Question 1

Which of the following techniques would be the most effective way of investigating the relationship between the political attitudes and the economic status of North Americans?

Accepted Answer

The survey would be the most effective way to investigate the relationship between political attitudes and economic status of North Americans as it allows for a large sample size and can capture self-reported data on both variables. Naturalistic observation and experimentation are not practical options due to the complex and multi-faceted nature of the variables being investigated, and the case study would not provide a representative sample of North Americans.

Question 2

A majority of respondents in a national survey agreed that "classroom prayer should not be allowed in public schools." Only 33 percent of respondents in a similar survey agreed that "classroom prayer in public schools should be banned." These differing findings best illustrate the importance of

Accepted Answer

The differing findings are likely due to the wording of the survey questions. The first question uses neutral language ("should not be allowed"), while the second question uses more forceful language ("should be banned"). This highlights the importance of carefully wording survey questions to avoid bias and accurately measure public opinion.

Question 3

To learn about the religious attitudes of all students enrolled at Arizona State University,Professor Marlow randomly selected 800 of these students to complete a questionnaire.In this instance,all the students enrolled at Arizona State University are considered to be a(n)

Accepted Answer

All the students enrolled at Arizona State University are the population, and the 800 students who completed the questionnaire are a sample of that population. Therefore, the best answer is D, population.

Question 4

Researchers observe random samples because these samples are likely to be

Accepted Answer

Random samples are more likely to be representative of the population, meaning that the characteristics observed in the sample are similar to those of the population as a whole. This enhances the external validity of the research findings.

Question 5

A random sample of a large group of people is one in which

Accepted Answer

A random sample is defined by the characteristic that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected. This ensures that the sample represents the population as accurately as possible. Choices A and C do not accurately describe the essential features of a random sample.

Question 6

Which research method would be most effective for identifying the mating rituals of North American deer?

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation would be the most effective method for identifying the mating rituals of North American deer, as it allows the researcher to observe and record the behavior of the deer in their natural habitat without interfering with their natural behavior. Survey research would not be as effective, as deer cannot answer survey questions, while experimentation and the double-blind procedure are not appropriate for this type of research.

Question 7

Which of the following statistical measures is most helpful for indicating the extent to which high school grades predict college or university grades?

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient is a statistical measure that shows the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. In this case, the variables are high school grades and college or university grades, and a correlation coefficient can tell us how well high school grades predict college or university grades. A scatterplot can also show the relationship between the two variables, but a correlation coefficient gives us a specific numerical value for the strength of the relationship. A random sample and an independent variable are not measures that would be helpful in this situation.

Question 8

The whole group from which samples may be drawn is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

The whole group from which samples may be drawn is called a population.

Question 9

Mrs.Blair concludes that boys do not read as well as girls because most of the students in her remedial reading classes are boys.Mrs.Blair's conclusion best illustrates the danger of

Accepted Answer

Mrs. Blair's conclusion is based on a select group of students (those in her remedial reading classes), which makes it difficult to generalize to the larger population of all boys and girls. This illustrates the danger of generalizing from select cases. It is possible that there are many boys who read just as well as girls, but they are not in Mrs. Blair's remedial reading classes.

Question 10

The children in Mrs.Shashoua's neighborhood make fun of her limp.She concludes that today's kids are typically cruel and insensitive.Mrs.Shashoua ought to remind herself that reasonable generalizations depend on

Accepted Answer

To make reasonable generalizations, it is important to observe representative samples. Mrs.Shashoua should not base her conclusion on the behavior of just the children in her neighborhood, but rather a representative sample of children in different neighborhoods to make a more accurate generalization.

Question 11

A correlation coefficient is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient is a statistical index that measures the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. It is not a confounding variable, dependent variable, or a procedure.

Question 12

A correlation coefficient is a statistical measure of the

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient measures the extent to which two factors (variables) vary together.

Question 13

Researchers make no effort to manipulate or control variables when they engage in

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation involves simply observing and recording behavior in its naturally occurring environment, without manipulating or controlling any variables. The other options (B, C, D) all involve some form of manipulation or control of variables.

Question 14

The survey is a research method in which

Accepted Answer

The survey is a research method that involves questioning a representative, random sample of individuals regarding their attitudes or behaviors. This method is commonly used in social science research to collect quantitative data on a large scale. It allows researchers to generalize findings to larger populations and is useful for investigating relationships between variables.

Question 15

To assess the extent to which death rates increase as people age,researchers would most likely make use of

Accepted Answer

Correlation would allow researchers to examine the relationship between age and death rates by analyzing data and looking for a pattern or association. This type of analysis can provide insight into the extent to which death rates increase as people age. The other options, such as the double-blind procedure or experimentation, are not applicable in this context, as they are more closely associated with testing the effectiveness of interventions or treatments, rather than examining age-related trends. Case studies are also not as useful for examining large-scale trends across populations.

Question 16

People from countries with lower economic status have been found more likely to solicit Facebook friendship with those in higher-status countries than vice versa.This information was obtained by means of

Accepted Answer

This information was most likely obtained through naturalistic observation, as it would involve observing and analyzing patterns in Facebook friend requests between individuals from different countries with varying economic statuses.

Question 17

Website polls and call-in phone surveys often yield unrepresentative results because they fail to use

Accepted Answer

Random sampling is necessary to ensure that all members of a population have an equal chance of being included in a survey or study. Website polls and call-in phone surveys do not utilize random sampling, leading to biased and unrepresentative results. The other options (operational definitions, scatterplots, and double-blind procedures) do not address the issue of sampling and are not directly related to the problem of unrepresentative results.

Question 18

Which of the following is a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together?

Accepted Answer

Correlation is a measure of the extent to which two factors vary together. Replication refers to repeating an experiment to confirm its results, experimentation is the process of conducting a controlled scientific study, and extrapolation is making predictions or estimates beyond the known data.

Question 19

A count of positive and negative words in millions of Twitter messages suggests that people seem most happy on

Accepted Answer

The answer of A count of positive and negative words...

Question 20

Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population?

Accepted Answer

Random sampling involves selecting participants randomly from a larger population, which helps to ensure that the sample is representative of the population. This reduces the potential for sampling bias and increases the generalizability of the survey findings. Random assignment refers to the randomized allocation of participants to different groups in an experiment and is not relevant for survey research. Replication involves conducting a study multiple times to verify the findings, and naturalistic observation involves observing behavior in natural settings rather than manipulating variables like in an experiment.

Quiz 2: Thinking Critically With Psychological Science