Question 1

Instead of manipulating variables, the researcher measures the extent to which changes in one variable are accompanied by changes in a second variable. What type of study is this?

Accepted Answer

This is a correlational study because the researcher is measuring the relationship between two variables, rather than manipulating one variable to see its effect on the other.

Question 2

Rosie participates in a study assessing the effectiveness of a drug to treat osteoporosis. Throughout the study, neither Rosie nor the person administering the dosage knows whether she was getting the real medication or a placebo. Rosie is participating in a ____.

Accepted Answer

Rosie is participating in a double-blind design study, which means that both she and the person administering the dosage are unaware of whether she is receiving the real medication or a placebo. This type of study design helps to minimize the potential for bias and increase the accuracy of the results.

Question 3

In a study of the effectiveness of cognitive therapy on anxiety, fifty anxious patients are divided into two groups. One group gets cognitive therapy, the other a fake kind of therapy that should have no benefit. However, the patients can tell that the second form of treatment is a fake. The study is weak because ____.

Accepted Answer

The study is weak because the placebo condition did not control for expectancy, as the patients could tell that the second form of treatment was fake, potentially influencing their response to the treatment.

Question 4

Dr. Gonzalez devised a new scale to measure depressive symptoms among Hispanic females. To be sure that his test is actually measuring depressive symptoms, he will have his test group respond to his new instrument and the Beck Depression Inventory, as well as completing a social desirability scale, which should be unrelated to depression. Dr. Gonzalez is ____.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Gonzalez is checking the validity of his measure by comparing it to an established measure (Beck Depression Inventory) and ensuring it is not related to unrelated constructs (social desirability).

Question 5

"I never accept the results of one study as conclusive. Findings must be replicated. I look carefully at the methods used to produce conclusions. Because of my skeptical attitude, you can assume that I am a ____."

Accepted Answer

The statement mentions looking carefully at methods and being skeptical, both of which are characteristics of a scientist. Philosophers may question and explore theories, but their approach is not necessarily focused on empirical evidence. Clinicians utilize scientific evidence, but their primary focus is on applying that evidence to patient care rather than scrutinizing research methods. Newspaper reporters may report on scientific findings, but they are not necessarily trained to evaluate research methods or replicate studies.

Question 6

Emily came to see her advisor about doing a research study for her Ph.D. dissertation. "What are you going to investigate?" he asked.
"I believe that drinking orange juice before an IQ test will raise a person's score," she said.
Emily's answer constitutes a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

Emily's statement is a hypothesis as she is proposing a cause-and-effect relationship between drinking orange juice and an increase in IQ scores.

Question 7

A researcher believes that depressive symptoms will be reduced when family members give attention to competent behavior and express disinterest when depressive behavior is exhibited. In this example, attention is the ____ and depressive symptoms are the ____.

Accepted Answer

In experimental research, the independent variable is manipulated and thought to have an effect on the dependent variable. In this example, the attention given to competent behavior and disinterest shown toward depressive behavior is the independent variable that is believed to have an effect on the dependent variable, which is the reduction of depressive symptoms. Therefore, attention is the independent variable and depressive symptoms are the dependent variable.

Question 8

The best way to test cause-and-effect relationships is with a(n) ____.

Accepted Answer

The best way to test cause-and-effect relationships is with an experiment. In an experiment, the researcher manipulates one variable (the independent variable) to see how it affects another variable (the dependent variable). This allows for the establishment of a causal relationship between the two variables. Case studies are useful for providing in-depth information about a specific individual or situation, but they do not allow for generalization to a larger population. Placebos are used in experiments to control for the placebo effect, but they do not specifically test cause-and-effect relationships. Correlational studies examine the relationship between two variables, but do not establish causation.

Question 9

In the Thom et al. (2000) study of the treatment of dental-phobic patients, if participants in the two experimental groups showed reduced anxiety from pretest to posttest, could the researchers conclude that the treatments were effective in reducing anxiety?

