Research Methods

Juwan eagerly opened an online trading account, believing that his market savvy would allow him to pick stocks that would make him a rich day trader. This belief best illustrates

• a placebo effect.
• illusory correlation.
• hindsight bias.
• overconfidence.

You decide to test your belief that men drink more soft drinks than women by finding out whether more soft drinks are consumed per day in the men's dorm than in the women's dorm. Your belief is a(n) _____, and your research prediction is a(n) ______. 

• hypothesis; theory
• theory; hypothesis
• independent variable; dependent variable
• dependent variable; independent variable

After a detailed study of a gunshot wound victim, a psychologist concludes that the brain region destroyed is likely to be important for memory functions. Which type of research did the psychologist use to deduce this?

• the case study
• a survey
• correlation
• experimentation

A psychologist studies the play behavior of young children by watching groups during recess at school. Which type of research is being used?

• correlation
• case study
• experimentation
• naturalistic observation

Well-done surveys measure attitudes in a representative subset, or _____, or an entire group, or ____.

• population; random sample
• control group; experimental group
• experimental group; control group
• random sample; population

A professor constructs a questionnaire to determine how students at the university feel about nuclear disarmament. Which of the following techniques should be used in order to survey a random sample of the student body?

• Every student should be sent the questionnaire.
• Only students majoring in psychology should be asked to complete the questionnaire.
• Only students living on campus should be asked to complete the questionnaire.
• From an alphabetical listing of all students, every tenth (or fifteenth, e.g.) student should be asked to complete the questionnaire.

Which type of research would allow you to determine whether students' grades accurately predict later income?

• case study
• naturalistic observation
• experimentation
• correlation

If height and body weight are positively correlated, which of the following is true?

• There is a cause-effect relationship between height and weight.
• As height increases, weight decreases.
• Knowing a person's height, one can predict his or her weight.
• All of these statements are true.

If shoe size and IQ are negatively correlated, which of the following is true?

• People with large feet tend to have high IQs.
• People with small feet tend to have high IQs.
• People with small feet tend to have low IQs.
• IQ is unpredictable based on a person's shoe size.

To determine the effects of a new drug on memory, one group is given a pill that contains the drug. A second group is given a sugar pill that does not contain the drug. This second group constitutes the

• random sample
• experimental group
• control group
• test group