research telemarketing surveys
D) A Population Census

Question 53

When decreases in one variable are accompanied by decreases in another variable, the variables are described as

A) negatively correlated.
B) positively correlated.
C) causally related.
D) prospectively related.

Question 54

Social psychologists use descriptive research in order to describe

A) general patterns and trends in the variables of interest.
B) cause-and-effect relationships between independent and dependent variables.
C) associations between two or more variables of interest.
D) the strength of an observed effect.

Question 55

Which of the following is not mentioned in your book as a new technology used by social psychologists in obtaining observational data?

A) Polygraphs (lie detector machines)
B) Eye tracking
C) fMRI
D) Computer-based reaction time measurement

Question 56

The most important aspect of sampling in a survey study is

A) its inclusion of equal numbers of individuals from different groups in the population.
B) the number of people in the sample.
C) the ratio of the sample size to the population size.
D) the extent to which the sample in this study matches the population proportionally in terms of demographic variables.

Question 57

Social psychologists tend to prefer which of the following research methods above all others?

A) Meta-analysis
B) Correlational research
C) Experimentation
D) Descriptive research

Question 58

For which of the following questions would a researcher be most likely to use an observational study?

A) Is memory for television commercials influenced by the content of the programs in which the commercials appear?
B) Is there any relationship between taking social psychology courses and happiness later in life?
C) Does the consumption of alcohol lead to increased aggressiveness?
D) Do banks tend to offer heterosexual couples lower interest rates on home mortgages than homosexual couples?

Question 59

The stronger the relationship between two variables

A) the further from zero the correlation coefficient will be.
B) the less appropriate is a correlational research design.
C) the greater the probability that the observed association was due to chance.
D) the more likely the correlation coefficient is to be a positive number.

Question 60

What is one general difference between descriptive and correlational research methods?

A) Descriptive research does not look at relationships between variables.
B) Descriptive research is more useful when one wants to infer causation.
C) Correlational research cannot make use of archival data.
D) Correlational research imbues the researcher with more control over the research participants.

Question 61

Which of the following statements about correlational studies is false ?

A) They are useful for studying questions that can't be examined by experiments for practical reasons.
B) They are often more sophisticated than descriptive studies.
C) Their major limitation involves their inability to speak directly to issues of causality.
D) They free a researcher from any type of ethical concerns in collecting the data.

Question 62

In a well-designed experiment, all participants must

A) be treated in exactly the same manner except for the specific differences the experimenter wants to create.
B) not realize that they are involved in an experiment.
C) be influenced by experimenter expectancy effects.
D) be allowed to choose their own experimental conditions without interference or bias from the experimenter.

Question 63

Which of the following statements concerning correlational research is false ?

A) Correlational research aids researchers in the development of new hypotheses.
B) Correlational research permits researchers to determine whether one variable can predict another.
C) Correlational research is often useful for studying phenomena for which experimentation is impractical or unethical.
D) Correlational research allows researchers to measure relationships between independent and dependent variables.

Question 64

Among the following, which is most relevant to ensuring that any differences one obtains after the experimental manipulation of a study have been produced only by that manipulation?

A) Statistical interactions
B) External validity
C) Construct validity
D) Experimenter control

Question 65

Dr. Vandelay found the correlation between shoe size and sexual deviancy to be +0.83. Which of the following can you conclude from this correlation?

A) As shoe size increases, sexual deviancy increases.
B) As shoe size increases, sexual deviancy decreases.
C) There is virtually no relationship between shoe size and sexual deviancy.
D) Engaging in sexually deviant acts causes your feet to grow.

Question 66

Buster runs an experiment in which she finds that participants placed in a good mood by a happy film clip are more likely to offer help to a fellow participant than participants who see a sad film clip. Gob suggests that perhaps this difference simply results from the fact that the participants in the happy film clip condition were more helpful people to begin with. What methodological aspect of a successful experiment can Buster point to in order to refute this criticism?

A) External validity
B) Random selection
C) Random assignment
D) Manipulation

Question 67

Which of the following is true of correlational research?

A) It is a powerful way to establish causal relationships between variables.
B) It allows an experimenter to control extraneous variables.
C) It permits researchers to determine whether one variable is predictive of another.
D) It is limited to the study of variables that can be measured in the laboratory.