Accepted Answer

Without a control group, there is no way to know if other factors (such as time passing or simply being in a supportive environment) contributed to the reduction in anxiety. Therefore, a control group is necessary to determine if the treatments were effective in reducing anxiety.

Question 10

Which of the following is a hallmark of the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

The scientific method involves systematic data collection, controlled observation, and hypothesis testing to ensure reliable and valid results.

Question 11

To study the effectiveness of a new anti-anxiety drug, researchers randomly assign equally anxious people to two groups, one getting Drug X and the other getting no drug. The researchers mistakenly conclude that Drug X works because people in the drug group show fewer signs of anxiety than the others. What is the mistake?

Accepted Answer

The mistake is that there was no placebo control group. Without a control group receiving a placebo, it is impossible to know if the reduction in anxiety symptoms is due to the drug or simply a placebo effect. The researchers need to have a group that is identical to the experimental group in all ways except that they do not receive the drug being tested. This allows for a proper comparison and determination of the drug's effectiveness.

Question 12

What conclusion can be reached from research findings that the mass media reports?

Accepted Answer

The statement "Initial findings reported by newspapers often are not replicated" reflects the conclusion that can be reached from research findings reported in the mass media. Option A is not a conclusive statement, and option B is too extreme and not necessarily true. Option D is not true, as there are more reliable sources of scientific information than newspapers.

Question 13

A researcher finds that when people report their sexual activity on a mailed questionnaire, they indicate higher levels of bizarre fantasies than when they are questioned face to face. This indicates that these methods of measuring sexual activity ____.

Accepted Answer

The fact that different methods (mailed questionnaire vs face-to-face questioning) yield different results indicates a lack of reliability in the methods, as they are not consistent in their measurements.

Question 14

In an experiment, the ____ is as similar as possible to the experimental group except that it is not exposed to the independent variable.

Accepted Answer

The control group is used as a baseline to compare with the experimental group and is not exposed to the independent variable.

Question 15

Your neighbor tells you, "I'm concerned about vaccinating my children. I understand that scientists have proved that childhood vaccines cause autism." What response to your neighbor is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate a possible link between childhood vaccines and autism, but none of them have found a causal relationship between the two. In fact, the original study that claimed such a link has been thoroughly discredited and retracted by the medical journal that published it.

Question 16

A researcher studies a group of elderly people and finds that, as a group, the better their memory performance, the lower their anxiety level. What can be said about this research?

Accepted Answer

The fact that the researcher found a relationship between memory performance and anxiety level indicates that it was a correlational study. However, the study cannot determine causation, therefore option B is incorrect. The study is not an experiment because the researcher did not manipulate any variables, therefore option C is incorrect. Also, a perfect positive correlation means that every data point is perfectly aligned in a straight line, which is unlikely to occur in real-world data, making option D incorrect.

Question 17

A researcher believes that the higher a person's creativity, the greater the person's likelihood of showing mood swings. Research to test this idea ____.

Accepted Answer

The correlation method would be the most appropriate to test the relationship between creativity and mood swings as it would allow researchers to examine the relationship between the two variables without manipulating them. It would not require an experimental design as the relationship is not necessarily causal. It could have a nomothetic orientation as this type of research seeks to identify general principles and patterns in human behavior. It would not require a double-blind design as there is no intervention being tested.

Question 18

What type of study will yield information on levels of school phobia in children are related to levels of social anxiety?

Accepted Answer

A correlational study is used to determine if there is a relationship between two variables, such as school phobia and social anxiety levels in children.

Question 19

What is the role of replication in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the role of replication in...

Question 20

By definition, reliable measures ____; valid measures ____.

Accepted Answer

Reliable measures have consistency over time and measure what they are supposed to measure accurately. Valid measures, on the other hand, measure what they are supposed to measure and are not affected by any confounding variables. Therefore, option C is the correct choice.

Quiz 3: Clinical Research, Assessment, and Classification of Mental Disorders