Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
PY 355 - GENERAL EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY TEST 2 | DARREN
GEORGE | QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS | VERIFIED EXAM
2026/2027
PY 355 Test 2- Darren George!
Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
1. Which characteristic most clearly separates a scientific claim from a
non-scientific one?
A. It agrees with common sense
B. It is widely believed by experts
C. It has been repeated in many textbooks
D. It can be tested and potentially shown to be false
D. It can be tested and potentially shown to be false. A scientific claim
must be falsifiable, meaning evidence could in principle contradict it.
Page 1
, Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
2. Relying on a belief because a respected authority stated it is best
described as a
A. form of systematic observation
B. non-empirical way of knowing
C. replication
D. controlled experiment
B. non-empirical way of knowing. Authority is a source of belief that does
not itself involve gathering evidence.
3. A researcher notices a pattern, forms a general principle, and then
tests it. The first step relies mainly on
A. inductive reasoning
B. circular reasoning
C. the appeal to authority
D. deductive reasoning
A. inductive reasoning. Moving from specific observations to a general
principle is induction.
4. Deriving a specific prediction from a general theory is an example of
A. random assignment
B. inductive reasoning
C. deductive reasoning
D. operationalization
C. deductive reasoning. Deduction moves from a general theory to a
specific testable prediction.
5. Which is the main purpose of replication in psychological science?
A. To eliminate the need for statistics
B. To increase the sample size of the original study
C. To check whether a finding holds up when the study is repeated
D. To prove a theory is true
C. To check whether a finding holds up when the study is repeated.
Replication tests the reliability and generality of an earlier finding.
Page 2
, Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
6. Confirmation bias in everyday thinking refers to the tendency to
A. seek and favor information that supports existing beliefs
B. report all results honestly
C. change beliefs after every new piece of data
D. test ideas with control groups
A. seek and favor information that supports existing beliefs. People notice
and remember evidence that fits what they already believe.
7. A good scientific theory should do all of the following EXCEPT
A. be impossible to test so it cannot be disproved
B. be stated precisely
C. generate testable predictions
D. organize known findings
A. be impossible to test so it cannot be disproved. A theory that cannot be
tested cannot be scientifically evaluated.
8. The statement that science is 'empirical' means it is based on
A. tradition
B. systematic observation and data
C. personal intuition
D. logical argument alone
B. systematic observation and data. Empiricism means knowledge comes
from observation and measurement.
9. Which of the following is an example of a pseudoscientific practice?
A. Making claims that cannot be tested and dismissing contrary evidence
B. Using control groups
C. Reporting effect sizes
D. Publishing in peer-reviewed journals
A. Making claims that cannot be tested and dismissing contrary evidence.
Pseudoscience often looks scientific but avoids falsifiable tests.
Page 3
, Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
10. Peer review is intended to
A. replace replication
B. guarantee a study is free of error
C. ensure a study has a large sample
D. have other experts evaluate the quality of research before publication
D. have other experts evaluate the quality of research before publication.
Independent experts screen work for quality, though review does not
guarantee correctness.
11. An operational definition specifies a concept in terms of
A. its theoretical importance
B. its history in the literature
C. the procedures used to measure or manipulate it
D. its dictionary meaning
C. the procedures used to measure or manipulate it. Operational
definitions turn abstract constructs into observable procedures.
12. In an experiment, the variable the researcher manipulates is the
A. independent variable
B. confounding variable
C. extraneous constant
D. dependent variable
A. independent variable. The independent variable is the one the
experimenter deliberately varies.
13. The variable that is measured to see whether it changed as a result
of the manipulation is the
A. independent variable
B. subject variable
C. control variable
D. dependent variable
D. dependent variable. The dependent variable is the outcome measured
by the researcher.
Page 4
PY 355 - GENERAL EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY TEST 2 | DARREN
GEORGE | QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS | VERIFIED EXAM
2026/2027
PY 355 Test 2- Darren George!
Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
1. Which characteristic most clearly separates a scientific claim from a
non-scientific one?
A. It agrees with common sense
B. It is widely believed by experts
C. It has been repeated in many textbooks
D. It can be tested and potentially shown to be false
D. It can be tested and potentially shown to be false. A scientific claim
must be falsifiable, meaning evidence could in principle contradict it.
Page 1
, Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
2. Relying on a belief because a respected authority stated it is best
described as a
A. form of systematic observation
B. non-empirical way of knowing
C. replication
D. controlled experiment
B. non-empirical way of knowing. Authority is a source of belief that does
not itself involve gathering evidence.
3. A researcher notices a pattern, forms a general principle, and then
tests it. The first step relies mainly on
A. inductive reasoning
B. circular reasoning
C. the appeal to authority
D. deductive reasoning
A. inductive reasoning. Moving from specific observations to a general
principle is induction.
4. Deriving a specific prediction from a general theory is an example of
A. random assignment
B. inductive reasoning
C. deductive reasoning
D. operationalization
C. deductive reasoning. Deduction moves from a general theory to a
specific testable prediction.
5. Which is the main purpose of replication in psychological science?
A. To eliminate the need for statistics
B. To increase the sample size of the original study
C. To check whether a finding holds up when the study is repeated
D. To prove a theory is true
C. To check whether a finding holds up when the study is repeated.
Replication tests the reliability and generality of an earlier finding.
Page 2
, Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
6. Confirmation bias in everyday thinking refers to the tendency to
A. seek and favor information that supports existing beliefs
B. report all results honestly
C. change beliefs after every new piece of data
D. test ideas with control groups
A. seek and favor information that supports existing beliefs. People notice
and remember evidence that fits what they already believe.
7. A good scientific theory should do all of the following EXCEPT
A. be impossible to test so it cannot be disproved
B. be stated precisely
C. generate testable predictions
D. organize known findings
A. be impossible to test so it cannot be disproved. A theory that cannot be
tested cannot be scientifically evaluated.
8. The statement that science is 'empirical' means it is based on
A. tradition
B. systematic observation and data
C. personal intuition
D. logical argument alone
B. systematic observation and data. Empiricism means knowledge comes
from observation and measurement.
9. Which of the following is an example of a pseudoscientific practice?
A. Making claims that cannot be tested and dismissing contrary evidence
B. Using control groups
C. Reporting effect sizes
D. Publishing in peer-reviewed journals
A. Making claims that cannot be tested and dismissing contrary evidence.
Pseudoscience often looks scientific but avoids falsifiable tests.
Page 3
, Research Methods in Experimental Psychology
10. Peer review is intended to
A. replace replication
B. guarantee a study is free of error
C. ensure a study has a large sample
D. have other experts evaluate the quality of research before publication
D. have other experts evaluate the quality of research before publication.
Independent experts screen work for quality, though review does not
guarantee correctness.
11. An operational definition specifies a concept in terms of
A. its theoretical importance
B. its history in the literature
C. the procedures used to measure or manipulate it
D. its dictionary meaning
C. the procedures used to measure or manipulate it. Operational
definitions turn abstract constructs into observable procedures.
12. In an experiment, the variable the researcher manipulates is the
A. independent variable
B. confounding variable
C. extraneous constant
D. dependent variable
A. independent variable. The independent variable is the one the
experimenter deliberately varies.
13. The variable that is measured to see whether it changed as a result
of the manipulation is the
A. independent variable
B. subject variable
C. control variable
D. dependent variable
D. dependent variable. The dependent variable is the outcome measured
by the researcher.
Page 4
