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2026 SOC Research Methods Review

Total questions: 40

Worksheet time: 54mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Ethan wants to find out if a new teaching method improves student performance. He divides his class into two groups, gives one group the new method, and the other group the standard method, then compares their results. What type of study is Ethan conducting?

a)

Naturalistic

b)

Longitudinal

c)

Experimental

d)

Survey

2.

In a study testing a new medication, James is part of a group that doesn't receive any treatment. What is this group called?

a)

Experimental group

b)

Control group

c)

Single Blind Procedure

d)

Double Blind Procedure

3.
Procedure that helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population
a)
random assignment
b)
random sampling
c)
correlation
d)
replication
4.

Charlotte is a psychologist who spends several months studying a single patient in great detail to understand their unique experiences and behaviors. What type of descriptive research is Charlotte conducting?

a)

naturalistic observation

b)

experiment

c)

correlational study

d)

case study

5.

Abigail wants to find out how people in her town feel about a new park. She creates a set of questions and asks residents to report their own answers. What research method is Abigail using?

a)

case study

b)

experiment

c)

survey

d)

naturalistic observation

6.
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.
7.
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
8.
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 
9.
Students who do better in high school tend to do better in college.  This is an example of
a)
a.a negative correlation 
b)
a zero correlation
c)
a positive correlation 
d)
a perfect correlation
10.
In an experiment to find out if taking ginseng increases IQ scores, the IQ scores would be
a)
independent variable
b)
control variable
c)
extraneous variable
d)
dependent variable
11.

Aiden is designing an experiment and needs to create operational definitions for the variables he will study. These operational definitions must be written in terms that are . . .

a)

observable & measurable

b)

valid

c)

reliable

d)

scientific

12.

Avery is conducting an experiment and writes a testable statement that makes a prediction about the outcome. What is this statement known as?

a)

theory

b)

hypothesis

c)

operational definition

d)

guess

13.

Jane Goodall lived among wild chimpanzees intermittently for decades, studying their social and family systems while keeping her interaction with the chimpanzees to a minimum. Her research method can most accurately be described as

a)

a quasi-experiment

b)

a naturalistic observation

c)

a case study

d)

a survey

14.

A researcher surveyed social adjustment in the same group of 20 people from early childhood through adulthood. In this example, the group of 20 people surveyed was the study’s ___.

a)

sample

b)

population

c)

public

d)

populace

15.

A researcher wants to know if the average American teenager thinks alcohol and nicotine are dangerous drugs. He can choose from a number of research methods. The best strategy would be to . . .

a)

Naturalistic observation

b)

Case Study

c)

Survey

d)

Quasi-Experiment

16.

Olivia is conducting a research study about favorite sports among all the students in her school. In this context, the population in her research study is...

a)

the whole group of research interest.

b)

the smaller group that has been chosen from the group of research interest.

c)

exactly the same as the sample.

d)

always smaller than the sample.

17.

An experiment where neither the participants nor the experimenter know who has received the treatment, until the experiment has concluded, is known as what?

a)

Random Experiment

b)

Single-blind Experiment

c)

Stratified Experiment

d)

Double-blind Experiment

18.

When everybody has an equal chance of being included in a study, this process is called

a)

unbiased reporting

b)

survey

c)

random sample

d)

reliability

19.

An experiment is performed to see if background music improves learning. Two groups study the same material, one while listening to music and another without music. The independent variable is

a)

learning

b)

size of group

c)

material studied

d)

presence of music

20.

Lily is interested in understanding how people lived during the 18th century. She decides to examine letters, diaries, and official documents from that time period in order to learn about social life during that era. This approach is an example of a ___.

a)

content analysis

b)

historical analysis

c)

correlation

d)

survey

21.

These techniques involve no contact with subjects & are called “non-reactive”.

a)

Unobtrusive measures

b)

Correlations

c)

Case Studies

d)

Experiments

22.
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
23.

Research particpants are randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group listens to a list of words, another group reads a list of words, and the third group hears and reads the words. The researcher then tests the participants' memories to see how many words the members of each group can recall. The way the words are presented is which type of variable?

a)

Confounding

b)

Dependent

c)

Independent

d)

Extraneous

e)

Control

24.
In an experiment the ____ group is NOT exposed to the independent variable.
a)
experimental
b)
control
c)
double blind
d)
single blind
25.

What is a stratified sample?

a)

a random sample

b)

a sample in which the subgroups within a population are ignored

c)

a sample in which the subgroups within a population are proportionately represented

d)

a sample in which the effects of the stratosphere on people are measured

26.

What are two methods of surveying?

a)

tests and interviews

b)

experiments and questionnaires

c)

interviews and questionnaires

d)

case studies and experiments

27.
Which of the following is a positive correlation?
a)
As study time decreases, students achieve lower grades
b)
As levels of self-esteem decline, levels of depression increase
c)
Gas mileage decreases as vehicle weight increases
d)
People who exercise regularly are less likely to be obese
28.
In a study of the effect of a driver training program on driving skill, a possible operationalisation of the dependent variable would be...
a)
driving quality
b)
number of accidents
c)
hours spent training
d)
amount of traffic
29.

Zoe is a researcher who wants to understand the daily lives of street artists. To do this, she becomes part of their group, participating in their activities and observing their routines from within to gain an "insider" perspective. What type of research is Zoe conducting?

a)

Participant Observation

b)

Non-participant Observation

c)

Survey Research

d)

Experiment

30.

_____________ ____________ are variables that can potentially distort the relationship between the IV and the DV.

a)

Target population

b)

Confounding variables

c)

Matching variables

d)

Target variables

31.

__________ refers to the extent to which the results of the study can be applied beyond the sample and the settings used in the study.

a)

Generalizability

b)

Population

c)

Sample

d)

Credibility

32.
In an experiment the ___group gets ___.
a)
control, caffiene
b)
control, the independent variable
c)
experimental, the placebo
d)
control, the placebo
33.
On a scatter plot, a pattern extends from the lower-left corner to the upper-right corner. This pattern reflects that this scatterplot shows:
a)
No correlation
b)
A positive correlation
c)
A negative correlation
d)
A positive skew
34.
Division of the sample into groups so that every individual has an equal chance of being put in any group or condition.
a)
single blind
b)
double blind
c)
random assignment
d)
random sampling
35.
Research design in which neither the experimenter nor the participants know who is in the experimental group and who is in control group.
a)
single blind study
b)
case study
c)
double blind study
d)
Hawthorne study
36.
Suppose a researcher wants to study the effect of drug A on subjects’ alertness. He divides 100 subjects into two groups of 50, an experimental group and a control group. He dissolves drug A in saline solution and injects it into all the subjects in the experimental group. He then gives all the control group subjects an injection of only saline solution.
What is the independent variable? 
a)
drug A
b)
saline solution 
c)
the subjects
d)
the needles
37.

In an experiment, the group with independent variable is known as what?

a)

Single blind Group

b)

Control Group

c)

Experimental Group

d)

The effect

38.

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other is called a

a)

measure of central tendency

b)

coefficient

c)

inferential statistic

d)

correlation

39.

Sam wanted to know if the type of chair you sat in when taking a test affected your test grade. What is the dependent variable?

a)

Type of chair

b)

Grade on test

c)

Age of students

d)

Type of test

40.
A company wants to sell more sports drinks so they decide to add more sugar.  For Group A they give them gatorade with an added teaspoon of sugar. For Group B they give them plain gatorade without adding sugar. Which Group is the CONTROL GROUP?
a)
Group A
b)
Group B
c)
The Gatorade
d)
The Company