Research Methods - Psychology

A correlation coefficient of 0.8 is a _______________ and suggests that as one variable ____________, the other variable ______________.

• strong positive | increases | increases
• weak positive | increases | increases
• strong positive | increases | decreases
• weak positive | increases | decreases

Which correlation coefficient represents the strongest relationship between variables?

• -0.78
• 0.67
• 0.85
• -0.87

In a study of the effect of a driver training program on driving skill, a possible operationalisation of the dependent variable would be...

• driving quality
• number of accidents
• hours spent training
• amount of traffic

Independent variable is to dependent variable as _________ is to ____________.

• hypothesis | conclusion
• effect | cause
• cause | effect.
• conclusion | hypothesis

Which kind of study can establish a cause-effect relationship between variables, assuming that the research is appropriate and well conceived?

• survey
• case study
• correlational study
• experiment

Which answer lists two measures of the spread of data around the mean?

• mode and median
• standard deviation and range
• inferential statistics and descriptive statistics
• scattergrams and boxplots

Which statement is correct?

• A stratified sample is more likely to be representative of the population than a convenience sample.
• A sample is always representative of a population.
• A convenience sample is more likely to be representative of the population than a stratified sample.
• A small random sample is more likely to be representative of the population than a large stratified sample.

The population in a research study is...

• the whole group of research interest.
• the smaller group that has been chosen from the group of research interest.
• exactly the same as the sample.
• always smaller than the sample.

Which answer provides examples of participant variables?

• independent variables, dependent variables
• time of day, noise level, temperature, location
• prior experience, motivation, intelligence, educational background
• extraneous variables, confounding variables

Which answer provides examples of situational variables?

• independent variables, dependent variables
• time of day, noise level, temperature, location
• prior experience, motivation, intelligence, educational background
• extraneous variables, confounding variables