Question 1

A sex researcher is interested in understanding the trends in contraceptive use among women living in the United States.For this purpose,he obtains a convenience sample of 70 sexually-active 21-year-old females across the country.However,upon closer investigation,it was discovered that all the participants had one characteristic in common-they all had engaged in intercourse before the age of 15.Based on this we may conclude that:

Accepted Answer

The fact that all participants had engaged in intercourse before the age of 15 suggests that they may not be representative of all 21-year-old females in the country. This characteristic may be associated with other factors (e.g. lower socio-economic status, less access to education) that could affect contraceptive use. Therefore, the results obtained from this sample may not be true of all 21-year-old females.

Question 2

In a study,participants were made to wear optical devices that measured the point of their gazes.They were shown pictures in order to evaluate which parts of the pictures the participants stared at the most.Which of the following methods is described in this example?

Accepted Answer

The study describes a method where participants wear optical devices that track their eye movements while looking at pictures, indicating that the method used is eye-tracking.

Question 3

Which of the following is a limitation of the use of fMRI in studying brain activity?

Accepted Answer

A

Question 4

A researcher is studying the incidence of child sexual abuse in public schools and she sends a questionnaire to 1,000 randomly selected students' homes in the month of January.The questions ask how frequently parents engage in certain behaviours like hitting,criticizing,and punishing their children.The same questionnaires are sent to the same participants in June of the same year.However,this time less than 500 questionnaires are returned.This survey faces the problem of:

Accepted Answer

The survey faces the problem of refusal or nonresponse, as less than 500 questionnaires are returned in June compared to the initial 1,000 that were sent out in January. It is possible that the students or parents who did not respond in June differed in some significant way from those who did respond, which could introduce bias into the study.

Question 5

"Enlargement" and "concealment" are examples of:

Accepted Answer

Enlargement and concealment are intentional distortions, which suggests purposeful distortion. The other options are not applicable as they do not involve intentional manipulation of information. Memory distortion occurs when there is a failure to accurately remember information. Sampling bias occurs when a non-random sample is used to generalize findings to the larger population. Errors of estimation refer to inaccuracies in numerical calculations.

Question 6

Which of the following is an accurate observation about convenience samples in sex research,such as that used in the Janus report?

Accepted Answer

Convenience samples are taken from individuals who are easily accessible or readily available, such as volunteers or individuals who happen to be at a particular location at a particular time. Such samples cannot be considered representative of the general population, and therefore do not provide a good picture of what is going on in the general population.

Question 7

In sampling,volunteer bias in sex research would not be a problem if:

Accepted Answer

If those who refuse to participate are identical in their sexual behaviour to those who do participate, there would be no volunteer bias in sex research as the sample would be representative of the population.

Question 8

When people respond to questions about sexuality,sometimes they exaggerate and other times they tend to minimize or hide certain facts.In which of the following methods of measuring sexuality would this problem arise?

Accepted Answer

Self-reports rely on participants accurately and honestly reporting their own behavior and experiences, which can be influenced by social desirability biases or personal discomfort with revealing certain information. Exaggeration and minimization can both occur in self-report measures of sexuality.

Question 9

Margaret is having an affair with her neighbor,Tom.However,when an interviewer in a sex study asks her whether she has ever had any sexual relations with anyone outside of her marriage,her answer is,"No,never." This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of concealment, also known as hiding or withholding information. Margaret is deliberately not revealing the truth about her affair with Tom.

Question 10

In a study of sexuality,500 possible participants were considered for a sample.These people were contacted and asked to participate in the study.Half of them agreed to participate.However,a majority of the participants were male.Which of the following problems is this study most likely to have due to high male participation?

Accepted Answer

The study is most likely to have volunteer bias due to the high male participation. Volunteer bias is the tendency for the sample of volunteers to differ from the population as a whole, leading to potentially biased results. In this case, the fact that mostly men agreed to participate means that the sample may not be representative of the general population, leading to potential biases in the results.

