Athabasca Psych 289 Chapter 2 Questions With Complete
Solutions
3 goals of scientific undertakings Correct Answer 1.
Measurement/Description
2. Understanding/Prediction
3. Application/Control
Abstract Correct Answer concise summary's briefly
describing the hypothesis, methods, results, and conclusion of
the study
- found in newspapers and magazines, the psychological abstract
journal and PsychINFO (a database)
- summaries contained in psychINFO can also be found in the
psychological abstract journal
Advantage of correlational/descriptive research method Correct
Answer Allow researchers to explore questions that could not
be examined experimentally
(e.g after-the-fact analysis between poor maternal nutrition and
birth defects)
Advantages of experimental methods Correct Answer 1.
allows conclusions about cause-and-effect relations between
variables
2. allow for precise control in isolating independent/dependent
variables (reason for cause-and-effect conclusions)
,3. isolation and control of variables allow for extraneous
variables to be neutralized
Anecdotal evidence Correct Answer consist of personal
stories about specific incidents and experiences
- Anecdotes sway people because they are often more concrete,
vivid and memorable
- e.g asking someone who has participated in joint custody if it
works
- e.g future courses for psych majors were influenced more by
brief anecdotes from a couple of students than by extensive
statistics on many other students ratings of the course from the
previous term
avoidance of errors Correct Answer Demands objective data
and thorough documentation (e.g. journal publishings)
- scientists are skeptical, subject ideas to empirical tests and
check one another's findings with a critical eye
Between-subjects design Correct Answer when two or more
groups of subjects are exposed to manipulation of an
independent variable to determine comparisons between two
different groups
Can there be more than one independent variable? Correct
Answer Yes!
manipulation of more then one allows for examination of joint
effects on dependent and interaction
, (e.g bridge experiment had two independent variables:
male/female associate and choosing a participant after they
crossed the low/high bridge )
Case Studies Correct Answer in depth investigation of a
single subject (e.g interviews, direct observation)
Central Tendency Correct Answer a single value describing a
set of data by identifying the central position
- measured using the median, mead, and mode
Clarity/precision Correct Answer Requires exact specification
when creating a hypothesis to enhance communication
Confounding Variables Correct Answer two variables linked
together, making it difficult to sort out their specific effects
- confounding of variables has ruined experiments
Controlled Group Correct Answer similar subjects who do not
receive the special treatment that was given to the experimental
group
Correlation coefficient Correct Answer used to measure how
strong a relationship is between two variables
- indicates the direction (pos/neg) of the relationship
Data Collection Techniques Correct Answer procedures for
making empirical observations and measurements
Solutions
3 goals of scientific undertakings Correct Answer 1.
Measurement/Description
2. Understanding/Prediction
3. Application/Control
Abstract Correct Answer concise summary's briefly
describing the hypothesis, methods, results, and conclusion of
the study
- found in newspapers and magazines, the psychological abstract
journal and PsychINFO (a database)
- summaries contained in psychINFO can also be found in the
psychological abstract journal
Advantage of correlational/descriptive research method Correct
Answer Allow researchers to explore questions that could not
be examined experimentally
(e.g after-the-fact analysis between poor maternal nutrition and
birth defects)
Advantages of experimental methods Correct Answer 1.
allows conclusions about cause-and-effect relations between
variables
2. allow for precise control in isolating independent/dependent
variables (reason for cause-and-effect conclusions)
,3. isolation and control of variables allow for extraneous
variables to be neutralized
Anecdotal evidence Correct Answer consist of personal
stories about specific incidents and experiences
- Anecdotes sway people because they are often more concrete,
vivid and memorable
- e.g asking someone who has participated in joint custody if it
works
- e.g future courses for psych majors were influenced more by
brief anecdotes from a couple of students than by extensive
statistics on many other students ratings of the course from the
previous term
avoidance of errors Correct Answer Demands objective data
and thorough documentation (e.g. journal publishings)
- scientists are skeptical, subject ideas to empirical tests and
check one another's findings with a critical eye
Between-subjects design Correct Answer when two or more
groups of subjects are exposed to manipulation of an
independent variable to determine comparisons between two
different groups
Can there be more than one independent variable? Correct
Answer Yes!
manipulation of more then one allows for examination of joint
effects on dependent and interaction
, (e.g bridge experiment had two independent variables:
male/female associate and choosing a participant after they
crossed the low/high bridge )
Case Studies Correct Answer in depth investigation of a
single subject (e.g interviews, direct observation)
Central Tendency Correct Answer a single value describing a
set of data by identifying the central position
- measured using the median, mead, and mode
Clarity/precision Correct Answer Requires exact specification
when creating a hypothesis to enhance communication
Confounding Variables Correct Answer two variables linked
together, making it difficult to sort out their specific effects
- confounding of variables has ruined experiments
Controlled Group Correct Answer similar subjects who do not
receive the special treatment that was given to the experimental
group
Correlation coefficient Correct Answer used to measure how
strong a relationship is between two variables
- indicates the direction (pos/neg) of the relationship
Data Collection Techniques Correct Answer procedures for
making empirical observations and measurements
