Question 1

The "hot hand" phenomenon illustrates the necessity of inferential statistics because

Accepted Answer

A) it is a research question that relates to sports, so it has generalized appeal. 
B) describing the effect is sufficient for understanding it. 
C) it requires methods that can determine whether a finding is due to chance. 
D) multiple scientists have investigated the effect, and come to different conclusions.

Question 2

A store owner wants to make sure she has enough shirts in the right sizes in her inventory, so she buys a lot of shirts in the most popular size.In order to make this purchase, what type of statistic would she want to know?

Accepted Answer

A) mode 
B) mean 
C) standard deviation 
D) range

Question 3

Another word for "replicate" is

Accepted Answer

A) review. 
B) generalize. 
C) repeat. 
D) analyze.

Question 4

Miranda is statistically combining the results of all the published studies on the effects of the presence of a weapon on eyewitness accuracy.In other words, Miranda is performing an)

Accepted Answer

A) meta-analysis. 
B) replication. 
C) inferential analysis. 
D) significance test.

Question 5

If a researcher wanted to study the behavior of protesters who were in a closed group and did not easily admit new people, the researcher would probably use which of the following approaches to study them?

Accepted Answer

A) naturalistic observation 
B) participant observation 
C) meta-analysis 
D) closed-ended questions

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT an ethical principle for research participants in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A) No one can force you to participate. 
B) You are entitled to make an informed decision to participate. 
C) Your information will be kept confidential. 
D) You will not be deceived during the research study.

Question 7

Psychologists have greater confidence in research results when

Accepted Answer

A) the data involve stimulus judgments. 
B) the research has used participant observation. 
C) the results are replicated. 
D) there is an experimenter expectancy effect.

Question 8

Based on your text's discussion of scientific inquiry, the goals of psychological science include behavior and mental processes.

Accepted Answer

A) describing, explaining, and synthesizing 
B) explaining, predicting, and preventing 
C) describing, predicting, and explaining 
D) explaining, synthesizing, and controlling

Question 9

There is a correlation between depression and memory: When people suffer from depression frequently, they often display worse memory than people who suffer from depression less frequently.Genetics, however, may have an effect on a study participant's depression and memory.This combination of factors is known as

Accepted Answer

A) selection bias. 
B) the experimenter expectancy effect. 
C) the directionality problem. 
D) the third variable problem.

Question 10

Which of the following is likely to be associated with observer bias?

Accepted Answer

A) reactivity 
B) experience sampling 
C) experimenter expectancy 
D) the Hawthorne effect

Question 11

When a researcher's bias affects the coding of data, there is a problem with

Accepted Answer

A) the Hawthorne effect. 
B) experimenter expectancy. 
C) a third variable. 
D) confounds.

Question 12

A psychologist wants to create two groups that are as similar as possible at the beginning of an experiment.To do this, he or she should use

Accepted Answer

A) random sampling. 
B) random assignment. 
C) self-report methods. 
D) participant observation.

Question 13

According to some psychologists, Sigmund Freud's theory of the meaning of dreams was not a successful theory because

Accepted Answer

A) it was too socially controversial. 
B) he developed the theory from previous ideas. 
C) it did not lead to many testable hypotheses. 
D) it was based on research later shown to be invalid.

Question 14

If a researcher created two groups by assigning the first 30 people to the experimental group and the last 30 to the control group, the process would violate the principle of

Accepted Answer

A) variability. 
B) generalization. 
C) random assignment. 
D) correlational research.

Question 15

The statistic that involves the basic arithmetic average of a set of scores is known as the

Accepted Answer

A) mode. 
B) range. 
C) mean. 
D) median.

Question 16

The variable that a researcher manipulates in an experiment is called the

Accepted Answer

A) independent variable. 
B) dependent variable. 
C) confounding variable. 
D) stimulus.

Question 17

Investigators who are interested in quickly gaining a lot of information about group attitudes are likely to use what kind of research approach?

Accepted Answer

A) case study 
B) psychophysical assessment 
C) participant observation 
D) self-report

Question 18

In which of the following types of study do researchers examine the extent to which variables are naturally related in the real world that is, there is NO attempt by the researcher to influence the relation among the variables)?

Accepted Answer

A) descriptive 
B) case 
C) experimental 
D) correlational

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of a statement describing risks and benefits that one might encounter before participating in a research study?

Accepted Answer

A) Participants will be compensated for their time and will benefit from the knowledge that they are helping to advance science. 
B) Participant data may not be kept confidential, and participants may experience pain at the injection site. 
C) Participants will not benefit directly from the research, and there is a risk that they may feel disappointed if the study is unsuccessful. 
D) Participants will be compensated for their time, and they may experience some discomfort when answering study questions

Question 20

One criticism that is made of many experimental studies in psychology is that

Accepted Answer

A) human behavior is almost impossible to study scientifically. 
B) human behavior is seldom related to animal behavior. 
C) researchers often use convenience samples, which leads to biased sampling. 
D) it is very difficult to separate the effects of independent and dependent variables.

Exam 2: Research Methodology