Question 1

Darley and Gross (1983)showed participants a video of a girl taking a reading test.They then asked participants to rate the girl's academic ability.These researchers found that participants rated her academic ability higher if they thought that she:

Accepted Answer

A)  was from an affluent family.
B)  was from an extremely religious family.
C)  had struggled to overcome her family's poverty.
D)  was 10 years of age instead of 12 years of age. A

Question 2

How is the psychological code of ethics as it pertains to respecting people enforced?

Accepted Answer

A)  by the honor system (self-regulation) 
B)  by institutional review boards
C)  by international inspectors from the United Nations task force on human rights
D)  through the tenure and promotion system at colleges and universities B

Question 3

A graphical representation of the measurements of a sample that are arranged by the number of times each measurement was observed is a:

Accepted Answer

A)  Gaussian distribution.
B)  frequency distribution.
C)  normal distribution.
D)  scatter plot. B

Question 4

The statement "Eating less spinach is associated with a shorter life span" is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)  a correlation.
B)  a causal relationship.
C)  variation.
D)  an estimate.

Question 5

April must find four sources for a term paper she is writing on the effectiveness of public assistance such as welfare in combating poverty.April tends to oppose welfare on philosophical grounds.April probably will:

Accepted Answer

A)  summarize four studies suggesting that welfare is actually effective in order to consciously guard against her known biases.
B)  find four studies suggesting that welfare is effective but then attempt to discredit this research.
C)  review two studies on each side of the debate in a fair and balanced way.
D)  summarize four studies suggesting that welfare is ineffective at combating poverty.

Question 6

A scatterplot of a perfect negative correlation would depict a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  linear increasing function.
B)  linear decreasing function.
C)  linear horizontal function.
D)  absence of a linear relationship.

Question 7

Which number represents the STRONGEST correlation coefficient (r)?

Accepted Answer

A)  -.50
B)  .70
C)  -.10
D)  0.01

Question 8

In an experiment,researchers exposed half the children to 2 hours of violence on television every day for a month and made sure the other half saw no violence on television at all.At the end of the month,they measured the aggressiveness in the children.The fact that the researchers arranged for some children to watch violence on television and others to not is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)  matched pairs.
B)  matched samples.
C)  correlation.
D)  manipulation.

Question 9

Mike wants to know how many licks it takes to get to the center of his all-day sucker.He tells his friends that "one full gyration of the tongue around the outer surface of the lollipop" is what constitutes a "lick." In an informal way,Mike is offering a(n)_____ but lacks a reliable _____ to answer the question.

Accepted Answer

A)  measurement instrument;operational definition
B)  theory;measurement instrument
C)  theory;operational definition
D)  operational definition;measurement instrument

Question 10

A researcher using naturalistic observation will gathering scientific information by:

Accepted Answer

A)  measuring participants on at least two variables.
B)  unobtrusively watching people in their normal environments.
C)  manipulating a variable and then measuring any effect on behavior.
D)  administering surveys to participants which ask questions about their daily lives.

Question 11

What is the mean of the number sequence 1 1 2 4?

Accepted Answer

A)  4
B)  3
C)  1
D)  2

Question 12

The size of the population is signified by which symbol?

Accepted Answer

A)  n
B)  N
C)  p
D)  P

Question 13

When every member of a population has an equal chance of being included in a sample,the sample is said to be _____ the population.

Accepted Answer

A)  representative of
B)  replicable to
C)  statistically significant to
D)  internally valid to

Question 14

Consistent with psychological research,politicians tend to surround themselves with advisors who:

Accepted Answer

A)  like to play devil's advocate and challenge the politicians' beliefs on policy issues.
B)  validate the politicians' beliefs on most policy issues.
C)  present both sides of a policy issue in a fair and balanced way.
D)  spend more time objectively considering evidence that opposes the politicians' beliefs.

Question 15

The arithmetic average of the measurements in a frequency distribution is the:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Describing time based on the duration it takes the earth to revolve around the sun is an example of a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  measurement instrument.
B)  demand characteristic.
C)  operational definition.
D)  reactive observation.

Question 17

The ethical principle of _____ means that research participants are given enough information about a study to make a reasonable decision about whether or not to participate.

Accepted Answer

A)  freedom from coercion
B)  informed consent
C)  debriefing
D)  protection from harm

Question 18

In an experiment,researchers exposed half of the participants to loud noise during a memory-encoding task.The room was quiet for the other half of the participants.Later,all participants were given a memory test and the number of correct items recalled was obtained for each participant.What is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

A)  the number of items recalled
B)  the noise level during the encoding task
C)  the time interval between encoding and recall.
D)  the probability of being assigned to the two groups

Question 19

An archaeologist discovers new evidence suggesting humans inhabited a particular area long before it was originally believed.Because these results are so novel,if the archaeologist is critically thinking,she should first:

Accepted Answer

A)  critically evaluate the work of other archaeologists who argue the opposite.
B)  contact archaeologists who oppose this viewpoint and ask them to evaluate her evidence.
C)  begin writing a book on her findings.
D)  contact the press and begin publicizing her findings.

Question 20

Another term for a normal distribution is a _____ distribution.

Accepted Answer

A)  standard
B)  Gaussian
C)  skewed
D)  bimodal

Exam 2: Methods in Psychology-Part A

Darley and Gross (1983) showed participants a video of a girl taking a reading test.They then asked participants to rate the girl's academic ability.These researchers found that participants rated her academic ability higher if they thought that she: