PSYCH 226 Final Exam | Questions and Answers (Complete Solutions)

PSYCH 226 Final Exam | Questions and Answers (Complete Solutions) In the scientific method, a prediction is evaluated by ____. a. making systematic, planned observations b. determining the hypothesis of best fit c. logically evaluating the implications d. using it to explain established phenomena What kind of reasoning uses a general statement to make conclusions about specific examples? a. inductive b. deductive c. scientific d. predictive An explanation is empirical if it is based on ____. a. widely held beliefs b. logical deductions c. evidence of the senses d. respect for the source When your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to your heart, the doctor is gathering information by using the ____. a. method of authority b. rational method c. empirical method d. method of intuition A distinction between science and pseudoscience is that ____. a. science focuses on the theoretical, not the practical b. science is based on hypotheses that are testable and refutable c. science examines a topic that has never been investigated d. science aims to make definite conclusions about a topic What is a potential problem with the method of authority? a. A person may claim to be an expert when he or she really is not. b. An "expert" answer may be only a personal, subjective opinion. c. An expert may be giving answers outside his or her area of expertise. d. The other three choices are all potential problems. A student who believes that his or her performance on tests is influenced by wearing a lucky hat is using the method of ____. a. empiricism b. faith c. tenacity d. authority The third step of the scientific method uses a general hypothesis to develop a testable predication. This step involves the use of ____. a. induction b. deduction c. analysis d. synthesis Which of the following statements accurately describes the scientific method? a. It involves hypotheses rather than predictions. b. It relies solely on deductive reasoning. c. It is a circular process that leads to a tentative answer. d. It effectively combines intuition with empirical data. What kind of reasoning uses a few specific observations to produce a statement about a larger possible set of observations? a. inductive b. deductive c. scientific d. predictive Looking up your local weather report online is an example of using the ____. a. empirical method b. rational method c. method of authority d. scientific method Using a sports star to sell clothing in a television commercial relies upon which nonscientific method of acquiring knowledge? a. the method of tenacity b. the method of authority c. the empirical method d. the rational method Using observations of a small number of humans to make a statement about human behavior in general is an example of ____ reasoning. a. inductive b. deductive c. practical d. predictive A hypothesis is a ____ statement and a prediction is a ____ statement. a. specific; general b. specific; specific c. general; specific d. general; general Kenji believes that food poisoning causes food aversions, so when he finds out that his friend Brielle hates seafood, he assumes that Brielle must have had food poisoning after eating seafood sometime in her past. Kenji is using the ____. a. method of empiricism b. rational method c. method of tenacity d. scientific method An artist tries putting a freshly painted canvas outside during a rainstorm to see how the painting will change from the pattern of the raindrops. Which method of acquiring knowledge is she using? a. method of empiricism b. rational method c. method of authority d. scientific method When you "know" that you do not want to eat chocolate-covered crickets, even when everyone around you says that they taste great, your decision is based on the method of ____. a. empiricism b. faith c. tenacity d. authority A limitation of using the rational method is that ____. a. there is no method for correcting erroneous ideas b. there is no way to separate accurate from inaccurate knowledge c. people often accept an expert's statement without question d. people are generally not very good at reasoning A person who buys a lottery ticket because s/he just feels lucky is using the method of ____. a. empiricism b. faith c. tenacity d. intuition The mode of inquiry that is called the method of faith is a variant of which other method of inquiry? a. empiricism b. rationalism c. the method of authority d. the scientific method A researcher conducts a study in which 50 college students are assigned to different treatments and tested. In the study, the students are called ____. a. associates b. cohorts c. participants d. subjects A limitation of using the method of empiricism is that ____. a. people are generally not very good at reasoning b. while perception is typically accurate, sensation is not c. the process can be time consuming and often risky d. there is no mechanism for validating conclusions A researcher conducts a study in which 50 rats are assigned to different treatments and tested. In the study, the rats are called research ____. a. associates b. cohorts c. participants d. subjects Which method of acquiring knowledge is being used when people make decisions based on instinct or hunches? a. intuition b. rationalism c. tenacity d. authority Publicly repeating a study by copying the methods exactly is referred to as ____. a. empiricism b. replication c. control d. tenacity An explanation is rational if it is based on ____. a. widely held beliefs b. logical deductions c. evidence of the senses d. respect for the source of the explanation