Deck 2: The Research Enterprise in Psychology

Question 1

Answering the question of "how" some phenomenon can be studied is MOST closely associated with which of the following goals of science?

A)The search for truth
B)Application and control
C)Measurement and description
D)Understanding and prediction

Answer 1

Measurement and description

Question 2

A clinical psychologist notes that an unusually large number of obese people are depressed or anxious, and she offers an explanation that excess weight causes emotional disorders. Her explanation is an example of a(n)

A)hypothesis.
B)theory.
C)opinion.
D)fact.

Answer 2

theory.

Question 3

In a study, IQ score, age, weight, grade point average, and income would all be considered

A)constants.
B)variables.
C)correlations.
D)statistics.

Answer 3

variables.

Question 4

Theories permit researchers to move from

A)understanding to application.
B)concept to description. ​
C)application to control. ​
D)description to understanding. ​

Question 5

Theory construction is a

A)gradual iterative process that is always subject to revision.
B)standard step-like process that quickly moves toward the truth.
C)circular process that typically leads nowhere.
D)process that results in concrete findings that are accepted by other scientists.

Question 6

The use of reinforcement principles to modify a child's unruly behavior reflects the goal of science that deals with

A)understanding and prediction.
B)measurement and description.
C)determinism and teleologic.
D)application and control.

Question 7

Mrs. Smith, an elementary school teacher, believes that girls are smarter than boys. She predicts that the girls in her class will learn more than the boys during the school year. Her prediction is a(n) ​

A)hypothesis.
B)opinion. ​
C)fact. ​
D)theory. ​

Question 8

A scientific theory has to be

A)true.
B)accepted by others. ​
C)testable. ​
D)well established and not disputed. ​

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT among the goals of scientific psychology?

A)The development of measurement techniques for describing behavior precisely and accurately
B)Understanding why certain behaviors occur
C)Applications of research findings to solve everyday problems
D)Searching for absolute truths about behavior

Question 10

Scientific theories are MOST directly associated with which of the following goals of science?

A)Application and control
B)Construction and revision
C)Measurement and description
D)Understanding and prediction

Question 11

A theory is ​

A)an objective description of behavior.
B)a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations. ​
C)the application of research to practical problems. ​
D)a statement about the relationship between two or more variables. ​

Question 12

The _____ approach assumes that events are governed by some lawful order.

A)philosophical
B)mechanical
C)scientific
D)cognitive

Question 13

A tentative statement about the relationship between two or more variables is a(n) ​

A)variable.
B)hypothesis. ​
C)theory. ​
D)operational definition. ​

Question 14

Answering the question of "why" something happens is MOST closely associated with which of the following goals of science?

A)The search for truth
B)Application and control
C)Measurement and description
D)Understanding and prediction

Question 15

Any measurable conditions, events, characteristics, or behaviors that are controlled or observed in a study are called ​

A)hypotheses.
B)correlations. ​
C)variables. ​
D)confounds. ​

Question 16

While theories are MOST closely associated with the scientific goal of _____, hypotheses are MOST closely associated with the goal of _____.

A)application; description
B)description; application
C)understanding; prediction
D)prediction; understanding

Question 17

The scientific approach assumes that

A)events are governed by some lawful order.
B)each event is completely unique.
C)there are few general laws or principles that apply to human behavior.
D)the search for absolute truth is the ultimate goal.

Question 18

A psychologist's hope that his or her research will help to solve some practical problem reflects which of the following goals of science?

A)Application and control
B)Construction and revision
C)Understanding and prediction
D)Measurement and description

Question 19

Dr. Marqueta believes that "misery loves company." Based on this belief, Dr. Marqueta predicts that people who have received bad news will seek out other people. Dr. Marqueta's belief is an example of a _____, and her prediction is an example of a(n) _____.

