Research Methods Review

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

• survey

• correlational study

• 
  case study

• experiment

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

• hours spent training

• number of accidents

• 
  amount of traffic

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

• 
  strong negative | increases | decreases

• 
  strong positive | increases | decreases

• weak positive | increases | increases

• strong positive | increases | increases

Recruiting participants who are present and available in a specific location and point in time is...

• Quota sampling

• Random sampling

• Opportunity sampling

• Self-selecting sampling

Which is NOT a factor that relates to reliability?

• Having a large sample of participants

• Controlling potential extraneous variables

• Following a standardised procedure

• Checking observers are consistent with one another

'Participants working out the aim of the study and changing their behaviour as a result'. This is...

• Participant variables

• Sampling bias

• Extraneous variables

• Demand characteristics

This refers to the method of gaining enough participants that represent various backgrounds of people, allowing researchers to generalize results to the larger population:

• full sampling

• random sampling

• double-blind placebo experiment

• naturalistic study

In an experiment, the _________________ variable is tested by the researcher to observe its effect(s) on the _________________ variable.

• independent; dependent

• first; second

• dependent; independent

• research; results

Which of the following actions would be NOT considered UNETHICAL in psychological research?

• Forcing a participant to consume anything harmful

• 
  Refusing to withdraw data upon participant request

• Releasing personal information about the participants

• Executing research with permission for minors

Which sampling technique is used when a researcher selects a population for a particular reason?

• Snowball Sampling

• Convenience Sampling

• Purposive Sampling

• Opportunity Sampling