Question 1

Examining the social behaviours of whales as they migrate is an example of
A)a case study
B)naturalistic observation
C)survey research
D)an experiment

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation involves observing subjects in their natural environment without interference, which is the method used to study whales' migration behaviors.

Question 2

A limitation to naturalistic studies can be a
A)bias
B)data
C)causality
D)there are no limitations

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic studies are observational studies that do not involve any intervention from the researcher. This means that the researcher cannot control the variables that are being studied, which can lead to bias. For example, if the researcher is studying the effects of a new drug, they cannot randomly assign participants to receive the drug or a placebo. This could lead to bias if the participants who receive the drug are more likely to be healthy than the participants who receive the placebo.

Question 3

A college advisor wants to know how much TV students in her dorm are watching, but she has noticed that students tend to leave the TV room when she comes in to see who is watching. To get around this problem, she decides to measure wear-and-tear on the TV remote control as a measure of how much TV is being watched. Like many psychologists, this advisor is using a(n)
A)unobtrusive measure
B)hypothesis
C)double-blind procedure
D)placebo control group

Accepted Answer

The advisor is using an unobtrusive measure, which means she is measuring something in a way that does not interfere with the behavior of the participants. In this case, she is assessing TV watching indirectly through the wear-and-tear on the TV remote control, avoiding altering the students' behavior by her presence.

Question 4

Which of the following would specifically be an advantage of the case study method of research? Case Studies
A)generally are not susceptible to experimenter expectancy effects
B)are a good method for studying rare events
C)are very useful for determining cause-effect relationships
D)generally are not vulnerable to experimental confounds

Accepted Answer

Case studies are particularly valuable for studying rare events or conditions because they allow for in-depth analysis of those instances, which might not be possible through other research methods that require larger sample sizes or more generalized conditions.

Question 5

An important advantage of naturalistic observation is that it can
A)provide important information on cause-effect relationships
B)more easily be incorporated into meta-analyses
C)provide detailed information on naturally occurring behaviour
D)tend to have low external validity

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation allows researchers to study behaviors in their natural environments, providing detailed and genuine insights into how individuals or animals act in real-world settings, without the artificiality or influence of a lab environment. This method does not manipulate variables or control the environment, thus offering a rich source of natural behavior data.

Question 6

While conducting a survey interview, a participant becomes slightly embarrassed and decides to answer the questions in such a way as to make himself look more friendly and acceptable to the interviewer. The participant does this on his own and is NOT responding to any cues the interviewer is providing. This example most clearly demonstrates which limitation of survey research?
A)Experimenter effects
B)Demand characteristics
C)The social desirability bias
D)Random sampling

Accepted Answer

The social desirability bias occurs when respondents answer questions in a manner that they believe will be viewed favorably by others, often leading to overreporting of "good" behavior or underreporting of "bad" behavior, independent of the interviewer's influence.

Question 7

The case study is an example of which kind of research method?
A)Descriptive
B)Correlational
C)Experimental
D)Hypothetical

Accepted Answer

Case studies are a descriptive research method used to examine individuals or specific situations in depth, often to understand complex phenomena within their contexts.

Question 8

Researchers sometimes gather information about people's overt behaviours by using pre-existing records or documents which are called _________________.
A)archival measures
B)physiological responses
C)self-report measures
D)random samples

Accepted Answer

Archival measures involve the use of pre-existing records or documents to gather information about people's overt behaviors, making them a valuable tool for researchers who are interested in studying behaviors without directly interacting with participants.

Question 9

A museum is interested in determining which particular pieces of art are the most popular but does not want to directly ask its patrons. Instead, the head of the museum decides to keep track of the wear on the carpet in front of each of the pieces, assuming that the more popular pieces will have more worn carpet in front of them. This particular way of measuring art popularity is making use of a(n)
A)confounding variable
B)placebo
C)representative sample
D)unobtrusive measure

Accepted Answer

This method is an example of an unobtrusive measure because it assesses behavior or preferences indirectly, without the subjects being aware that they are being observed or studied, thus avoiding influencing their behavior.

Question 10

A young man is interested in making a good impression on the parents of the person he is currently dating. Because of this, when he meets them he overemphasizes his good qualities and ignores many of his shortcomings. This man's behaviour is most relevant to which of the following concepts?
A)Experimenter expectancy effects
B)The social desirability bias
C)Confounding variables
D)Demand characteristics

Accepted Answer

The social desirability bias refers to the tendency of individuals to present themselves in a favorable light, especially in social settings, by overstating their positive qualities and understating their negative ones. This is exactly what the young man is doing to make a good impression on his date's parents.

Question 11

In order to learn about the social behaviour of children, a developmental psychologist goes to a school and watches the children playing on the playground outside during recess. This psychologist is engaged in which method of research?
A)Naturalistic observation
B)Correlational research
C)A case study
D)Experiment research

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation involves observing subjects in their natural environment without interfering. In this case, the psychologist is observing children's social behavior during recess at school, which fits the definition of naturalistic observation.

