Question 1

Ellen wants to see if the level of lighting in a room will affect the performance of individuals on an IQ test.One group in her study is placed in a room with very bright lights and a second group is placed in a room with more normal lighting.She finds that the individuals in the bright light group have better scores on the test than do the individuals in the normal light group.The difference between the two groups' scores is statistically significant,which means that the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  lighting definitely makes a difference 
B)  difference between the groups is due to chance 
C)  lighting significantly affects performance 
D)  difference between the groups is probably not due to chance

Question 2

A noted psychologist and environmentalist,Dr.Pigeon,has received a grant to study older persons' bird-feeding behavior in public parks.Dr.Pigeon has research assistants sit in public parks to unobtrusively collect the data.Dr.Pigeon has chosen a ____ research method.

Accepted Answer

A)  case study 
B)  naturalistic observational 
C)  controlled experimental 
D)  survey

Question 3

Steve is pushing Little Larry around on the fifth-grade playground when Larry says,"Your parents raised you to be a rude brat." Steve replies,"Shut up,wimp.It's survival of the fittest on this playground,and I was born to rule." Steve and Larry are engaged in a debate over ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  nature and nurture 
B)  authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles 
C)  stage and continual processes in development 
D)  assimilation and accommodation

Question 4

Psychology is based on research questions about many phenomena.When a psychologist asks if she can control for a phenomenon,she is ready to ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  devise a theory that will predict future phenomena 
B)  describe the phenomenon empirically 
C)  explain why the phenomenon occurs and why certain treatments are more effective 
D)  conduct an experiment testing various treatment methods in a clinical setting

Question 5

A disadvantage most associated with the ____ research method is that people who know they are being studied may alter their normal behavior.

Accepted Answer

A)  case study 
B)  survey 
C)  double-blind 
D)  naturalistic observational

Question 6

Megan believes she has found a medication that will greatly reduce the symptoms of depression,so she decides to conduct an experiment to test her ____.She randomly assigns depressed people to one of two groups.One group of participants takes the medication,while the other group gets only sugar pills.The latter group is receiving a ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis; placebo 
B)  theory; random variable 
C)  bias; treatment 
D)  intervening variable; placebo

Question 7

During a lunch discussion on the TV show Lost,your friend Aldo exclaims,"I have a theory about the mysteries of the island." Having just come from your Psychology class,you turn to Aldo and say,"you don't really have a theory.You have a hunch.I know this because a theory is ____."

Accepted Answer

A)  the constant recyclingand pruning of explanations of behavior and mental processes 
B)  an elaborate set of hypotheses 
C)  a law that has been established through experimentation 
D)  an integrated set of principles that can be used to explain and predict phenomena

Question 8

Dr.Jones is studying the effects of fatigue on aggression.He hypothesizes that the more fatigue a person is experiencing,the more aggressively the person will behave.Dr.Jones's control group should be composed of ____participants.

Accepted Answer

A)  nonfatigued 
B)  fatigued 
C)  aggressive 
D)  nonaggressive

Question 9

Joe,a psychologist,believes that listening to classical music while studying will increase academic performance.This is an example of a(n)____.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis 
B)  theory 
C)  experimental design 
D)  case study

Question 10

A researcher at the university has students in the introductory psychology participant pool fill out a survey about life satisfaction.This use of the introductory psychology participant pool represents ____ sampling of the human population.

Accepted Answer

A)  random 
B)  biased 
C)  representative 
D)  placebo

Question 11

Suzie is a graduate student who is conducting research on the topic of relative happiness.Suzie also teaches an introductory psychology course.Because her students are readily available,she uses them as participants in her research.This is an example of ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  dependent error 
B)  a double-blind design 
C)  randomizing 
D)  a convenience sample

Question 12

Dr.Abdul wants his research findings to be representative of the students at State U.He makes sure that every student has an equal chance of being a participant,thereby ensuring that he has engaged in____ sampling.

Accepted Answer

A)  biased 
B)  operational 
C)  random 
D)  representative

Question 13

Thanh was in a car accident a year ago in which she suffered some brain damage.Because of the rare nature of her impairment,Dr.Morello kept very detailed notes concerning the treatments administered,the effects of those treatments,and other particular aspects of Thanh's condition.He hopes to publish his findings so that if another psychologist encounters a patient with a condition like Thanh's,that psychologist will have some information to aid him or her in treating that individual.Which research method is Dr.Morello using?

Accepted Answer

A)  controlled experiment 
B)  case study 
C)  naturalistic observation 
D)  survey

Question 14

If you were reviewing evidence for an insurance investigation,you would not blindly accept someone's claims.You would look for well-supported evidence.Your text refers to this process as ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  naturalistic observation 
B)  intelligence 
C)  parsimonious thought 
D)  critical thinking

Question 15

A friend of yours claims that psychology isn't a science.Explain why your friend is wrong by relating the scientific goals of psychological research to the research methods that psychologists use.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A friend of yours claims that psychology...

Question 16

The ____of data is the degree to which they accurately represent the topic being studied.

Accepted Answer

A)  statistical validity 
B)  statistical reliability 
C)  research variables 
D)  inferential statistics

Question 17

During a thesis meeting,Dr.Volde suggests that Anwen consider using inferential statistics in her upcoming research project.After the meeting,Anwen meets her friend Jack and confesses that she doesn't know what Dr.Volde is talking about.Jack explains that inferential statistics ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  are measures of central tendency and variability. 
B)  are mathematical procedures used to draw conclusions from data. 
C)  usually involve correlation coefficients. 
D)  cannot be statistically significant by definition.

Question 18

Jocelyn is interested in a rare form of phobia.She is particularly interested in the factors associated with the development of this phobia.The research method that would be most useful for her is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  a case study 
B)  field research 
C)  an experiment 
D)  naturalistic observation

Question 19

An experimenter who conducts a study under highly controlled conditions often reduces the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  scientific value of the results 
B)  extent to which conclusions drawn from the results can be applied to other populations or situations 
C)  likelihood that the research hypothesis will be confirmed by the results 
D)  strength of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables

Question 20

After the magician pulled a rabbit from her hat,Dora exclaimed,"I'd like to see her do that again!" In other words,Dora is challenging the ____ of the magician.

Accepted Answer

A)  reliability 
B)  hypothesis 
C)  validity 
D)  data

Exam 2: Research in Psychology