Deck 2: Conducting Health Research

Question 1

Most health-related evidence

A) is the result of a variety of research methods.
B) has been discovered accidentally.
C) is withheld from the general public to avoid widespread panic.
D) comes from the results of experimental designs.

Answer 1

is the result of a variety of research methods.

Question 2

There is a ____________ correlation between physical age and physical health,such that as age increases,physical health decreases.

A) positive
B) negative
C) weak
D) non-existent

Answer 2

negative

Question 3

Placebos have been known to help

A) reduce insomnia.
B) decrease low back pain.
C) lower high blood pressure.
D) bowel movements.

Answer 3

bowel movements.

Question 4

Placebos can be beneficial in treating many conditions EXCEPT:

A) depression
B) hypertension
C) insomnia
D) broken bones

Question 5

Which of these "sugar pills" is likely to have the greatest positive effect?

A) white pills rather than colored pills
B) very small pills rather than middle size pills
C) capsules rather than tablets
D) generic pills rather than brand-name drugs

Question 6

Which of these statements is true?

A) Placebo effects can influence both psychological and physical disorders.
B) Valuable research is done by people outside the scientific community, but scientists try to discount the importance of this research.
C) Scientific breakthroughs happen every day.
D) Experimental rather than observational research is required to learn about patterns of disease.

Question 7

The effect of a placebo varies according to people's expectancies and previous learning,but in general,that response rate is about

A) 5%.
B) 10%.
C) 35%.
D) 60%.

Question 8

A positive correlation between physical health and education would indicate that as education __________,physical health ______________.

A) decreases, decreases
B) decreases, increases
C) increases, decreases
D) increases, increases

Question 9

The placebo effect is

A) most prominent in well-designed experiments.
B) an imaginary effect applicable to everyone.
C) an imaginary effect that occurs almost exclusively in hypochondriacs.
D) physiologically real and capable of improving organic and psychological symptoms.

Question 10

Dr.Smith,a clinical health psychologist,is conducting research on whether relaxation training before a swim meet improves swimmer's race times.It is most likely Dr.Smith is using a __________ design.

A) correlational
B) single-blind
C) double-blind
D) retrospective

Question 11

The _______ a placebo resembles an effective treatment,the _____ the placebo effect.

A) more; stronger
B) more; weaker
C) less; stronger
D) less; weaker

Question 12

A correlation of .80 would indicate a _______ and __________ relationship between two variables.

A) strong; positive
B) strong; negative
C) weak; positive
D) weak; negative

Question 13

The placebo effect

A) makes it easier to determine the effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention.
B) does not produce any type of unfavorable effect.
C) is easy to control in psychotherapeutic treatment.
D) hampers the evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment programs.

Question 14

When neither the participants nor the experimenters know which group has received the treatment and which has received a placebo,the design is called

A) confounding.
B) double-blind.
C) correlational.
D) naturalistic.

Question 15

Dr.Sweedey is conducting research that examines 5 year olds and their aggressive behaviors.She follows up with these same participants 10 years later to measure their reactivity to stress.She is using a ___________ design.

A) cross-sectional
B) experimental
C) longitudinal
D) ex post facto

Question 16

To determine whether Drug Z lowers blood pressure,it is necessary to demonstrate that an experimental group,which has been given Drug Z,will have lower blood pressure than a comparison group,which has been given

A) a higher dose of Drug Z.
B) a lower dose of Drug Z.
C) a placebo.
D) no treatment at all.

Question 17

Which of these conditions is likely to produce the highest positive placebo effect?

A) a physician dressed casually in blue jeans and sneakers
B) a physician who is enthusiastic in describing the treatment
C) a physician with a reputation for medical errors
D) a physician who, when prescribing medication says, "This may not help, but it won't hurt."

Question 18

The nocebo effect occurs when

A) participants in a placebo study experience a negative effect.
B) participants in a placebo study experience a positive effect.
C) experimenters use a double-blind study.
D) experimenters use the case-control method.

