Question 1

Consider these two statements: (1) Morbidity always exceeds mortality. (2) Prevalence always exceeds incidence. Which of these statements is/are true?

Accepted Answer

Morbidity, which refers to the incidence of disease, indeed always exceeds mortality, as not all diseases result in death. Prevalence, which is the total number of cases of a disease in a population at a given time, also always exceeds incidence, which is the number of new cases in a specific time period, because prevalence includes both new and existing cases.

Question 2

In an experiment, the factor under consideration as a potential cause is generally the ______ variable.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor that is being manipulated or changed in an experiment in order to observe its effect on the dependent variable. The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or observed, and its value is believed to depend on the independent variable. The control variable is a variable that is held constant or kept consistent throughout the experiment so that it does not influence the results. Randomization is a technique used in experimental design to help ensure that the groups being compared are equivalent before the treatment is applied. Therefore, the factor under consideration as a potential cause is generally the independent variable.

Question 3

Dr. Carroll is conducting ______ when she tests a hypothesis by examining data from the National Nursing Home Survey available on the website of the National Center for Health Statistics.

Accepted Answer

Archival research involves analyzing pre-existing data or records, which is what Dr. Carroll is doing by examining data from the National Nursing Home Survey. A case study typically involves an in-depth examination of one individual, while a survey involves collecting data from a sample of individuals. Naturalistic observation involves observing and recording behavior in its natural setting, which is not what Dr. Carroll is doing in this scenario.

Question 4

Dr. Jackson is performing statistical analyses to combine the results of a number of studies investigating the relationship between locus of control and health-promoting behaviors among young adults. Dr. Jackson is conducting a ______.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Jackson is conducting a meta-analysis, which involves combining the results of multiple studies to provide an overall estimate of the relationship between two variables. A significance test involves determining whether the results of a single study are statistically significant, a replication involves conducting a study to confirm the findings of a previous study, and a longitudinal study involves following individuals over time to examine changes in variables.

Question 5

With respect to the scientific method, the statistics courses that undergraduate psychology degree programs usually require are MOST relevant to the step of ______.

Accepted Answer

Statistics courses are used to analyze data, which is a critical step in the scientific method.

Question 6

Iyesha reads a journal article reporting a study in which a small sample of women undertook tests of spatial ability at two points during their menstrual cycle. She decides to conduct a similar study using a larger sample of women. Iyesha is performing a ______.

Accepted Answer

Iyesha is replicating the study by conducting a similar study with a larger sample size. A meta-analysis involves combining results from multiple studies, a significance test is used to determine if the results are statistically significant, and a correlation involves examining the relationship between two variables.

Question 7

Which research strategy is correctly matched with the type of validity it is aimed at minimizing?

Accepted Answer

Using a double-blind design helps to minimize threats to internal validity by ensuring that neither the participants nor the experimenters are aware of who is receiving the treatment. This reduces bias and ensures that any effects observed are due to the treatment itself rather than other factors.

Question 8

Which field MOST explicitly recognizes that genes and the environment always interact?

Accepted Answer

Epigenetics focuses on how environmental factors can affect gene expression and function, emphasizing the dynamic interaction between genes and the environment. This view reflects the understanding that genes alone do not determine an organism's development, behavior, or health, but rather their expression is influenced by a complex interplay with environmental conditions. Therefore, epigenetics is the field that most explicitly recognizes that genes and the environment always interact.

Question 9

A researcher is MOST likely to find a ______ correlation between scores on a measure of social support and scores on a measure of subjective well-being. Assume that higher scores on the measure indicate greater social support and higher well-being.

Accepted Answer

A researcher is more likely to find a positive correlation between scores on a measure of social support and scores on a measure of subjective well-being. This is because as social support scores increase, subjective well-being scores are likely to increase as well.

Question 10

A ______ sample is one that is easily accessible to the researcher.

Accepted Answer

A convenience sample is one that is composed of individuals who are easily accessible to the researcher, often because they are volunteers, or easily located in a specific location or group. This is in contrast to a randomized, representative sample, which would be selected randomly and would accurately represent the larger population. A double-blind sample is not a common term and does not accurately describe a type of sample.

