Question 1

Matthias Mehl and colleagues equipped 79 students with electronic recorders and then eavesdropped on more than 23,000 half-minute life slices of the students' waking hours.They found that students who were the happiest avoided small talk and engaged in more meaningful conversations.Mehl and colleagues used which research method?

Accepted Answer

A)  case study 
B)  experiment 
C)  experience sampling method 
D)  survey

Question 2

Dr.Psychology is studying the relationship between alcohol intoxication and risky driving behaviors.Dr.Psychology defines alcohol intoxication as having a blood alcohol level of .08.This definition of alcohol intoxication is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  theory. 
B)  hypothesis. 
C)  operational definition. 
D)  hunch.

Question 3

Dr.Renk would like to study the "hook up" culture among college students.To be able to generalize her findings to all college students,she needs a representative sample.To obtain such a sample,Dr.Renk should

Accepted Answer

A)  offer extra credit to students who complete her questionnaire. 
B)  use naturalistic observation in her study. 
C)  seek a random sample of participants. 
D)  exhibit sampling bias when selecting participants.

Question 4

To study the effects of noise on worker productivity,researchers have one group of people work in a noisy room and a second group work in a quiet room.To be sure that any differences in the productivity of the two groups actually result from the different noise levels,the researcher should use

Accepted Answer

A)  the case study. 
B)  correlational measurement. 
C)  naturalistic observation. 
D)  random assignment.

Question 5

The table below lists the scores of eight students on a test to measure anxiety, as well as the typical number of cigarettes each person smokes daily. Scores on the anxiety test can range anywhere from a low of 0 (indicating very low anxiety) to a high of 30 (indicating very high anxiety).

Accepted Answer

The answer of The table below lists the scores of...

Question 6

Which of the following is most likely to inhibit critical thinking?

Accepted Answer

A)  hindsight bias 
B)  overconfidence 
C)  discerning hidden values 
D)  creativity

Question 7

Testing hypotheses and refining theories is central to

Accepted Answer

A)  debriefing. 
B)  regression toward the mean. 
C)  the scientific method. 
D)  informed consent.

Question 8

In studying the relationship between body weight and popularity,Professor Vescio is attempting to determine the correlation between two

Accepted Answer

A)  replications. 
B)  variables. 
C)  random samples. 
D)  placebos.

Question 9

A correlation between physical attractiveness and dating frequency of +0.60 would indicate that

Accepted Answer

A)  physical attractiveness has no causal influence on dating frequency. 
B)  more frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness. 
C)  it is impossible to predict levels of physical attractiveness based on knowledge of dating frequency. 
D)  less frequent dating is associated with lower levels of physical attractiveness.

Question 10

Mrs.Blair concludes that boys do not read as well as girls because most of the students in her remedial reading classes are boys.Mrs.Blair's conclusion best illustrates the danger of

Accepted Answer

A)  random assignment. 
B)  generalizing from vivid cases. 
C)  confusing correlation with causation. 
D)  random sampling.

Question 11

In a study of factors that might affect memory,research participants were assigned to drink either an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage prior to completing a memory test.Those who drank the nonalcoholic beverage were assigned to the ________ group.

Accepted Answer

A)  survey 
B)  control 
C)  experimental 
D)  correlational

Question 12

When your best friend hears that you are taking a psychology course,she asserts that psychology is simply common sense.Explain why your awareness of both the limits of everyday reasoning and the methods of psychological research would lead you to disagree with your friend's assertion.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When your best friend hears that you...

Question 13

When people's negative moods are at their worst,whatever they do to try to alleviate the condition is likely to be followed by an improvement in their mood rather than further worsening.This is best explained in terms of

Accepted Answer

A)  random assignment. 
B)  illusory correlation. 
C)  informed consent. 
D)  regression toward the mean.

Exam 2: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science