A)hypothesis; theory
B)theory; hypothesis
C)variable; application
D)hypothesis; variable

Question 20

Which of the following is a major assumption of science? ​

A)Events occur in a relatively orderly or predictable manner.
B)Cause and effect is indicated by correlational relationships. ​
C)In contrast to the behavior of lower animals, human behavior is in part a function of free will. ​
D)Events are largely randomly determined. ​

Question 21

A researcher is measuring the heart rate of subjects as an index of anxiety. In this study, heart rate is ​

A)a confounded variable.
B)negatively correlated with anxiety. ​
C)an independent variable. ​
D)an operational definition of anxiety.

Question 22

Dr. Critell is studying aggression in children and plans to define aggression as the number of times one child pushes or strikes another child. Defining aggression in this way would

A)be an example of a hypothesis.
B)violate ethical guidelines for psychological research.
C)represent an operational definition.
D)require a double-blind research design.

Question 23

The final step in a scientific investigation is to ​

A)conduct the study.
B)analyze the data. ​
C)decide whether or not the hypothesis was supported. ​
D)report the findings. ​

Question 24

Publication of research findings is extremely important to the scientific method because ​

A)it allows for critique and self-correction.
B)it brings recognition to the research worker. ​
C)it forces the writer to be clear. ​
D)the royalties help the researcher pay for the research. ​

Question 25

Dr. Malm predicts that if teachers ignore students who act up in class, fewer students will act up in class. Dr. Malm's prediction is an example of ​

A)an operational definition.
B)a theory. ​
C)inferential statistics. ​
D)a hypothesis.

Question 26

A psychologist monitors changes in the subject's heart rate as the subject watches a violent movie. The data collection technique being used is ​

A)direct observation.
B)psychological testing.
C)physiological recording.
D)archival records.

Question 27

Researchers typically report their findings ​

A)by holding a press conference.
B)in a book. ​
C)in a scientific magazine. ​
D)in a journal. ​

Question 28

Which of the following data collection techniques is BEST suited for studying attitudes?

A)Q uestionnaires
B)Direct observations
C)Psychological tests
D)Physiological recordings

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT true regarding common sense analyses of behavior?

A)They tend to be vague and ambiguous.
B)They often tolerate contradictory generalizations .
C)They usually involve little effort to verify ideas or detect errors .
D)They are typically based on precise definitions and hypotheses .

Question 30

Laura answered a series of written questions that asked about her attitudes and opinions on a number of current issues. The method of data collection used in this case was

A)a standardized psychological test.
B)archival research.
C)direct observation.
D)a questionnaire.

Question 31

A scientific journal is a

A)personal diary kept by a scientist.
B)periodical that publishes technical and scholarly articles.
C)detailed record of the daily procedures followed in conducting a study.
D)collection of biographies of famous scientists.

Question 32

In scientific investigations, researchers must clearly define the variables under study by precisely describing how they will be measured or controlled. These definitions are referred to as _____ definitions.

A)objective
B)precise
C)operational
D)dictionary

Question 33

A standardized measure used to obtain a sample of a person's behavior is called a(n)

A)psychological test.
B)case study.
C)experiment.
D)survey.

Question 34

The scientific approach requires that people specify exactly what they are talking about when they formulate hypotheses. Which of the following advantages of scientific investigation does this illustrate?

A)Precision
B)Acceptance of a degree of error
C)Skepticism
D)Operational definitions

Question 35

Jackson is helping a company develop more effective training programs for its employees. He has spent a great deal of time reviewing all the company's documentation about previous training opportunities it has provided for its employees. Up to this point in time, Jackson has been engaged in

A)psychological testing.
B)archival research.
C)direct observation.
D)meta-analysis.

Question 36

Statistical procedures are used during which of the following steps in conducting a scientific investigation?

A)Collect the data
B)Select a research method and design the study
C)Report the findings
D)Analyze the data and draw conclusions

Question 37

A psychologist measures blood alcohol level to determine intoxication. In this example, blood alcohol level is the _____ definition of intoxication.

