Question 1

Dr Barrios is examining the relationship between student scores on a practice test in his senior-level class with their actual performance, with different questions, on his first exam. If there is consistency or stability in these scores, Dr Barrios would be able to say that ________ exists.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr Barrios is examining the relationship between...

Question 2

What is the purpose of an ethics committee?
A)To help protect research participants from abuse
B)To hinder the research process by placing unnecessary hurdles in the way of researchers
C)To help protect the university from lawsuits from unhappy research participants
D)To encourage the use of deception in medical and psychological research with humans

Accepted Answer

The purpose of an ethics committee is to review research proposals and ensure that they abide by ethical principles and guidelines. This includes protecting research participants from potential harm or abuse.

Question 3

Dr Riviera measures his students' knowledge on the topic of memory by giving them three different quizzes over the course of three weeks (one a week). He is hoping to show that student scores are largely the same from week to week. He is trying to establish the ________ of his quiz.
A)objectivity
B)reliability
C)subjectivity
D)validity

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measurement or test, and in this case, Dr Riviera is testing the consistency of his quiz scores over time. He is hoping to establish that the scores are largely the same from week to week, which would demonstrate reliability.

Question 4

Eila is participating in a psychological experiment for one of the graduate students at her university. She is pretty confident that she knows the true intent of the study and is trying to answer the questions accordingly. A common pitfall in experiments, Eila is falling prey to
A)intentionality.
B)the Rosenthal effect.
C)observer bias.
D)demand characteristics.

Accepted Answer

Eila is demonstrating demand characteristics, which refers to the tendency of participants to try to figure out the purpose of the study and then behave accordingly. This can compromise the validity of the study's results. The other options are not applicable here - intentionality refers to the purposeful manipulation of independent variables, the Rosenthal effect is a type of experimenter bias, and observer bias refers to the impact of the researcher's own beliefs on their interpretation of data.

Question 5

Dr Potter, an English professor, is curious about his students' attitudes towards one of his favourite books. What research method is he most likely to use to gather this information?
A)Case study
B)Survey
C)Experiment
D)Naturalistic observation

Accepted Answer

Dr. Potter is trying to gather information about his students' attitudes towards a specific book, which can be easily achieved through a survey method. A survey is a research method that involves collecting data from a sample of individuals through standardized questions. It is a quick and efficient way to gather information about attitudes, opinions, and behaviors of a target population.

Question 6

How does conducting a double-blind study attempt to remedy the experimenter expectancy effect?
A)The experimenter does not know but the participant does know what condition the participant is assigned to.
B)The experimenter and the participant both know what condition the participant is assigned to.
C)The experimenter knows but the participant does not know what condition the participant is assigned to.
D)Neither the experimenter nor the participant knows what condition the participant is assigned to.

Accepted Answer

Conducting a double-blind study attempts to remedy the experimenter expectancy effect by ensuring that neither the experimenter nor the participant knows what condition the participant is assigned to. This helps to prevent any biases or expectations from influencing the results, as both parties are unaware of which condition is being tested.

Question 7

Sarula recently completed a compatibility "quiz" from one of her favourite magazines, and although she and her boyfriend have been dating for nearly two years, the "quiz" results suggested they are not compatible. Luckily, Riley, one of Sarula's friends, is a student of psychology and suggested that the "quiz" may not be valid. What is her friend suggesting?
A)The "quiz" only gives you the answers you want.
B)The "quiz" is going to give you similar results every time.
C)The "quiz" is not very scientific.
D)The "quiz" may not actually measure compatibility.

Accepted Answer

Sarula's friend is suggesting that the "quiz" may not actually measure compatibility, meaning that the results may not be accurate or valid in determining the level of compatibility between Sarula and her boyfriend.

Question 8

When assessing patients' personalities using an "ink blot" test that she created, Dr Hardcastle is gaining confidence in the test's reliability. Which of the following is likely to be happening?
A)Her patients are enjoying being tested every day.
B)The test is generating approximately the same results each time.
C)The test is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring.
D)The test is likely to be uninformative.

