Question 1

In well-designed research studies, medications that enhance serotonin functioning have been found to help groups of patients recover from episodes of depression.Based on this information, which statement offers the most appropriate conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The best conclusion based on the provided information is that medications that enhance serotonin functioning have been found to be potentially helpful in the treatment of depression. This statement recognizes the positive impact of these medications on groups of patients, while also acknowledging that medication is not always the appropriate treatment for psychological disorders. The information provided does not support the conclusion that only the most severely depressed patients will be helped by these medications, or that serotonin malfunctioning causes depression.

Question 2

One of the problems with longitudinal research is that it may be difficult to generalize the findings to other cohorts whose life experiences are very different from those of the study participants.What is this phenomenon known as?

Accepted Answer

The cross-generational effect refers to the difficulty in generalizing findings from one cohort to another due to differences in life experiences and historical contexts.

Question 3

Dr.Eso finds that as scores on one depression scale increase by one, scores on a different depression scale also increase by one.What is the correlation between the scores on the two depression scales?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr.Eso finds that as scores on one...

Question 4

Why is randomization used to assign research participants to groups?

Accepted Answer

Randomization is used to prevent assembling groups that differ in a way that may influence the research outcome. By randomly assigning research participants to different groups, researchers can minimize the likelihood that group differences will bias their results. This helps to ensure that any observed effects are due to the independent variable rather than other factors that might vary between groups.

Question 5

When conducting research with adults who have been diagnosed with a psychological disorder, which of the following is essential regarding consent?

Accepted Answer

Informed consent is necessary when conducting research with adult participants, including those with psychological disorders. However, it is important to take into account the participant's ability to give free and informed consent, as some disorders may impair their capacity to understand the implications of their involvement in the study. Therefore, the researcher needs to ensure that the participant is fully informed of the nature of the research and can provide voluntary and informed consent. B is incorrect, as informed consent should be given by the participant themselves, not a family member or guardian. C is incorrect, as informed consent is always necessary. D is incorrect, as approval from the Canadian Psychological Association is not necessarily required, although approval from a relevant ethical review board is essential.

Question 6

Why are placebos used in experiments?

Accepted Answer

Placebos are used in experiments to control for the expectations of some research participants that they will improve just because they are in a research study. This helps ensure that any observed effects of treatment are not simply due to participant expectations or biases.

Question 7

What is the highest priority when deciding if research is ethical, according to the Tri-Council Policy Statement for the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans?

Accepted Answer

According to the Tri-Council Policy Statement, the highest priority when deciding if research is ethical is the welfare of the research participants. This means that the safety, health, and rights of the participants must be protected throughout the research process. The potential benefit to society and validity of the research question are important considerations, but they come after the welfare of the participants has been addressed. The random assignment of participants to research groups is a methodological issue and does not necessarily impact the ethicality of the research.

Question 8

Four-year-old Jane took part in a research study that investigated the effects of junk food on obesity in children.When the study was published in a research journal, Jane's name appeared in the article.What guideline of ethical research involving children was violated?

Accepted Answer

The ethical guideline that was violated in this scenario is that a child's identity must remain confidential. By including Jane's name in the article, her privacy was not protected.

Question 9

What is one reason that we can expect rapid increases in our understanding of the genetic influences of psychopathology over the next several years?

Accepted Answer

The success of the human genome project has provided researchers with a vast amount of genetic information that can be used to study the genetic influences of psychopathology. This knowledge is expected to continue to contribute to rapid advancements in understanding these influences in the coming years.

Question 10

What is the key element in a double-blind control study?

Accepted Answer

In a double-blind control study, neither the treatment provider nor the research participants are aware of who is in the treatment group and who is in the control group. This is important for reducing bias and ensuring that the results are more accurate. Option A is incorrect because the treatment provider may know whether the treatment is effective, but they will not know which participants are receiving it. Option B is incorrect because it is important for the treatment provider and research participants to be aware of the research findings, but only after the study has been completed. Option D is incorrect because research participants must be aware that they are participating in a study and give informed consent.

Question 11

Unlike her mother, Mary has bright red hair; however, Mary's maternal grandmother has the same colour of hair.In other words, grandmother and granddaughter look alike.What is exemplified by the fact that Mary does not look like her mother but does look like her maternal grandmother?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Unlike her mother, Mary has bright red...

Question 12

What does the prevalence of a disorder refer to?

Accepted Answer

The prevalence of a disorder refers to the number of people with a disorder at any one time. It does not refer to the relative seriousness of one disorder to other disorders (option A), the estimated number of new cases during a specific period of time (option C), or the incidence, distribution, and consequences of a problem in a population (option D).

Question 13

Researchers predicted that the parents of children who "act out" at school would see a decrease in that behaviour if they themselves were to take problem-solving skills training.In this example, what were the researchers hypothesizing about parental problem-solving skills and children's acting-out behaviours?

Accepted Answer

The researchers hypothesized that improving parental problem-solving skills would lead to a decrease in children's acting-out behaviors, indicating a belief in a negative correlation between the two variables.

Question 14

What does the incidence of a disorder refer to?

Accepted Answer

The incidence of a disorder refers to the estimated number of new cases during a specific period of time, usually a year.

Question 15

Which of the following can family, twin, and adoption studies NOT identify?

Accepted Answer

Family, twin, and adoption studies can give information about the degree of influence of genetics and environment for a specific psychological disorder, and whether a particular form of psychopathology is influenced by genes or the environment. However, they cannot identify the specific location of a gene associated with psychopathology. This requires molecular genetics research.

Question 16

What type of research compares people with a specific disorder to those without the disorder, and then identifies markers that occur significantly more often in people with the disorder?

Accepted Answer

This type of research is an association study, where researchers compare individuals with a specific disorder to those without it to identify markers that occur significantly more often in the group with the disorder. This allows for the identification of potential risk factors or underlying genetic factors associated with the disorder.

Question 17

The effects of a study on sleep finds that research participants who took a supplement slept an average of 7 hours and 25 minutes per night.The participants who were given a placebo pill slept for an average of 7 hours and 20 minutes.How are these findings best described?

Accepted Answer

The difference between the sleep duration of those who took the supplement and those who took a placebo is only 5 minutes, which is likely too small to have a meaningful impact on health or well-being, indicating the findings are not clinically significant.

Question 18

Dr.Seto is considering using awithdrawal design as part of a single-case experiment, but she has one major concern about this method.What concern does Dr.Seto most likely have?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Seto's major concern with using a withdrawal design is likely that she would be concerned about removing treatment that appears to be helping the patient. This is because in a withdrawal design, the treatment is removed or withdrawn to see if the previous improvements are maintained or if there is a return to baseline behavior. However, if the treatment is effective, it may be difficult or unethical to withdraw it, as doing so could harm the patient.

Question 19

What do you call any factor in a research study that makes the results uninterpretable?

Accepted Answer

A confound refers to any variable that may affect the outcome of a study but is not accounted for or controlled by the researcher. Confounding variables can make it difficult to interpret study results as it becomes unclear whether the effects observed are due to the independent variable being tested or the confounding variable.

Question 20

A confound in a study makes the results uninterpretable.What does it affect?

Accepted Answer

Confounds affect internal validity, which is the extent to which a study accurately demonstrates a cause-and-effect relationship between variables. Confounds make it difficult to determine whether the observed effect is due to the independent variable or some other factor, such as a confounding variable. This reduces the internal validity of the study, making the results uninterpretable. Confounds do not directly affect testability, test-retest reliability, or external validity.

Quiz 4: Research Methods