RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL
SCIENCES ACTUAL TEST PAPER QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Non-empirical Methods.
Answer: Methods based on authority or intuition.
◉ Basic Research.
Answer: Research that advances general knowledge.
◉ Applied Research.
Answer: Research that solves specific, practical problems.
◉ Empirical Method Example.
Answer: Observing how many people choose healthy food in a
cafeteria after labeling calories.
◉ Tenacity.
Answer: Refusing to walk under ladders because it's 'bad luck.'
◉ Deductive Reasoning.
,Answer: A form of reasoning where a general statement leads to a
specific conclusion.
◉ Steps of the Scientific Method.
Answer: Observe -> Form hypothesis -> Make predictions -> Test ->
Evaluate.
◉ Primary source.
Answer: A firsthand report in which the authors describe their own
observations, typically published in a scientific journal or periodical.
◉ Examples of primary sources.
Answer: (1) empirical journal articles, (2) theses and dissertations,
(3) conference presentations of research results.
◉ Secondary source.
Answer: A secondhand report in which the authors discuss someone
else's observations.
◉ Examples of secondary sources.
Answer: (1) books and textbooks summarizing past research, (2)
review articles or meta-analyses, (3) introductory sections of
research reports, (4) newspaper and magazine articles reporting on
previous research.
,◉ Testable hypothesis.
Answer: One for which all of the variables, events, and individuals
can be defined and observed.
◉ Refutable hypothesis.
Answer: One that can be demonstrated to be false; the outcome can
differ from the prediction.
◉ Independent variable.
Answer: The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.
◉ Dependent variable.
Answer: The variable that is measured in an experiment.
◉ Extraneous variable.
Answer: Other influencing factors that are not the focus of the study.
◉ Operational Definition.
Answer: Defines how a variable is measured (e.g., intelligence =
score on IQ test).
, ◉ Primary vs. Secondary Source.
Answer: A journal article where a psychologist reports her own
study = primary. A textbook that summarizes that study = secondary.
◉ Testable Hypothesis Example.
Answer: People who sleep less than 5 hours score lower on memory
tests.
◉ Theory.
Answer: A set of statements about the mechanisms underlying a
particular behavior.
◉ Constructs.
Answer: Hypothetical attributes or mechanisms that help explain
and predict behavior in a theory.
◉ Operational definition of a construct.
Answer: The method of defining and measuring a construct by
identifying a behavior or a cluster of behaviors associated with it.
◉ Validity of a measurement.
Answer: The degree to which the measurement process measures
the variable that it claims to measure.
SCIENCES ACTUAL TEST PAPER QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Non-empirical Methods.
Answer: Methods based on authority or intuition.
◉ Basic Research.
Answer: Research that advances general knowledge.
◉ Applied Research.
Answer: Research that solves specific, practical problems.
◉ Empirical Method Example.
Answer: Observing how many people choose healthy food in a
cafeteria after labeling calories.
◉ Tenacity.
Answer: Refusing to walk under ladders because it's 'bad luck.'
◉ Deductive Reasoning.
,Answer: A form of reasoning where a general statement leads to a
specific conclusion.
◉ Steps of the Scientific Method.
Answer: Observe -> Form hypothesis -> Make predictions -> Test ->
Evaluate.
◉ Primary source.
Answer: A firsthand report in which the authors describe their own
observations, typically published in a scientific journal or periodical.
◉ Examples of primary sources.
Answer: (1) empirical journal articles, (2) theses and dissertations,
(3) conference presentations of research results.
◉ Secondary source.
Answer: A secondhand report in which the authors discuss someone
else's observations.
◉ Examples of secondary sources.
Answer: (1) books and textbooks summarizing past research, (2)
review articles or meta-analyses, (3) introductory sections of
research reports, (4) newspaper and magazine articles reporting on
previous research.
,◉ Testable hypothesis.
Answer: One for which all of the variables, events, and individuals
can be defined and observed.
◉ Refutable hypothesis.
Answer: One that can be demonstrated to be false; the outcome can
differ from the prediction.
◉ Independent variable.
Answer: The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.
◉ Dependent variable.
Answer: The variable that is measured in an experiment.
◉ Extraneous variable.
Answer: Other influencing factors that are not the focus of the study.
◉ Operational Definition.
Answer: Defines how a variable is measured (e.g., intelligence =
score on IQ test).
, ◉ Primary vs. Secondary Source.
Answer: A journal article where a psychologist reports her own
study = primary. A textbook that summarizes that study = secondary.
◉ Testable Hypothesis Example.
Answer: People who sleep less than 5 hours score lower on memory
tests.
◉ Theory.
Answer: A set of statements about the mechanisms underlying a
particular behavior.
◉ Constructs.
Answer: Hypothetical attributes or mechanisms that help explain
and predict behavior in a theory.
◉ Operational definition of a construct.
Answer: The method of defining and measuring a construct by
identifying a behavior or a cluster of behaviors associated with it.
◉ Validity of a measurement.
Answer: The degree to which the measurement process measures
the variable that it claims to measure.