Question 68

In a correlational study, the researcher _______; in an experiment the researcher _______.

A) is limited in what she can study by practical and ethical constraints; examines the full range of two variables
B) considers both independent and dependent variables; can draw causal conclusions
C) may be worried about random selection; compares the responses of two or more groups of participants
D) must use random assignment to condition; manipulates a variable and measures another variable

Question 69

Which of the following is an example of a negative correlation?

A) The more pets you own, the greater your physical health tends to be.
B) The more money people make the bigger their house tends to be.
C) The more alcohol you consume, the lower your GPA tends to be.
D) The more points the higher the score.

Question 70

To examine the relationship between media violence and aggressive behavior, Lomez first measures the number of hours of violent television watched per week for a sample of boys. Ten years later, the same boys are contacted and asked to complete a questionnaire to measure their aggressiveness. Lomez's work is best described as a(n)

A) experiment.
B) observational study.
C) concurrent study.
D) prospective study.

Question 71

One of the many advantages of correlational research is that

A) it allows researchers to study variables that cannot be manipulated in the lab.
B) it allows the researcher to test for and determine the nature of causal relationships.
C) it exhibits high internal validity.
D) it tends to be statistically significant.

Question 72

Carmella finds a correlation of +0.47 between self-esteem and academic achievement. Which of the following is the most appropriate interpretation of this correlation?

A) High self-esteem motivates students to achieve more academically.
B) Doing well academically increases students' self-esteem.
C) The higher students' self-esteem, the greater their academic achievement.
D) As self-esteem increases, academic achievement decreases.

Question 73

A researcher was interested in the effects of mood on aggression. She decided to see how receiving an insult or a compliment affects aggression, and she measured aggression by having participants administer small shocks to another participant. The researcher found that participants in the insult condition were more aggressive than those in the compliment condition. One of her colleagues reads about this research and voices concern that people in the insult condition may have been more naturally aggressive than people in the compliment condition, causing the differences observed by the researcher. This concern about pre-existing differences between participants in the two conditions would only be valid if

A) participants were not a representative sample of the population.
B) participants were not randomly assigned to the condition.
C) participants were not randomly selected from the population.
D) all of these.

Question 74

Random assignment is a defining feature of an experiment. It means that

A) participants are able to select the particular experimental manipulations they wish to experience.
B) participants were randomly selected from the population of interest.
C) whether participants are in one condition or another is determined at random.
D) participants are assigned to the experimental conditions on the basis of their pre-existing differences.

Question 75

Suppose the correlation between the number of times couples go to the movies and the number of times they go out to dinner is +0.79. Among the following conclusions, which one is not consistent with this computation?

A) The more often that couples go to the movies, the more often they go out to dinner.
B) The less often that couples go to the movies, the less often they go out to dinner.
C) There is a strong positive correlation between the number of times couples go to the movies and the number of times they go out to dinner.
D) Because the correlation coefficient is less than 1.0, the association between these two variables is very weak and probably unreliable.

Question 76

Experiments require all of the following except

A) equal treatment of participants in different groups except for the manipulation of the independent variable.
B) control over experimental procedures.
C) manipulation of an independent variable.
D) a laboratory environment.

Question 77

Causation cannot be inferred from correlational studies because

A) they are so low in external validity.
B) they do not involve the manipulation of variables.
C) they are always conducted outside of the research lab.
D) researchers have too much control over the variables in correlational research.

Question 78

Camryn uses a survey to measure the association between students' grade point average and weekly consumption of alcohol. She finds that higher GPAs tend to predict lower levels of alcohol consumption (and vice versa). This study is best described as a(n)

A) experiment.
B) observational study.
C) concurrent study.
D) correlational study.

Question 79

Vito finds a correlation of -0.35 between procrastination behaviors and academic achievement. Which of the following is an appropriate conclusion for Vito to draw?

A) Procrastination leads students to perform more poorly.
B) Poor academic performance causes more procrastination.
C) Elimination of procrastination behaviors will lead students to perform better.
D) none of these.

Question 80

Relative to experimental studies, the primary disadvantage of correlation studies is that

A) they are more labor-intensive.
B) cause and effect cannot be determined with them.
C) the results are more difficult to understand.
D) the choice of variables that can be studied is limited.