Exam 2: Doing Social Psychology Research

According to standard convention, a researcher must be ____% sure that the difference she observed between experimental conditions was not simply the result of chance in order to conclude that the difference is statistically significant.

When interrogating a woman in a string of neighborhood thefts, Detective Morse tells her suspect the following: "I am asking you these questions and I'd advise you to answer honestly. When we are done chatting, you are going to have to answer them again when attached to a lie-detector." In this investigation, Detective Morse uses the ____ technique.

What is the significant advantage of observational research?

What are the two essential characteristics of an experiment? Why, and how, is each of these important for the internal validity of the experiment?

Random assignment is essential to establishing causality because it

Which of the following factors other than the independent variable varies between conditions of an experiment?

Which of the following is NOT true of applied research in social psychology?

Which of the following is NOT involved in basic research?

The degree to which the experimental situation resembles places and events in the real world is called ____ realism.

Rabiyah administered an intelligence test to sophomores and seniors at Faber College and at Hillman College and compared performance across these four groups. Which of the following is/are the subject variable(s) in this study?

Luke would like to know if there is a relationship between the number of psychology courses people take and their level of empathy. He surveys a randomly selected group of college students. Each student indicates the number of psychology courses he or she has taken and then completes an empathy scale. Luke's research is best described as a(n)

Random assignment, a defining feature of an experiment, means that participants

A television producer is interested in whether women like soap operas more than sitcoms. The producer uses a random number table to select a sample of 100 households, and then makes phone calls to these households every afternoon for three weeks. Of those who were home when the producer called, 75% reported they liked soap operas more than sitcoms. Which of the following might raise questions about the results?

Megumi is running an experiment on the impact of noise level on subsequent aggressive behavior. In one condition, participants experience a loud, annoying noise while trying to complete a task, and then are given a chance later to give another ostensible participant a noise blast, too. In the other condition, the participants do not experience the noise while trying to complete their task. After the study has been conducted, Megumi realizes that the loud room was lit more brightly than the quiet room. This difference in the level of light is an example of a

Which of the following statements about construct validity does NOT hold?

If the results of an experiment could have occurred by chance only five or fewer times in 100 possible outcomes, they are considered

The disclosure made to participants after research procedures are completed, in which the researcher explains the purpose of the research, is called

What is NOT a suggestion made in the text for how social psychology could protect itself against intentional or unintentional bias or dishonesty?

One of the many advantages of correlational research is that it

A study that examines existing records or databases is referred to as a(n)