Exam 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research

The procedure whereby the researcher explains the nature of the study and participants then decide whether or not to participate is called __________.

Dissonance research resulted from Festinger's skepticism about the behaviorist approach. In recent years, new researchers have explored alternatives to dissonance explanations for social phenomena. These events illustrate __________.

When researchers say that there is a relationship between two variables, this means that __________.

When researchers examine a social psychological phenomenon using cross-cultural research, they are enhancing __________.

Describe three different ways that experimental social psychologists can enhance the external validity of their experiments.

Many social problems of interest to social psychologists can be studied __________.

Institutional review boards (IRBs) must be composed of certain types of people. If the IRB at Claudius University already consists of a scientist and a nonscientist, which of the following people would also need to be on the IRB at Claudius University?

Imagine that researchers have found a positive correlation between the frequency of disagreements that couples have and how long they stay together. Based on this correlation, would you start arguments with your significant other in order to sustain your relationship?

According to the authors of your text, archival research can tell researchers about __________.

A developmental psychologist who used the correlational method found that there was a positive correlation between children's self-esteem and their academic achievement. First, what does a positive correlation mean in this case? Second, how might these results be explained?

If a researcher is interested in learning about people's attitudes about environmental issues, the research method he should employ is __________.

If a scientist believes that another person's theory is wrong, the best approach for that scientist to take is to __________.

Professor Yarnofsky wonders whether recent acts of airline terrorism have made the public more fearful of airline flight. He secures records of the amount of flight insurance that people have purchased via machines at the airport, and compares the records of insurance purchases before the last hijacking to purchases after the last hijacking. Professor Yarnofsky has employed a(n) __________ research method.

Which of the following is one of the ethical principles that psychologists must follow when using human participants? All participants must be __________.

Based on the error in sampling in political polls that was described in your text, how would you recommend obtaining a representative sample for a poll (survey) about political candidates?

Whereas observational research is designed to __________ behavior, correlational research is designed to __________.

According to your text, a perfect study would involve __________.

Which of the following represents a limitation of observational methods?

A researcher wants to investigate the subculture of snowboarders. He begins hanging out with the snowboarders but does not impose his own ideas on the group. He merely records his observations of the group. This is an example of a(n) __________.

The experimental method always involves __________.