Question 1

What does it mean to say that a theory is parsimonious?

Accepted Answer

A theory is considered parsimonious if it can explain a large number of diverse observations with relatively few and simple principles. This means that the theory is not unnecessarily complex and it doesn't require many assumptions or explanations to account for the observations.

Question 2

A researcher believes that thinking about clowns will make people more aggressive.He randomly assigns some people to see pictures of clowns and other people to read a description of a calm forest.He finds that people who looked at pictures of clowns behaved more aggressively.However,there is at least one confound in this study.What is that confound?

Accepted Answer

The confound in this study is that some participants were exposed to visual stimuli (pictures of clowns), while others were exposed to textual stimuli (description of a calm forest). This difference in the type of stimulus (visual vs. textual) could influence the level of aggression, independent of the content of the stimuli.

Question 3

Which of the following potential problems with research on human subjects is NOT considered an important ethical issue?

Accepted Answer

The fact that college students often participate in studies as part of their education is not considered an important ethical issue because students have the right to choose whether or not to participate in a study and they are also usually informed of the risks involved. However, the other options (A, B, and D) are important ethical issues that researchers must consider in order to protect the well-being of their human subjects.

Question 4

If in an experiment the independent variable is in fact a manipulation of what was intended and the dependent variable is in fact a measure of what was intended,then the experiment can be said to be high in:

Accepted Answer

Construct validity refers to the extent to which a variable is measured and manipulated accurately in an experiment. If the independent variable was manipulated as intended and the dependent variable was measured as intended, then the experiment is high in construct validity. External validity refers to the generalizability of findings to other populations or settings, significance refers to the statistical likelihood of obtaining results by chance, and practical value refers to the real-world applicability of findings. None of these concepts specifically relate to the accuracy of variable manipulation and measurement, as construct validity does.

Question 5

Which of these statements does NOT capture a limitation of science?

Accepted Answer

Statement A does not describe a limitation of science but rather a fundamental aspect of the scientific process, where competition and peer review help to refine and improve scientific theories.

Question 6

Dr.R is replicating a study on stereotype threat.Dr.R repeats the methods and procedures used in Dr.Steele's original study.Dr.R is engaging in:

Accepted Answer

Dr.R is engaging in a direct replication, which involves replicating the original study using the same methods and procedures.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT something that a good theory in social psychology should be required to do?

Accepted Answer

A good theory in social psychology should be able to generate new questions, provide direction for research, and explain observations. However, it is not necessary for the theory to show how a correlation explains causation. It is important to note that social psychology research often focuses on identifying and understanding correlations between variables, but identifying causation requires experimental designs that manipulate one variable and measure changes in another.

Question 8

The chief weakness of a field study is that:

Accepted Answer

The chief weakness of a field study is that the researchers lose control over the variables in the study. Since field studies take place in natural settings, the researchers cannot control all of the variables that may affect the behavior being studied. This can limit the ability to make causal claims or draw definitive conclusions about the relationship between variables. Therefore, choice C is the best answer.

Question 9

A specific,concrete method of measuring or manipulating a conceptual variable is referred to as a(n):

Accepted Answer

An operational definition is a specific and concrete method used to measure or manipulate a conceptual variable. It defines how a variable will be measured or manipulated in a study, allowing researchers to replicate the study and compare results with other studies that use similar operational definitions. Independent and dependent variables are the variables being studied, while a correlation coefficient is a statistical measure of the relationship between two variables.

Question 10

A researcher conducts a study in which men and women are asked to rate their level of self-esteem with reference to both appearance and intellectual ability.The researcher predicts that there will be differences between men and women on these variables.This study is best characterized as:

Accepted Answer

This study is a quasi-experiment because the researcher is manipulating the independent variable (gender) but cannot randomly assign participants to groups. Therefore, the study cannot be classified as a true experiment. Additionally, the researcher is measuring self-esteem for appearance and intellectual ability, which are dependent variables. Finally, the researcher predicts gender differences, meaning there is a clear hypothesis being tested, which further supports the classification as a quasi-experiment.

