Question 1

A psychodynamic psychologist assumes that people with unresolved childhood issues are more susceptible to stress and anxiety. This psychologist's assumption is best viewed as an example of

Accepted Answer

A hypothesis is a testable prediction derived from a theory, and in this case, the psychologist's assumption that unresolved childhood issues lead to increased susceptibility to stress and anxiety is a specific, testable prediction.

Question 2

When the experimenter's subtle or unintentional behaviours influence the behaviour of participants in his/her experiment, the placebo effect occurs.

Accepted Answer

This description refers to the experimenter effect or experimenter bias, not the placebo effect. The placebo effect occurs when participants in an experiment show a change in behavior or health after receiving a treatment that has no therapeutic effect, simply because they believe it does.

Question 3

Which of the following lists the steps of the scientific process in the proper order?

Accepted Answer

The correct sequence for the scientific process is: 1) Ask a question, 2) Create a hypothesis, 3) Conduct research (or perform experiments), 4) Analyze data, and finally 5) Build a theory based on the findings.

Question 4

Sitting in class one day, Ben wonders aloud to his friend James, why the multiple-choice exams seem harder than essay exams. James, whose older sister is a college professor, tells him that research shows that it is easier to trick students with multiple-choice questions so they are in fact harder. "Wow!" Ben thinks, "So that explains it." Ben would have been better off seeking another opinion, or at least asking James about the research he is talking about. If he had, Ben would be demonstrating a healthy scientific attitude of

Accepted Answer

Ben would be demonstrating skepticism by questioning James' claim and seeking evidence or additional opinions, which is a key aspect of a scientific attitude.

Question 5

What three key attitudes did John Darley and Bibb Latané display in their research on "bystander apathy"?

Accepted Answer

John Darley and Bibb Latané displayed curiosity in exploring why people do not help in emergencies, skepticism in questioning existing beliefs about human behavior, and open-mindedness in considering new explanations and conducting experiments to understand bystander apathy.

Question 6

On the first day of school, Ted's fifth grade teacher asks her students to introduce themselves and tell the class what they did on their summer vacation. Ted notes that all of the smart kids had gone on great trips; so travel, he reasons, must make you smart. Ted gathers information from the students in his school and analyzes it. Ted is testing this ________.

Accepted Answer

Ted is testing a hypothesis, which is an assumption or a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Question 7

According to the ethical guidelines, deception is justified when there are no other alternatives and the potential benefits of a study outweigh the risks.

Accepted Answer

Deception in research is considered ethically permissible when it is the only viable method to obtain certain data, and the anticipated benefits of the research significantly outweigh any potential risks or harm to participants. Ethical guidelines require that participants are debriefed about the deception and its reasons as soon as possible.

Question 8

One of the primary techniques for reducing both the placebo effect and experimenter expectancy effects is random selection.

Accepted Answer

Random selection helps ensure that the sample is representative of the population, but it does not directly address the placebo effect or experimenter expectancy effects. Blinding and random assignment are techniques used to reduce these biases.

Question 9

The first step in the scientific process is to

Accepted Answer

Forming a question about something interesting is the first step in the scientific process. This step involves identifying a topic or phenomenon that requires explanation or investigation.

Question 10

A hypothesis is best considered as

Accepted Answer

The answer of A hypothesis is best considered as
...

Question 11

Many people doubted Sigmund Freud and his psychodynamic theory. They wanted to know what evidence Freud was basing his conclusions on and wondered if there might be a better explanation for the causes of human behaviour. These people's doubts are most similar to which key scientific attitude?

Accepted Answer

Skepticism is the correct answer because it involves questioning the validity of claims and seeking evidence to support or refute those claims, which aligns with the doubts expressed about Freud's theory.

Question 12

As part of their research on bystander apathy, John Darley and Bibb Latané created fake "emergencies" in their experimental laboratory and observed people's responses. When making these observations, what step of the scientific process were they engaged in?

Accepted Answer

Conducting research involves creating controlled situations to observe and record responses or outcomes, which is what Darley and Latané were doing by creating fake emergencies and observing how people reacted.

Question 13

A humanistic psychologist believes that people who don't have a clear sense of meaning in their lives are more vulnerable to depression and physical illness. This psychologist's beliefs are best viewed as an example of

Accepted Answer

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon, made as a starting point for further investigation. The psychologist's belief that a lack of meaning in life leads to depression and illness is an example of a hypothesis because it suggests a specific, testable prediction about the relationship between two variables (sense of meaning and health outcomes).

Question 14

If an experiment has a confounding variable, this significantly lowers its internal validity.

Accepted Answer

A confounding variable is an outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable. This can significantly lower the internal validity of an experiment because it suggests that the observed effects may not be due to the manipulated variables alone, but rather to some other, uncontrolled factors.

Question 15

External validity is concerned with how generalizable the results of a study are to other people and settings.

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized or applied to other people, settings, times, measures, and characteristics beyond those specifically studied.

Question 16

A researcher, who is always willing to consider criticisms of his theory and to make theoretical revisions and adjustments when the evidence supports it, is demonstrating behaviour most consistent with which key scientific attitude?

Accepted Answer

Open-mindedness is the key scientific attitude demonstrated by a researcher willing to consider criticisms and adjust theories based on evidence. This attitude involves being receptive to new ideas and evidence, which is essential for scientific progress.

Question 17

John Darley's and Bibb Latané's statement, "IF an emergency occurs, THEN the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely any one bystander will be to intervene" is best considered an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

This statement is a specific prediction about the relationship between the number of bystanders and the likelihood of intervention in an emergency.

Question 18

Bruce notices that on the days that he eats lunch at Archie's diner, people are less likely to ask him to join them for the afternoon coffee break. Bruce wonders why this is happening and thinks that his co-workers must assume that he doesn't want coffee after a hearty lunch. If Bruce were to use the scientific process, now that he has a tentative explanation, he would translate this into a(n)

Accepted Answer

A specific prediction is the next step after forming a tentative explanation (hypothesis) in the scientific process. It involves making a precise, testable statement about what will happen under certain conditions.

Question 19

John Darley and Bibb Latané made the following assumption: "diffusion of responsibility reduces the likelihood of any single bystander feeling responsible to intervene in an emergency." This assumption is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

This assumption by John Darley and Bibb Latané is an example of a hypothesis, which is a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. It suggests a relationship between two variables: the presence of multiple bystanders (diffusion of responsibility) and the likelihood of intervention in an emergency.

Question 20

According to the results of the study done by John Darley and Bibb Latané, if you are robbed at gunpoint while walking home from the grocery store, your best chance of receiving help from witnesses would be when

Accepted Answer

The study by John Darley and Bibb Latané found that individuals are more likely to help when they are the only witness to an emergency. This is due to the diffusion of responsibility in larger groups, where each person feels less compelled to act because they believe someone else will.

Quiz 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically