Exam 2: Psychology’s Scientific Method

In terms of statistical significance,what is considered to be the minimum level of probability that scientists will accept for concluding that observed differences are real and not due to chance?

In the context of psychological research methods,a(n)_____ presents a standard set of questions,or items,to obtain people's self-reported attitudes or beliefs about a particular topic.

Jennifer has had a troubled past and has been emotionally affected by her parents' divorce.Jennifer's therapist suggests that she write a book about her life;he says that this will be therapeutic for Jennifer and might help her get closure on her past.Which of the following guidelines should Jennifer follow while attempting to write this book?

Dr.Schwartzmiller believes that herbal medicines significantly reduce the number of depressive symptoms in women.She wants to use experimental methods to test her hypothesis.What components of a well-designed experiment should be included in this study?

A(n)_____ is a person who is given a role to play in an experimental study so that the social context can be manipulated.

Dr.Smith conducts an experiment on motivation.His experimental group is administered the independent variable.His control group is not.Dr.Smith hires Jack to act as a research subject who has little motivation despite the encouragement provided to him during the experiment.Dr.Smith wants to see how Jack's behavior affects the motivation of the actual research subjects in the experimental group.In this experiment,Jack is serving as:

In the context of psychological research,a random sample is the same thing as random assignment.

Mila,a geography teacher,wants to know her students' opinions about the food served in the school's cafeteria.In the context of psychological research,Mila should use the _____ method to obtain the data.

A(n)_____ allows researchers to distinguish the specific effects of the independent variable from the possible effects of the experimenter's and participants' expectations about it.

Jessica investigates the relationship between caffeine intake and performance on a class test for high school students.Before her sample of students takes an exam,she notes the number of cups of coffee they consumed two hours before the test.She obtains their scores after the test is over.She then calculates the correlation coefficient between the two variables and finds it to be +0.82.Which of the following conclusions should Jessica draw from this value?

In the context of psychology's scientific method,a(n)_____ is an educated guess that derives logically from a theory.

When psychological researchers use the correlational method to study variables,the degree of relation between two variables is expressed as a numerical value known as _____.

In an experimental study,a properly designed hypothesis will test a theory by predicting the:

The placebo effect in an experimental study refers to the:

In the context of correlational research,when a correlation coefficient is positive,it means that one variable caused another variable to occur.

What does the magnitude of a correlation coefficient indicate about the variables in a correlational study?

In descriptive statistics,the _____ is determined by adding up participants' scores and dividing by the number of scores.

Experimental data states that the painkiller Tafta takes at least thirty minutes to start having an effect on pain symptoms.However,most people report that their headaches begin to fade within just ten minutes of taking Tafta.Which of the following is the best explanation for this finding?

In the context of experimental research,the logic of random assignment is:

Before agreeing to participate in a psychological research study,all participants must know what their participation will involve and what risks might develop.According to the American Psychological Association (APA)guidelines,which of the following addresses this issue?