Pseudoscience is based on ____. a. testable hypotheses b. objective evidence c. subjective evidence d. refutable hypotheses A young child believing everything that her kindergarten teacher says to be true is an example of ____. a. the method of faith b. the rational method c. the empirical method d. the method of intuition Based on observations of his own children, Jean Piaget formed a theory about the cognitive development of all children. This is an example of ____ reasoning. a. inductive b. deductive c. practical d. predictive Which method of acquiring knowledge is being used by students who are learning from teachers and textbooks? a. empiricism b. rationalism c. method of authority d. scientific method The phrase "science is objective" means that scientific answers are ____. a. based on direct observation b. based on logical reasoning c. not influenced by researcher bias d. made available for evaluation by others Tiffany is researching methods used to treat autism spectrum disorders and begins by searching on the Internet. Which statement should make her suspicious that she is on a site rooted in pseudoscience? a. The website focuses on testimonials from family members that describe seemingly miraculous cures. b. The site contains links to research published in peer-reviewed journals that evaluate the treatment method. c. The treatment methods described on the site are clearly defined, as are the expected outcomes. d. The site provides clear explanations of how the treatment methods are tied to existing theories of the causes of autism. What is meant by the saying, "science is empirical?" a. Scientific answers are based on direct observation. b. Scientific answers are based on deductive reasoning. c. Scientific answers are based on inductive reasoning. d. Scientific answers are made available for evaluation by others. Last year Tomas and his friend Jamie were both too short to ride the rollercoaster. Jamie went to the park this year and was tall enough to ride. Because Tomas is taller than Jamie, he thinks that he will be able to ride the rollercoaster as well. Tomas is using the ____ to answer his question. a. method of empiricism b. rational method c. method of authority d. scientific method Lowell is very concerned about his grandmother, who has recently been diagnosed with dementia. He wants to learn more about it, and checks out the jacket quotes on some currently popular books. Which quote should reassure him that the book is based in science rather than pseudoscience? a. "This book saved my wife from a lonely death in a nursing home!" b. "Big Pharma does not want you to know about curing dementia!" c. "From laboratory research to clinical trials: evaluating the treatment of dementia." d. "Find out what REALLY causes dementia and why health agencies do not care." Which potential problem can occur when the rational method is used? a. People are not necessarily very good at logical reasoning. b. It requires hands-on experience, so it can be messy or even dangerous. c. There is no mechanism for testing the accuracy of the claims. d. This method requires lengthy and difficult testing. How do quantitative research and qualitative research differ? a. they generate different types of data b. they rely on different nonscientific ways of knowing c. one type involves data collection while the other does not d. one type relies on hypotheses while the other relies on predictions Marisol just found out she is pregnant and tells everyone that she has a feeling she will have a girl. In this case, Marisol is using the ____. a. method of authority b. rational method c. empirical method d. method of intuition Visual illusions, such as the vertical/horizontal illusion, provide a demonstration of one problem with the ____ method of knowing or acquiring knowledge. a. rational b. authority c. empirical d. scientific If you are a psychologist embarking on a research study, what should you do first? a. identify an idea and search the literature to form the research question b. form a testable, refutable hypothesis based on current theories c. decide which individuals should participate and how they should be recruited d. select a research and analytic strategy based on what is typically used When people make an observation, then form a hypothesis that explains the observation, and then make more observations to test the credibility of the hypothesis, they are using the ____. a. empirical method b. rational method c. scientific method d. method of authority Finding out why clients diagnosed with schizophrenia do not consistently take their medication would be an example of ____. a. basic research b. applied research c. pseudoresearch d. common sense research A study that aims to modify existing psychological theory related to personality traits would be considered ____ research. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. statistically significant A newspaper article discussing someone's research is an example of a ____ source. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal The review of the literature in the introduction section of a research report is an example of a ____ source. