PSYC300 Research Methods in Psychology

1.Some people are surprised to learn that psychology is a

A. subject of study.

B. body of existing information.

C. science.

D. consideration of the broader research community.

Answer: science.

2.The general scientific approach has three fundamental features. The first feature is

A. empirical questioning.

B. research question development.

C. systematic empiricism.

D. hypothesis development.

Answer: systematic empiricism.

3. ______ is an essential feature of science.

A. Collaboration

B. Problem solving

C. Questions which lead to data collection which leads to interpretations

D. Steps that should be followed in order

Answer: Collaboration

4. _______ refers to activities and beliefs that are claimed to be scientific by their proponents.

A. Science

B. Pseudoscience

C. Interpretation

D. Insight

Answer: Pseudoscience

5. Rebirthing therapy, is an example of

A. infantilism.

B. past-life regression.

C. gender-bending.

D. pseudoscientific psychotherapies.

Answer: pseudoscientific psychotherapies.

6. Empiricism

A. refers to the groups for the course of the project and take notes about their social interactions and dialogues.

B. refers to unit test scores of those who were placed in cooperative groups and those who were not.

C. refers to focus groups with college students about the types of cooperative learning they have encountered in their schooling.

D. refers to learning based on observation.

Answer: refers to learning based on observation.

7. Scientific claims must be

A. falsifiable.

B. tested.

C. products of experimentation.

D. true.

Answer: falsifiable.

8. The third feature of science is that it creates

A. empirical questions.

B. public knowledge.

C. positivism.

D. postpositivism.

Answer: public knowledge.

9. ______ allows science to be self-correcting.

A. Scientific knowledge

B. Publicly-funded research

C. Publication

D. Statistical tests

Answer: Publication

10. ______ the idea that pyramids in general have healing and other special powers.

A. Cryptozoology

B. Pyramidology

C. Psychic powers

D. Pseudoscience

Answer: Pyramidology

11. ______ a quality, such as chosen major, and is typically measured by assigning a category label to each individual.

A. A categorical variable is

B. A quantitative variable

C. A variable

D. A random sampling

Answer: A categorical variable is

12._____ is a sample which consists of individuals who happen to be nearby and willing to participate.

A. A convenience sampling

B. A true sample

C. A random sampling

D. A simple sampling

Answer: A convenience sampling

13. There is a _________ between two variables when the average score on one differs systematically across the levels of the other

A. statistical relationship

B. differences between groups

C. operational definition

D. correlation

Answer: statistical relationship

14. Good research must begin with a good ________.

A. research question

B. sample

C. population sample

D. group of participants

Answer: research question

15. An important criterion for evaluating research questions is ______.

A. prior knowledge

B. statistical data

C. feasibility

D. previous research

Answer: feasibility

16. It is important to evaluate how ______ a research question is before designing a study.

A. feasible

B. true

C. interesting

D. likely

Answer: interesting

17. _______ describe one or more new empirical studies conducted by the authors.

A. Review articles

B. professional journals

C. empirical research reports

D. theoretical articles.

Answer: empirical research reports

18. Research questions in psychology are about _____.

A. relationships.

B. variables.

C. means.

D. correlation.

Answer: variables.

19. ______ does not imply ______.

A. Pearson’s r, statistical relationship

B. correlation, causation

C. it does not lead to the creation/discovery of new information.

D. independent variable, dependent variable

Answer: correlation, causation

20. A _______ is one in which higher scores on one variable tend to be associated with lower scores on the other.

A. scatterplot

B. positive relationship

C. negative relationship

D. Pearson’s r

Answer: negative relationship

21. Professor Adams is constructing a demographic questionnaire for use in a research project. One question asks students to report whether they are currently living in an “urban”, “suburban”, or “rural” setting. This is an example of a/an:

A. nominal scale

B. ordinal scale

C. interval scale

D. ration scale

Answer: nominal scale

22. Which of the following represents a null hypothesis?

A. Class A high school basketball teams who employ a sports psychologist will have a higher proportion of wins over the course of the season than comparable teams who do not employ a sports psychologist.

