Exam 2: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

A hypothesis test is conducted after an experiment to:

Lisa, a college student, had a great time at the party last night. She danced, sang karaoke, and even played the "Rock Band" video game-all behaviors that she had never exhibited in public before. She had been drinking the "punch" all night long, which she was told contained high levels of alcohol. Lisa was quite surprised to find out the next morning that the punch did NOT contain any alcohol. What concept may explain Lisa's behavior?

After completing a naturalistic observation study, a researcher does not quite have enough evidence to support her hypothesis. If she decides to go back to her records and slightly alter a few of the observations to fit her hypothesis, she is engaged in _____.

In order to make objective measurements, psychologists generally measure ___________.

Which of these is a type of correlation discussed in your text?

Conceptually, the standard deviation for a distribution can be thought of as:

A researcher wished to study the relationship between high school grades and college grades. Of the following research methods, which would be the most appropriate? a. case study b. correlation c. experiment d. survey

What is the main difference between an experiment and a correlational study?

In an experiment, four groups of college students used different memorizing strategies to learn the material in one chapter of a textbook. Then each group was given the same multiple-choice test on the material. What was the dependent variable in this study? a. the students' performance on the test b. the four different groups c. the four different memorizing strategies d. manipulation of memorizing strategies

The most important factor to ensure that one's results apply to other people in other settings is to use

You overheard someone claiming that 12-step programs are the only way to really quit abusing alcohol "Because my brother is a doctor and so he should know." Regardless of the accuracy of the claim, this and other appeals to authority do not qualify as good evidence because:

The _____ is a measure of variability around the mean of a distribution.

The term demand characteristics refers to:

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?

To obtain objective information, researchers sometimes must deceive their subjects. Ethically, research involving deception must always _________. a. pay participants b. maintain subject anonymity c. use double-blind control d. explain the deception to the subjects after the data are collected and obtain their informed consent to use the information obtained

In research, the object, concept, or event being measured is called a ____________.

Kendra serves on a committee whose job is to review proposed psychology studies. The committee refuses to approve one study because they feel the possible benefit from the research is too little given the potential risk to the participants. Kendra's committee is most accurately called an _________________.

Hopefully, the amount of time a student spends studying would show a(n) __________ correlation with the student's grades.

Which of the following is an example of demand characteristics affecting an experiment?

The right to give informed consent stays with a volunteer throughout the entire study, and they should be able to withdraw at any point.