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal What is the most relevant question you should ask when reading an introduction? a. Is the literature review up to date? b. Does the statistical analysis seem adequate? c. Is the participant selection reasonable? d. Are the conclusions supported by the results? Which hypothesis is problematic because it cannot be tested? a. People worry too much about stress. b. Children can learn to decrease their stress levels faster than adults. c. There would be less stress today if 9/11 had never occurred. d. People use stress as an excuse to be rude. When you identify a gap in the literature, you ____. a. have found a poorly conceived study b. have found a potential research idea c. are dealing with a topic that cannot be studied d. are wise to switch topics Which section of a research article is most likely to provide a complete list of all the publications cited in the article? a. bibliography b. citation list c. reference d. discussion A researcher is intrigued by an explanation of children's problem-solving strategies found in a journal article and develops a research study to determine whether the article's ideas are correct. This study can be classified as ____ research. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. necessary A potential drawback of secondary sources is that they ____. a. typically do not contain detailed information about any specific study b. often cover a decade or more of research in a given area c. provide detailed information about research methods but little about results d. offer no statistical analysis in support of their conclusions A researcher initiates a study to determine whether playing organized sports helps children with anxiety feel less anxious. This study can best be classified as ____ research. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. necessary The database that contains brief summaries of psychology articles and information on where to find the original publication is ____. a. Social Citation Index b. MedLine c. PsycINFO d. ERIC The method section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the results of statistical analyses d. provides the details of how the research was conducted Your PsycINFO search has yielded several hundred articles. The most efficient next step is to ____. a. read the abstracts to determine if you want to read the articles b. cross-check the references with the lists obtained with other, related subject words c. print off the articles so that you can read them at your convenient d. scan through the titles to see which ones seem most suited to your interests Research studies that are intended to answer practical problems would be classified as ____. a. basic b. applied c. systematic d. statistically significant Which section of a research article is most likely to provide suggestions for additional research? a. introduction b. method c. results d. discussion The advantage of full-text databases is that they contain ____. a. only a fraction of the publications in an area b. too many publications to be useful c. word-for-word copies of each publication d. secondary sources only While watching your kids play in the backyard, you get some ideas about what factors may be causing them to compete or collaborate. This is an example of getting research ideas from ____. a. theory b. casual observation c. systematic observation d. second-hand information A(n) ____ is a brief summary of a psychology article. a. abstract b. running head c. key word summary d. introduction Which statement is the best example of a hypothesis? a. There is no relationship between fatigue and reaction time. b. Sugar consumption is not related to level of activity. c. Smaller class size is related to better academic performance. d. Self-esteem does not affect persistence on a difficult task. A refutable hypothesis must ____. a. refer to variables that can be observed or measured b. make a positive statement about the existence of an effect or a relationship c. allow for the possibility that the observations will not support the hypothesis d. state at least one conclusion that has already been proven What is the most relevant question you should ask when reading a method section? a. Were the appropriate statistics used? b. Are the effects large enough to be meaningful? c. Are the conclusions justified by the results? d. Would different participants produce different results? The discussion section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the results of statistical analyses d. provides the details of the methodology used in the study What is the most relevant question you should ask when reading a results section? a. Do the results have real-world applications? b. Do the conclusions follow logically from the results? c. Are appropriate statistics used? d. Do the predicted outcomes follow from the hypothesis? An empirical journal article is an example of a ____ source. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal Suppose you are looking for reliable psychological information about a specific keyword. What tool will be most effective? a. Yahoo b. Wikipedia c. PsycINFO d. A The introduction section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the results of statistical analyses d. provides the details of the methodology used in the study A ____ source contains original research reports. a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal You can safely assume that ____. a. any publication in a journal is a primary source b. secondary sources do not contain any statistical analyses c. any publication with a section describing methodology is a primary source d. primary sources contain descriptions of research by those who conducted it Combat veterans may be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You wonder about the best way to treat PTSD. This is an example of getting research ideas from ____. a. theory b. random thoughts c. practical problems d. systematic observation Which type of source summarizes information from sources of original research reports? a. primary b. secondary