B. There will be no difference in rate of skill improvement between college gymnasts who practice meditation and those who do not.

C. Does incorporating relaxation exercises into the daily practice routine of college vocal majors enhance their performance confidence?

D. None of the above

Answer: There will be no difference in rate of skill improvement between college gymnasts who practice meditation and those who do not.

23. Which of the following represents a research hypothesis?

A. Class A high school basketball teams who employ a sports psychologist will have a higher proportion of wins over the course of the season than comparable teams who do not employ a sports psychologist.

B. There will be no difference in rate of skill improvement between college gymnasts who practice meditation and those who do not.

C. Does incorporating relaxation exercises into the daily practice routine of college vocal majors enhance their performance confidence?

D. None of the above

Answer: Class A high school basketball teams who employ a sports psychologist will have a higher proportion of wins over the course of the season than comparable teams who do not employ a sports psychologist.

24. In a _______, each participant is tested under all conditions.

A. carryover effect

B. practice effect

C. within-subjects experiment

D. fatigue effect

Answer: within-subjects experiment

25. The ______ of psychology—the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems—is one important application of the scientific discipline of psychology.

A. clinical practice

B. treatment field

C. addiction field

D. mental health field

Answer: clinical practice

26. ________ is written by a single author or a small group of authors and usually gives a coherent presentation of a topic much like an extended review article. Edited volumes have an editor or a small group of editors who recruit many authors to write separate chapters on different aspects of the same topic.

A. A professional journal

B. A scholarly book

C. A monograph

D. An edited volume

Answer: A monograph

27. When considering general criteria for high-quality research projects, replicability refers to the fact that:

A. the research design allows the researcher to control those factors that are central to the success of the project.

B. another researcher, using the same procedures under the same circumstances to research the same question, would obtain comparable results.

C. a well-designed research project could be carried out by a specific individual conducting research in the same field.

D. the phenomena of interest must be quantified in some systematic way.

Answer: another researcher, using the same procedures under the same circumstances to research the same question, would obtain comparable results.

28. Charlotte, an anthropologist, has been living in an Incan village for three years. During that time Charlotte has become expert in Incan weaving by observing and imitating the master weavers in the community. For Charlotte, observing weaving constitutes:

A. primary data

B. secondary data

C. informal data

D. nonempirical data

Answer: primary data

29. Charlotte wrote a book about her experience as an anthropologist living in an Incan village for three years and becoming an expert weaver. Her book was widely read by other anthropologists, including Mira, who is an expert in Navaho weaving. For Mira, Charlotte’s book constitutes:

A. hearsay data

B. secondary data

C. informal data

D. primary data

Answer: secondary data

30. Sean, a high school wrestler, has agreed to participate in a study of cardiovascular conditioning. He is left somewhat confused when, at the first research session, he is asked to complete a questionnaire about commonly purchased grocery items. Sean’s confusion indicates a lack of ______ regarding the task.

A. construct validity

B. content validity

C. criterion validity

D. face validity

Answer:face validity

31. A researcher decides to use a high school sample to test the relationship between her new measure of empathy and a well-established measure of interpersonal sensitivity. She finds that the two instruments are highly related, which supports the ______ of the new instrument.

A. predictive validity

B. content validity

C. criterion validity

D. face validity

Answer: criterion validity

32. A researcher designed a new questionnaire to measure political conservatism. To test out his new instrument, he asks people leaving their polling place on election day to report their degree of political conservatism on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) and then complete his questionnaire. Results show that people who identified themselves as political conservatives also had the highest scores on his questionnaire. This is an indication of the ______ of the new instrument.

A. criterion validity

B. content validity

C. face validity

D. predictive validity

Answer: criterion validity

33. Don and Jane are studying aggression among preschool children. Separately, they each watch a videotape of four children interacting in a playroom and then rate each child on the level of aggression displayed during the play session. They compare their completed ratings and are pleased to note they are highly similar. This is an example of ______ reliability.