Question 19

An inactive substance or condition that has the appearance of the independent variable and that may cause participants in an experiment to improve or change behavior due to their belief is called

A) a nocebo.
B) a placebo.
C) a dependent variable.
D) an experimental design.

Question 20

Dr.Rich is conducting research that examines whether 20-year olds eat more low-fat foods than 70-year olds.This research is using a ________________ design.

A) cross-sectional
B) experimental
C) ex post facto
D) retrospective

Question 21

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of longitudinal studies?

A) Longitudinal studies are a comparison of two separate groups.
B) Longitudinal studies tend to be time consuming.
C) Longitudinal studies frequently require a team of researchers
D) Longitudinal studies are prospective designs

Question 22

In an experimental design that investigates the effects of a low carbohydrate diet on weight loss,diet would be

A) the independent variable.
B) the dependent variable.
C) an extraneous variable.
D) a placebo.

Question 23

Correlational studies

A) cannot indicate cause and effect.
B) are a type of experimental design.
C) cannot be used in psychological research.
D) cannot be used in epidemiological research.

Question 24

Which of the following is part of an ex post facto study but not an experimental study?

A) manipulation of an independent variable
B) control of extraneous variables
C) measurement of a dependent variable
D) inclusion of a subject variable

Question 25

A recent research study examined whether sending text messages to overweight children would help enable them to maintain a weight-loss program.In this experiment,some children were randomly assigned to receive text messages and other children were assigned to the control condition and did not receive text messages.The dependent variable in this experiment was

A) continued enrollment in a weight-loss program.
B) text messages.
C) weight loss.
D) not receiving text messages.

Question 26

A study comparing smokers and nonsmokers on their scores on a personality inventory is most likely to be

A) an ex post facto design.
B) an experimental design.
C) a correlational study.
D) a retrospective study.

Question 27

A study that compares cholesterol levels of 10-year-old children and 30-year-old adults would most likely be a(n)_____ study.

A) experimental
B) cross-sectional
C) longitudinal
D) ex post facto

Question 28

A study that follows the history of overweight male participants over a 30-year period would be

A) an experimental study.
B) a longitudinal study.
C) a cross-sectional study.
D) a case-control study.

Question 29

The cause of a disease or condition is most readily suggested by

A) case control studies.
B) experimental designs.
C) correlational studies.
D) a single-participant design.

Question 30

In an experimental design that investigates the effects of weight loss on heart rate in middle-aged men,the dependent variable would be

A) stress.
B) heart rate.
C) age.
D) gender.

Question 31

Correlational studies are a type of

A) experimental study.
B) double-blind study.
C) ex post facto design.
D) descriptive research.

Question 32

Researchers want to examine whether writing about the experience of breast cancer increases feelings of hope and optimism.Breast-cancer patients were randomly assigned to one of two essay conditions: writing about their breast cancer or writing about their everyday tasks.The independent variable in this experiment would be:

A) hope and optimism
B) breast cancer diagnosis
C) writing about everyday tasks
D) the essay conditions

Question 33

Cross-sectional studies

A) follow disease-free participants over a long time period.
B) follow participants with a disease over a long time period.
C) are also called longitudinal.
D) compare participants of at least two different age groups or developmental periods.

Question 34

One of the advantages of conducting a longitudinal study is that longitudinal studies can _____________________.

A) be completed quickly.
B) help identify developmental trends and patterns.
C) determine causality.
D) be completed with relatively few researchers.

Question 35

An investigator measures blood pressure in a group of college students and then repeats these measurements every year for 20 years.This is an example of

A) a longitudinal study.
B) a cross-sectional study.
C) an experimental study.
D) a clinical trial.

Question 36

Small correlations,for example 0.08 or 0.10,

A) may be statistically significant.
B) cannot be statistically significant.
C) indicate cause and effect between the two correlated variables.
D) both a and c

Question 37

If two variables increase or decrease together,they are

A) positively correlated.
B) negatively correlated.
C) positively skewed.
D) negatively skewed.

