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Worksheets01 | Research Methods & Design
Total questions: 99
Worksheet time: 50mins
To describe the behavior of animals in their native habitats, researchers are most likely to make use of
survey research.
the double-blind procedure.
experimental methods.
naturalistic observation.
Which research method is typically used to examine one participant in depth, usually because the individual's situation/behavior is rare or unusual?
survey
correlation
experiment
case study
During the last Central High School basketball game, the starting five players scored 11, 7, 21, 14, and 7 points, respectively. For this distribution of scores, the range is
7.
11.
12.
14.
The King James Version of the Bible was completed when William Shakespeare was 46 years old. In Psalm 46 of this translation, the forty-sixth word is “shake,” and the forty-sixth word from the end is “spear.” Before concluding that the biblical translators were trying to be humorous with these specific word placements, you would be best advised to recognize the danger of
considering these facts as statistically significant.
randomly sampling biblical passages.
generalizing from extreme examples.
perceiving order in coincidental events.
A case study is a valuable research method because it can allow for an in-depth study of a particular person or group that might be fascinating. However, case studies have drawbacks. What is the biggest drawback of using a case study as a research method?
Uncommon people or groups might be misleading or non-generalizable.
A case study only proves cause and effect for the person or group being studied.
A case study can’t be applied to historical figures.
Informed consent is needed to do a case study on a historical figure.
To graphically represent the correlation between two variables, researchers often construct a
skewed distribution.
scatterplot.
standard deviation.
bar graph.
What is the research term that determines whether the results of a study are not due to chance?
standard deviation
statistical significance
skewed distribution
positive correlation
A majority of respondents in a national survey agreed that “classroom prayer should not be allowed in public schools.” Only 33 percent of respondents in a similar survey agreed that “classroom prayer in public schools should be banned.” These divergent findings best illustrate the importance of
operational definition.
the hindsight bias.
random assignment.
wording effects.
Participants in an experiment are said to be blind if they are uninformed about
the experimental hypothesis being tested.
whether the experimental findings will be statistically significant.
how the dependent variable is measured.
which experimental treatment, if any, they are receiving.
According to Professor Alrahami, we like people who like us because their affection for us boosts our own self-esteem as one part of a larger work on attraction. His idea is an example of
naturalistic observation.
illusory correlation.
hindsight bias.
a theory.
Knowing the difference between an experimental condition and a control condition is most relevant to understanding the nature of
correlations.
random sampling.
replication.
independent variables.
During the past year, Zara and Ivan each read 2 books, but George read 9, Ali read 12, and Marsha read 25. The median number of books read by these individuals was
2.
10.
12.
9.
An extensive survey revealed that children with relatively high self-esteem tend to picture God as kind and loving, whereas those with lower self-esteem tend to perceive God as angry. The researchers concluded that the children's self-esteem had apparently influenced their views of God. This conclusion best illustrates the danger of
perceiving order in random events.
generalizing from extreme examples.
randomly sampling children's views.
assuming that correlation proves causation.
During the past month, Henri and Sylvia each ate 10 candy bars, while Jerry ate 8, Tricia ate 6, and Tahli ate only 1. The mean number of candy bars eaten by these individuals was
3.
5.
7.
8.
In 1848, Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman, survived when an explosion drove an iron rod through his head damaging the functioning of the frontal lobes. This instance provided evidence that the frontal lobe plays a role in personality and behavior. Researchers have continued to study Gage's brain to better understand this link. Which research method is being used?
experimentation
correlation
case study
naturalistic observation
A researcher who publishes the results of a case study might be most worried about violating which ethical principle of human experimentation?
informed consent
protection from harm
confidentiality
debriefing
Coach Thornton attended a clinic to improve her basketball coaching skills. Afterward, she randomly assigned her seventh-grade players to two groups: Group 1 will be coached by the new method and Group 2 will be coached by the old method. She then measured their performance at one team practice to judge the effectiveness of the new coaching method. Which of the following might affect the statistical significance of his study?
Approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) was not obtained before beginning his study.
To determine the effectiveness of the new method, Coach Thornton must first find the median score of each group.
