Question 1

________ biases are systematic errors in thinking.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive biases refer to systematic errors in thinking, processing, and interpreting information that can lead to inaccurate judgments and decisions. Confirmation bias and hindsight bias are specific types of cognitive biases. Functional bias is not a recognized category of bias, so D is incorrect.

Question 2

A mental shortcut that helps us to streamline our thinking and make sense of our world is called a

Accepted Answer

A heuristic is a mental shortcut that helps to simplify our decision-making or problem-solving processes. It can be a useful tool, but it can also lead to errors or biases. The other options, while related to cognition, do not specifically refer to mental shortcuts or simplifying processes.

Question 3

The major advantage of a correlational design over a naturalistic observation or a case study design is that a correlational design allows us to ________.

Accepted Answer

make predictions (OR make predictions about future events OR describe and make predictions about behaviour)

Question 4

According to the authors, many superstitious behaviours result from ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the authors, many superstitious behaviours...

Question 5

Which research design involves an extremely deep and detailed information gathering from a single individual over a long period of time.

Accepted Answer

The case study design involves an in-depth analysis and observation of a single individual, group, or community over a long period of time. This design is often used in clinical or psychological research to gather detailed information about a specific case.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true about naturalistic observation?

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation involves observing behaviour in its natural context, without intervention or manipulation of variables. This means that the observations are made in real-life settings, such as a classroom, playground, or workplace, rather than in a laboratory. The goal of naturalistic observation is to gain a better understanding of how people behave in their everyday lives, without the confounding effects of experimental manipulation or artificial laboratory settings.

Question 7

The study of rare or unusual phenomena is most easily done through the use of the ________ design.

Accepted Answer

Case studies involve in-depth examination of a single individual, group, or event, and provide rich descriptive data about rare or unusual phenomena. Correlational and experimental designs are better suited for examining relationships between variables and testing causal hypotheses, while observational designs are used to systematically observe and record behavior without manipulating any variables.

Question 8

The more easily an image of an horrific event comes to mind, like a major airline crash or a bloody image from a school shooting, the more often we assume it occurs. In reality, however, each of these is a relatively rare, infrequent event. We have fallen victim to the ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The more easily an image of an...

Question 9

An important danger of the heuristics and cognitive biases discussed in Chapter 2 is that they lead us

Accepted Answer

The heuristics and cognitive biases discussed in Chapter 2 can lead us to draw incorrect conclusions and then become convinced that they are accurate. This can have negative consequences in decision-making and problem-solving situations.

Question 10

The view of humans as cognitive processors who are lazy, looking to make judgements quickly, and without much effort is known as the ________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The view of humans as cognitive processors...

Question 11

Correlational research designs are NOT appropriate for purposes of

Accepted Answer

Correlational research designs cannot establish causation as they only examine relationships between variables and do not manipulate them. However, they are appropriate for describing and predicting relationships between variables.

Question 12

Jason was conducting an evaluation of a restaurant waitress. He sat at the table with a list of things to observe in front of him, and the waitress noticed that he was assessing her every move. He noticed that she began acting more professionally around him, was friendlier, and gave him extra attention. Why would Jason have been better off using naturalistic observation for this assessment?

Accepted Answer

Using naturalistic observation would have allowed Jason to observe the waitress's behavior in a more natural setting without her being aware of being observed. This would have prevented her from changing her behavior due to the awareness of being evaluated.

Question 13

Despite being unable to determine ________ correlational designs are important in providing understanding of naturally occurring phenomena which could not ethically be experimentally manipulated.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Despite being unable to determine ________ correlational...

Question 14

If a researcher investigated the topic of aggression by simply recording instances of aggression on a school playground, in a place of business, in a nightclub, and in many other everyday settings, he or she would be using the research design of ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a researcher investigated the topic of...

Question 15

Sarah, a graduate student in psychology, just heard about a five-year-old child who has already learned calculus. She is thinking about doing an in-depth study of the child for her dissertation. Sarah is considering which research method?

Accepted Answer

A case study would be the best choice because it allows for an in-depth analysis of a specific individual or situation. In this case, Sarah wants to study the child who has learned calculus at a young age. A case study would allow her to gather detailed information about the child's background, learning methods, and experiences, which could provide insights into how exceptional learning abilities develop in children. Naturalistic observation would not be appropriate because it would not provide enough detail about the child's learning process. An experiment and independent study are not suitable for this research question.

Question 16

Dr Fortner is discussing cognitive psychology with his introductory psychology class and says that we act as cognitive misers when making judgements about others or making decisions. What does Dr Fortner mean with this statement?

Accepted Answer

Dr Fortner means that we tend to conserve mental energy by simplifying the world and using mental shortcuts or heuristics to make judgments and decisions, instead of engaging in deeper thinking and analysis. This can lead to errors in judgment, but it is also efficient and effective in many situations.

Question 17

A student researcher wishes to maximise the external validity of his or her research design. What research method should you recommend to him or her?

Accepted Answer

The naturalistic observational design is the best option for maximising external validity because it involves observing behaviour in its natural environment without any intervention or manipulation by the researcher. This allows for a more accurate representation of real-world behaviour and increases the generalizability of the findings to other settings and populations. Choice A (case study design) may provide in-depth information about a particular individual or group, but it may not be representative of the larger population. Choice B (correlational design) can identify relationships between variables, but it does not establish causality. Choice C (experimental design) allows for establishing causality but it may lack external validity because the environment and conditions are tightly controlled and may not mimic real-world situations.

Question 18

Why is it difficult to make generalisations based on the results of case study research?

Accepted Answer

Case study research involves only one or a few subjects, making it difficult to generalize the findings to a larger population. The actions of these subjects may not be representative of the behavior of a larger group of people.

Question 19

When judging people, we often focus on how closely they fit with our stereotypes of particular groups. According to Kahneman, this is an example of ________ thinking.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When judging people, we often focus on...

Question 20

Amanda asks a group of research participants to estimate the number of deaths each year due to homicide and diabetes. She finds that higher numbers report homicide, because they are more vivid examples, though over twice as many die from complications related to diabetes. This is one example of the dangers of the ________ in our judgements and decision making.

Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the tendency to estimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of that event come to mind. In this case, the more vivid and memorable examples of homicides make them more readily available in people's minds, leading to an overestimation of their frequency relative to less salient but more common causes of death like diabetes.

Quiz 2: Research Methods