Research Methods Review for AP

To ensure that other researchers can repeat their work, psychologists use

• control groups.
• random assignment.
• double-blind procedures.
• operational definition.

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

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

• case study
• naturalistic observation
• experimentation
• correlation

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.

Which of the following would be best for determining whether alcohol impairs memory?

• case study
• naturalistic observation
• survey
• experiment

The procedure designed to ensure that the experimental and control groups do not differ in any way that might affect the experiment's results is called

• variable controlling.
• random assignment.
• representative sampling.
• stratification.

Martina believes that high doses of caffeine slow a person's reaction time. To test this belief, she has five friends each drink three 8-ounce cups of coffee and then measure their reaction time on a learning task. What is wrong with Martina's research strategy?

• No independent variable is specified.
• No dependent variable is specified.
• There is no control condition.
• There is no provision for replication of the findings.

A lopsided set of scores that includes a number of extreme or unusual values is said to be

• A. symmetrical 
• B. normal 
• C. skewed 
• D. dispersed