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of results obtained from a measurement tool. If the ink blot test is generating approximately the same results each time, it means that it is consistent and reliable. Therefore, option B is the correct answer. Option A is not relevant to the concept of reliability. Option C refers to validity, which is a different concept. Option D is not necessarily true if the test is generating consistent results.

Question 9

Marissa just finished completing her new employee questionnaire form for a job in sales. Despite being a rather shy, introverted person, Marissa checked all the areas that referred to her as a talkative and outgoing individual. She believes those extroverted characteristics are exactly what her new employer is looking for. Which concept is being illustrated?
A)Participant bias
B)The primacy effect
C)Demand characteristics
D)The Rosenthal effect

Accepted Answer

Marissa's actions demonstrate demand characteristics, where the participant (Marissa) responds in a way that they believe the experimenter (employer) wants them to respond. In this case, Marissa is trying to portray herself as a talkative and outgoing person because she thinks that is what her employer is looking for.

Question 10

Alex, a first-year student at university, wants to know how many of her dorm mates have tried marijuana, so she decides to survey everyone on her floor. Despite rumours to the contrary, the results suggest that fewer than 10 per cent of her classmates have tried the drug. What is the most likely explanation for her findings?
A)People often distort their answers or fail to tell the complete truth when surveyed.
B)Her dorm mates did not understand the question.
C)Alex did not calculate the findings correctly.
D)Surveys are not an acceptable means to gather new information.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that individuals may not always provide truthful answers in surveys, particularly when asked about sensitive topics such as drug use. Therefore, it is possible that some of Alex's dorm mates may have not disclosed their marijuana use, resulting in the lower reported prevalence.

Question 11

Students of psychology are often frustrated because there are very few, if any, clear-cut answers to many of their questions. What is the primary limiting factor in obtaining first-hand knowledge of questions such as the long-term effects of child abuse or the effects of smoking marijuana on a pregnancy?
A)Most people in the general public are not concerned with these issues.
B)It is difficult to find people who are victims of abuse or mothers who smoke marijuana during pregnancy.
C)Ethical guidelines in research prevent psychologists from carrying out many of these studies.
D)Institutional review boards encourage participation in studies that may be harmful to participants either mentally or physically.

Accepted Answer

Ethical guidelines in research prevent psychologists from carrying out many studies that could potentially harm participants, such as studying the long-term effects of child abuse or the effects of maternal marijuana use on pregnancy. These guidelines prioritize the safety and well-being of participants over obtaining certain types of information.

Question 12

________ is the most important part of ensuring the generalisability of one's results to the general population.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ is the most important part of...

Question 13

________ is the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure.
A)Operationalisation
B)Reliability
C)Validity
D)Control group

Accepted Answer

Validity is the extent to which a measure accurately measures what it claims to measure. Operationalisation refers to the process of defining and measuring a concept in a way that is observable and measurable. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a measure over time and across different contexts. A control group refers to a group in an experiment that is not exposed to the treatment being tested, used for comparison to the experimental group.

Question 14

The most important characteristic for a psychological measure to have is
A)objectivity.
B)readability.
C)reliability.
D)validity.

Accepted Answer

Validity is the most important characteristic for a psychological measure to have. Validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to measure, and without validity, a measure cannot be considered accurate or useful. While objectivity, readability, and reliability are also important characteristics, validity is the most essential for ensuring the usefulness and accuracy of a psychological measure.

Question 15

A group of students watch a videotape of two managers interacting with their subordinates at a customer service desk in a department store. Students see one of the managers act in a friendly and respectful manner towards all the employees. The other manager is less friendly but still respectful towards the employees. What concept would explain the more positive ratings on other dimensions for the friendly manager compared with the less friendly manager?
A)The central tendency error
B)The halo effect
C)The horns effect
D)The leniency effect

Accepted Answer

The halo effect refers to the tendency to form an overall positive impression of a person based on one positive trait or behavior. In this case, the friendly manager's positive demeanor may lead students to rate them higher on other dimensions, despite not necessarily observing specific behaviors that relate to those dimensions. The less friendly manager's demeanor may not have created the same positive halo effect.

