Exam 2: Exstintion: How Psychologists Do Research

A research hypothesis proposes that consuming low carbohydrate diets results in increased weight loss.One group of people follows a low-carb diet for three weeks,while a second group follows a high-carb diet containing the same number of calories for three weeks.The average number of pounds lost per person is compared.What is the independent variable?

In the 1990s,some police officers argued that murderous satanic cults were widespread,but the FBI was never able to substantiate this claim.The police officers continued to believe in the existence of the cults,saying that the FBI was part of the conspiracy.Our textbook points out that this is a violation of _______________ in everyday life.

Dr.Benjamin Rush treated yellow fever by bloodletting.He attributed each recovery to the bloodletting and each death to the severity of the yellow fever.What rule of science did he violate?

Case studies are usually only sources of hypotheses,not tests of hypotheses.

Rosenthal's research revealed that experimenter effects could influence a rodent's behavior.

According to the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association,researchers using human subjects must do all of the following EXCEPT:

Briefly outline how you could conduct a study of "personal space."

The magazine Lover's Delight publishes a survey of its female readers called "The Sex Life of the American Wife." It reports that 87 percent of all wives like to make love in rubber boots.The critical flaw in this research would be:

A theory is:

Two sets of observations,assessing hours spent watching television and grade point averages,are compared.Which of the following is the most likely outcome?

Psychologists follow a code of ethics that has been developed by the APA.Explain the APA code in regard to research with human subjects.What happens when participants must be misled about the true purpose of the study in order to make sure that their responses are natural?

Which of the following is NOT a key characteristic of scientists?

In the "Miss Peach" cartoon in the textbook,Ira said that he averaged two baths a day.Explain why averages,such as this one,are sometimes misleading.

Control groups are important in experimental studies and in nonexperimental studies.

A naturalistic observation would be the most appropriate method to investigate which of these topics?

The pop-psych tests found in magazines and newspapers usually:

Rosenthal's research revealed that experimenter effects could influence a person's behavior,but had no influence on the behavior of animals.

Theory is defined as:

Which of the following is NOT a possible operational definition of intelligence?

Which descriptive method would be most appropriate for studying attitudes toward stem cell research?