Exam 1: What Is Psychology

Many nonscientists use the word "theory" to mean a personal opinion or guess,as in "I have a theory about who stole my bicycle." Contrast this use of theory with its meaning in science.Include an example of a scientific theory and explain why it meets the scientific definition of the word.

The participants for an experiment are randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group.While the researchers know which group each participant has been assigned to,the participants do not know if they are in the experimental or control group.Which type of study is this an example of?

A psychologist is studying gender relationships in childhood and early adolescence.Fourth grade and sixth grade children are observed during lunchtime at a school in order to compare the seating preferences of boys and girls at the two different ages.From this information,it is evident that the researcher is

_______________ is the aspect of psychology least recognized and understood by the public.

Many research psychologists,and some practitioners,are worried that

Noriko is a participant in an experiment to test whether placing magnets inside the soles of shoes reduces foot pain.Neither Noriko nor the experimenter who interacts with her knows whether the pair of shoes she was given have magnets inside of them.Noriko is taking part in a(n)

When Patrick and Mary Anne first got married they agreed to participate in a research project that investigated the happiness of married couples over time.Every five years they complete a survey that indicates their marital satisfaction.It is evident that Patrick and Mary Anne are

Distinguish between a theory and a hypothesis.

Researchers prefer to select participants who accurately represent the larger population that the researcher is interested in.This type of group is called a(n)

In the control condition,subjects are treated exactly as they are in the experimental condition,except that they are not exposed to the same treatment of the independent variable.

When Haylee takes a personality test,the researcher gives her detailed instructions and plenty of time to complete it.But Tyler takes the same test and is given only vague instructions and a limited amount of time.This procedural difference shows a problem in regard to

Distinguish between reliability and validity in psychological testing.

Explain why many psychologists have called for a greater amount of field research rather than strict laboratory experiments.

Terms used in hypotheses are given operational definitions,which specify how the phenomena in question are to be observed and measured.

A researcher plans to conduct an experiment to test whether a cup of hot milk at night helps people fall asleep faster than usual.In this study,the independent variable is

Subjects are randomly assigned to the experimental or control condition

Which is true about psychologists today?

Margie is trying to define "anxiety" in a way that can be empirically tested.She is attempting to find an appropriate

Popular polls often suffer from volunteer bias because those who feel strongly enough about their opinions may differ from those who remain silent.

Which of the following correlations is the strongest?