PSYC 100: Week 2 - Research Methods and
Statistics (Definitions) UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is a Hypothesis? - Correct Answer- A statement, usually designed to be tested by an
experiment, that tentatively expresses a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more
events.
What is Verifiability? - Correct Answer- A theory is verifiable if it can be tested by others.
What is Objectivity? - Correct Answer- A result is objective if it is based on observable
phenomena and is uninfluenced by emotions or personal points of view.
What is Reliability? - Correct Answer- A characteristic of a measure that provides consistent
and stable answers across multiple observations and points in time.
What is Validity? - Correct Answer- The degree to which the instrument or procedure actually
measures what it claims to measure.
What is an Operational Definition? - Correct Answer- An operational definition of a concept
describes the concept by how it is demonstrated in an observable or measurable way. In other
words, an operational definition describes the operation that makes the concept (e.g.,
memory) observable and measurable.
What is an Independent Variable? - Correct Answer- The variable the experimenter
manipulates is referred to as the independent variable because it is independent of all other
outside variables that might influence the outcome of the experiment.
What is Dependant Variable? - Correct Answer- The variable the experimenter measures, or
the outcome of the experiment, is referred to as the dependent variable because changes in the
variable (should) depend on the manipulations the experimenter makes on the independent
variable.
What is Naturalistic Observation? - Correct Answer- Naturalistic observation involves
collecting data (observations) in natural surroundings rather than in a highly controlled (but
Statistics (Definitions) UPDATED Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is a Hypothesis? - Correct Answer- A statement, usually designed to be tested by an
experiment, that tentatively expresses a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more
events.
What is Verifiability? - Correct Answer- A theory is verifiable if it can be tested by others.
What is Objectivity? - Correct Answer- A result is objective if it is based on observable
phenomena and is uninfluenced by emotions or personal points of view.
What is Reliability? - Correct Answer- A characteristic of a measure that provides consistent
and stable answers across multiple observations and points in time.
What is Validity? - Correct Answer- The degree to which the instrument or procedure actually
measures what it claims to measure.
What is an Operational Definition? - Correct Answer- An operational definition of a concept
describes the concept by how it is demonstrated in an observable or measurable way. In other
words, an operational definition describes the operation that makes the concept (e.g.,
memory) observable and measurable.
What is an Independent Variable? - Correct Answer- The variable the experimenter
manipulates is referred to as the independent variable because it is independent of all other
outside variables that might influence the outcome of the experiment.
What is Dependant Variable? - Correct Answer- The variable the experimenter measures, or
the outcome of the experiment, is referred to as the dependent variable because changes in the
variable (should) depend on the manipulations the experimenter makes on the independent
variable.
What is Naturalistic Observation? - Correct Answer- Naturalistic observation involves
collecting data (observations) in natural surroundings rather than in a highly controlled (but