A)operational
B)dictionary
C)objective
D)precise

Question 38

Hypotheses are typically expressed as ​

A)theories.
B)variables. ​
C)predictions. ​
D)statistics. ​

Question 39

Dr. Licciardi predicts that people who are observed while they perform a complex task will make more errors. Dr. Licciardi's prediction is an example of

A)a hypothesis.
B)an operational definition.
C)a theory.
D)inferential statistics.

Question 40

Dr. Dobbins wants to study attachment patterns in single-parent families. The first step in her scientific investigation would be to

A)design the study and select the research method.
B)analyze the data. ​
C)formulate a testable hypothesis. ​
D)collect the data. ​

Question 41

In order to determine whether lack of sleep causes anxiety, a scientist will

A)publish in a journal.
B)request a peer review.
C)conduct an experiment.
D)use common sense.

Question 42

Researchers studying the effects of sleep deprivation tested the physical coordination skills of 25-year-old males who had been sleep deprived for 24, 36, or 48 hours. In this study, the dependent variable would be the

A)age of the research participants.
B)physical coordination skills of the men in the study.
C)length of time the participants had been sleep deprived.
D)type of physical coordination task the researchers use.

Question 43

The two main types of research methods used in psychology are the ​

A)experimental and descriptive\correlational research methods.
B)experimental and case study research methods. ​
C)descriptive and correlational research methods. ​
D)descriptive\correlational and case study research methods. ​

Question 44

Researchers who were studying plant growth raised plants in two separate rooms. One room had taped conversations playing 24 hours a day; the other room was silent. The researchers found that the plants grew better in the room that had the conversations playing. In this study, the type of room (conversation or silence) would be ​

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

Question 45

The research method in which the investigator manipulates a variable under carefully controlled conditions and observes whether any changes occur in a second variable as a result is the _____ method.

A)scientific
B)correlational
C)descriptive
D)experimental

Question 46

Operational definitions are MOST closely associated with which of the following major advantages of the scientific approach?

A)C ommon sense approach
B)Clarity and precision
C)Intolerance of error
D)Logical analysis

Question 47

An experimenter tests the hypothesis that physical exercise improves mood. Subjects in the experimental group participate on Monday and Tuesday and those in the control group on Wednesday and Thursday. Which of the following is the dependent variable?

A)H ypothesis
B)Day of the week
C)Exercise
D)Mood (degree of happiness)

Question 48

A group of researchers wanted to determine if people will eat more food in a room with red paint than in a room that is decorated blue. Half the participants in this study ate in a red room and half ate in a blue room. The researchers then measured how much food was consumed in each of the two rooms. In this study, the independent variable was

A)the type of food available during the study.
B)the amount of food consumed.
C)the color of the room.
D)how hungry the participants were at the end of the study.

Question 49

An experimenter tests the hypothesis that physical exercise improves mood. Subjects in the experimental group participate on Monday and Tuesday and those in the control group on Wednesday and Thursday. Which of the following is the independent variable?

A)H ypothesis
B)Day of the week
C)Exercise
D)Mood (degree of happiness)

Question 50

In an experiment, the variable that is controlled or manipulated by the researcher is called the _____ variable.

A)dependent
B)independent
C)control
D)stimulus

Question 51

An industrial designer wants to determine if the new design for a piece of office equipment will result in fewer errors. The designer sets up a machine with the old design in one room and a machine with the new design in a second room. He counts how many errors are made using each of the two machines. In this study, the number of errors that are made would be ​

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

Question 52

A researcher wants to see if a protein-enriched diet will enhance the maze-running performance of rats. One group of rats is fed the high-protein diet for the duration of the study; the other group continues to receive ordinary rat chow. In this experiment, the rats' maze-running performance is the _____ variable.

A)correlated
B)control
C)dependent
D)independent

Question 53

In experimental research, the variable that is free to be varied by the experimenter is the _____ variable.

