Question 1

One of the greatest advantages of surveys is that researchers

Accepted Answer

A)  can examine variables that are difficult to observe directly. 
B)  do not have to worry about whether their samples are representative. 
C)  can be confident that respondents answered honestly. 
D)  can be biased, but still collect objective information.

Question 2

When researchers examine a social psychological phenomenon using cross-cultural research, they are enhancing

Accepted Answer

A)  internal validity. 
B)  external validity. 
C)  deception. 
D)  random selection.

Question 3

Recall the description of the political poll taken by Literary Digest about the Landon vs.Roosevelt election.This is an example of a potential error that can be made when doing survey research involving political polls.What is the lesson that survey researchers learned from this error?

Accepted Answer

A)  Although people may report one opinion, they are likely to behave differently. 
B)  Surveys are not useful tools for predicting human behavior. 
C)  It is important to ask mostly hypothetical questions. 
D)  It is important to use random selection to obtain a representative sample.

Question 4

"What is the relationship between viewing violence on the one hand, and behaving aggressively on the other hand?" How might an observational researcher, a correlational researcher, and an experimental researcher answer that question?

Accepted Answer

The answer of "What is the relationship between viewing violence...

Question 5

Which of the following would be most likely to share a research lab and equipment with the biology department or medical school?

Accepted Answer

A)  ethnographers 
B)  social neuroscientists 
C)  personality psychologists 
D)  archival researchers

Question 6

What are some possible advantages and disadvantages associated with using surveys to enhance our understanding of social behavior?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are some possible advantages and disadvantages...

Question 7

After a controversial play, referees meet in the middle of the field to discuss what each saw and explain his/her ruling before coming to a final decision.This most closely resembles which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  archival analysis 
B)  dependent variables 
C)  interjudge reliability 
D)  external validity

Question 8

A researcher wants to see if there is a relationship between a person's birth order and his or her leadership ability.The best method for answering this question would be

Accepted Answer

A)  experimental. 
B)  correlational. 
C)  observational. 
D)  archival analysis.

Question 9

If a researcher were to use deception as part of her experimental procedure, when would she explain the purpose of this deception to her participants?

Accepted Answer

A)  during the debriefing 
B)  before obtaining informed consent 
C)  immediately preceding the experimental manipulation 
D)  before collecting any dependent measures

Question 10

Dr.Aronoff takes extra time when planning his studies to make sure that the results will generalize to other people and other situations than those he is directly examining.Dr.Aronoff is concerned with

Accepted Answer

A)  external validity. 
B)  internal validity. 
C)  deception. 
D)  interjudge reliability.

Question 11

Which of the following is a serious shortcoming of the correlational approach?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is difficult for social psychologists to secure a random sample. 
B)  Causal inferences based on correlational data are often faulty. 
C)  There is always some third variable that accounts for the correlation. 
D)  Surveys are often poorly designed, leading to erroneous conclusions.

Question 12

Why do researchers go to great lengths to create cover stories and devise elaborate situations in their studies to cover up the true purpose of the study?

Accepted Answer

A)  It ensures that participants are randomly assigned to condition. 
B)  It increases both internal and external validity. 
C)  People cannot always accurately predict how they would respond in a situation. 
D)  Researchers customarily use deception just to trick participants.

Question 13

Institutional review boards (IRBs) must be composed of certain types of people.If the IRB at Claudius University already consists of a scientist and a nonscientist, which of the following people would also need to be on the IRB at Claudius University?

Accepted Answer

A)  Dr.Jenkins, the president of Claudius University 
B)  Lisa, a student at Claudius University 
C)  Mr.Allen, a physician in the town near Claudius University 
D)  Ms.Jones, an assistant for the other members of the IRB

Question 14

A recent study found that the more time fathers spend with their children, the less likely they are to abuse their children.Which of the following is the most valid interpretation of this finding?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fathers who spend a lot of time with their children are more likely to develop loving relationships, reducing the likelihood that they will abuse their children. 
B)  Many fathers who abuse their children feel guilty and thus avoid spending time with their children. 
C)  There is some third variable, such as having an anti-social personality, that increases the likelihood that fathers will abuse their children and that they will spend little time with them. 
D)  Either A, B, or C could be true, and one can't tell which, based on the results of the study.

Question 15

The authors of your text discuss the idea that social psychology progresses through the process of theory refinement.Which of the following is the best summary of theory refinement?

Accepted Answer

A)  Theories are developed and debated by experts in the field. 
B)  When hypotheses are proven, they become theories. 
C)  Theories are developed, hypotheses are proposed and tested, and then theories are revised. 
D)  Hypotheses are proposed and tested at least three times by different researchers before altering a theory.

Question 16

Patricia and John have each independently recorded the number of times the words "right" and "responsibility" appeared in a civics textbook.They compared their counts, and found that of the thousands of references to rights and responsibilities, they only disagreed by two occurrences.This example illustrates high

Accepted Answer

A)  interjudge reliability. 
B)  internal validity. 
C)  external validity. 
D)  internal reliability.

Question 17

The primary goal of cross-cultural research is to

Accepted Answer

A)  demonstrate the universality or cultural dependence of psychological processes. 
B)  increase the internal validity of manipulations and measures. 
C)  increase the psychological realism of experiments. 
D)  replicate questionable findings to increase consistency.

Question 18

In many respects, reality television shows are similar to observational research in social psychology.In what crucial respect are reality TV shows most different from observational research?

Accepted Answer

A)  They do not use a representative sample of people who confronted strange situations. 
B)  The people filmed did not provide informed consent. 
C)  The observations were not conducted in a systematic, scientific manner. 
D)  The kind of situations that are filmed are not relevant to social psychologists.

Question 19

The only way to be certain that the results of a survey represent the behavior of a particular population is to ensure that the respondents are ________ that population.

Accepted Answer

A)  randomly assigned to 
B)  randomly selected from 
C)  conveniently accessible in 
D)  normally distributed in

Question 20

The relationships developed on shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have rarely produced long-lasting marriages.This is likely because the situations in which these relationships begin are

Accepted Answer

A)  low in external validity. 
B)  high in external validity. 
C)  low in internal validity. 
D)  high in internal validity.

Exam 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research