By testing only two groups, Coach Thornton's sample size may be too small and unrepresentative.
Coach Thornton should wait until next year to test the incoming freshman because his sample was biased.
Professor Trinh contends that parents and children have similar levels of intelligence largely because they share common genes. His idea is best described as a(n)
theory.
replication.
naturalistic observation.
illusory correlation.
Which of the following is true for those assigned to a control group?
The experimenter exerts the greatest influence on participants' behavior.
The research participants are exposed to all the different experimental treatments.
The research participants are exposed to the most favorable levels of experimental treatment.
The experimental treatment is absent.
Six different high school students spent 10, 13, 2, 12, 13,and 4, respectively, on entertainment. The mode of this group's entertainment expenditures is
$9.
$11.
$12.
$13.
Why are researchers so careful about drawing conclusions regarding statistical significance?
Statistical significance determines which research method should be used for a hypothesis.
They want to make sure an observed difference isn't due to chance.
Statistical significance is primarily a subjective decision, so researchers need to be more careful.
They need to make sure the results are important.
Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the weakest degree of relationship between two variables?
-0.12
+1.00
-0.99
+0.25
A smaller survey attempts to make generalizations to a larger group. That group is called
a control condition.
a population.
a case study.
an independent variable.
Mr. and Mrs. Klostreich have six children aged 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, and 16. The mean age of the Klostreich children is
5.
6.
7.
8.
The range is
a total population from which samples may be drawn.
the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.
the most commonly used measure of variation.
the average deviation of scores from the mean.
To provide a baseline against which they can evaluate the effects of a specific treatment, experimenters make use of a(n)
dependent variable.
random sample.
independent variable.
control condition.
The biggest danger of relying on case-study evidence is that it
is based on naturalistic observation.
may be unrepresentative of what is generally true.
overestimates the importance of operational definitions.
leads us to underestimate the causal relationships between events.
Our tendency to believe we know more than we do illustrates
naturalistic observation.
illusory correlation.
overconfidence.
the standard deviation.
If psychologists discovered that wealthy people are less satisfied with their marriages than poor people are, this would indicate that wealth and marital satisfaction are
causally related.
negatively correlated.
independent variables.
dependent variables.
Which of the following is the best definition of illusory correlation?
a statistical relationship between two variables
a perceived but nonexistent correlation
any independent variable that does not truly cause a dependent variable
a scatterplot indicating the likelihood that a variable will or will not change
Researchers are interested in studying the impact of drugs on human fetuses. In this case, why would a correlational study be more appropriate than an experiment?
because cause and effect can only be determined by a correlational study
because correlational studies allow you to observe behavior in non-artificial environments
because researchers using correlational studies may generalize to the population from an atypical case
because participants could not be ethically assigned to an experimental or a control condition
To accurately infer cause and effect, experimenters should use
random assignment.
naturalistic observation.
standard deviations.
correlation coefficients.
Why is the scale of the range of the y-axis in a histogram important to consider?
If the y-axis has a large range, differences in the distribution might seem smaller than they are.
The range can help establish which variable caused the change in the other variable.
The range is important because it determines the quantity of the variable.
The scale is important because it shows inferential statistics.
Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population?
random assignment
correlation
naturalistic observation
random sampling
Which of the following is true for those assigned to the experimental group in an experiment?
The experimenter exerts the greatest influence on participants' behavior.
The research participants are exposed to all the different hypotheses.
The experimental group receives the experimental treatment.
The experimental group does not receive the experimental treatment.
For which of the following distributions of scores would the median most clearly be a more appropriate measure of central tendency than the mean?
16, 28, 4, 8, 24
9, 6, 9, 12, 9
8, 9, 12, 10, 16
6, 18, 4, 5, 2
Psychologists' personal values and goals
are carefully tested by means of observation and experimentation.
lead them to avoid experiments involving human participants.
can bias their observations and interpretations.
have very little influence on the process of scientific observation.
Because she had a serious traffic accident on Friday the 13th of last month, Felicia is convinced that all Friday the 13ths will bring bad luck. Felicia's belief best illustrates
the illusion of control.
illusory correlation.
the hindsight bias.
overconfidence.
