Psychology and Research Methods Quiz

Why are larger samples better?

• They are cheaper

• They reduce the impact of outliers and increase reliability

• They are easier to analyze

• They guarantee causation

How are positive expectations related to the placebo effect?

• They reduce bias

• They cause participants to improve simply because they believe they will

• They prevent confounding variables

• They make data more reliable

Which measure of central tendency is most affected by outliers?

• Mode

• Median

• Mean

• Standard deviation

In an experiment, which is the independent variable?

• The variable being measured (outcome)

• The variable being manipulated

• The placebo effect

• The confounding variable

What is naturalistic observation?

• A lab-controlled study

• Watching subjects in their natural environment

• An artificial experiment

• A case study interview

In which type of research does the scientist have the most control?

• Survey

• Experiment

• Case study

• Naturalistic observation

When is correlational research more appropriate than an experiment?

• When testing cause-and-effect

• When an experiment is unethical or impossible

• When researchers want complete control

• When replication is not needed

What controls possible confounding variables in an experiment?

• Operational definitions

• Random sampling

• Random assignment

• Surveys

Why is random assignment important?

• It guarantees a representative sample

• It ensures groups are similar so results are due to the IV

• It eliminates placebo effects

• It prevents hindsight bias

What is correlational research good for?

• Showing causation

• Predicting relationships

• Proving bias

• Eliminating confounds