Question 16

________ is consistency of measurement.
A)Random assignment
B)Validity
C)Reliability
D)Confounding variable

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of measurement. It is important that measurements are consistent over time and between raters in order to ensure accurate results. Random assignment (A) involves randomly assigning participants to different groups in an experiment in order to control for variables. Validity (B) refers to the accuracy of the measurement in assessing what it intends to measure. A confounding variable (D) is a variable other than the independent variable that may affect the outcome of an experiment.

Question 17

According to your authors, laboratory research generalises
A)poorly from college undergraduates to other groups of people in other settings.
B)poorly from experimental designs in the laboratory but well from correlational or naturalistic observation designs.
C)well from laboratory settings to the real world, but only when undergraduates are not used as participants.
D)well from laboratory settings to the real world and well from undergraduates to the general population.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to your authors, laboratory research generalises
A)poorly...

Question 18

Jasmine took several different self-administered intelligence tests online yesterday and obtained scores of 124, 128, and 125. She felt great, because the score she received from the psychologist last month at school was only a 95. What characteristic might the online tests be lacking?
A)Reliability
B)Validity
C)Both reliability and validity
D)The tests appear to have both reliability and validity.

Accepted Answer

The online tests might be lacking validity, as they may not accurately measure what they claim to measure, given the discrepancy between Jasmine's scores on these tests and the score from the psychologist.

Question 19

________ is a phenomenon in which researchers' hypotheses lead them to unintentionally bias the outcome of a study.
A)Durability bias
B)Experimenter expectancy effect
C)Availability heuristic
D)Confounding variable

Accepted Answer

The experimenter expectancy effect is a phenomenon in which researchers' hypotheses or expectations about what the outcome of a study should be unintentionally bias the results. This can occur when researchers unknowingly exhibit behaviors that influence the participants' responses or when they interpret data in a way that confirms their expectations. This can compromise the validity and reliability of the study results.

Question 20

A key disadvantage to self-report measures is that
A)demand characteristics can bias participant's answers.
B)observing behaviour leads to changes in behaviour.
C)respondents are not always honest in their answers.
D)they are less effective than experiments in accurately predicting people's behaviour.

Accepted Answer

Respondents may not always be honest in their answers due to social desirability bias or other factors, making self-report measures potentially unreliable.

Quiz 2: Research Methods

Dr Barrios is examining the relationship between student scores on a practice test in his senior-level class with their actual performance, with different questions, on his first exam. If there is consistency or stability in these scores, Dr Barrios would be able to say that ________ exists.

What is the purpose of an ethics committee?

Dr Riviera measures his students' knowledge on the topic of memory by giving them three different quizzes over the course of three weeks (one a week) . He is hoping to show that student scores are largely the same from week to week. He is trying to establish the ________ of his quiz.

Eila is participating in a psychological experiment for one of the graduate students at her university. She is pretty confident that she knows the true intent of the study and is trying to answer the questions accordingly. A common pitfall in experiments, Eila is falling prey to

Dr Potter, an English professor, is curious about his students' attitudes towards one of his favourite books. What research method is he most likely to use to gather this information?

How does conducting a double-blind study attempt to remedy the experimenter expectancy effect?

When assessing patients' personalities using an "ink blot" test that she created, Dr Hardcastle is gaining confidence in the test's reliability. Which of the following is likely to be happening?

________ is the most important part of ensuring the generalisability of one's results to the general population.

________ is the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure.

The most important characteristic for a psychological measure to have is

________ is consistency of measurement.

According to your authors, laboratory research generalises

Jasmine took several different self-administered intelligence tests online yesterday and obtained scores of 124, 128, and 125. She felt great, because the score she received from the psychologist last month at school was only a 95. What characteristic might the online tests be lacking?

________ is a phenomenon in which researchers' hypotheses lead them to unintentionally bias the outcome of a study.

A key disadvantage to self-report measures is that