Question 1

Which of the following is an example of idiographic research?

Accepted Answer

Idiographic research focuses on studying a single individual or case in depth. Case studies are a common method used in idiographic research to gather detailed information about a particular person, group or situation. In contrast, epidemiological research is a type of nomothetic research that examines patterns and causes of diseases at the population level. Correlational studies examine the relationship between two or more variables, while experiments involve manipulating an independent variable to observe changes in a dependent variable.

Question 2

A study finds that socioeconomic status is associated with child behaviour problems (r = -.75). From a correlational research perspective, which of the following conclusions is the most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Correlational research can identify relationships between variables but cannot establish causation.

Question 3

Which statement is true regarding correlation?

Accepted Answer

Correlation does not imply causation; it only indicates a relationship between two variables, not that one causes the other.

Question 4

Dr. Hall found a positive correlation between depression and child abuse; depressed mothers were more likely to abuse their children. Which of the following explanations illustrates the third-variable problem?

Accepted Answer

The third-variable problem occurs when a variable that was not measured in a study may be the actual cause of the observed relationship between two other variables. In this case, if poverty causes both depression and child abuse, then it could be the actual cause of the observed correlation between depression and child abuse.

Question 5

A group of researchers identify and study children who are considered more likely to develop anxiety disorders in adulthood. This method is:

Accepted Answer

The high-risk method involves identifying and studying individuals who are considered more likely to develop a particular disorder or condition. In this case, the researchers are identifying children who are considered more likely to develop anxiety disorders in adulthood, making the high-risk method the most appropriate choice. The genetic proband method typically involves studying individuals with a particular genotypic or phenotypic trait to investigate its potential implications, while the known-risk method generally involves studying individuals with a known risk factor for a condition or disorder. The mixed design method refers to a research approach that combines various methods or designs within a single study.

Question 6

Dr. Tension is studying anxiety in children. He is aware that anxiety can vary over time, though, so he plans to study the children over time. Dr. Tension is conducting research keeping _____________ in mind.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Tension's plan to study the children over time indicates that he is interested in examining developmental trajectories of anxiety in children.

Question 7

Professor Maddox collects data showing a correlation between grades and happiness. He concludes that being happy helps students to get better grades. Which of the following illustrates the "directionality problem" in Professor Maddox's conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The directionality problem refers to the difficulty in determining the direction of the relationship between two variables. In this case, it is unclear whether happiness causes better grades or better grades cause happiness. Option B suggests that good grades may produce happiness, indicating that it may be the grades that are causing the happiness rather than the other way around. This is an example of the directionality problem. Options A, C, and D do not address the directionality problem.

Question 8

Pennebaker's experiment on providing written accounts of traumatic events showed that expressing emotion had a ________ effect.

Accepted Answer

Pennebaker's experiment found that providing written accounts of traumatic events had a positive effect on emotional and physical health outcomes. Participants who engaged in emotional writing had fewer health problems, visited doctors less frequently, and reported feeling better psychologically compared to those who did not engage in emotional writing.

Question 9

in 2009, Liu et al. (2009)examined whether experiences of current emotional maltreatment predicted the development of new episodes of depression in vulnerable young adults followed for 2.5 years. This type of research design is called:

Accepted Answer

The research design described in the scenario is a prospective longitudinal design, which involves following a group of individuals over time to determine whether certain factors predict future outcomes.

Question 10

Directionality is best addressed by:

Accepted Answer

Directionality refers to the problem of not knowing whether A causes B or B causes A. A longitudinal design is the best choice to address directionality because it measures the same variables in the same participants over time, so changes in one variable can be observed before and after changes in the other variable, allowing for the inference of causality. The other options (including a control group, using a mixed design, and using a correlational design) may be helpful in addressing other types of research questions, but they do not directly address the directionality problem.

Question 11

A research team found that men who did not exercise had a higher rate of heart disease. Which of the following explanations illustrates the third-variable problem?

Accepted Answer

The third-variable problem arises when a correlational study fails to control for a third variable that could be responsible for the observed relationship between two other variables. In this case, smoking is a third variable that could cause both heart disease and reluctance to exercise. Men who smoke might be more likely to develop heart disease and might also be less likely to engage in physical activity, leading to a spurious relationship between exercise and heart disease. Therefore, including men who smoke in the study could confound the true relationship between exercise and heart disease.

