Exam 2: Research in Psychology

Ellen wants to see if the level of lighting in a room will affect the performance of individuals on an IQ test.One group in her study is placed in a room with very bright lights and a second group is placed in a room with more normal lighting.She finds that the individuals in the bright light group have better scores on the test than do the individuals in the normal light group.The difference between the two groups' scores is statistically significant,which means that the ____.

A noted psychologist and environmentalist,Dr.Pigeon,has received a grant to study older persons' bird-feeding behavior in public parks.Dr.Pigeon has research assistants sit in public parks to unobtrusively collect the data.Dr.Pigeon has chosen a ____ research method.

Steve is pushing Little Larry around on the fifth-grade playground when Larry says,"Your parents raised you to be a rude brat." Steve replies,"Shut up,wimp.It's survival of the fittest on this playground,and I was born to rule." Steve and Larry are engaged in a debate over ____.

Psychology is based on research questions about many phenomena.When a psychologist asks if she can control for a phenomenon,she is ready to ____.

A disadvantage most associated with the ____ research method is that people who know they are being studied may alter their normal behavior.

Megan believes she has found a medication that will greatly reduce the symptoms of depression,so she decides to conduct an experiment to test her ____.She randomly assigns depressed people to one of two groups.One group of participants takes the medication,while the other group gets only sugar pills.The latter group is receiving a ____.

During a lunch discussion on the TV show Lost,your friend Aldo exclaims,"I have a theory about the mysteries of the island." Having just come from your Psychology class,you turn to Aldo and say,"you don't really have a theory.You have a hunch.I know this because a theory is ____."

Dr.Jones is studying the effects of fatigue on aggression.He hypothesizes that the more fatigue a person is experiencing,the more aggressively the person will behave.Dr.Jones's control group should be composed of ____participants.

Joe,a psychologist,believes that listening to classical music while studying will increase academic performance.This is an example of a(n)____.

A researcher at the university has students in the introductory psychology participant pool fill out a survey about life satisfaction.This use of the introductory psychology participant pool represents ____ sampling of the human population.

Suzie is a graduate student who is conducting research on the topic of relative happiness.Suzie also teaches an introductory psychology course.Because her students are readily available,she uses them as participants in her research.This is an example of ____.

Dr.Abdul wants his research findings to be representative of the students at State U.He makes sure that every student has an equal chance of being a participant,thereby ensuring that he has engaged in____ sampling.

Thanh was in a car accident a year ago in which she suffered some brain damage.Because of the rare nature of her impairment,Dr.Morello kept very detailed notes concerning the treatments administered,the effects of those treatments,and other particular aspects of Thanh's condition.He hopes to publish his findings so that if another psychologist encounters a patient with a condition like Thanh's,that psychologist will have some information to aid him or her in treating that individual.Which research method is Dr.Morello using?

If you were reviewing evidence for an insurance investigation,you would not blindly accept someone's claims.You would look for well-supported evidence.Your text refers to this process as ____.

A friend of yours claims that psychology isn't a science.Explain why your friend is wrong by relating the scientific goals of psychological research to the research methods that psychologists use.

The ____of data is the degree to which they accurately represent the topic being studied.

During a thesis meeting,Dr.Volde suggests that Anwen consider using inferential statistics in her upcoming research project.After the meeting,Anwen meets her friend Jack and confesses that she doesn't know what Dr.Volde is talking about.Jack explains that inferential statistics ____.

Jocelyn is interested in a rare form of phobia.She is particularly interested in the factors associated with the development of this phobia.The research method that would be most useful for her is ____.

An experimenter who conducts a study under highly controlled conditions often reduces the ____.

After the magician pulled a rabbit from her hat,Dora exclaimed,"I'd like to see her do that again!" In other words,Dora is challenging the ____ of the magician.