Professional psychological associations require researchers to
study animals only in their natural environment.
obtain informed consent before using any animals as subjects in research.
test only dependent, not independent, variables on animals.
minimize infection, illness, and pain in animal subjects.
In a drug treatment study, participants given a pill containing no actual drug are receiving a(n)
random sample.
double-blind.
replication.
placebo.
When we see certain outcomes as obvious based on what has occurred, we may be experiencing
empiricism.
critical thinking.
hindsight bias.
overconfidence.
A specification of how a researcher measures a research variable is known as a(n)
standard deviation.
control condition.
replication.
operational definition.
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?
+0.05
–0.01
+0.10
+0.50
In the hypothesis “Students who study a list of terms in the morning, just after waking up, will recall more terms than students who study the list just before falling asleep,” what is the dependent variable?
list of terms
memorization
time of day
number of terms remembered
Professor Smith told one class that alcohol consumption has been found to increase sexual desire. He informed another class that alcohol consumption has been found to reduce sexual appetite. The fact that neither class was surprised by the information they received best illustrates the power of
overconfidence.
replication.
the hindsight bias.
the double-blind procedure.
Which technique most clearly minimizes the likelihood that any outcome differences between the experimental and control conditions can be attributed to age or personality differences in research participants?
replication
statistical measurement
random assignment
operational definitions
The arithmetic average of a distribution of scores is the
mode.
median.
standard deviation.
mean.
In a group of five individuals, two report annual incomes of 10,000,andtheotherthreereportincomesof 14,000, 15,000,and 31,000, respectively. The mode of this group's distribution of annual incomes is
$10,000.
$15,000.
$16,000.
$31,000.
What does inferential statistics aim to do?
Describe data collected from a sample.
Determine the mean, median, and mode of a dataset.
Make predictions about future behavior based on past data.
Draw conclusions about a population based on sample data.
Which two questions exemplify the scientific attitude?
What do you mean? How do you know?
Who believes you? What are their qualifications?
How common is this answer? How many people agree?
Is this an established truth? How long has it been considered fact?
Which of the following defines ethical principles that should guide human experimentation?
control group, random sampling, random assignment
case study, naturalistic observation, survey
informed consent, protection from harm, confidentiality, debriefing
volunteer participants only, no deception, incentives for participation
To understand the unusual behavior of an adult client, a clinical psychologist carefully investigates the client's current life situation and his physical, social-cultural, and educational history. Which research method has the psychologist used?
the survey
the case study
experimentation
naturalistic observation
What is a type of bar chart graph that shows the distribution of data?
a bell curve
a scatterplot
a histogram
a skewed distribution
Dr. Wescott hypothesized that students in a classroom seating 30 would get higher course grades than students seated in an auditorium seating 300. In this example,
Dr. Roberts has found a cause-effect relationship.
Dr. Roberts has found a positive correlation between classroom size and course grades.
the independent variable is the measurement of course grades.
classroom size has been operationally defined.
A correlation coefficient is a measure of the
difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution.
average squared deviation of scores from a sample mean.
direction and strength of the relationship between two variables.
statistical significance of a difference between two sample means.
To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her college, Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the college registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students. Ariana employed the technique of
random assignment.
replication.
correlation.
random sampling.
Professor Raza suggests that because people are especially attracted to those who are good-looking, handsome men will be more successful than average-looking men in getting a job. The professor's prediction regarding employment success is an example of
the hindsight bias.
the placebo effect.
a hypothesis.
illusory correlation.
Dr. DeVries is interested in measuring how practice in problem solving affects this ability. The population of interest is high school seniors, and the sample consists of students who attend an exclusive college preparatory school. Half of the sample receives practice in solving particular types of problems, while the other half does not. Both groups take the same problem-solving test. Which of the following might best explain why Dr. DeVries may not be able to generalize his findings?
He is not taking into account how the scores on the test might deviate from one another.
His data may be positively skewed.
He should have conducted his experiment in a lab instead of a natural setting.
His sample is not representative of the population.