Question 11

The two types of validity are ______ and ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

The two types of validity are internal and external validity. Internal validity refers to the extent to which a study’s results can be attributed to the experimental treatment and not other factors. External validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other populations, settings, and situations. The other answer choices do not accurately describe the two types of validity.

Question 12

Suppose that in one study, breast-cancer patients write either about their feelings concerning their diagnosis or simply about the facts of their disease. For each group, the researchers track the number of contacts the women make with the health-care system for 60 days. In this study, the number of contacts is a(n) ______ variable.

Accepted Answer

The number of contacts the women make with the health-care system is the outcome variable in this study and is dependent on whether they wrote about their feelings or just the facts. Therefore, it is a dependent variable.

Question 13

Inaccurate reporting, constrained response options, and leading questions are all potential drawbacks of ______.

Accepted Answer

Surveys can be subject to inaccurate reporting if respondents do not answer truthfully, constrained response options if the survey only allows respondents to choose from a limited set of answers, and leading questions if the survey questions influence respondents to answer in a certain way.

Question 14

With respect to descriptive research methods, Sigmund Freud's theory was built on a foundation of ______ data.

Accepted Answer

Sigmund Freud's theory was built on a foundation of case study data, where he would conduct in-depth analysis of individual cases to develop his theories of psychoanalysis.

Question 15

With respect to epidemiological research, prospective study is to retrospective study as ______ is to ______.

Accepted Answer

Prospective study is a study in which individuals are followed over time to see if they develop a certain outcome, while retrospective study involves looking back at past data to determine if there is a relationship between an exposure and outcome. The relationship between prospective and retrospective study is about the timing of data collection, rather than the type of study design. Therefore, the answer is future (prospective) and past (retrospective).

Question 16

Theory is to hypothesis as ______ is to ______.

Accepted Answer

A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses, and facts. A hypothesis is a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation, often predicting a possible outcome. Thus, "explanation" relates to "prediction" as a broader, more substantiated concept to a narrower, speculative one, making B the correct analogy.

Question 17

Which method is considered the "gold standard" in clinical research?

Accepted Answer

Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard in clinical research because they provide the most rigorous method for testing the effectiveness of a treatment or intervention. In these trials, participants are randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group, which helps to control for confounding variables and isolate the effects of the treatment being tested. This method allows researchers to draw stronger conclusions about the cause-and-effect relationship between the treatment and the outcome being measured.

Question 18

A developmental health psychologist is comparing middle-aged and older-adults' perceptions of health care options in her community. She is matching the adults on such variables as ethnicity, education, and SEs. The psychologist is conducting a(n) ______ using a ______ design.

Accepted Answer

The psychologist is not manipulating any variables or randomly assigning participants, so it is not an experiment. It is a quasi-experiment because she is comparing groups that already exist in the community. She is also using a cross-sectional design because she is comparing different age groups at the same time, rather than following them over a period of time in a longitudinal design.

Question 19

Experiments differ from descriptive research techniques in that experiments ______.

Accepted Answer

Experiments involve the random assignment of participants to conditions, which allows for the manipulation of an independent variable and measurement of its effects on a dependent variable. Descriptive research techniques, on the other hand, do not involve manipulation or random assignment, but rather rely on observation and description of naturally occurring phenomena. Therefore, choices A, B, and D are incorrect.

Question 20

A researcher assesses stress by measuring levels of cortisol in the blood. This is a(n) ______ definition of stress.

Accepted Answer

An operational definition is a definition that describes the specific procedures or operations that will be used to measure or identify a variable or concept. In this case, the researcher is measuring stress by measuring levels of cortisol in the blood, which is an operational definition of stress. Theoretical definitions describe the meaning or underlying concept of a variable, experimental definitions describe how a variable will be manipulated or measured in an experiment, and descriptive definitions describe the characteristics or features of a variable.

Quiz 2: Research Methods