PSYC 255: Research Methods(with Errorless answers)
Explain what the producer of research and consumer of research roles have in common, and
describe how they differ. correct answers producer: those who are continuously analyzing,
observing, documenting, and researching data
consumer: those who are curious about reading and understanding more information in order to
apply it to their own lives like their relationships, work, personal growth, etc
producers are creating more information for us to learn while consumers are taking in that
information to use
What kinds of jobs would require producer-of-research skills? What kinds of jobs would require
consumer-of-research skills? correct answers producer: someone who works to understand/figure
out more information
ex) someone in a lab or who performs experiments
consumer: anyone who will take information and use it in their own lives
ex) therapist, parent, or social workers
what is empiricism and how are psychologists empiricists? correct answers empiricism: the use
of verifiable information as the basis of conclusions
*to use our senses to find answers*
they conduct, observe, and analyze research to understand hypotheses they have made, and then
base opinions around their findings
what does preregistered or preregistration mean? correct answers term referring to a study in
which, before collecting any data, the researcher has stated publicly what the study's outcome is
expected to be
what is the theory-data cycle? correct answers scientists collect data to test, change, or update
their theories
what is replication? correct answers the process of conducting a study again to test whether the
result is consistent.
what is a good alternative to saying "my research 'proves' that..."? correct answers my research
'supports'...
my research 'is consistent'...
what is "weight of the evidence"? correct answers a conclusion drawn from reviewing scientific
literature and considering the proportion of studies that is consistent with a theory
What does falsifiable mean? correct answers able to be disproven by experimental results
,what is self-correcting? correct answers a process in which scientists make their research
available for peer review, replication, and critique, with the goal of identifying and correcting
errors in the research
Merton's scientific norm of universalism refers to the idea that correct answers four norms that
scientists attempt to follow that are shared expectations about how they should act
What are Merton's Scientific Norms? correct answers 1. Universalism: scientific claims are
evaluated according to their merit, independent of the researcher's credentials or reputation
2. Communality: all findings belong to the community since it is done by a community
3. Disinterestedness: scientists strive for the truth, and not for idealism,politics, or profit
4. Organized Skepticism: scientists question everything, including their own theories, widely
accepted ideas, and "ancient wisdom."
basic research vs. translational research vs. applied research correct answers basic: research
whose goal is to enhance the general body of knowledge, without regard for direct application to
practical problems
translational: use of lessons from basic research to develop and test applications to health care,
psychotherapy, or other forms of treatment and intervention
applied: research whose goal is to find a solution to a particular real-world problem
basic to translational to applied
what is the main difference between a scientific journal and a normal magazine? correct answers
articles in a scientific journal are peer-reviewed
why is journalism important? correct answers journalist turns the scientific research into a news
story by summarizing it for a popular audience, giving it an interesting headline and using
nontechnical terms, so the public can read it
What is the Mozart effect? How does it apply to journalism? correct answers research results
indicating that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the
performance
it is an example of how journalism can take a conclusive study and emphasize the findings to
make it more interesting for people to read, but making the content wrong for being too elaborate
now
Describe two ways journalists might distort the science they attempt to publicize. correct answers
journalists might overstate the research or get the details wrong
, what is a comparison group? correct answers group in an experiment whose levels on the
independent variable differ from those of the treatment group in some intended and meaningful
way
aka comparison condition
What are two general problems with basing beliefs on experience? How does empirical research
work to correct these problems? correct answers daily life usually doesn't include comparison
experiences and there are confounds
it shows a strong trend and pattern for a larger amount of people
what are confounds? correct answers extraneous factors that affect the dependent variable other
than the independent variable
what is catharsis? correct answers the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from,
strong or repressed emotions.
What does it mean to say that research results are probabilistic? correct answers describing the
empirical method, stating that science is intended to explain a certain proportion (but not
necessarily all) of the possible cases
what are examples of biased reasoning? correct answers - being swayed by a good story
- being persuaded by what comes easily to mind
- failing to think about what we cannot see
- focusing on evidence we like best
- biased on being biased
what is present bias? correct answers bias in intuition, in which people incorrectly estimate the
relationship between an event and its outcome, focusing on times the event and outcome are
present, while failing to consider evidence that is absent and harder to notice
what is confirmation bias? correct answers tendency to consider only the evidence that supports a
hypothesis, including asking only the questions that will lead to the expected answer
When would it be sensible to accept the conclusions of authority figures? When might it not?