Question 38

Although causality is difficult to determine,which scientific method most strongly yields evidence for cause and effect relationships?

A) correlational study
B) experimental design
C) ex post facto design
D) descriptive research

Question 39

The major difference between longitudinal studies and cross-sectional studies is that cross-sectional studies occur ___________ whereas longitudinal studies occur _______________.

A) once; over time
B) over time; once
C) with the same participants; with different participants
D) with the same participants; over time

Question 40

One of the challenges of conducting health research is that it is impossible,and unethical,to manipulate certain variables,such as sexual behaviors or smoking.The research design that examines differences between groups without manipulating these groups is:

A) experimental
B) ex post facto
C) random assignment
D) longitudinal

Question 41

Mortality is to death as morbidity is to

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

Question 42

Research has found that obesity is related to high blood pressure.This finding means that

A) obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure.
B) obesity is an independent risk factor for high blood pressure.
C) most overweight people die of high blood pressure.
D) thin people are protected against high blood pressure.

Question 43

Which type of study begins with a group of people who already have a disease and then looks into factors that are associated with that disease?

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

Question 44

A research study found a direct,consistent association between late bedtime and childhood obesity.This is known as a _____________ relationship.

A) negative
B) dose-response
C) positive
D) causal

Question 45

A risk factor is any characteristic or condition that

A) occurs with a lower frequency in people with a disease than in people free from that disease.
B) occurs with a greater frequency in people with a disease than in people free from that disease.
C) is known to cause a disease.
D) is a measure of the dependent variable in an experimental design.

Question 46

The Alameda County study is an example of

A) an experimental longitudinal design.
B) a prospective design.
C) an experimental descriptive design.
D) a correlational cross-sectional design.

Question 47

Occasionally factors that predict death,or ______________,are not the same factors that predict disease,or _______________.

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

Question 48

A statistical technique for combining the results of several studies is

A) meta-analysis.
B) transactional analysis.
C) hypothesis testing.
D) scientific myopia.

Question 49

Prevalence of an illness refers to

A) the proportion of the population that has a disease at a specific time.
B) the number of new cases of a disease in a year.
C) the percentage of new cases of a disease in a year.
D) the percentage of total deaths caused by a disease in one year.

Question 50

Psychologists and epidemiologists would agree that which type of study is the most desirable design,the "gold standard" of scientific research?

A) case-control study
B) randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial
C) natural experiment
D) correlational study

Question 51

Natural experiments in epidemiology are most similar to what kind of psychology study?

A) experimental
B) ex post facto
C) correlational
D) observational

Question 52

Which of the following situations would most seriously complicate the interpretation of causation in a research design?

A) a study in which participants are unaware that they are part of an experiment
B) a study in which participants are aware that they are part of an experiment
C) a design in which participants are allowed to self-select
D) a design in which participants are not allowed to self-select

Question 53

Which type of epidemiological study is most similar to an experimental design in psychology?

A) case-control.
B) retrospective.
C) prospective.
D) randomized, controlled trial.

Question 54

The branch of medicine that investigates the factors that contribute to the occurrence of diseases within a population is

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

Question 55

A study that begins with a group of participants who already have a disease is most likely to be

A) a retrospective study.
B) a prospective study.
C) a correlational study.
D) an experimental study.

Question 56

Observational methods in epidemiology are most closely related to which psychology method?

A) correlational studies
B) experimental designs
C) ex post facto designs
D) case history method

Question 57

A study examined two groups of people--those who were exercising and those who weren't-and examined their past history to try to understand why some people currently exercise whereas other do not.This is an example of what type of correlational design?

A) retrospective study
B) prospective study
C) clinical trial study
D) all of the above

Question 58

Prospective and retrospective studies are both considered:

A) experimental studies
B) longitudinal studies
C) clinical tries
D) correlational studies

Question 59

The results of a meta-analysis allow researchers to determine one type of information that other statistical analyses do not,which is

A) the statistical significance of the effect.
B) the correlation between variables.
C) the size of the effect.
D) the main effects and interactions of variables.

