Exam 1: The Mission and the Method

The correlation coefficient is used to describe the relationship between two variables. They are usually denoted using the letter ____.

If a researcher conducts an experiment in which the independent variable is poorly defined (i.e., has a poor operational definition), then the experiment can be said to have ____.

When psychologists talk about "cognition," they are typically referring to ____.

The more abstract a construct is, the easier it is to operationally define it

The main weakness with correlational research (as opposed to experimental research)is that ____.

The purposes of the oral or written statement participants receive at the end of a psychological study include _____.

Dr. Brown conducts an experiment to examine the effects of mentorship programs on children's academic achievement. She finds that children who have mentors receive significantly higher grades than children who don't. The result is statistically significant at the .05 level. What does this mean?

If psychology is like a big tree, then social psychology is ____.

An idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts but not yet proven is known as a(n)____.

Replication is essential to the self-correcting nature of science.

Which of the following branches of psychology is MOST closely affiliated with social psychology?

Using more than one exemplar of a stimulus (such as more than one violent video game in a study investigating violent video content on aggression)is known as ____.

Which of the following elements is particularly critical to include in a deception study, but is not usually required in other types of studies?

The scientific method is the most rigorous way of sorting out the valid lessons from the mistaken ones.

Milgram's famous studies of obedience to authority were motivated by which of the following historical events?

In the history of psychology and social psychology, the late 1800s and early 1900s marked ____.

If an experiment does NOT get participants psychologically involved and engaged, even though the setting of the experiment closely resembles the real world physically, then the experiment would be said to be ____.

What is the main advantage of an experiment over a correlational study?

The top research journals in social psychology have substantial overlap, content-wise, with _____.

Almost all research requires that researchers provide participants with a(n)____.