Question 1

A psychologist found a significant correlation between a history of childhood physical abuse and the likelihood of a person later becoming aggressive. Other researchers conducting correlational studies replicated this finding. What is the BEST conclusion that the psychologist can draw from the results of these studies?

Accepted Answer

The psychologist can conclude that there is a relationship between early physical abuse and later aggression. However, correlational studies do not establish causation, so it cannot be definitively stated that early physical abuse causes later aggression. It is also important to note that the scope of the relationship is limited to physical abuse and aggression, and does not necessarily include other types of abuse (such as sexual abuse).

Question 2

Roneice said, "Lots of people who have been abused as children later become abusers themselves. I think experiencing abuse as a child causes people to become abusers." This common psychological misconception:

Accepted Answer

Roneice's statement confuses correlation with causation by assuming that experiencing abuse as a child causes people to become abusers later in life. However, while there may be a correlation between experiencing abuse as a child and becoming an abuser, it is not necessarily a causal relationship. There are many other factors that could contribute to someone becoming an abuser, including their environment, upbringing, and personal choices. Therefore, it is important to avoid making assumptions about causality based on correlation alone.

Question 3

Using survey results as evidence can be advantageous because surveys:

Accepted Answer

Surveys tend to allow a lot of data to be economically collected, making it an advantageous form of evidence. However, surveys do not provide high-quality data that allows for causal inferences or demonstrate cause and effect relationships.

Question 4

A neurologist measured a woman's ability to form visual images after she suffered brain damage to the visual cortex in her occipital lobe. He observed that the visual images she could form were severely reduced in size. After describing her imagery ability and the extent of her brain damage, the neurologist concluded that her reduced ability to form visual images was related to the brain damage. The kind of evidence used in this study is likely to have which of the following limitations?

Accepted Answer

The limitation of this study is that it may be unique and not generalize to other people since the woman's brain damage and resulting visual impairment may be specific to her individual case.

Question 5

Jane Goodall studied primates and made many important discoveries about chimpanzee behavior when she studied these animals in their natural environment. Goodall used a _____ research design for her study.

Accepted Answer

Goodall's study involved observing chimpanzees in their natural environment, which is a key characteristic of a field study. A participant observer design would involve the researcher immersing themselves in the group being studied, but in Goodall's case, she was observing from a distance. A quasi-experiment would involve manipulating variables, but Goodall was mainly observing behavior without manipulating any variables. A correlational study would involve looking for relationships between variables, but Goodall's study was mainly observational.

Question 6

An educational psychologist is interested in finding out whether a new instructional program is effective in teaching students a second language. She randomly assigns students to two groups. She trains one group with the program, and then compares the performance of this group with another group that does not get the program. This kind of study is best described as _____; it _____allow for a causal inference to be drawn.

Accepted Answer

This is a true experiment because the educational psychologist randomly assigns students to two groups and manipulates the independent variable (use of the new instructional program). By doing so, she can control extraneous variables and infer causation. However, there may be some limitations to the study design that may affect causal inference, such as external validity or participant bias.

Question 7

Research has shown that self-esteem is significantly positively correlated with academic performance. Some educators have argued that we should improve the self-esteem of students to improve their academic performance. Which thinking error are these educators making?

Accepted Answer

The educators are making the mistake of confusing correlation with causation. Just because self-esteem is correlated with academic performance does not mean that improving self-esteem will necessarily cause academic performance to improve. There could be other factors at play that are causing both high self-esteem and high academic performance.

Question 8

A psychologist wants to find out how often college students in serious relationships cheat on their partners. She conducts a survey research study asking college students a number of questions about their relationships, including confidential questions about cheating. Which of the following is a limitation of using a survey as evidence in the study of cheating behavior?

Accepted Answer

One of the limitations of using a survey as evidence in the study of cheating behavior is that respondents may not respond honestly about such experiences due to social desirability bias or fear of judgment. This can lead to inaccurate data and skewed results.

Question 9

When David Taylor infiltrated the Heaven's Gate cult, he observed that new members did not endorse all of the beliefs of the group, but the strength of their endorsement increased the longer they were in the cult. What is the most appropriate conclusion that can be drawn from the Balch and Taylor study?

Accepted Answer

The observation made by David Taylor in the Heaven's Gate cult suggests that members' endorsement of the group's beliefs increased the longer they were in the cult. Therefore, the most appropriate conclusion that can be drawn from the Balch and Taylor study is that greater acceptance of the cult's beliefs was related to being in the cult for a longer period of time (Option D). This does not necessarily mean that joining the cult led members to eventually believe even the most extreme ideas (Option A) or that becoming a cult member caused a person to believe at least some of the cult's ideas (Option B). It also does not necessarily imply that the beliefs of cult members were caused solely by their cult experience (Option C).

Question 10

A researcher randomly assigned participants to two different types of personality description that she said were based on their astrological sign. The descriptions were actually very similar and differed only in how general or specific they were. The group that received general information rated the description as more accurate than the group that received more specific descriptions. What conclusion may be drawn from this study?

Accepted Answer

The study suggests that a general personality description may cause a person to think the general description is more accurate.