Question 60

Prospective epidemiological studies are also

A) cross-sectional.
B) longitudinal.
C) experimental.
D) clinical trials.

Question 61

Theories should be viewed as

A) tools of philosophy.
B) tools of science.
C) tested hypotheses.
D) untested hypotheses.

Question 62

In order for epidemiologists to infer that Behavior A causes Disease B,they must observe

A) that Behavior A precedes Disease B.
B) a dose-response relationship between Behavior A and Disease B.
C) a decline in Disease B when Behavior A is eliminated.
D) all of these.

Question 63

The determination of causation is most easily accepted on the basis of

A) clinical trials.
B) studies using the risk factor approach.
C) community trials.
D) experimental studies.

Question 64

For a treatment to be considered effective,the treatment must show an equal rate of effectiveness when compared to a placebo.

Question 65

The placebo has treatment benefits but presents problems to researchers.

Question 66

For a scale that is measuring eating disorder likelihood to have good _______________,it needs to be able to differentiate between those who will get eating disorders versus those who would not.

A) external validity
B) interrater reliability
C) predictive validity
D) test-retest reliability

Question 67

Reliability means

A) accuracy.
B) structure.
C) validity.
D) consistency.

Question 68

The placebo can affect psychological disorders,but it has no effect on biological processes.

Question 69

If a test predicts some future condition,it is said to have

A) negative validity.
B) criterion-related validity.
C) predictive validity.
D) no validity.

Question 70

When scores on two administrations of the same test are in close agreement,then that test is

A) reliable.
B) valid.
C) both reliable and valid.
D) neither reliable nor valid.

Question 71

The extent to which a test measures what it is designed to measure is an expression of

A) test-retest reliability.
B) internal consistency.
C) homogeneity.
D) validity.

Question 72

A direct,consistent relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable

A) is an example of the placebo effect.
B) is an example of the nocebo effect.
C) indicates a dose-response relationship.
D) indicates a transverse relationship.

Question 73

The ratio of the incidence or prevalence of a disease in an exposed group to the incidence or prevalence of that disease in the unexposed group is called

A) a risk factor.
B) dose-response relationship.
C) a relative risk.
D) causation.

Question 74

When the placebo treatment is described in a hidden manner,placebos can lead to fewer symptoms and better quality of life when compared to no treatment.

Question 75

Wendi is a long-time smoker,which carries a relative risk of about 23.0 for lung cancer death and 2.0 for heart disease mortality.From this information you can conclude that

A) Wendi is more than four times as likely to die from lung cancer as from heart disease.
B) Wendi's absolute risk for lung cancer is greater than her absolute risk for heart disease.
C) Wendi is about 23 times more likely to die of lung cancer than those who do not smoke.
D) Wendi is about 23 times more likely to die of heart disease than her twin sister.

Question 76

Which of these is NOT a function of a useful theory?

A) generate research
B) serve as a guide to action
C) eliminate researcher bias
D) organize observations

Question 77

A valid test

A) is both accurate and reliable.
B) is consistent but not accurate.
C) is accurate but not consistent.
D) has a time limit.

Question 78

Test X is designed to predict which individuals in a smoking cessation program will successfully quit smoking.Scores from Test X administered at the beginning of a cessation program correlate .89 with length of time smokers are able to quit.This evidence suggests that Test X is

A) reliable.
B) valid.
C) standardized.
D) consistent.

Question 79

Research has found that lung cancer increases with number of cigarettes smoked.This finding

A) indicates a negative relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
B) indicates a positive relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
C) proves that smoking causes lung cancer.
D) suggest that cancer prone personalities are more likely to begin smoking.

Question 80

We are designing a new instrument to measure happiness.If we ask participants to complete the same instrument of happiness over several days,we are testing this new instruments' ______________.

A) external validity
B) interrater reliability
C) predictive validity
D) test-retest reliability