Question 1

If you want to determine whether there is a causal relationship between using the rSQ4R study method and final grades in a psychology course, you should use

Accepted Answer

The experimental method is the best choice for determining causal relationships because it involves manipulating one variable (in this case, the use of the rSQ4R study method) and observing the effect on another variable (final grades in a psychology course), while controlling for other variables.

Question 2

An experimenter conducts an experiment on the effects of a drug to control hallucinations. The experimenter declares the results to be "statistically significant," which usually means that

Accepted Answer

Statistical significance typically means that the observed differences (e.g., in the effects of a drug to control hallucinations between the experimental and control groups) are unlikely to have occurred by chance alone, with a common threshold being a probability of 5% or less (p < 0.05).

Question 3

To replicate an experiment means to

Accepted Answer

Replicating an experiment involves repeating it using either the same methods or improved ones to verify the results.

Question 4

In an experiment, if the obtained results would occur by chance in less than five experiments out of 100, the results

Accepted Answer

When experimental results would occur by chance in less than five experiments out of 100, it means the results have a p-value of less than 0.05, which is commonly considered statistically significant. This indicates that the observed effects are unlikely to have occurred by chance alone.

Question 5

We wish to test the hypothesis that music improves learning. Random assignment into two groups, one that listens to music and one that studies in silence, controls for

Accepted Answer

Random assignment into two groups helps to control for all of these factors (students' inherent academic ability, their use of different study strategies, and the amount of sleep students had prior to the experiment) by ensuring that each of these variables is equally distributed across both groups, thereby isolating the effect of music on learning.

Question 6

In a carefully controlled experiment, the only possible cause for any effect noted in the dependent variable is the

Accepted Answer

In a carefully controlled experiment, the independent variable is the one that is manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable, making it the only possible cause for any effect noted.

Question 7

You are investigating the TOPIC (B-HEAD)of gender differences in which extensive previous research has already been conducted with the findings of these previous studies not always in agreement. Your best approach to conducting research would be to

Accepted Answer

A meta-analysis is the best approach when investigating a topic with extensive previous research and conflicting findings. It allows for the synthesis and analysis of results from multiple studies to identify overall trends, patterns, or effects, providing a comprehensive understanding of the research topic.

Question 8

In an experiment, control over extraneous variables, such as the time of day or the temperature of the room, can be obtained by

Accepted Answer

Making all conditions except the independent variable exactly the same for all subjects ensures that any observed effects can be attributed to the independent variable rather than to extraneous variables. This method controls for potential confounding variables by keeping the experimental conditions consistent across participants, except for the manipulation of the independent variable.

Question 9

One way to randomly assign students to experimental and control groups for a study of academic behaviors is to

Accepted Answer

Flipping a coin for each student is a method that ensures each student has an equal chance of being assigned to either the experimental or control group, making the assignment random. This randomness is crucial for reducing selection bias and ensuring the groups are comparable.

Question 10

In research reports, a statement that "the results of the experiment were statistically significant" means that the difference must be large enough so that it would occur by chance in how many experiments out of 100?

Accepted Answer

Statistical significance typically refers to results that would occur by chance less than 5 times out of 100, corresponding to a p-value of less than 0.05.

Question 11

You are conducting an experiment to determine if listening to music improves learning. If the average test score of the experimental group is higher than the average of the control group, then we can conclude that

Accepted Answer

If the experimental group, which listened to music, has a higher average test score than the control group, it suggests that listening to music may have had a positive effect on learning, assuming all other variables were controlled and the groups were appropriately randomized.

Question 12

A researcher is testing the effectiveness of a new math program. The extraneous variables, such as temperature and lighting, will best be controlled by

Accepted Answer

Controlling extraneous variables like temperature and lighting ensures that they do not affect the outcome of the experiment. By making these conditions uniform across all rooms, the researcher can ensure that any differences in math program effectiveness are not due to variations in temperature or lighting.

Question 13

Random assignment of subjects to groups in an experiment is used to reduce the effects of

Accepted Answer

Random assignment of subjects to groups in an experiment is primarily used to ensure that each group is similar to the others in all respects except for the treatment being tested. This helps to reduce the effects of extraneous variables, which are variables other than the independent variable that could affect the outcome of the experiment.

Question 14

Which of the following is a statistical technique that can be used to combine the results of many studies on the same subject, as if they were all part of one large study?

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique used to combine the results of multiple studies on the same subject, effectively synthesizing their findings into a single comprehensive conclusion. This method allows for a broader understanding of the subject by aggregating data from various sources.

Question 15

Research findings become more convincing when the results are statistically significant and when the findings

Accepted Answer

Statistical significance increases the credibility of research findings, but the replication of those findings by other researchers further strengthens the evidence, demonstrating that the results are consistent and reliable across different studies or experiments. Correlation direction (positive or negative) or the nature of the study (e.g., natural clinical trial) does not inherently make findings more convincing.

Question 16

You are conducting an experiment to determine if listening to music improves learning. If there was no difference between the test performance of the experimental and control groups, then we can conclude that

Accepted Answer

If there was no difference in test performance between the experimental group (who listened to music) and the control group (who did not), the most straightforward conclusion is that listening to music had no effect on learning. This conclusion is based on the assumption that the experiment was designed and conducted properly, with controlled extraneous variables and random assignment of participants to groups.

Question 17

One of the advantages of the experimental method is that

Accepted Answer

The experimental method is particularly valued for its ability to determine cause-and-effect relationships. This is because it involves manipulating one variable (the independent variable) and observing the effect of this manipulation on another variable (the dependent variable), ideally within a controlled environment. This control and manipulation enable researchers to infer causality more directly than other research methods.

Question 18

Experiments can determine cause-and-effect relationships with the suspected cause being the __________variable.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated or changed in an experiment to see if it causes an effect on another variable, making it the suspected cause in cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 19

Which of the following has been used to summarize and synthesize large amounts of psychological research and allows researchers to draw conclusions that might be missed in a single, small-scale study?

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that combines the results of multiple scientific studies to identify patterns, inconsistencies, and the overall effect size, making it particularly useful for summarizing and synthesizing large amounts of psychological research.

Question 20

In an experiment to test whether teaching a new memory strategy will improve students' test scores, student characteristics, such as motivation, are controlled by

Accepted Answer

Randomly assigning students to the two groups helps to ensure that any differences in student characteristics, such as motivation, are evenly distributed across both the experimental and control groups, thus controlling for these variables.

Quiz 1: Psychology, Critical Thinking, and Science