A. interrater

B. internal consistency

C. equivalent form

D. test-retest

Answer:interrater

34. Dr. Stevens is testing a 10-question measure of achievement motivation. He notes that if his respondents agree with the first question, they tend to also agree with the other nine. Likewise, if his respondents disagree with the first question, they tend of disagree with the other nine. This is an indication of good ______ reliability.

A. interrater

B. internal consistency

C. equivalent form

D. test-retest

Answer:internal consistency

35. Professor Page is studying civic-mindedness among senior citizens. She administers a survey of civic mindedness to a senior citizens group in early April, then again in early May. By comparing the two sets of scores, the professor can assess the ______ reliability of her measure of civic-mindedness.

A. interrater

B. internal consistency

C. equivalent form

D. test-retest

Answer: test-retest

36. Dr. Davenport wants to conduct a study of whether high school students learn more efficiently while seated at a desk compared to in an easy chair. She knows there is a large research literature regarding similar influences on learning, and she wants to see if the findings hold true with a group of high school history students. Moreover, as a researcher she is uneasy with a lack of structure. You recommend that Dr. Davenport conduct a ______ study.

A. quantitative

B. qualitative

Answer: quantitative

37. Dr. Greenhill wants to know how it is that some early adolescents come to make a connection between their personal lifestyle and environmental problems, while others don’t. Furthermore, among those who see the connection, why do some become committed to environmentalism while others do not? Dr. Greenwald looks forward to probing the thoughts of young teens on these issues and trying to see the questions and issues through “14-year-old eyes.” You recommend that Dr. Greenhill conduct a ______ study.

A. quantitative

B. qualitative

Answer: qualitative

38. Scientific research is relevant to _______ because it provides detailed and accurate knowledge about psychological problems and establishes whether treatments are effective.

A. psychology

B. addiction

C. clinical practice

D. professors

Answer: clinical practice

39. ______ in psychology is conducted primarily for the sake of achieving a more detailed and accurate understanding of human behavior, without necessarily trying to address any particular practical problem.

A. Statistical research

B. Qualitative research

C. Basic research

D. Applied research

Answer:Basic research

40. In ______ research proposal(s), specific hypotheses regarding findings are often stated.

A. both quantitative and qualitative

B. neither quantitative and qualitative

C. a quantitative

D. a qualitative

Answer: a quantitative

41. Describe three benefits of conducting a thorough review of existing literature before writing a research proposal.

gain foundational knowledge about the research topic

Research on the topic will point out shortcomings and areas where more research is required

evaluating prior research procedures

42. Concepts, ideas, opinions, feelings, and other intangible entities are often labeled as “insubstantial phenomena.” Select one of the following 3 phenomena that would be considered insubstantial, and explain two different ways — one qualitative and one quantitative — that you might measure it: a) the closeness of undergraduates’ social network friends; b) the “campus climate” at your university; c) “irrational exuberance” about the stock market.

Answer:

43. In regard to quantitative research proposals, novice researchers often find it very challenging and tedious to explain in detail how the data will be analyzed and interpreted in their study. Explain why it is essential that the researcher not cut corners in this section of the proposal

Answer:

Interpreting the data of any research study is the ultimate end goal. Without interpretation, data and research fail to become applicable within the field. It can be easy to get caught up in organizing and displaying data for consumption and confusing this for analysis. Analysis is at its most basic form using the data to answer the research proposal hypothesis (Leedy & Ormrod 2001). Leedy and Ormrod (2001) point out that research is cyclical; therefore, at the end of a research project the data should lead back to the beginning of the project—the hypothesis. By cutting corners in this section of the research proposal, researchers leave themselves open to several major issues. One issue could be the failure to interpret or a complete misinterpretation of data. When drawing conclusions about research findings, it is imperative that the data support the conclusion, and in-depth analysis is what constitutes the conclusion and whether or not it supports the hypothesis (Leedy & Ormrod 2001).