A)extraneous
B)dependent
C)independent
D)controlled

Question 54

In experimental research, the researcher manipulates the _____ variable in order to measures its effect on the _____ variable.

A)dependent; independent
B)dependent; extraneous
C)independent; dependent
D)independent; extraneous

Question 55

Conclusions concerning cause-and-effect relationships are only possible when the _____ method is used.

A)survey
B)experimental
C)correlational
D)descriptive

Question 56

A group of researchers wants to determine if people are more likely to follow directions if the person giving the directions is wearing a uniform. Half the participants are directed to a parking spot by a uniformed security guard; the other half are directed to a parking spot by an individual wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt. In this study, the dependent variable would be the

A)number of participants who park in the spot they are directed to.
B)type of clothing worn by the person giving the directions.
C)gender of the person driving into the parking lot.
D)distance between the parking spot and the entrance.

Question 57

If a researcher varies the loudness of music in a factory to observe its effect on employee productivity, the dependent variable is

A)the  factory setting.
B)employee productivity.
C)the style of music being used.
D)the loudness of music being used.

Question 58

The different general strategies for conducting scientific investigations are referred to as

A)data collection techniques.
B)operational definitions.
C)research methods.
D)hypotheses.

Question 59

A dependent variable in an experiment refers to the variable ​

A)held constant across the experimental conditions.
B)deliberately manipulated by the experimenter. ​
C)thought to be affected by manipulation of another variable. ​
D)that the experimenter is depending on to cause something to happen in the experiment. ​

Question 60

An independent variable in an experiment refers to

A)the variable that is held constant across experimental conditions.
B)the variable that affects the subjects' behavior.
C)the variable that the experimenter believes will change in value because of systematic correlations that exist in the experiment.
D)the variable that provides an alternative explanation for the results of the experiment.

Question 61

A researcher found that clients who were randomly assigned to same-sex groups participated more in group therapy sessions than clients who were randomly assigned to coed groups. In this experiment, the independent variable was

A)the amount of participation in the group therapy sessions.
B)whether or not the group was coed.
C)the clients' attitudes toward group therapy.
D)how much the clients' mental health improved.

Question 62

Dr. Prutherow believes that people who are under stress will develop more colds than people who are not under stress. When he randomly selects ten participants and exposes them to high levels of stress, he finds that nine of the participants develop colds. Based on these results, he concludes that stress causes an increase in colds. Dr. Prutherow's reasoning may be flawed because

A)there was no dependent variable in his study.
B)there was no control group for comparison.
C)he didn't formulate a hypothesis before he collected his data.
D)he didn't measure the independent variable when the study ended.

Question 63

In a study designed to test the effects of a new drug developed to treat Alzheimer's disease, half the patients were given the actual drug while the other half were given a placebo (sugar pill). In this study, the experimental group is ​

A)the patients who show evidence of an improvement in their memory.
B)the group that received the actual drug. ​
C)the group that received the placebo. ​
D)the patients who were not included in the study. ​

Question 64

In an experiment designed to test memory processes, one group was given special instructions and asked to group the items on a list into categories while they tried to memorize them. A second group of participants was given the same list, but they did not receive any special instructions. In this study, the experimental group is ​

A)the group in which the participants remember the least items from the list.
B)the group that did not receive any special instructions. ​
C)the group that received the special instructions. ​
D)the group in which the participants remember the most items from the list. ​

Question 65

Bill received a poor performance evaluation in his job last year. Since then, Bill has started working through his lunch hour, taken on four special projects, and enrolled in night classes to upgrade his computer skills. If Bill receives a better evaluation at his next performance, it will be hard for him to figure out why because ​

A)he failed to use a double-blind procedure to test his hypothesis.
B)he didn't formulate a research hypothesis before implementing the changes. ​
C)none of the actions he took are likely to be related to his overall job performance.
D)the three actions he took are confounded with each other. ​

Question 66

In experimental research, subjects who receive some special treatment with regard to the independent variable are in the _____ group.