Question 11

A _____ sample is chosen in a haphazard manner relative to the population of interest.

Accepted Answer

Convenience sampling involves choosing individuals who are easily accessible or readily available, rather than randomly selecting from the population. Therefore, it is the best choice for a sample chosen in a haphazard manner relative to the population of interest. The other options (systematic, probability, and random sampling) involve more structured or randomized methods for selecting a sample.

Question 12

In conducting a study of sexual research,you collect your sample from walk-ins at a local doctor's office.This type of sample is a:

Accepted Answer

This type of sample is a convenience sample, meaning it is composed of individuals who are readily available and willing to participate, rather than being randomly selected. Therefore, it may not be representative of the larger population and may introduce bias into the study results.

Question 13

_____ is defined as the problem that occurs when sex researchers can study only those people who have agreed to participate in the study.

Accepted Answer

Volunteer bias occurs when only a certain segment of the population agrees to participate in a study, leading to potential inaccuracies or limitations in the findings. This can be particularly problematic in sex research where individuals may be reluctant to participate or may not accurately represent the wider population.

Question 14

The most difficult part of the sampling procedure in sex research is:

Accepted Answer

While each of the options given can present challenges, getting people to participate in sex research can be particularly difficult due to stigma, privacy concerns, and other factors that may make individuals hesitant to share information about their sexual behavior. As such, recruiting and retaining participants is often a major challenge in sex research.

Question 15

A sex researcher is interested in studying the sexual behaviour of all sexually-active 18-year-old Hispanic males living in the United States.He ultimately manages to study each one of these individuals.In this example,the researcher has gathered data from a:

Accepted Answer

The researcher has studied the entire group of sexually-active 18-year-old Hispanic males living in the United States, which represents the entire population of interest. Therefore, the data collected is from a population, not a sample.

Question 16

A questionnaire for a sex study asks the respondents the total number of sexual partners they have had in their lives.Although John has only had sex with a single partner,John lists the total as ten.This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A questionnaire for a sex study asks...

Question 17

People who refuse to participate in sex research differ in some ways from those who do participate.This leads to the problem of _____.

Accepted Answer

The best choice is D (volunteer bias) because this describes a situation in which participants in research studies differ from non-participants in systematic ways that may impact the generalizability of research findings. In the context of sex research, those who refuse to participate may differ from those who choose to participate in terms of their sexual attitudes, behaviors, and experiences, which could potentially bias research results. A, B, and C are not as directly related to this problem.

Question 18

Which of the following is the most common method for measuring sexuality?

Accepted Answer

Self-reports are the most common method for measuring sexuality, as individuals are asked to report their own sexual orientation, desires, and behavior. Eye tracking and pupil dilation may be used to measure sexual arousal, while the Implicit Association Test measures the strength of automatic associations between concepts, including sexuality, but is not primarily used to measure overall sexuality.

Question 19

A sex researcher is interested in conducting a study on the sexual behaviour of African-American individuals in polyamorous relationships and manages to contact 60 such individuals to participate in the study.In research terms,this group of participants is defined as the researcher's:

Accepted Answer

The group of 60 African-American individuals in polyamorous relationships is a sample, as it is a subset of the larger population of all African-American individuals in polyamorous relationships. The cohort refers to a group of individuals who share a common characteristic (e.g. all born in the same year), and the control group is a group of individuals who are not exposed to the same treatment or intervention as the experimental group, so neither of these terms apply in this context.

Question 20

In a study of human sexuality,a scientist records various kinds of sexual encounters between heterosexual couples.The tape is then studied to ascertain patterns in their sexual behaviour.Which of the following best describes this method of studying sexuality?

Accepted Answer

The method described in the scenario involves direct observations of sexual encounters between heterosexual couples, which means that the scientist is observing them first-hand rather than relying on self-reports (A), eye tracking (B), or the Implicit Association Test (D).

Quiz 3: Sex Research