Not clearly and thoroughly analyzing and providing interpretation of data could cause the research proposal to be rejected. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2001), one of the most common grounds for having a proposal rejected is not clearly explaining the process for analyzing and interpreting data in relation to the original stated problem. The time and effort poured into preparing a research proposal is wasted if the entire proposal is rejected because the proposed data analysis is considered weak, overly general, or not consistent with the study hypothesis.

Interpretation is the section of the proposal and research project that requires human intervention (Leedy & Ormrod 2001). It requires abstract thought and in-depth consideration. By explaining in detail how the data will be analyzed and interpreted within their study, a researcher proves the worth of their study. It also provides direction to assist the researcher with maintaining honest conclusions and not over-generalizing data results

44. Graduate professors like to insist that the completion of thesis or dissertation research is not merely an “academic exercise” or final hurdle to obtaining the desired degree. Explain at least two personal benefits that the individual derives from completing a high- quality thesis or dissertation. Then explain at least two societal benefits that follow from the individual’s completion of a high-quality thesis or dissertation.

Answer: Scholarly research is beneficial in and of itself. Research is a contributor to society‘s knowledge as well as that of the individual. By completing a final thesis or dissertation not only is the student researcher completing their personal and private goal for their educational benefit, but they are also adding to the cumulative knowledge of their field. It gives them an active participating role in their field even as they stand on the cusp of their future career. Obtaining a degree has intrinsic value for the individual, and, for many, a thesis or dissertation is the capstone project to completing their desired degree, but the research is much lore reaching than a single individual. Research done for a thesis or dissertation is then added to the literature that can be reviewed by future researchers, both novice and professional. For the student it provides experience working within a professional scientific role in their chosen field. It can improve confidence and affirm the specific path they choose within their realm of study (Seymour, Hunter, Laursen, & DeAntoni 2004). Leedy & Ormrod (2001) explain that research should have a practical use in society and provide value. If all research provides practical value, as Leedy & Ormrod (2001) purport it should, then it has value for society as a whole, not just the individual researcher. Being encouraged and even required to provide a research contribution within a field of study has benefits for both the researcher and the consumer of the research. When creating a research proposal the first step is always to review existing research. All scholarly research is a benefit to those that come after to use as a framework for their own research projects.

45. Scientists distinguish between ______, which are their systematic observations, and theories, which are their explanations or interpretations of phenomena.

A. explanations

B. phenomena

C. interpretations

D. scientific theories

Answer: phenomena

46. Researchers generally consider multiple ______ for any set of phenomena.

A. questions

B. theories

C. reasons

D. hypotheses

Answer:theories

47. _____ which specify a series of stages that people pass through as they develop or adapt to their environment.

A. Theoretical approach

B. Functional theories

C. Mechanistic theories

D. Stage theories,

Answer: Stage theories,

48. Psychologists use the _________ method.

A. scientific

B. research

C. pass-fail

D. hypothetico-deductive

Answer: hypothetico-deductive

49. There are ___ distinct criteria by which researchers evaluate their measures.

A. two

B. four

C. six

D. eight

Answer: two

50. Among survey methods, ________ generally generate the highest response rate.

A. telephone interviews

B. face-to-face interviews

C. interviews using video-conferencing

D. online surveys

Answer: face-to-face interviews

51. Survey research usually involves _____ sampling, in which each member of the population has a known probability of being selected for the sample.

A. cross-sectional

B. population

C. probability

D. nested

Answer: probability

52. ______ occurs when a sample is selected in such a way that it is not representative of the population and therefore produces inaccurate results.

A. Static-group bias

B. Sampling bias

C. Post-test bias

D. Experimental bias

Answer: Sampling bias

53. ______ items are either open-ended or closed-ended.

A. Data analysis

B. Data collection

C. Researcher questions

D. Survey questionnaire

Answer: Survey questionnaire

54. ______ research is a quantitative approach that features the use of self-report measures on carefully selected samples.

A. Survey

B. Population

C. Independent

D. Variable

Answer:Survey

55. ______ refers to a set of techniques for summarizing and displaying data.

