Question 1

Dr.Denton designs an experiment to test the hypothesis that children who are taught alternative ways of responding to failure will show increased persistence in problem solving.Dr.Denton assigns half of a random sample of third-graders to a tutor who emphasizes learning from mistakes rather than improving grades.The other half of the sample receive tutoring without this emphasis on "learning goals." After two months of tutoring,both groups were given a test of persistence.A possible random variable in this experiment is the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   amount of time before the persistence test
B)   persistence test score
C)   level of intelligence of the children
D)   time of day the experiment was conducted C

Question 2

A researcher studies how Pakistani students adapt to college by living in multicultural dorms on campus.He uses the data collected to find trends of adjustment and what factors may help to ease the transition into college.What research method is being employed?

Accepted Answer

A)   naturalistic observation
B)   experiment
C)   correlational study
D)   introspection C

Question 3

Dr.Tarantino wants to know the degree to which heredity and environment affect differences among individuals.Which research approach would he be least likely to consider?

Accepted Answer

A)   gender study
B)   adoption study
C)   family study
D)   twin study A

Question 4

To minimize the impact of random variables on an experiment's results,researchers commonly use ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   exit surveys
B)   random assignment
C)   a placebo
D)   a control group

Question 5

Kumar wants to do research using a survey about attitudes toward smoking.Kumar wants his sampling of respondents to be as representative as possible of the adult Ohio population.Kumar should ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   randomly pick names from the latest Ohio census
B)   take every thousandth name from phone books all over the state
C)   survey all passersby in downtown areas of communities all over the state
D)   put ads on TV stations around the state asking for volunteers

Question 6

It is considered to be acceptable for research participants to be exposed to risk or discomfort ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   when the risk and discomfort is temporary and only occurs during the experiment
B)   only when minimal risk and discomfort are outweighed by the benefit to the knowledge base and to human welfare
C)   when nonhuman participants are also used as a comparison
D)   when participants are paid for their involvement with the study before participating

Question 7

In an experiment to study the effects of marijuana usage on memory,previous experiences with drug usage indicate ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   experimenter bias
B)   the independent variable
C)   the dependent variable
D)   a confound

Question 8

Dr.Redford has long been interested in dissociative identity disorder.For the past three years,the only participant in his research has been his client,Sybil.He has studied her case intensively.What research method is Dr.Redford using?

Accepted Answer

A)   case study
B)   naturalistic observation
C)   survey
D)   experimental

Question 9

Dr.Kilgore is studying the effects of Prozac on depression.Dr.Kilgore runs a double-blind study on a group of sixty college students.Thirty students receive Prozac and thirty students receive a placebo.At the beginning and end of the study,Dr.Kilgore administers the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)to determine the efficacy of the drugs.In this experiment,the group that receive Prozac is considered the ____ group.

Accepted Answer

A)   independent
B)   dependent
C)   experimental
D)   control

Question 10

Derrill is worried that variables such as age,gender,personality characteristics,and education level might confound the results of his experiment,which is designed to test the effects of mood on reaction time.Derrill should use ____ assignment to experimental groups to distribute the impact of these ____ variables.

Accepted Answer

A)   random; representative
B)   representative; random
C)   representative; representative
D)   random; random

Question 11

Observational methods,case studies,surveys,correlational studies,and experiments generate mountains of numbers-known as data-that represent research results and provide the basis for drawing conclusions about them.

Accepted Answer

A)   descriptive statistics
B)   inferential statistics
C)   data
D)   statistical significance

Question 12

If you are interested in determining the effectiveness of a new medication in treating depression,it is most critical that you use ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   naturalistic observational methods
B)   correlational research
C)   a double-blind design
D)   a stratified sample

Question 13

In an experiment,Dr.Fatka watches forty participants play basketball and gives each participant a rating from 1 to 10 to assess the participant's basketball ability.Dr.Fatka randomly divides the forty participants into two groups and personally teaches one group how to play basketball and the other group how to play football.Finally,Dr.Fatka watches all forty participants play basketball again and gives each participant a new rating.After looking at the data,Dr.Fatka concludes that teaching basketball is more effective than teaching football in raising the basketball ratings.This experiment is flawed because of ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   experimenter bias
B)   random sampling
C)   double-blind design
D)   correlations

Question 14

To investigate the effects of exercise on mathematical problem-solving ability,a researcher assignsparticipants to one of two groups.One group cycles on an exercise bike for one hour,and the other group performs no exercises.Afterward,both groups work on a set of math problems and their performances are compared.In this experiment,the group that does not exercise is the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   control group
B)   dependent variable
C)   independent variable
D)   intervening group

Question 15

Dr.V wanted to test her hypothesis that sugar improves memory,so she gave one group of participants candy sweetened with sugar and another group candy sweetened with NutraSweet.Then she compared the performance of the two groups on a test of recognition memory.Dr.V's research method is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   dependent
B)   experimental
C)   descriptive
D)   naturalistic

Question 16

Dr.Harshaw is planning to research the relationship between behavioral genetics and the effect of impulsivity on consumer behavior.To complete his research,Dr.Harshaw would likely conduct a ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   representative sampling
B)   twin study
C)   random variable study
D)   personality test

Question 17

The most effective way to eliminate experimenter bias is to ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   use placebos
B)   hire ethical research assistants.
C)   incorporate random variables
D)   use a double-blind design

Question 18

Dr.Ayhee's research is focused on exploring how environmental effects,such as stress and disease,can alter the functions of genes in the human body,even though the DNA itself remains unchanged.This field of study is known as ____.

Accepted Answer

A)   forensic psychology
B)   epigenetics
C)   inferential studies
D)   environmental psychology

Question 19

The first evidence for EMDR was based on Francine Shapiro's own experience with eye movements.If she had not been able to consistently repeat,or _______,those effects in other people,one would have to question the reliability of such data.And if her clients' reports of reduced anxiety were not supported by,say,their overt behavior or the reports of their close relatives,one would have to doubt the ____of these data.

Accepted Answer

A)   reproduce; effectiveness
B)   reiterate; efficacy
C)   replicate; validity
D)   redo; truthfulness

Question 20

Sima believes that wearing black clothing causes people to behave more aggressively.In her experiment,she randomly assigns people into two groups.In Group A,participants are given black shirts to wear,while participants in Group B are given white shirts to wear.Each participant is then asked to play a violent video game for fifteen minutes and his or her score is computed.In this experiment,each participant's video game score is the ____ variable.

Accepted Answer

A)   dependent
B)   random
C)   independent
D)   confounding

Exam 2: Research in Psychology