MCQS TEST BANK
PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
5TH EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 01: BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following describes the difference between personal beliefs
and beliefs based on scientific knowledge?
a. Scientists focus on how and why they believe something to be true rather than on what they
personally think is true.
b. Personal beliefs may reflect bias; scientific beliefs are not subject to bias.
c. Scientific beliefs stem from observations of daily life; personal beliefs stem from what people
have learned from others.
d. Personal beliefs about the social world are less likely to be accurate than beliefs based on
findings from rigorous research.
ANSWER: A
2. Behavioral science is composed of
a. theory.
b. research.
c. application.
d. all of the above.
ANSWER: D
3. The goals of behavioral science include
a. describing behavior.
b. predicting behavior.
c. controlling behavior.
d. all of the above.
ANSWER: D
,4. Defining a phenomenon is one aspect of the scientific goal of
a. describing behavior.
b. understanding behavior.
c. predicting behavior.
d. controlling behavior.
ANSWER: A
5. Differentiating among closely related phenomena is one aspect of the scientific goal of
a. describing behavior.
b. understanding behavior.
c. predicting behavior.
d. controlling behavior.
ANSWER: A
6. A student is reviewing the happiness literature. They find that some researchers are interested
in how happiness changes across the lifespan whereas others are interested in how daily events
affect happiness. The next step for the student is to hone in on their specific interests. Doing so
meets the scientific goal of
a. prediction
b. understanding
c. description
d. falsifiability
ANSWER: C
7. Dr. Chan has noticed that when students leave class, they immediately check their cell phones
but professors do not. Which goal of science has Dr. Chan met?
a. prediction
b. description
c. understanding
d. falsifiability
ANSWER: B
,8. Discovering relationships among phenomena is an aspect of _______ as scientific goals.
a. description and prediction.
b. prediction and control.
c. description and understanding.
d. parsimony and understanding.
ANSWER: C
9. The scientific goal of ________ attempts to determine why a phenomenon occurs.
a. control
b. prediction
c. understanding
d. description
ANSWER: C
10. Dr. Appiah has noticed that if she greets students as they are coming into the classroom, they
are less likely to check their social media during lecture. She conducts a study that shows that
this is because she has identified them as individuals and they no longer feel anonymous. Which
goal of science has Dr. Appiah met?
a. control
b. prediction
c. description
d. understanding
ANSWER: D
11. Statements about possible reasons for inconsistencies among research findings are
a. hypotheses.
b. descriptions.
c. operational definitions.
d. constructs.
ANSWER: A
12. Which of the following is one of John Stuart Mill’s rules for causality?
, a. time precedence of the cause
b. identification of mediators
c. presence of plausible alternative explanations
d. parsimony
ANSWER: A
13. Joleen, a manager at a software company, notes the number of breaks people take during
work. Later, during her employees’ annual review, she observes their openness to feedback about
their productivity. She finds no correlation between number of breaks and openness to feedback.
The only criterion of causality that Joleen’s study clearly meets is
a. covariation.
b. lack of plausible alternative explanations.
c. time precedence of the cause.
d. none of these; that is, Joleen’s study does not meet any of the criteria for causality.
ANSWER: C
14. As a goal of science, prediction consists of
a. forecasting future events, such as by using family history to predict risk of heart disease.
b. formulating hypotheses to be tested in research, such as what individual difference factors are
related to heart disease.
c. making predictions about a specific individual, such as whether a that person will have a heart
attack.
d. both a and b but not c.
ANSWER: D
15. An engineer wants to learn whether the technology included in a company’s latest car model
affects future accident rates. The engineer is most interested in which goal of science?
a. internal validit
b. prediction
c. practicality
d. understanding
ANSWER: B
PRINCIPLES OF RESEARCH IN BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
5TH EDITION
CHAPTER NO. 01: BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following describes the difference between personal beliefs
and beliefs based on scientific knowledge?
a. Scientists focus on how and why they believe something to be true rather than on what they
personally think is true.
b. Personal beliefs may reflect bias; scientific beliefs are not subject to bias.
c. Scientific beliefs stem from observations of daily life; personal beliefs stem from what people
have learned from others.
d. Personal beliefs about the social world are less likely to be accurate than beliefs based on
findings from rigorous research.
ANSWER: A
2. Behavioral science is composed of
a. theory.
b. research.
c. application.
d. all of the above.
ANSWER: D
3. The goals of behavioral science include
a. describing behavior.
b. predicting behavior.
c. controlling behavior.
d. all of the above.
ANSWER: D
,4. Defining a phenomenon is one aspect of the scientific goal of
a. describing behavior.
b. understanding behavior.
c. predicting behavior.
d. controlling behavior.
ANSWER: A
5. Differentiating among closely related phenomena is one aspect of the scientific goal of
a. describing behavior.
b. understanding behavior.
c. predicting behavior.
d. controlling behavior.
ANSWER: A
6. A student is reviewing the happiness literature. They find that some researchers are interested
in how happiness changes across the lifespan whereas others are interested in how daily events
affect happiness. The next step for the student is to hone in on their specific interests. Doing so
meets the scientific goal of
a. prediction
b. understanding
c. description
d. falsifiability
ANSWER: C
7. Dr. Chan has noticed that when students leave class, they immediately check their cell phones
but professors do not. Which goal of science has Dr. Chan met?
a. prediction
b. description
c. understanding
d. falsifiability
ANSWER: B
,8. Discovering relationships among phenomena is an aspect of _______ as scientific goals.
a. description and prediction.
b. prediction and control.
c. description and understanding.
d. parsimony and understanding.
ANSWER: C
9. The scientific goal of ________ attempts to determine why a phenomenon occurs.
a. control
b. prediction
c. understanding
d. description
ANSWER: C
10. Dr. Appiah has noticed that if she greets students as they are coming into the classroom, they
are less likely to check their social media during lecture. She conducts a study that shows that
this is because she has identified them as individuals and they no longer feel anonymous. Which
goal of science has Dr. Appiah met?
a. control
b. prediction
c. description
d. understanding
ANSWER: D
11. Statements about possible reasons for inconsistencies among research findings are
a. hypotheses.
b. descriptions.
c. operational definitions.
d. constructs.
ANSWER: A
12. Which of the following is one of John Stuart Mill’s rules for causality?
, a. time precedence of the cause
b. identification of mediators
c. presence of plausible alternative explanations
d. parsimony
ANSWER: A
13. Joleen, a manager at a software company, notes the number of breaks people take during
work. Later, during her employees’ annual review, she observes their openness to feedback about
their productivity. She finds no correlation between number of breaks and openness to feedback.
The only criterion of causality that Joleen’s study clearly meets is
a. covariation.
b. lack of plausible alternative explanations.
c. time precedence of the cause.
d. none of these; that is, Joleen’s study does not meet any of the criteria for causality.
ANSWER: C
14. As a goal of science, prediction consists of
a. forecasting future events, such as by using family history to predict risk of heart disease.
b. formulating hypotheses to be tested in research, such as what individual difference factors are
related to heart disease.
c. making predictions about a specific individual, such as whether a that person will have a heart
attack.
d. both a and b but not c.
ANSWER: D
15. An engineer wants to learn whether the technology included in a company’s latest car model
affects future accident rates. The engineer is most interested in which goal of science?
a. internal validit
b. prediction
c. practicality
d. understanding
ANSWER: B