The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution is the
mean.
range.
median.
standard deviation.
Which of the following correlations between self-esteem and body weight would enable you to most accurately predict body weight from knowledge of level of self-esteem?
+0.60
+0.01
-0.10
-0.06
When the observed difference between the means of an experimental group and a control group are not likely due to chance, researchers conclude that this difference is
positively correlated.
highly variable.
reliable.
statistically significant.
Which of the following statistical measures is most helpful for indicating the extent to which high school grades predict college grades?
standard deviation
mean
median
correlation coefficient
An experiment was designed to study the potential impact of alcohol consumption on emotional stability. A specification of the procedures used to measure emotional stability illustrates
the independent variable.
an operational definition.
the double-blind procedure.
random assignment.
In a distribution of test scores, which measure of central tendency would likely be the most affected by a couple of extremely high scores?
median
mode
standard deviation
mean
George was worried about his bakery's new cupcakes after two customers disliked them on the first day, but when he surveyed his customers over the next week, more than 90% of the customers said they loved them. By giving too much weight to those two customers before the survey, George almost committed an error known as
sampling bias.
wording effects.
a replication error.
confusing correlation with causation.
What technique do researchers use to reduce the impact of confounding variables?
hindsight bias
naturalistic observation
scatterplots
random assignment
The sequential occurrence of two highly unusual events is most likely to contribute to
random sampling.
the hindsight bias.
the placebo effect.
an illusory correlation.
In an experiment designed to study the effectiveness of a new drug, research participants who receive a placebo are participating in the ________ condition.
dependent variable
correlational
experimental
control
In a test of the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving skills, research participants are allowed to sleep either 4 or 8 hours on each of three consecutive nights. This research is an example of
naturalistic observation.
survey research.
a case study.
an experiment.
What is the one research method that might be able to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables?
correlational
experimental
qualitative
interview
Which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between the religious beliefs of Americans and their attitudes toward abortion?
the survey
naturalistic observation
the case study
experimentation
Thinking that she had outperformed most of her classmates, Glenda was surprised to receive just an average grade on her psychology test. Glenda's experience best illustrates
overconfidence.
the hindsight bias.
the placebo effect.
negative correlation.
Researchers use experiments rather than other research methods in order to distinguish between
facts and theories.
causes and effects.
case studies and surveys.
random samples and representative samples.
Why are researchers concerned with statistical significance?
They want to make sure there are no flaws in the collection of the data.
They want to make sure their results are generalizable to all populations.
By determining whether the results are significant, researchers can establish which variable changed.
By determining whether the results are significant, researchers can determine if the results are due to chance.
Which of the following correlation coefficients expresses the strongest degree of relationship between two variables?
+0.10
–0.67
0.00
–0.10
Professor Shimabukuro carefully observes and records the behaviors of children in their classrooms in order to track the development of their social and intellectual skills. Professor Shimabukuro is most clearly engaged in
survey research.
naturalistic observation.
experimentation.
replication.
If college graduates typically earn more money than high school graduates, this would indicate that level of education and income are
causally related.
positively correlated.
independent variables.
dependent variables.
A soft drink company recently invested in a new advertising campaign to increase sales. Which of the following would allow executives to best judge the results of their latest commercials?
Compute the range based on the highest monthly sales this year with the lowest sales of last year.
Compare the mean sales of soft drinks with that of their major competitor.
Compute the mode to determine which soft drinks have the highest sales.
Compare the means of sales before and after the beginning of the new campaign to determine statistical significance.
After noting that a majority of professional basketball players are African-American, Ervin concluded that African-Americans are better athletes than members of other racial groups. Ervin's conclusion best illustrates the danger of
replication.
hindsight bias.
the placebo effect.
generalizing from vivid cases.
Why are researchers careful to use large, representative samples in their studies?
The general public perceives these kinds of samples to be more scientific.
Policymakers demand larger, more representative sample sizes for political reasons.
Statistical methods only work for larger sample sizes.
Larger, representative sample sizes help ensure reliable and valid results.