correct answers when authorities base their conclusions on well-conducted research (rather than
experience or intuition), it may be reasonable to accept them
what is an empirical journal article? correct answers a scholarly article that reports for the first
time the results of a research study
what is a review journal article? correct answers an article summarizing all the studies that have
been published in one research area
Explain what the producer of research and consumer of research roles have in common, and
describe how they differ. correct answers producer: those who are continuously analyzing,
observing, documenting, and researching data
consumer: those who are curious about reading and understanding more information in order to
apply it to their own lives like their relationships, work, personal growth, etc
producers are creating more information for us to learn while consumers are taking in that
information to use
What kinds of jobs would require producer-of-research skills? What kinds of jobs would require
consumer-of-research skills? correct answers producer: someone who works to understand/figure
out more information
ex) someone in a lab or who performs experiments
consumer: anyone who will take information and use it in their own lives
ex) therapist, parent, or social workers
what is empiricism and how are psychologists empiricists? correct answers empiricism: the use
of verifiable information as the basis of conclusions
*to use our senses to find answers*
they conduct, observe, and analyze research to understand hypotheses they have made, and then
base opinions around their findings
what does preregistered or preregistration mean? correct answers term referring to a study in
which, before collecting any data, the researcher has stated publicly what the study's outcome is
expected to be
what is the theory-data cycle? correct answers scientists collect data to test, change, or update
their theories
what is replication? correct answers the process of conducting a study again to test whether the
result is consistent.
what is a good alternative to saying "my research 'proves' that..."? correct answers my research
'supports'...
my research 'is consistent'...
what is "weight of the evidence"? correct answers a conclusion drawn from reviewing scientific
literature and considering the proportion of studies that is consistent with a theory
What does falsifiable mean? correct answers able to be disproven by experimental results
,what is self-correcting? correct answers a process in which scientists make their research
available for peer review, replication, and critique, with the goal of identifying and correcting
errors in the research
Merton's scientific norm of universalism refers to the idea that correct answers four norms that
scientists attempt to follow that are shared expectations about how they should act
What are Merton's Scientific Norms? correct answers 1. Universalism: scientific claims are
evaluated according to their merit, independent of the researcher's credentials or reputation
2. Communality: all findings belong to the community since it is done by a community
3. Disinterestedness: scientists strive for the truth, and not for idealism,politics, or profit
4. Organized Skepticism: scientists question everything, including their own theories, widely
accepted ideas, and "ancient wisdom."
basic research vs. translational research vs. applied research correct answers basic: research
whose goal is to enhance the general body of knowledge, without regard for direct application to
practical problems
translational: use of lessons from basic research to develop and test applications to health care,
psychotherapy, or other forms of treatment and intervention
applied: research whose goal is to find a solution to a particular real-world problem
basic to translational to applied
what is the main difference between a scientific journal and a normal magazine? correct answers
articles in a scientific journal are peer-reviewed
why is journalism important? correct answers journalist turns the scientific research into a news
story by summarizing it for a popular audience, giving it an interesting headline and using
nontechnical terms, so the public can read it
What is the Mozart effect? How does it apply to journalism? correct answers research results
indicating that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the
performance
it is an example of how journalism can take a conclusive study and emphasize the findings to
make it more interesting for people to read, but making the content wrong for being too elaborate
now
Describe two ways journalists might distort the science they attempt to publicize. correct answers
journalists might overstate the research or get the details wrong
, what is a comparison group? correct answers group in an experiment whose levels on the
independent variable differ from those of the treatment group in some intended and meaningful
way
aka comparison condition
What are two general problems with basing beliefs on experience? How does empirical research
work to correct these problems? correct answers daily life usually doesn't include comparison
experiences and there are confounds
it shows a strong trend and pattern for a larger amount of people
what are confounds? correct answers extraneous factors that affect the dependent variable other
than the independent variable
what is catharsis? correct answers the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from,
strong or repressed emotions.
What does it mean to say that research results are probabilistic? correct answers describing the
empirical method, stating that science is intended to explain a certain proportion (but not
necessarily all) of the possible cases
what are examples of biased reasoning? correct answers - being swayed by a good story
- being persuaded by what comes easily to mind
- failing to think about what we cannot see
- focusing on evidence we like best
- biased on being biased
what is present bias? correct answers bias in intuition, in which people incorrectly estimate the
relationship between an event and its outcome, focusing on times the event and outcome are
present, while failing to consider evidence that is absent and harder to notice
what is confirmation bias? correct answers tendency to consider only the evidence that supports a
hypothesis, including asking only the questions that will lead to the expected answer
When would it be sensible to accept the conclusions of authority figures? When might it not?
correct answers when authorities base their conclusions on well-conducted research (rather than
experience or intuition), it may be reasonable to accept them
what is an empirical journal article? correct answers a scholarly article that reports for the first
time the results of a research study
what is a review journal article? correct answers an article summarizing all the studies that have
been published in one research area
