5.2a-b Positive Psychology Quiz 2

Which of the following is the range of Rachel’s scores?

• 6

• 8

• 9

• 15

Which of the following is the median of Rachel’s scores?

• 6

• 9

• 9.5

• 10

Which of the following would indicate the strongest correlation between the variables of gratitude and narcissistic personality disorder?

• –.90

• –.23

• .40

• .72

Which of the following approaches to psychology focuses on adaptive, creative, and fulfilling aspects of human

experiences?

• Behavioral

• Positive

• Psychodynamic

• Motivational

Jeremy recorded his school’s level of well-being and the mean outside temperature each day for a month. His analysis showed that as the temperature decreased his school well being increased. Which of the following terms best characterizes the association between these two variables?

• Significant difference

• Regression toward the mean

• Negative correlation

• Positive correlation

Research in the field of positive psychology is most supportive of which of the following conclusions?

• An external locus of control results in higher levels of optimism.

• Locus of control is not an important factor in health and well-being.

• Perception of control is determined by situational factors.

• Perception of control is related to a sense of well-being.

Dr. Kebede believes that as people express gratitude more frequently, their subjective well-being will increase. To test

this, Dr. Kebede conducts a study in which participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. In both groups,

participants are asked to record their sense of well-being by keeping a weekly journal and responding to the prompt: “All

things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?”

In the first group, the participants were required to set a goal to express gratitude and thankfulness through daily

affirmations or to others throughout the day. The participants in the second group are not tasked with expressing gratitude

but are still asked to keep the weekly journal. After three months, Dr. Kebede collects the journals and reads the responses. In this study, what is the independent variable?

• The participant response to the journal prompt

• The expression of gratitude

• The wording of the journal prompt

• The subjective well-being score

Dr. Kebede believes that as people express gratitude more frequently, their subjective well-being will increase. To test

this, Dr. Kebede conducts a study in which participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. In both groups,

participants are asked to record their sense of well-being by keeping a weekly journal and responding to the prompt: “All

things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?”

In the first group, the participants were required to set a goal to express gratitude and thankfulness through daily

affirmations or to others throughout the day. The participants in the second group are not tasked with expressing gratitude

but are still asked to keep the weekly journal. After three months, Dr. Kebede collects the journals and reads the

responses. A classmate reading Dr. Kebede’s study disregards the results and states “this really isn’t even an experiment.” Which of the following supports the fact that Dr. Kebede’s study is an experiment?

• There are two variables in the study; the gratitude and the thankfulness.

• The study would be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

• Dr. Kebede included random assignment to groups in the study.

• The study was conducted over three months.

Dr. Ake developed a measure that asked people about how much they agreed with several statements about their

subjective well-being. The participants had to choose a number between 1 and 5, with 1 meaning they strongly

disagreed and 5 meaning they strongly agreed. Those who chose the number 3 were indicating that they were

neutral about the statement. Which of the following identifies the type of measurement tool Dr. Ake used?

• Social desirability

• Likert scale

• Correlational study

• Structured interview

During his Psychology of Well-Being course in college, Jacob learns about research that suggests regularly

expressing gratitude toward others can increase subjective well-being. Based on this life experience, Jacob believes

the outcome of this research is obvious, and everyone would intuitively recognize the value of gratitude. Which cognitive bias does Jacob’s thinking represent?

• Overconfidence

• Confirmation bias

• Hindsight bias

• Fundamental attribution error