Exam 2: Exstintion: How Psychologists Do Research

When two variables are correlated,it is easy to assume that if "A" predicts "B," then "A" must be causing "B." Explain why this is not necessarily so,using this example: The higher a male monkey's level of the hormone testosterone,the more aggressive he is likely to be.

A researcher finds that there is no correlation between the color of the house you grew up in and your IQ.This relationship,as indicted by these correlation coefficients,is:

What role does mathematical illiteracy play in the misuse of statistics? Illustrate this misuse using the following quote from the text: "Every year since 1950,the number of American children gunned down has doubled."

In a laboratory,smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal.The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions.Some of the subjects smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat.Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine.You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have.In this study,the cigarette without nicotine is:

Experiments have long been the method of choice in psychology.However,the experiment does have its limitations.Describe these limitations and explain why many psychologists have called for more field research.

An operational definition is:

Dr.Slocum is interested in studying brain lateralization,that is,how the two sides of the brain serve different functions.In order to investigate this topic,she notes whether parents tend to carry their infants in a "left-sided" hold or in a "right-sided" hold.Explain what research method Dr.Slocum is using.What are the limitations of this method?

In the 1970s,a 13-year-old girl was found locked up in a room,strapped to a potty chair.Since she had grown up in a world without human speech,researchers studied "Genie's" ability to acquire words,grammar,and pronunciation.This type of research is called:

In a laboratory,smokers are asked to "drive" using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal.The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions.Some of the subjects smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver's seat.Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine.You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have.In this study,the dependent variable is:

Which descriptive method would be most appropriate for studying flirtation behavior in college students?

When two variables are not related,the correlation coefficient will be close to:

Subjects are randomly assigned to the experimental or control condition:

Cultural psychologists must work to identify the underlying mechanisms that account for cultures.This requires psychologists to avoid the process of:

Psychologists sometimes prefer to make observations in a laboratory setting rather than a naturalistic setting because:

When two variables have a strong positive correlation,the correlation coefficient will be close to:

Dr.Wiseman wants to know about the alcohol consumption patterns among college juniors in the United States.He should:

In a recent study comparing self-report of illicit drug use to the subjects urinalysis found that up to 10 percent of the subjects lied.

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Psychologists measure test-retest reliability by giving different versions of the same test to the same group on two separate occasions.

Descriptive statistics includes all of the following EXCEPT: