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WorksheetsResearch Methods
Total questions: 28
Worksheet time: 28mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Juwan eagerly opened an online trading account, believing that his market savvy would allow him to pick stocks that would make him a rich day trader. This belief best illustrates
a)
a placebo effect.
b)
illusory correlation.
c)
hindsight bias.
d)
overconfidence.
2.
To ensure that other researchers can repeat their work, psychologists use
a)
control groups.
b)
random assignment.
c)
double-blind procedures.
d)
operational definition.
3.
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) ______.
a)
hypothesis; theory
b)
theory; hypothesis
c)
independent variable; dependent variable
d)
dependent variable; independent variable
4.
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?
a)
the case study
b)
a survey
c)
correlation
d)
experimentation
5.
A psychologist studies the play behavior of young children by watching groups during recess at school. Which type of research is being used?
a)
correlation
b)
case study
c)
experimentation
d)
naturalistic observation
6.
Well-done surveys measure attitudes in a representative subset, or _____, of an entire group, or ____.
a)
population; random sample
b)
control group; experimental group
c)
experimental group; control group
d)
random sample; population
7.
A professor constructs a questionnaire to determine how students at the university feel about nuclear disarmament. Which of the following techniques should be used in order to survey a random sample of the student body?
a)
Every student should be sent the questionnaire.
b)
Only students majoring in psychology should be asked to complete the questionnaire.
c)
Only students living on campus should be asked to complete the questionnaire.
d)
From an alphabetical listing of all students, every tenth (or fifteenth, e.g.) student should be asked to complete the questionnaire.
8.
Which type of research would allow you to determine whether students' grades accurately predict later income?
a)
case study
b)
naturalistic observation
c)
experimentation
d)
correlation
9.
If height and body weight are positively correlated, which of the following is true?
a)
There is a cause-effect relationship between height and weight.
b)
As height increases, weight decreases.
c)
Knowing a person's height, one can predict his or her weight.
d)
All of these statements are true.
10.
If shoe size and IQ are negatively correlated, which of the following is true?
a)
People with large feet tend to have high IQs.
b)
People with small feet tend to have high IQs.
c)
People with small feet tend to have low IQs.
d)
IQ is unpredictable based on a person's shoe size.
11.
To determine the effects of a new drug on memory, one group is given a pill that contains the drug. A second group is given a sugar pill that does not contain the drug. This second group constitutes the
a)
random sample
b)
experimental group
c)
control group
d)
test group
12.
Which of the following would be best for determining whether alcohol impairs memory?
a)
case study
b)
naturalistic observation
c)
survey
d)
experiment
13.
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
a)
variable controlling.
b)
random assignment.
c)
representative sampling.
d)
stratification.
14.
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?
a)
No independent variable is specified.
b)
No dependent variable is specified.
c)
There is no control condition.
d)
There is no provision for replication of the findings.
15.
In an experiment to determine the effects of exercise on motivation, exercise is the
a)
A. control condition
b)
B. intervening variable
c)
C. independent variable
d)
D. dependent variable
16.
Which of the following is the measure of central tendency that would be most affected by a few extreme scores?
a)
A. mean
b)
B. range
c)
C. median
d)
D. mode
17.
The set of scores that would likely be most representative of the population from which it was drawn would be a sample with a relatively
a)
A. large standard deviation
b)
B. small standard deviation
c)
C. large range
d)
D. small range
18.
A lopsided set of scores that includes a number of extreme or unusual values is said to be
a)
A. symmetrical
b)
B. normal
c)
C. skewed
d)
D. dispersed
19.
The football team's punter wants to determine how consistent his punting distances have been during the past season. He should compute the
a)
A. mean
b)
B. median
c)
C. mode
d)
D. standard deviation
20.
Which of the following is NOT characteristic of a normal curve?
a)
A. The distribution is bell-shaped and symmetrical
b)
B. Most scores fall near the mean
c)
C. About 95 percent of all scores fall within one standard deviation on either side of the mean
d)
D. The distribution describes many types of psychological data
21.
In generalizing from a sample to the population, it is important that
a)
A. the sample be representative of the population
b)
B. the sample be large
c)
C. the scores in the sample how low variability
d)
D. all of these conditions be observed
22.
When a difference between two groups is statistically significant, this means that
a)
A. the difference is statistically real but of little practical significance
b)
B. the difference is probably the result of sampling variation
c)
C. the difference is not likely to be due to chance variation
d)
D. all of these statements are true
23.
In an experiment to determine the effects of attention on memory, memory is the
a)
A. control condition
b)
B. intervening variable
c)
C. independent variable
d)
D. dependent variable
24.
Five students received the following test scores: 7,11,5,6, and 11. What is the mean and range?
a)
A. 8,6
b)
B. 11,4
c)
C. 8,11
d)
D. 8,7
25.
Christine, who is opposed to capital punishment, was extremely surprised to learn that the results of a survey indicated that the majority of the population approved of capital punishment. Christine's surprise best illustrates the power of
a)
A. the false consensus effect bias
b)
B. the placebo effect
c)
C. random assignment
d)
D. the double-blind procedure
26.
If the correlation between the physical weight and reading ability of children is +0.85, this would indicate that
a)
A. there is very statistical relationship between weight and reading ability among children
b)
B. low body weight has a negative effect on the reading abilities of children
c)
C. better reading ability is associated with greater physical weight among children
d)
D. body weight has no causal influence on the reading abilities of children
27.
Which of the following correlations between annual income and education level would best enable you to predict annual income on the basis of level of education?
a)
A. +0.05
b)
B. -0.01
c)
C. +0.10
d)
+0.50
28.
Which statement about the ethics of experimentation with people and animals is false?
a)
A. Only a small percentage experiments use shock
b)
B. Allegations that psychologists routinely subject animals to pain, starvation, and other inhumane conditions have been proven untrue.
c)
C. The American Psychological Association and the British Psychological Society have set strict guidelines for the care and treatment of human and animal subjects
d)
D. More animals are used in psychological research than are killed by humane animal shelters
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