Exam 2: The Research Enterprise in Psychology

The measure of central tendency that is MOST sensitive to (or most influenced by)extreme scores in a distribution is the

Sometimes a subject's expectations may lead to behavior change in the absence of any effective treatment.This is referred to as an example of

Charley tells you that 17 out of the 30 students enrolled in his English class scored exactly 62 points on the last exam.Conceptually,this is the same as saying

One is most likely to encounter problems with the social desirability bias when using

In an experiment the investigator varies the dependent variable and measures the independent variable.

In psychology,MOST journal articles are

Dr.Prutherow believes that people who are under stress will develop more colds than people who are not under stress.When he randomly selects 10 participants and exposes them to high levels of stress,he finds that 9 of the participants develop colds.Based on these results he concludes that stress causes an increase in colds.Dr.Prutherow's reasoning may be flawed because in this study

While a(n)____ is the group of individuals actually observed in a research study,the ____ is the group of individuals that researchers want to generalize or extend their findings to describe.

Dr.Dobbins wants to study attachment patterns in single-parent families.The first step in her scientific investigation would be to

Dr.Kincaid was interested in the topic of autistic savants (individuals with limited abilities in many areas,but with an exceptional talent in one specific area).In the initial part of the investigation Dr.Kincaid carefully observed and compiled detailed files on three individuals who were autistic savants.Dr.Kincaid is conducting

The principle advantage of the experimental method is that the final conclusions can be extended to everyday behavior that occurs outside the laboratory.

Zigfried Rosenblat,Jr.took part in a study on sexual deviance last year.He was somewhat dismayed when he read an article in a weekly journal discussing sexual deviance in which one patient was referred to as ZRJ.Although the article claimed all names had been disguised to protect personal identities,Zigfried is convinced he is the individual described in the article.In this case,it is possible that the researchers who conducted the study violated the ethical principle of

A clinical psychologist notes that an unusually large number of obese people are depressed or anxious,and she offers an explanation that excess weight causes emotional disorders.Her explanation is a(n)

In experimental research,the researcher manipulates the ____ variable in order to measures its effect on the ____ variable.

The data obtained in a research study,along with the statistical analyses,are reported in the

Placebos are used in research to control for

Explain what makes psychology a science.

When clinical psychologists do case studies of their clients for diagnostic purposes they are conducting empirical research.

An independent variable in an experiment refers to

Darla has sent out a survey in which she is asking people to provide information about their attitudes on a number of sensitive subjects.When the surveys are returned Darla needs to be aware that the responses may be distorted due to