Question 12

Coding systems are used
A)to record different categories of behaviour
B)to record reaction times
C)to determine the levels of behaviour
D)to determine the cause of a behaviour

Accepted Answer

Coding systems are primarily used to categorize and record different types of behaviors systematically for analysis.

Question 13

When the researcher observes behaviour as it occurs in a normal or typical setting, she is using _______________.
A)survey research
B)a case study
C)correlational research
D)naturalistic observation

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation is a research method in which the researcher observes subjects in their natural environment without intervening. This approach is used to study behavior in a real-world setting.

Question 14

Which of the following would be a potential limitation of naturalistic observation?
A)The observer's presence may disrupt or influence the behaviour of the person or animal they are watching.
B)Naturalistic observation makes improper use of random assignment.
C)The settings in which naturalistic observations typically occur tend to be unrealistic laboratory settings.
D)Naturalistic observation relies too heavily on the use of archival measures.

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation involves observing subjects in their natural environment without intervention from the researcher. The presence of an observer can sometimes alter the behavior of the subjects being observed, making this a potential limitation of the method. Choices B, C, and D do not accurately describe limitations of naturalistic observation; instead, they relate to other research methods or misunderstand the nature of naturalistic observation.

Question 15

Imagine you have created a new personality questionnaire and you are worried about social desirability influencing people's responses. Which of the following would minimize the impact of this potential problem?
A)Make sure that the sample of people completing the questionnaire is representative.
B)Use random assignment.
C)Use the double-blind procedure.
D)Have the people complete the questionnaire anonymously.

Accepted Answer

Having people complete the questionnaire anonymously helps minimize the impact of social desirability because respondents are more likely to answer questions honestly if they believe their responses cannot be traced back to them. This reduces the pressure to answer in a socially desirable manner.

Question 16

One problem with physiological measures is
A)social desirability
B)objectivity
C)ambiguity about their meaning
D)subjectivity

Accepted Answer

Physiological measures can be ambiguous because the same physiological response can be interpreted in multiple ways, making it difficult to determine the exact meaning or cause of the response.

Question 17

Specialized tests that evaluate normal or abnormal brain functioning are called ___________ tests.
A)neuropsychological
B)physiological
C)personality
D)reaction time

Accepted Answer

Neuropsychological tests are designed to assess various aspects of brain function, including memory, attention, problem solving, and language, to determine whether there are any abnormalities or impairments.

Question 18

In order to assess the effectiveness of a new statewide seatbelt law, researchers collected data from the Department of Transportation regarding the number of traffic fatalities in the last year. This type of measurement of behaviour is called a(n)
A)case study
B)archival measures
C)sample
D)meta-analysis

Accepted Answer

Archival measures involve the use of existing records or data sets to measure behavior or outcomes, which is what the researchers are doing by using data from the Department of Transportation.

Question 19

In the event that a rare phenomenon occurs, the best type of study to examine it is
A)case study
B)survey
C)population Study
D)correlational survey

Accepted Answer

A case study is the most suitable type of study for examining rare phenomena because it allows for an in-depth exploration of a particular instance or case, providing detailed insights that might not be obtainable through other study types.

Question 20

A series of questions that asks about how a person typically feels or behaves is called a(n)
A)neuropsychological test
B)physiological test
C)personality test
D)intelligence test

Accepted Answer

A personality test is designed to reveal aspects of an individual's character or psychological makeup, which aligns with the description of a series of questions asking about how a person typically feels or behaves.

Quiz 2: Studying Behaviour Scientifically

Examining the social behaviours of whales as they migrate is an example of

A limitation to naturalistic studies can be a

Which of the following would specifically be an advantage of the case study method of research? Case Studies

An important advantage of naturalistic observation is that it can

The case study is an example of which kind of research method?

Researchers sometimes gather information about people's overt behaviours by using pre-existing records or documents which are called _________________.

A young man is interested in making a good impression on the parents of the person he is currently dating. Because of this, when he meets them he overemphasizes his good qualities and ignores many of his shortcomings. This man's behaviour is most relevant to which of the following concepts?

In order to learn about the social behaviour of children, a developmental psychologist goes to a school and watches the children playing on the playground outside during recess. This psychologist is engaged in which method of research?

Coding systems are used

When the researcher observes behaviour as it occurs in a normal or typical setting, she is using _______________.

Which of the following would be a potential limitation of naturalistic observation?

Imagine you have created a new personality questionnaire and you are worried about social desirability influencing people's responses. Which of the following would minimize the impact of this potential problem?

One problem with physiological measures is

Specialized tests that evaluate normal or abnormal brain functioning are called ___________ tests.

In order to assess the effectiveness of a new statewide seatbelt law, researchers collected data from the Department of Transportation regarding the number of traffic fatalities in the last year. This type of measurement of behaviour is called a(n)

In the event that a rare phenomenon occurs, the best type of study to examine it is

A series of questions that asks about how a person typically feels or behaves is called a(n)