Unit 1 methods pt 2

Which of the following is required for a psychological experiment?

• More than one independent variable

• Sophisticated equipment

• Highly generalizable results

• Precise operational definitions

• A longitudinal design

Which of the following research methods is being used if the same subjects are tested at two, four, and six years of age?

• Correlational

• Longitudinal

• cross-sectional

• Projective

• Cross-cultural

Which of the following statements best describes the placebo effect?

• It can be induced by antipsychotic drugs.

• It can be brought about by the individual’s expectations.

• It is found only among individuals in psychoanalysis.

• It is considered an invalid concept in research on client-centered therapy.

• It is typically experienced by individuals in long-term therapy.

A test with normally distributed results was returned to a class of 100 students. Later, the teacher realized an error was made and added 10 points to each student’s score. Which of the following must have changed as a result of the increase in scores?

• A student’s percentile rank

• The standard deviation of the scores

• The variance of the scores

• The skew of the distribution

• The mode

Research that focuses on in-depth analysis of an individual exemplifies which of the following methods?

• Quasi-experimentation

• Naturalistic observation

• Case study

• Cross-sectional study

• Survey

Which of the following research techniques would be the best way to demonstrate that getting eight or more hours of sleep produces higher exam scores the following day?

• Naturalistic observation

• Experimentation

• Interviews

• Case studies

• Correlations

A psychologist gives the same test to a class of students at the beginning of the day and again at the end of the school day. The extent to which test scores are similar across the two administrations demonstrates which of the following test properties?

• Validity

• Reliability

• Standardization

• Statistical significance

• Utility

To minimize experimenter bias, researchers should use

• random assignment

• random selection

• a double-blind design

• a longitudinal design

• a case study

Researchers are interested in whether a nutritionally poor diet during pregnancy increases the likelihood of birth defects. Which of the following most accurately explains why a correlational research design is the best option for investigating this question?

• A correlational study permits researchers to have precise control over variables.

• A correlational study allows researchers to draw conclusions about cause and effect.

• Because of ethical concerns, participants could not be randomly assigned to groups.

• It would be relatively easy to collect data from large samples of pregnant women.

• A correlational design will eliminate the possibility of experimenter bias.

Professor González is interested in evaluating the ability of a new method of note-taking to improve student grades. Group A is trained in the new method and group B uses the traditional outline method of taking notes. What is Professor González’ independent variable?

• Method of note-taking

• Grades

• Group membership

• The subject matter used

• The number of students per group