Which technique involves repeating the essence of an earlier research study with different participants and in different circumstances?
replication
correlational research
random sampling
naturalistic observation
According to Emily's grandfather, Adolf Hitler's obvious emotional instability made it clear from the beginning days of his international conflict that Germany would inevitably lose World War II. The grandfather's claim best illustrates
the hindsight bias.
illusory correlation.
overconfidence.
an illusion of control.
In a study of the effects of alcohol consumption, some participants drank a nonalcoholic beverage that actually smelled and tasted like alcohol. This nonalcoholic drink was a
dependent variable.
replication.
placebo.
random sample.
Seven members of a boys' club reported the following individual earnings from their sale of cookies: 2, 9, 8, 10, 4, 9, and $7. In this distribution of individual earnings
the median is greater than the mean and greater than the mode.
the median is less than the mean and less than the mode.
the median is greater than the mean and less than the mode.
the median is less than the mean and greater than the mode.
Redelmeier and Tversky (1996) followed 18 patients with arthritis for 18 months. Patients were asked to record their pain and joint tenderness, while researchers documented changes in the weather. Nearly all patients believed that their condition was associated with weather changes, when the actual correlation was near zero. These participants need to be reminded that
the results may not be statistically significant.
we are likely to recall instances that confirm our beliefs.
the sample size may not have been representative of the population.
the results of correlational studies are typically highly questionable.
The hindsight bias leads people to perceive research findings as
invalid.
unpredictable.
unreplicable.
unsurprising.
On a 10-item test, three students in Professor Hsin's advanced chemistry seminar received scores of 2, 5, and 8, respectively. For this distribution of test scores, the standard deviation is equal to the square root of
3.
4.
5.
6.
The most commonly reported measure of central tendency is the
mode.
mean.
normal distribution.
median.
To determine whether a research finding is statistically significant, researchers
compare the means of the control group and experimental group.
survey other researchers to ensure the hypothesis is significant.
perform detailed case studies to validate findings.
confirm correlational evidence with empirical findings.
In 1953, H.M. underwent surgery to control his seizures. Doctors removed tissue from the hippocampus. As a result, H.M.'s memory was severely impaired. Psychologists studied H.M.'s memory function until his death in 2008. Which research method did the psychologists utilize in this situation?
naturalistic observation
correlation
experimentation
case study
To assess the effect of televised violence on aggression, researchers plan to expose one group of children to violent movie scenes and another group to nonviolent scenes. To reduce the chance that the children in one group have more aggressive personalities than those in the other group, the researchers should make use of
random assignment.
the double-blind procedure.
naturalistic observations.
operational definitions.
Hindsight bias, overconfidence, and our tendency to perceive patterns in random events push us to overvalue
the empirical approach.
random sampling.
the placebo effect.
common sense.
Psychologists who carefully watch the behavior of chimpanzee societies in the jungle are using a research method known as
the survey.
experimentation.
naturalistic observation.
the case study.
Which measure of central tendency would a baseball manager be most likely to rely on in picking a pinch hitter in a tie game?
median
mode
range
mean
Dr. Donelian wants to reduce his students' perception that psychological experiments merely document the obvious. His best strategy would be to ask the students to
describe how experimental hypotheses were derived from basic psychological principles.
predict the outcomes of experiments before they are told the actual results.
explain the outcomes of experiments after they are told the actual results.
personally engage in naturalistic observation.
The explanatory power of a scientific theory is most closely linked to its capacity to generate testable
assumptions.
correlations.
variables.
hypotheses.
For which of the following distributions of scores would the median most clearly be a more appropriate measure of central tendency than the mean?
9, 8, 9, 8, 7
10, 22, 8, 9, 6
12, 6, 8, 5, 4
12, 15, 12, 9, 12
Professor Teruya noticed that the distribution of students' scores on her last biology test had an extremely small standard deviation. This indicates that the
test was given to a very small class of students.
students' scores tended to be very similar to one another.
mean test score was lower than the median score.
students generally performed very well on the test.
What is the primary limitation of the case study research method?
It is not an empirical method.
The case study is not part of the scientific method.
Random sampling must be used to ensure representative findings.
Individual cases can be misleading and result in false generalizations.