Question 11

Samir is writing his doctoral dissertation on the relationship between physical attractiveness and academic success.As part of his research,he analyzes numerous previously conducted studies related to the topic,in order to determine how strongly attractiveness affects educational achievement.Samir is conducting a:

Accepted Answer

Samir is conducting a meta-analysis, which involves analyzing and synthesizing data from previously conducted studies on a specific topic to draw conclusions about the overall research findings.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a form of validity which social psychologists are interested in obtaining?

Accepted Answer

Construct, external, and internal validity are all important forms of validity in social psychology research. However, reverse causality is not a form of validity, but rather a potential alternative explanation for a relationship between two variables. Reverse causality occurs when the direction of causality is the opposite of what was initially assumed; for example, instead of loneliness causing depression, it is possible that depression actually causes loneliness. While social psychologists strive to establish causality in their research, reverse causality is not a form of validity that they actively seek to obtain.

Question 13

Power analysis is used to:

Accepted Answer

Power analysis is used to determine the appropriate sample size for a study, taking into account factors such as effect size, desired level of significance, and power of the test. It does not relate to defining variables or establishing validity.

Question 14

Walton and Cohen conducted a study in which they intervened in freshman college students' experience by having them read either an essay about how stress is a normal part of the college transition or a control essay.What did the researchers find when they tracked the students' GPAs over the course of the next three years?

Accepted Answer

The researchers found that black students who read an essay about stress being normal had higher GPAs than black students who did not. The treatment did not have a significant effect on the GPAs of white students.

Question 15

One of the primary potential problems in the research process is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of One of the primary potential problems in...

Question 16

Which of the following tactics does NOT help eliminate confounds from research?

Accepted Answer

While getting a random sample from the population of interest is important for generalizing findings, it does not directly address the issue of confounds in the study. The other options (random assignment, including control conditions, performing conceptual replications) are all tactics for addressing and reducing confounds in research.

Question 17

A researcher is able to replicate her study results using the same operational definitions in three countries other than the country where she originally conducted the research.By doing so,she has primarily increased the _____ of her finding.

Accepted Answer

By replicating her study in three countries outside of the original country, the researcher has increased the external validity of her findings. This means that the results are more generalizable to different populations and contexts, strengthening the overall reliability of her study. Conceptual replicability refers to the ability to reproduce the same findings using different operational definitions, construct validity refers to the extent to which a measurement tool accurately measures the construct it is intended to measure, and internal validity refers to the extent to which a study is free from confounding variables and can establish cause-and-effect relationships. While these are all important aspects of research design, they are not the primary factor affected by replicating a study in different countries.

Question 18

What is the definition of a confound?

Accepted Answer

A confound is a variable other than the one being studied that could produce an effect. It is an extraneous variable that could impact the outcomes of the study without the researchers realizing it. Choice A refers to individual differences which are controlled for by random assignment or matching in experimental design. Choice B refers to the problem of determining whether X caused Y or whether Y caused X, but this is not the definition of a confound. Choice D refers to random error which is a different concept from a confound.

Question 19

What is the ultimate function of a good theory in social psychology?

Accepted Answer

The ultimate function of a good theory in social psychology is to be useful, which means it must explain and predict behavior in a way that helps researchers better understand why individuals behave as they do. The other options (controlling variables, showing relationships, reducing unanswered questions) are important goals of theory building, but they are not the ultimate function.

Question 20

A study that is repeated with the major conceptual variables operationalized differently,but yielding similar results,is said to have been:

Accepted Answer

A study that is conceptually replicated means that the same general idea or concept was tested with different operationalizations of its key variables. Despite these differences, the study yielded similar results, which suggests that the findings are robust and not limited to the specific way the variables were measured or manipulated. This type of replication is important for establishing the generalizability and validity of scientific findings. Option A, external validation, refers to the degree to which a study's findings can be generalized to other populations, settings, or measures. Option B, internal validation, refers to the degree to which a study's methods and analyses are sound and trustworthy. Option D, direct replication, refers to repeating a study precisely as it was conducted before, to test whether the original findings can be reproduced. This type of replication is important for establishing the reliability of scientific findings.

Quiz 1: The Revealing Science of Social Psychology