A)experimental
B)control
C)observational
D)correlational

Question 67

A variable, other than the independent variable, that appears to have influenced the dependent variable in a study is referred to as a(n)

A)covariate.
B)extraneous variable.
C)redundant variable.
D)inverse bias.

Question 68

A researcher is studying the effects of room temperature on ability to quickly solve math problems.  She first has participants solve ten math problems in a room with the temperature set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Then she has the same participants solve ten new math problems with the room temperature set at 90 degrees. In this case, the group of participants is serving as its own _____ group.

A)experimental
B)control
C)extraneous
D)operational

Question 69

An experimenter tests the hypothesis that physical exercise improves mood. Subjects in the experimental group participate on Monday and Tuesday and those in the control group on Wednesday and Thursday. Which of the following is the extraneous variable?

A)Hypothesis
B)Day of the week
C)Exercise
D)Mood (degree of happiness)

Question 70

The purpose of the control group is to ​

A)make the experiment more complex.
B)isolate the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. ​
C)make statistical significance more likely. ​
D)isolate the effect of the dependent variable on the independent variable. ​

Question 71

A researcher is investigating the effects of caffeine consumption on student writing performance.  Because the researcher will evaluate both the speed of assignment completion and the number of grammatical errors, she will need to include more than one _____ variable in her study.

A)independent
B)dependent
C)confounding
D)extraneous

Question 72

Subjects in the control group should be _____ subjects in the experimental groups in all respects except for the treatment they receive with regard to the _____ .

A)very different from; independent variable
B)very different from; dependent variable
C)very similar to; independent variable
D)very similar to; dependent variable

Question 73

If we view an experiment as an attempt to establish a cause-and-effect relationship, the _____ variable would be the cause, and the _____ variable would be the effect.

A)dependent; independent
B)independent; dependent
C)control; experimental
D)independent; confounded

Question 74

Placing subjects in experimental groups such that each subject has an equal probability of ending up in any group is referred to as

A)random selection.
B)random sampling. ​
C)random forecasting. ​
D)random assignment. ​

Question 75

Dr. Kalmagura plans to introduce a new exam review procedure in his chemistry classes. To check the effectiveness of the new procedure, half his students will try the new technique for one semester, while the remaining students will review in the same way they have always done. Each student will decide whether they like the new technique or the standard technique. This example illustrates

A)the use of non-random assignment.
B)a correlational research design.
C)a double-blind research design.
D)what is meant by informed consent in research.

Question 76

David and Alexandra both take part in a research study that is investigating the effects of sleep deprivation on reaction time. David is kept awake for 24 hours straight, while Alexandra follows her normal sleep routine. In this study, David is part of the _____ group.

A)hypothesis
B)experimental
C)control
D)dependent variable

Question 77

The experimental group ​

A)consists of the subjects who receive some special treatment with regard to the independent variable.
B)consists of the subjects who receive some special treatment with regard to the dependent variable. ​
C)consists of the subjects who do not receive the special treatment. ​
D)must be chosen so as to be as different from the control group as possible. ​

Question 78

In experimental research, subjects in the _____ group receive some special treatment with regard to the independent variable while subjects in the _____ group do not.

A)control; experimental
B)experimental; control
C)primary; secondary
D)secondary; primary

Question 79

When two variables are linked and their individual effects cannot be isolated, we speak of the variables as being

A)independent.
B)dependent.
C)confounded.
D)codependent.

Question 80

A group of researchers wanted to determine whether children would behave more aggressively after watching violent television programming. Half the children in the study watched a violent television show; the other children watched a nonviolent program. In this study, the control group is the children who

A)behave the most aggressively at the end of the study.
B)watch the nonviolent program.
C)watch the violent show.
D)behave the least aggressively at the end of the study.