Chapter 2
Research Approaches and Methods of Data Collection
Multiple-choice questions
1. What is the main difference between descriptive and experimental
research approaches?
a. the former always uses qualitative data while the latter always uses
quantitative data
b. descriptive research is done by social scientists while natural
scientists do experimental research
c. descriptive research involves manipulating variables but
experimental research does not
*d. The former does not establish cause-and-effect relationships but the
latter does
2. _______________ studies collect numerical data, while
_______________studies collect non-numerical data.
a. Qualitative; quantitative
b. Experimental; descriptive
*c. Quantitative; qualitative
d. Quantity ; quality
3. Which of the following is an example of data collected in a
quantitative research study? a. pictures
b. ratings of teacher effectiveness
c. reaction time
* d. b and c
4. Which of the following is NOT an example of data collected in a
quantitative research study?
,*a. number of words a one year old can understand
b. interview statements from parents about language development
c. the words a one year old can understand
d. recording of a one year old talking
5. Which of the following is an example of a categorical variable?
a. reaction time
* b. gender
c. age
d. height
6. Which of the following is an example of a
quantitative variable? a. gender
b. religion
* c. College GPA
d. relationship status
7. The _________ variable is the presumed cause of another variable while
the ________ variable is the presumed effect.
*a. independent; dependent
b. dependent; independent
c. independent; extraneous
d. independent; mediating
8. In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a
man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the
conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the
other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and
jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded.
In this example the independent variable is
a. the amount of time it takes someone to help.
*b. the appearance of the man.
, c. the participants in the study.
d. how crowded the bus is.
9. In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a
man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the
conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the
other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and
jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded.
In this example the dependent variable is
*a. the amount of time it takes someone to help.
b. the appearance of the man.
c. the participants in the study.
d. how crowded the bus is.
10. A(n) ______________ variable is one that is not under the control of the
researcher but that may be influencing the outcome of the experiment.
a. independent
* b. extraneous
c. mediating
d. moderating
11. A researcher is interested in the effects of teaching styles on learning.
She randomly assigns students to either a lecture-based class taught at
8:00 a.m. or a discussion-based class taught at 2:00 p.m. Her results reveal
that students in the discussion-based class performed better than those in
the lecture-based class. In this example the time that the class is taught
could be considered a(n) _________ variable, making it impossible to
establish a causal connection between teaching method and classroom
performance. a. independent
b. dependent
* c. extraneous
d. mediating
Research Approaches and Methods of Data Collection
Multiple-choice questions
1. What is the main difference between descriptive and experimental
research approaches?
a. the former always uses qualitative data while the latter always uses
quantitative data
b. descriptive research is done by social scientists while natural
scientists do experimental research
c. descriptive research involves manipulating variables but
experimental research does not
*d. The former does not establish cause-and-effect relationships but the
latter does
2. _______________ studies collect numerical data, while
_______________studies collect non-numerical data.
a. Qualitative; quantitative
b. Experimental; descriptive
*c. Quantitative; qualitative
d. Quantity ; quality
3. Which of the following is an example of data collected in a
quantitative research study? a. pictures
b. ratings of teacher effectiveness
c. reaction time
* d. b and c
4. Which of the following is NOT an example of data collected in a
quantitative research study?
,*a. number of words a one year old can understand
b. interview statements from parents about language development
c. the words a one year old can understand
d. recording of a one year old talking
5. Which of the following is an example of a categorical variable?
a. reaction time
* b. gender
c. age
d. height
6. Which of the following is an example of a
quantitative variable? a. gender
b. religion
* c. College GPA
d. relationship status
7. The _________ variable is the presumed cause of another variable while
the ________ variable is the presumed effect.
*a. independent; dependent
b. dependent; independent
c. independent; extraneous
d. independent; mediating
8. In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a
man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the
conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the
other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and
jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded.
In this example the independent variable is
a. the amount of time it takes someone to help.
*b. the appearance of the man.
, c. the participants in the study.
d. how crowded the bus is.
9. In a study designed to identify factors involved in helping behavior, a
man on a crowded bus clutches his chest and falls to the floor. In one of the
conditions of the study the man is clean shaven and wearing a suit; in the
other condition he has a scraggly beard and is wearing a dirty t-shirt and
jeans. The amount of time it takes for someone to help the man is recorded.
In this example the dependent variable is
*a. the amount of time it takes someone to help.
b. the appearance of the man.
c. the participants in the study.
d. how crowded the bus is.
10. A(n) ______________ variable is one that is not under the control of the
researcher but that may be influencing the outcome of the experiment.
a. independent
* b. extraneous
c. mediating
d. moderating
11. A researcher is interested in the effects of teaching styles on learning.
She randomly assigns students to either a lecture-based class taught at
8:00 a.m. or a discussion-based class taught at 2:00 p.m. Her results reveal
that students in the discussion-based class performed better than those in
the lecture-based class. In this example the time that the class is taught
could be considered a(n) _________ variable, making it impossible to
establish a causal connection between teaching method and classroom
performance. a. independent
b. dependent
* c. extraneous
d. mediating