c. premier d. germinal Why should a hypothesis contain a positive statement? a. Scientists tend to be pessimistic, which decreases productivity and analytical skills. b. The scientific method assumes something does not exist unless it is proven to exist. c. Researchers should not assume that a relationship exists between two entities or actions. d. Researchers should not assume that a relationship exists between two entities or actions. Which of the following words or phrases makes the best subject word(s) for a database search? a. extroverts b. party animals c. people who like socializing d. people with outgoing personalities The disadvantage of full-text databases is that they contain ____. a. predominantly nonrefereed publications b. too many publications to be useful c. secondary sources only d. only a fraction of the publications in an area While driving, you notice that you seem to encounter more impatient and rude people on the road than you do in person, and you wonder why that would be the case. This is an example of getting research ideas from ____. a. theory b. casual observation c. systematic observation d. second-hand information Which section of a research article can help you to develop ideas for studies by changing the characteristics of the participants or modifying the procedures for your own study? a. introduction b. method c. results d. abstract After you have scanned through a list of titles to determine which articles might be relevant to your research question, you should then read the ____ of each article to determine whether to keep it in your literature review. a. introduction b. abstract c. discussion section d. results section When using PsycINFO for a literature search, it is most common to enter a(n) ____ into the database. a. subject word b. description of the article c. journal name d. article title The results section of a research article typically ____. a. provides interpretation of the findings b. describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research c. includes the outcome of statistical analyses d. provides the details of the methodology used in the study A good hypothesis must ____. a. involve a hypothetical situation b. leave some variables unobserved c. allow for all variables to be measured d. only allow for data that supports it Participants who know that they are being observed may modify their behavior. This problem is known as ____. a. reactivity b. novelty c. experimenter bias d. volunteerism What additional information is obtained by measuring on an interval scale as compared to an ordinal scale? a. whether the measurements are the same or different b. the direction of the differences c. the size of the differences d. which measure is the most accurate A teacher separates the students in his class into high, medium, and low reading skill groups. What scale of measurement is being used to create the groups? a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio Participants taking on the negativistic subject role ____. a. are concerned that their performance in the study will be used to evaluate them b. try to act in a manner such that their data are in contrast to the hypothesis c. try to act in a manner such that their data are consistent with the hypothesis d. try to avoid acting on the basis of their suspicions A researcher plans to evaluate a new reading program by measuring students' reading skill before and after the program begins. If all the students have high reading skills scores before the program begins, then the measurement procedure has a sensitivity problem known as a ____. a. floor effect b. ceiling effect c. hypersensitive effect d. hyposensitive effect Counting the number of times a third-grade student leaves his seat without permission during a 30-minute observation period is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. self-report b. survey c. behavioral d. physiological What term is used for an external factor that may influence or distort the measurements in a research study? a. artifact b. aberration c. demand characteristic d. bias factor Establishing the reliability of a measurement procedure by using the procedure to measure the same individuals on two separate occasions and comparing the two sets of scores is known as ____ reliability. a. split-half b. internal c. test-retest d. inter-rater Using the number of yawns in a one-hour period as a definition and a measurement of sleepiness is an example of ____ sleepiness. a. validating b. operationalizing c. desynchronizing d. sensitizing You develop a new measure of anxiety and you find that people who score high on your measure show more anxious behavior than people who score low on your measure. You have demonstrated ____. a. concurrent validity b. divergent validity c. predictive validity d. reliability A researcher developed a new intelligence test for elementary school children. However, the researcher fears that the scores from the test may actually be measuring the children's reading ability. To show that the test is really measuring intelligence and not reading ability, the researcher must demonstrate ____validity. a. face b. concurrent c. convergent d. divergent Why is the range effect known as a "ceiling effect" a problem for researchers? a. The scores are already so high that there is no chance of measuring improvement. b. The scores are already so low that there is no chance of measuring a decrease. c. There is so much room for improvement that the measurements are almost certain to increase. d. There is so much room for lower performance that the measurements are almost certain to decrease. A