Chapter 1: Foundations
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. An investigator designing a study to test the notion that interaction between different groups will
reduce prejudice is ____.
a. conducting theoretical research c. calculating probabilities
b. making empirical measurements d. defining a unit of measurement
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1a
2. An investigator who concludes that interaction between different groups reduces prejudice based
on actual counts of numbers of interactions is basing his conclusion on ____.
a. a theory c. a hypothesis
b. empirical data d. the unit of analysis
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1a
3. A public opinion poll conducted to identify the reasons why people fail to vote in local elections
is an example of ____.
a. causal research c. ecological research
b. descriptive research d. relational research
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1b
4. A public opinion poll conducted to identify the reasons why different proportions of men and
women fail to vote in local elections is an example of ____.
a. causal research c. ecological research
, b. descriptive research d. relational research
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1b
5. A public opinion poll conducted to learn whether a voter registration drive increased the number
of people who voted in a local election is an example of ____.
a. causal research c. ecological research
b. descriptive research d. relational research
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1b
6. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption during the first week of the semester is conducting a ____.
a. case study c. longitudinal study
b. cross-sectional study d. multiple baseline study
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
7. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption during the first week of every month for an academic year is conducting a ____.
a. case study c. longitudinal study
b. cross-sectional study d. multiple baseline study
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
8. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption at the beginning, middle, and end of the fall semester is using a ____.
a. case study design c. repeated measures design
, b. multiple baseline design d. time series design
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
9. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption every week for 30 weeks is using a ____.
a. case study design c. repeated measures design
b. multiple baseline design d. time series design
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
10. An investigator interested in aggressive tendencies in people has developed a measure of this
personality characteristic. Thus, the social scientist considers aggression to be ____.
a. a causal relationship c. a descriptive statistic
b. a variable d. a correlational relationship
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
11. An investigator has developed a 20-statement questionnaire asking respondents to indicate their
agreement or disagreement with each statement. In this survey, agreement is ____.
a. an attribute c. a variable
b. a value d. an independent variable
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
12. An investigator is investigating the effects of three therapeutic methods on level of depression.
In this investigation, therapeutic method is the ____.
a. moderating variable c. independent variable
, b. criterion variable d. dependent variable
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
13. An investigator is investigating the effects of three therapeutic methods on level of depression.
In this investigation, level of depression is the ____.
a. moderating variable c. independent variable
b. criterion variable d. dependent variable
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
14. An investigator has observed a correlational relationship between college grade point average and
annual income five years after graduation. However, when the scientist asks supervisors why
some employees with lower grade point averages have high incomes, supervisors of these
employees indicate these employees are highly motivated. In this situation, motivation is an
example of the ____.
a. ecological fallacy c. hierarchical model
b. exception fallacy d. third-variable problem
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1e
15. An investigator has observed that the higher the student’s grade point average, the higher the
student’s starting salary in his or her first job. This observation is an example of a ____.
a. positive relationship c. causal relationship
b. negative relationship d. ecological fallacy
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1e
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. An investigator designing a study to test the notion that interaction between different groups will
reduce prejudice is ____.
a. conducting theoretical research c. calculating probabilities
b. making empirical measurements d. defining a unit of measurement
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1a
2. An investigator who concludes that interaction between different groups reduces prejudice based
on actual counts of numbers of interactions is basing his conclusion on ____.
a. a theory c. a hypothesis
b. empirical data d. the unit of analysis
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1a
3. A public opinion poll conducted to identify the reasons why people fail to vote in local elections
is an example of ____.
a. causal research c. ecological research
b. descriptive research d. relational research
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1b
4. A public opinion poll conducted to identify the reasons why different proportions of men and
women fail to vote in local elections is an example of ____.
a. causal research c. ecological research
, b. descriptive research d. relational research
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1b
5. A public opinion poll conducted to learn whether a voter registration drive increased the number
of people who voted in a local election is an example of ____.
a. causal research c. ecological research
b. descriptive research d. relational research
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1b
6. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption during the first week of the semester is conducting a ____.
a. case study c. longitudinal study
b. cross-sectional study d. multiple baseline study
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
7. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption during the first week of every month for an academic year is conducting a ____.
a. case study c. longitudinal study
b. cross-sectional study d. multiple baseline study
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
8. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption at the beginning, middle, and end of the fall semester is using a ____.
a. case study design c. repeated measures design
, b. multiple baseline design d. time series design
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
9. An investigator who surveys all freshmen at a university to obtain information about their alcohol
consumption every week for 30 weeks is using a ____.
a. case study design c. repeated measures design
b. multiple baseline design d. time series design
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1c
10. An investigator interested in aggressive tendencies in people has developed a measure of this
personality characteristic. Thus, the social scientist considers aggression to be ____.
a. a causal relationship c. a descriptive statistic
b. a variable d. a correlational relationship
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
11. An investigator has developed a 20-statement questionnaire asking respondents to indicate their
agreement or disagreement with each statement. In this survey, agreement is ____.
a. an attribute c. a variable
b. a value d. an independent variable
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
12. An investigator is investigating the effects of three therapeutic methods on level of depression.
In this investigation, therapeutic method is the ____.
a. moderating variable c. independent variable
, b. criterion variable d. dependent variable
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
13. An investigator is investigating the effects of three therapeutic methods on level of depression.
In this investigation, level of depression is the ____.
a. moderating variable c. independent variable
b. criterion variable d. dependent variable
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1d
14. An investigator has observed a correlational relationship between college grade point average and
annual income five years after graduation. However, when the scientist asks supervisors why
some employees with lower grade point averages have high incomes, supervisors of these
employees indicate these employees are highly motivated. In this situation, motivation is an
example of the ____.
a. ecological fallacy c. hierarchical model
b. exception fallacy d. third-variable problem
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 1-1e
15. An investigator has observed that the higher the student’s grade point average, the higher the
student’s starting salary in his or her first job. This observation is an example of a ____.
a. positive relationship c. causal relationship
b. negative relationship d. ecological fallacy
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 1-1e
