A personality researcher revisits the hypothesis that frustration leads to regression.She collects data from 49 female Internet users measuring their sense of personal frustration and their self-ratings of aggression.A scatterplot is shown below.A colleague who comments on the research suggests that frustration and aggression are both caused by early childhood experiences. Which of the following statements is true?
A)The colleague is suggesting this is an example of a voodoo correlation.
B)The colleague's alternative hypothesis appears to be Freudian and so can be ignored in modern psychology.
C)The colleague's alternative hypothesis sounds Freudian and while this is relevant for modern psychology it has nothing to do with online behavior.
D)The colleague is proposing that the correlation between frustration and aggression is spurious.
E)Both (a)and (c).

Question

A personality researcher revisits the hypothesis that frustration leads to regression.She collects data from 49 female Internet users measuring their sense of personal frustration and their self-ratings of aggression.A scatterplot is shown below.A colleague who comments on the research suggests that frustration and aggression are both caused by early childhood experiences.  Which of the following statements is true?
A)The colleague is suggesting this is an example of a voodoo correlation. 
B)The colleague's alternative hypothesis appears to be Freudian and so can be ignored in modern psychology. 
C)The colleague's alternative hypothesis sounds Freudian and while this is relevant for modern psychology it has nothing to do with online behavior. 
D)The colleague is proposing that the correlation between frustration and aggression is spurious. 
E)Both (a)and (c).

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The colleague's suggestion that both frustration and aggression are caused by early childhood experiences indicates a proposal that the correlation between frustration and aggression is spurious. This is because the colleague is suggesting that there is a common third variable (early childhood experiences) that is causing both frustration and aggression, rather than a direct causal relationship between the two variables. Therefore, option D is the most appropriate answer. Option A is incorrect as there is no indication of a voodoo correlation in this scenario. Option B is incorrect as it is an irrelevant judgment on Freudian psychology. Option C is partially correct, but the suggestion of early childhood experiences is relevant to understanding online behavior as well.

A Personality Researcher Revisits the Hypothesis That Frustration Leads to Regression.She