Question 1

Two sets of observations assessing men's educational level and their respective annual income are compared. Which of the following is most likely true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The two variables will be both positively and negatively correlated. 
B)  The two variables will be uncorrelated. 
C)  The two variables will be negatively correlated. 
D)  The two variables will be positively correlated.

Question 2

The peer review process:

Accepted Answer

A)  verifies the credentials of the researchers who work on a project. 
B)  is part of science's system of checks and balances. 
C)  ensures that the competition among scientists doing similar research is in check. 
D)  makes sure that the research does not involve animals as subjects.

Question 3

The tendency to look for information that supports one's own belief is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  the principle of falsifiability. 
B)  confirmation bias. 
C)  denialism. 
D)  cognitive inertia.

Question 4

Dr. Hennig has created a personality test, and the results from this test are highly correlated with scores on the MMPI, a well-established personality test. From this information you can deduce that Dr. Hennig's test has:

Accepted Answer

A)  criterion validity. 
B)  content validity. 
C)  test-retest reliability. 
D)  standardized procedures.

Question 5

Tessa agrees to an evaluation designed to tap her unconscious feelings and motives. Tessa will be given a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  objective test. 
B)  projective test. 
C)  double-blind test. 
D)  single-blind test.

Question 6

Hosai is trying to define "anxiety" in such a way that it specifies how it is to be observed, measured, and empirically tested. She is attempting to find an appropriate:

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis. 
B)  corollary. 
C)  theoretical definition. 
D)  operational definition.

Question 7

In an experimental situation, the independent variable:

Accepted Answer

A)  is a placebo. 
B)  is measured. 
C)  is held constant. 
D)  is manipulated.

Question 8

When the textbook authors refer to psychologists as scientists, they do not mean that all psychologists work with complicated gadgets and machines or wear white lab coats. The scientific enterprise has more to do with attitudes and procedures than it does with apparatus and apparel. Describe, in detail, the five key characteristics of the ideal scientist.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When the textbook authors refer to psychologists...

Question 9

Two sets of observations assessing students' heights and their respective weights are compared. Which of the following is most likely true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The two variables will be both positively and negatively correlated. 
B)  The two variables will be uncorrelated. 
C)  The two variables will be negatively correlated. 
D)  The two variables will be positively correlated.

Question 10

Which of the following is a disadvantage of case studies?

Accepted Answer

A)  Case studies produce a less detailed picture of an individual than other methods. 
B)  Case studies have only limited usefulness for deriving general principles of behaviour. 
C)  Data from case studies is more abstract, vague, and general than data from other methods. 
D)  The amount of control used in case studies makes them very artificial.

Question 11

A major purpose of peer review is to:

Accepted Answer

A)  verify the credentials of the researchers who worked on a project. 
B)  make sure the results of a study fit with current scientific theories. 
C)  determine whether the work lives up to accepted scientific standards. 
D)  make sure that the research does not involve animals as subjects.

Question 12

A statistician adds all of the test scores for a group of participants and then divides the sum by the number of participants. The result of his calculation is the ____________ of the test scores.

Accepted Answer

A)  arithmetic mean 
B)  effect size 
C)  p value 
D)  standard deviation

Question 13

The participants for an experiment are randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Although 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?

Accepted Answer

A)  single-blind 
B)  correlational 
C)  field research 
D)  double-blind

Question 14

Hadley is told that the achievement test he is taking is a standardized test. This means that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the test has been approved by the CPA. 
B)  the test will be measuring what is it intended to measure. 
C)  similar scores occur when the test is given in a standard laboratory setting or in a naturalistic setting. 
D)  uniform procedures exist for giving and scoring the test.

Question 15

Dawn is systematically recording the behaviours of the kids in a nursery school, taking pains to avoid being obvious about what she is doing. Dawn is engaging in a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  observational study. 
B)  exploratory research. 
C)  experimental research. 
D)  double-blind study.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of a positive correlation?

Accepted Answer

A)  height and weight 
B)  average income and shoe sizes 
C)  average income and the incidence of dental disease 
D)  school grades and number of hours spent playing video games

Question 17

Research methods that depict behaviour, but do not necessarily yield causal explanations, are called:

Accepted Answer

A)  experimental methods. 
B)  single-blind studies. 
C)  significance tests. 
D)  descriptive methods.

Question 18

A major disadvantage of using laboratory observation in a research study is that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the presence of researchers may cause participants to act differently than they would in their natural surroundings. 
B)  it can be used only for explaining behaviour and not for describing it. 
C)  it is often considered unethical. 
D)  researchers have less control of the situation than they do in a naturalistic observation.

Question 19

A researcher hypothesizes that adults will respond differently to the same baby depending on how the child is dressed. Her colleague, on the other hand, hypothesizes that boys and girls are treated equally and that only temperamental differences lead to differences in their handling. Design a research study to test their hypotheses.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher hypothesizes that adults will respond...

Question 20

A correlational study determined that the higher a male monkey's level of testosterone, the more aggressive it is likely to be. This means that:

Accepted Answer

A)  testosterone causes aggression. 
B)  testosterone and aggression are uncorrelated. 
C)  testosterone and aggression are negatively correlated. 
D)  testosterone and aggression are positively correlated.

Exam 2: How Psychologists Do Research