Question 11

An important advantage of naturalistic observation studies is that they:

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation studies allow researchers to observe behavior in real-world settings, making it easier to generalize findings to the real world. They do not allow for causal inferences to be made since the researcher cannot manipulate variables or control extraneous variables, making it difficult to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 12

Rotton and Kelly (1985) wrote a literature review examining whether the phase of the moon was related to abnormal or deviant behaviors. They reported that 36 studies found no relation between the two variables, and one study found a significant relation. What is the BEST conclusion someone can draw regarding whether the phase of the moon is related to abnormal behavior?

Accepted Answer

The review of the literature found that 36 studies showed no relationship between the phase of the moon and abnormal behavior, and only one study found a significant relationship. Therefore, based on the quantity of evidence, a tentative conclusion can be drawn that the phase of the moon is not related to abnormal behavior. However, further studies may be necessary to confirm this conclusion.

Question 13

Devin was worried about taking his statistics exam, even though he studied diligently. On the morning of the exam, he wore his favorite, softest shirt so that he would be comfortable during the test. When he received a surprisingly high grade, Devin said to himself, "I think it was the shirt; it is lucky and helped me do well." Which thinking error is Devin MOST likely making?

Accepted Answer

Devin is attributing his success on the exam to wearing his favorite shirt simply because the good performance followed the action of wearing the shirt. This is a classic example of post hoc reasoning, where one assumes that because one event followed another, the first event caused the second.

Question 14

A neurologist measured a woman's ability to form visual images after brain damage to her visual cortex. He observed that the visual images she could form were severely reduced in size. After describing her imagery ability and the extent of her brain damage, the neurologist concluded that the woman's reduced ability to form visual images was related to the brain damage. The kind of evidence being offered is from a(n):

Accepted Answer

A case study is a detailed examination of an individual, often used in medical or psychological research to gain insight into a particular condition or phenomenon. In this case, the neurologist is examining one woman's ability to form visual images after brain damage, making it a case study. It is not a field study, which would involve observing and collecting data in natural settings; it is not an anecdote, which is a brief, personal account of an event; and it is not a quasi-experiment, which involves manipulating one variable and observing its effects, as there is no manipulation of variables in this case study.

Question 15

Dr. Robert Balch and his graduate student David Taylor studied a UFO cult that later was called Heaven's Gate. Cult members believed that they were chosen to rendezvous with aliens from space. In the 1980s, Taylor infiltrated the group to study it undercover, interacting and observing members for more than a year. The type of research evidence provided by Taylor was a:

Accepted Answer

The evidence provided by David Taylor was a participant-observer field study using naturalistic observation because he infiltrated the group and observed their behavior and beliefs firsthand for over a year. There was no manipulation of variables, so it was not an experiment or quasi-experiment. It was also not a case study of an individual member, as Taylor observed and interacted with multiple members of the group.

Question 16

Survey research studies that examine the association between responses to different questions are often:

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies are used to examine the relationship between two or more variables. In survey research, correlations can be analyzed to understand how responses to different questions may be related. This type of study does not involve manipulating any variables, so it is not a true experiment. It also does not focus on a single individual or case, so it is not a case study. Finally, because data is collected through self-report surveys, it is not a naturalistic observational study.

Question 17

The Balch and Taylor participant observer study (1977) on the Heaven's Gate group is most similar to a:

Accepted Answer

The Balch and Taylor study utilized a participant observation method where the researchers immersed themselves in the group's daily activities and experiences. This approach is characteristic of a field study with naturalistic observation, where the researchers observe behavior in its natural environment without interfering or manipulating variables.

Question 18

What is an advantage of survey research and the evidence it provides?

Accepted Answer

Survey research is often a cost-effective way to collect a large amount of data from a sample population. This can be particularly useful for researchers who are working with limited budgets or who want to quickly collect data from a large and diverse group of participants. Additionally, surveys can be administered in a variety of formats (e.g., online, paper surveys, phone interviews), which can make them accessible to a wide range of individuals. However, it is important to note that survey research does have limitations, including potential issues with response bias and the inability to establish causality.

Question 19

A psychologist wanted to find out how the hours that college students work at part-time jobs relate to their grades. She conducted a survey research study asking college students to report if they were employed and how many hours they worked per week. By using a survey, the researcher has the advantage of being able to:

Accepted Answer

By conducting a survey and asking students to report their employment status and number of hours worked per week, the researcher can collect a lot of data showing the relationship between hours worked and grades. However, the survey cannot determine causation (option A and C) and relies on the respondents to accurately report their experiences (option B).

Question 20

A researcher randomly assigned participants to two different types of personality description that she said were based on their astrological sign. The descriptions were actually very similar and differed only in how general or specific they were. The group that received general information rated the description as more accurate than the group that received more specific descriptions. This research is a:

Accepted Answer

This is a true experiment because the researcher randomly assigned participants to different conditions (general vs specific descriptions) and manipulated the independent variable (type of description). By doing so, the researcher was able to establish causality and determine whether the type of description affected participants' ratings of accuracy.

Quiz 4: Critical Thinking and Scientific Reasoning