A. A distribution

B. A histogram

C. An outlier

D. Descriptive statistics

Answer:Descriptive statistics

56. An alternative to the mean is the ______.

A. mode

B. median

C. tendency

D. central tendency

Answer:median

57. The _______ of a distribution is the extent to which the scores vary around their central tendency.

A. range

B. frequency

C. standard deviation

D. variability

Answer:variability

58. The location of a score within its distribution can be described using percentile ranks or _____.

A. t scores

B. central tendency

C. standard deviation

D. z scores

Answer:z scores

59. It is also important to be able to describe the strength of a statistical relationship, which is often referred to as the ______.

A. Cohen’s d

B. standard deviation

C. correlation

D. effect size

Answer:effect size

60. To compare two means, the most common null hypothesis test is the _______.

A. Pearson’s r

B. factorial ANOVA

C. ANOVA

D. t test

Answer: t test

61. A ______ is a statistic that is computed only to help find the p value

A. t test

B. one-sample t test

C. critical value

D. test statistic

Answer:test statistic

62. Statistical significance is not the same as _____ or ______.

A. probability, sampling size

B. relationship strength, importance

C. probability, outliers

D. null hypothesis, statistical relationship

Answer:relationship strength, importance

63. _____ testing is a formal approach to deciding whether a statistical relationship in a sample reflects a real relationship in the population or is just due to chance.

A. Population

B. Null hypothesis

C. Sampling

D. Hypothesis

Answer:Null hypothesis

64. The corresponding values in the population are called ____.

A. outliers

B. errors

C. sampling errors

D. parameters

Answer: parameters

65. Polly Petunia is Chief Horticulturalist for the Southwest region, encompassing Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. She wants to survey amateur gardeners in her region to determine what, if any, water conservation practices they employ in their home gardening. Polly sends her survey to 150 randomly selected gardeners in each state. Polly is using:

A. purposive sampling.

B. proportional stratified sampling.

C. systematic sampling.

D. stratified random sampling.

Answer:stratified random sampling.

66.Danny Drive wants to know the relationship between intrinsic motivation and course grade among math students. He contacts a local professor who teaches several general education math classes and asks about the possibility of gathering data in her classes. Danny is using:

A. simple random sampling.

B. cluster sampling.

C. convenience sampling.

D. systematic sampling.

Answer: convenience sampling.

67. Statistical hypothesis testing involves testing the:

A. research hypothesis

B. probability level

C. significant level

D. null hypothesis

Answer: null hypothesis

68. “There will be differences in degree of mood elevation seen in depressed clients after receiving either cognitive-behavioral or psychoanalytic therapy.”

A. dependent variable.

B. independent variable.

C. confounding variable.

D. constant.

Answer: dependent variable.

69. “There will be differences in degree of mood elevation seen in depressed clients after receiving either cognitive-behavioral or psychoanalytic therapy.” During a test of this hypothesis, it was discovered that some of the participants lived with family members and others lived alone. This variable, living situation, is a/an _____.

A. independent variable.

B. dependent variable.

C. constant.

D. confounding variable.

Answer: confounding variable.

70. Dr. Dow Jones wants to know whether a problem-based approach to teaching economics will result in higher academic performance than his traditional method. Of the six sections of Economics 101 at his university, Dr. Jones randomly assigns three sections to the traditional method and three sections to the problem-based method. At the end of the semester, all students complete the same final exam. In this design, students studying under the traditional method constitute the:

A. placebo group.

B. treatment group.

C. sample.

D. control group.

Answer:treatment group.

71. Dr. Dow Jones wants to know whether a problem-based approach to teaching economics will result in higher academic performance than his traditional method. Of the six sections of Economics 101 at his university, Dr. Jones randomly assigns three sections to the traditional method and three sections to the problem-based method for Unit 1 of the course. Then all sections switch instructional method for Unit 2. He plans to compare the performance of the two groups of sections on their Unit 1 and Unit 2 exams. This study employs

Answer: within subjects (repeated measures)

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