strategy for reducing experimenter bias is to ____. a. let whoever designed the experiment conduct it b. increase the sample size c. standardize the experiment d. ensure the experimenter understands the risk of bias What term refers to a variable that cannot be observed or measured directly but is useful for describing and explaining behavior? a. construct b. operational variable c. theoretical variable d. hypothetical variable Measurement that includes a large error component will have very low ____. a. face validity b. concurrent validity c. reliability d. construct validity A research study reports that participants who scored high on a new test measuring relationship satisfaction had more physical contact with their romantic partners during an interview whereas participants who scored low on the test avoided physical contact with their romantic partners. Assuming that more physical contact is associated with higher relationship satisfaction, this study is a demonstration of ____ validity. a. face b. concurrent c. predictive d. convergent You develop a new measure of self-efficacy and you find that people who score high on your measure also score high on a standardized measure of self-efficacy. You have demonstrated ____. a. concurrent validity b. divergent validity c. predictive validity d. reliability A researcher develops a 20-question test to measure anxiety and administers it to a group of participants. To evaluate the reliability of the test, the researcher computes a score for the first 10 questions and a score for the last 10 questions for each participant and then computes the correlation between the two scores. What is the researcher measuring? a. split-half reliability b. internal reliability c. test-retest reliability d. inter-rater reliability A student's score on a measurement of impulse control allows researchers to form an accurate expectation for how well the student will control his or her impulses in class. This test illustrates ____ validity. a. face b. concurrent c. predictive d. convergent Which type of validity involves demonstrating that we are measuring one specific construct and not combining two different constructs in the same measurement process? a. face validity b. concurrent validity c. divergent validity d. convergent validity Which type of validity requires multiple research studies, usually conducted over a long period of time? a. face b. concurrent c. predictive d. construct Cues given to the participants about how they are expected to behave define a situation's ____. a. experimenter bias b. volunteer bias c. reactivity d. demand characteristics If people score low on one measure and score low on another measure, there is ____ a. a positive relationship between the two measures b. a negative relationship between the two measures c. no relationship between the two measures d. a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures When using operational definitions, it is important to keep in mind that the operational definition ____. a. must provide a direct measure of the construct b. must provide a valid method of measurement but need not be reliable c. should include extra components that are not part of the construct d. is not the same as the construct itself Using a PET scan to measure brain activity while participants solve mathematics problems is an example of using what modality of measurement? a. self-report b. survey c. behavioral d. physiological Research results indicate that the more servings of red meat eat from age 15 to 25, the higher their cholesterol scores will be at age 60. This is an example of a ____ relationship between variables. a. cause-and-effect b. coincidental c. positive d. negative If people score high on one measure and score low on another measure, there is ____ a. a positive relationship between the two measures b. a negative relationship between the two measures c. no relationship between the two measures d. a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures Two observers record similar observations on a behavioral rating scale for a group of children they are watching. The researchers have established what kind of reliability? a. split-half reliability b. internal reliability c. test-retest reliability d. inter-rater reliability After measuring a group of individuals, a researcher finds that Jared's score is three times greater than Jasmin's score. These measurements must come from a(n) ____ scale. a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio How will participants change their normal behavior if they respond to demand characteristics by adopting "the good subject role?" a. They will attempt to produce the data that they think you want. b. They will attempt to make themselves appear better than they really are. c. They will attempt to work against what they think is the research hypothesis. d. They will follow instructions without acting on their suspicions about the study. Determining a person's reaction time (in milliseconds) would involve measurement on a(n) ____ scale of measurement. a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio If people score high on one measure and also score high on another measure, there is ____. a. a positive relationship between the two measures b. a negative relationship between the two measures c. no relationship between the two measures d. a cause-and-effect relationship between the two measures An artifact such as experimenter bias is a threat to the validity of measurement because the ____. a. outcome measurements may be distorted by the artifact b. artifact is an external factor, unrelated to the experiment