Question 1

What is meant by the "discovery" phase of the research process? How is this different from the "justification" phase?

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

Why is there no simple classification system for differentiating between variables that are exclusively independent variables and variables that are exclusively dependent variables? Give an example to support your argument.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

A waitress is interested in whether providing candy at the end of a meal to her customers can have a positive impact on the tips she receives. She either does or does not provide candy to her customers when she delivers the final check. The waitress then records the amount of the tip she receives from the dining party. What would tips be in this study?
A) a construct
B) an independent variable
C) a random variable
D) a dependent variable

Accepted Answer

Tips are the variable being measured and therefore are the dependent variable. The independent variable is whether or not candy was provided, which is manipulated by the waitress.

Question 4

Describe two strategies one may employ when trying to identify studies relevant to one's research idea.

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Question 5

Bill is interested in how people react to news of an impending snow storm. He informs subjects that it is going to snow 2, 6, or 12 inches and then assesses their anxiety levels. Anxiety levels represent the __________ variable in this study.
A) dependent
B) conceptual
C) independent
D) control

Accepted Answer

The anxiety levels are being measured in response to the different amounts of snow predicted, making it the dependent variable. The independent variable would be the amount of snow predicted, and there is no mention of a control variable in this scenario.

Question 6

Bill is interested in how people react to news of an impending snow storm. He informs subjects that it is going to snow 2, 6, or 12 inches and then assesses their anxiety levels. The different snow forecasts represent the __________ variable in this study.
A) construct
B) independent
C) control
D) dependent

Accepted Answer

The different snow forecasts are being manipulated by the researcher, and therefore are the independent variable in this study. The dependent variable would be the anxiety levels of the subjects, which are being measured and are expected to change as a result of the different snow forecasts. The control variable would be any other factor that could potentially impact anxiety levels, but is being kept constant in the study. Construct refers to an abstract concept being measured, rather than a tangible variable like snow forecast or anxiety levels.

Question 7

What is the difference between operational and theoretical definitions? Give an example of each.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

A waitress is interested in whether providing candy at the end of a meal to her customers can have a positive impact on the tips she receives. She either does or does not provide candy to her customers when she delivers the final check. The waitress then records the amount of the tip she receives from the dining party. What would the act of providing or not providing candy be in this study?
A) a construct
B) an independent variable
C) a random variable
D) a dependent variable

Accepted Answer

The act of providing or not providing candy is the independent variable in this study, as it is being manipulated by the researcher (the waitress) to observe its effect on the dependent variable (the amount of the tip received).

Question 9

Describe the three essential criteria for acceptable hypotheses.

Accepted Answer

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Question 10

In an experiment, one manipulates the __________ variable in order to measure its effect on the __________ variable.
A) dependent; independent
B) independent; dependent
C) theoretical; operational
D) hypothesis; construct

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the one that is manipulated, while the dependent variable is the one that is measured. This is the basic principle of experimental design. The other options are not relevant to this concept.

Question 11

Describe three hypothesis-generating heuristics that scientists may use as the basis of hypotheses for empirical research.

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

__________ is to cause as __________ is to effect.
A) Independent variable; dependent variable
B) Construct; dependent variable
C) Dependent variable; independent variable
D) Independent variable; construct

Accepted Answer

Cause is the independent variable, while effect is the dependent variable. In research, cause and effect can be studied by manipulating the independent variable and observing changes in the dependent variable.

Question 13

Describe two general categories of independent variables discussed in the text. Provide an example of each.

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

How do hypotheses differ from theories?

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 2: From Hunches to Testable Hypotheses

What is meant by the "discovery" phase of the research process? How is this different from the "justification" phase?

Why is there no simple classification system for differentiating between variables that are exclusively independent variables and variables that are exclusively dependent variables? Give an example to support your argument.

Describe two strategies one may employ when trying to identify studies relevant to one's research idea.

Bill is interested in how people react to news of an impending snow storm. He informs subjects that it is going to snow 2, 6, or 12 inches and then assesses their anxiety levels. Anxiety levels represent the __________ variable in this study.

Bill is interested in how people react to news of an impending snow storm. He informs subjects that it is going to snow 2, 6, or 12 inches and then assesses their anxiety levels. The different snow forecasts represent the __________ variable in this study.

What is the difference between operational and theoretical definitions? Give an example of each.

Describe the three essential criteria for acceptable hypotheses.

In an experiment, one manipulates the variable in order to measure its effect on the variable.

Describe three hypothesis-generating heuristics that scientists may use as the basis of hypotheses for empirical research.

is to cause as is to effect.

Describe two general categories of independent variables discussed in the text. Provide an example of each.

How do hypotheses differ from theories?