Test Bank For Experimental Psychology (9th
edition) by Barry H. Kantowitz, Henry L.
Roediger III, and David G. Elmes
,Part One: Fundamentals of Research
● Chapter 1: Explanation in Scientific Psychology
● Chapter 2: Research Techniques: Observation and Correlation
● Chapter 3: Research Techniques: Experiments
● Chapter 4: Ethics in Psychological Research
● Chapter 5: How to Read and Write Research Reports
Part Two: Principles and Practices of Experimental Psychology
● Chapter 6: Psychophysics
● Chapter 7: Perception
● Chapter 8: Attention and Reaction Time
● Chapter 9: Conditioning and Learning
● Chapter 10: Remembering and Forgetting
● Chapter 11: Thinking and Problem Solving
● Chapter 12: Individual Differences and Development
● Chapter 13: Social Psychology
● Chapter 14: Environmental Psychology
● Chapter 15: Human Factors
,Chapter 1: Explanation in Scientific Psychology
1. A researcher observes that as the number of bystanders increases, the
likelihood of an individual helping a victim decreases. He concludes that this
occurs because the feeling of responsibility is shared among the group. This
reasoning, which moves from specific observations to a general principle, is
an example of:
A. Deduction
B. Induction
C. Falsification
D. Determinism
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Induction is the process of reasoning from particular data or
specific observations to a general theory or principle. In this case, the
researcher used the observed behavior of bystanders to induce the general
theory of diffusion of responsibility.
2. According to Charles Sanders Peirce, which method of fixing belief is
characterized by a person steadfastly refusing to alter their knowledge even
when presented with contradictory evidence?
A. Method of authority
B. A priori method
C. Method of tenacity
D. Scientific method
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The method of tenacity involves rigidly clinging to a belief and
discounting any conflicting opinion or evidence. It allows individuals to
maintain a constant outlook but is considered non-rational because it
ignores empirical data.
3. In the context of evaluating a theory, "Occam’s razor" refers to which
criterion?
, A. Precision
B. Testability
/C. Parsimony
D. Goodness of fit
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Parsimony, or Occam’s razor, states that a theory should be as
simple as possible. If two theories explain the same number of results equally
well, the one with fewer explanatory concepts or statements is preferred.
4. A psychologist proposes that "thirst" links the independent variable of
"hours of water deprivation" to the dependent variable of "volume of water
consumed." In this scientific model, "thirst" serves as a(n):
A. Independent variable
B. Intervening variable
C. Dependent variable
D. Control variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Intervening variables are abstract concepts used to link
independent and dependent variables. They become more efficient as the
number of variables in a model increases, as they summarize the relationship
between multiple inputs and outputs.
5. Which of the following best describes Karl Popper's "falsifiability view" of
scientific theories?
A. A theory is only scientific if it has been proven true by at least ten experiments.
B. Negative evidence is more important than positive support because a theory
can only be disproven, never definitively proven.
C. The best theories are those that are so broad they can explain any possible
outcome.
D. Induction is superior to deduction because it relies on public observations.
edition) by Barry H. Kantowitz, Henry L.
Roediger III, and David G. Elmes
,Part One: Fundamentals of Research
● Chapter 1: Explanation in Scientific Psychology
● Chapter 2: Research Techniques: Observation and Correlation
● Chapter 3: Research Techniques: Experiments
● Chapter 4: Ethics in Psychological Research
● Chapter 5: How to Read and Write Research Reports
Part Two: Principles and Practices of Experimental Psychology
● Chapter 6: Psychophysics
● Chapter 7: Perception
● Chapter 8: Attention and Reaction Time
● Chapter 9: Conditioning and Learning
● Chapter 10: Remembering and Forgetting
● Chapter 11: Thinking and Problem Solving
● Chapter 12: Individual Differences and Development
● Chapter 13: Social Psychology
● Chapter 14: Environmental Psychology
● Chapter 15: Human Factors
,Chapter 1: Explanation in Scientific Psychology
1. A researcher observes that as the number of bystanders increases, the
likelihood of an individual helping a victim decreases. He concludes that this
occurs because the feeling of responsibility is shared among the group. This
reasoning, which moves from specific observations to a general principle, is
an example of:
A. Deduction
B. Induction
C. Falsification
D. Determinism
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Induction is the process of reasoning from particular data or
specific observations to a general theory or principle. In this case, the
researcher used the observed behavior of bystanders to induce the general
theory of diffusion of responsibility.
2. According to Charles Sanders Peirce, which method of fixing belief is
characterized by a person steadfastly refusing to alter their knowledge even
when presented with contradictory evidence?
A. Method of authority
B. A priori method
C. Method of tenacity
D. Scientific method
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The method of tenacity involves rigidly clinging to a belief and
discounting any conflicting opinion or evidence. It allows individuals to
maintain a constant outlook but is considered non-rational because it
ignores empirical data.
3. In the context of evaluating a theory, "Occam’s razor" refers to which
criterion?
, A. Precision
B. Testability
/C. Parsimony
D. Goodness of fit
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Parsimony, or Occam’s razor, states that a theory should be as
simple as possible. If two theories explain the same number of results equally
well, the one with fewer explanatory concepts or statements is preferred.
4. A psychologist proposes that "thirst" links the independent variable of
"hours of water deprivation" to the dependent variable of "volume of water
consumed." In this scientific model, "thirst" serves as a(n):
A. Independent variable
B. Intervening variable
C. Dependent variable
D. Control variable
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Intervening variables are abstract concepts used to link
independent and dependent variables. They become more efficient as the
number of variables in a model increases, as they summarize the relationship
between multiple inputs and outputs.
5. Which of the following best describes Karl Popper's "falsifiability view" of
scientific theories?
A. A theory is only scientific if it has been proven true by at least ten experiments.
B. Negative evidence is more important than positive support because a theory
can only be disproven, never definitively proven.
C. The best theories are those that are so broad they can explain any possible
outcome.
D. Induction is superior to deduction because it relies on public observations.