Question 12

In a study on effectiveness of therapy in treating depression, participants are randomly assigned to groups so that 10 receive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)and 10 are assigned to a no-treatment control condition. The outcome improvement scores for participants in the CBT group are quite different from each other (e.g., some had minimal improvement scores, while others showed large benefits). This discrepancy is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Within-group variance refers to the variability or differences within a group, which in this case is the CBT group. The fact that there is a range of outcome improvement scores within the CBT group suggests that there is within-group variance. The other answer choices do not accurately describe this situation. The third variable problem refers to the possibility of a confounding variable affecting the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The directionality problem refers to the uncertainty of the direction of the relationship between variables. Between-group variance refers to the differences between groups.

Question 13

Causal relationships are best identified by which design?

Accepted Answer

Experiments are the best design for identifying causal relationships because they involve manipulating an independent variable to observe its effect on a dependent variable while controlling for other factors that might impact the outcome. This allows researchers to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable. Other study designs such as case studies, epidemiological research, and correlational studies do not involve manipulation of the independent variable, making it more difficult to establish causality.

Question 14

In the field of psychopathology, what is the most common use of the experiment?

Accepted Answer

The most common use of experiments in the field of psychopathology is to evaluate the effects of therapies. With experimental designs, researchers can manipulate the independent variable (therapy) to see if there is a significant improvement in the dependent variable (symptoms of the disorder). This can help determine the effectiveness of different types of therapy in treating specific disorders. While experiments can also be used to discover causes of disorders, identify third variables, or disconfirm the results of correlational studies, these are not its most common use in psychopathology.

Question 15

You hypothesize that low social class causes poor school grades. You find that the correlation between low social class and school grades is .01. What can you conclude?

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies can reveal whether there is a relationship between two variables, but they cannot determine causation. The low correlation (.01) indicates little to no linear relationship between social class and school grades, but it does not test the causal direction hypothesized.

Question 16

Research on University of Toronto students conducted by Martin Zack and colleagues (2006)examined the effects of mood on beer drinking. Participants were exposed to negative, positive, or neutral words, which induced varying mood states. The findings indicated that exposure to a negative mood state resulted in drinking more beer. The dependent variable is:

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this study is the amount of beer consumed, which is the measurable outcome or response variable that is being studied. The independent variables are the different mood states induced by exposure to different words or stimuli. Therefore, the correct answer is (D) amount of beer consumed.

Question 17

Dr. Less collected data showing that depressed people were less interested in interacting with non-depressed people. She concluded that their depression had caused them to withdraw from people. However, later research showed that depressed people had not interacted with non-depressed people even before they became depressed. Dr. Less failed to consider ___________ problems.

Accepted Answer

The issue here is that Dr. Less may have attribute causation (depression causing people to withdraw) when in reality it was the opposite direction (withdrawal causing depression). This is a directionality problem. Option A (falsifiability) is not applicable as the study is not being questioned for its ability to be tested. Option C (third-variable) and D (internal validity) do not address the specific issue at hand.

Question 18

Several studies have found a correlation between schizophrenia and family conflict. Which of the following explanations illustrates the directionality problem?

Accepted Answer

The directionality problem refers to the difficulty in distinguishing which variable is causing the other when a correlation is found. In this case, it is not clear whether family conflict is causing schizophrenia or if schizophrenia is causing family conflict.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of nomothetic research?

Accepted Answer

Nomothetic research is focused on establishing general principles or laws that apply to a group of individuals. Correlational studies measure the relationship between two variables across a large sample, making them a good example of nomothetic research. A case study and single-case experiment are focused on understanding the behavior of a single individual, while an ABAB design is a type of single-case experiment.

Question 20

In a sample of 15 year old girls, many scored similarly on a measure of depression. Five years later, some girls were still depressed, some were more depressed, and some were not experiencing depression. What type of analysis may be helpful to more fully understand this group?

Accepted Answer

Latent class growth analysis would be the most appropriate in this scenario as it can identify different trajectories of depression over time within the sample. It can also identify distinct subgroups of participants based on their patterns of change, which can provide insight into potential risk and protective factors for depression. Meta-analysis and high-risk analysis are not relevant in this case, and double-blind analysis is not applicable to this type of data.

Quiz 4: Research Methods in the Study of Abnormal Behaviour