Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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1.
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Because psychology involves trying to understand complex and abstract concepts,
researchers need to develop ________ in order to make useful measurements of those
concepts. a. | operational
definitions | b. | hypothetical constructs | c. | literature
searches | d. | independent variables | | |
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2.
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If a
researcher wanted to investigate the effect of a single variable on behavior, trying to eliminate the
effects of other variables, that researcher would choose a. | a controlled
laboratory setting | b. | a quasi-experimental approach | c. | a naturalistic
setting | d. | applied research | | |
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3.
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When
researchers obtain information from participants on existing variables in order to see how the
variables relate to one another, the approach is likely to be a. | observational
research | b. | correlational research | c. | experimental
research | d. | longitudinal research | | |
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4.
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Researchers have studied the effects of traumatic events, like experiencing
devastating hurricanes, on children over an extended period of time. Such research
is a. | observational
research | b. | qualitative research | c. | experimental
research | d. | longitudinal research | | |
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5.
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When
an experiment makes use of a small number of participants, the results a. | are easier to
replicate than when there are many participants | b. | may miss
potentially important findings because research with small samples is not very
sensitive | c. | small differences between groups are easier to spot than with
large numbers of participants | d. | are seldom valid | | |
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6.
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If a
researcher created a list of the people in a population of interest and randomly selected them to
participate in a study, that researcher would be using a. | quota
sampling | b. | purposive sampling | c. | convenience
sampling | d. | probability sampling | | |
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7.
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If
you wanted to make sure that your research sample consisted of equal numbers of females and males,
you could get a list of the people in your population, separate them by sex, then randomly select an
equal number of participants from each group. This technique is called a. | stratified
random sampling | b. | quota sampling | c. | purposive
sampling | d. | Nonprobability sampling | | |
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8.
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Nonsampling error leads to a. | probability sampling | b. | quasi-experiments | c. | problems with generalization of
results | d. | stratification of participants in the
sample | | |
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9.
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Measurement error refers to a. | errors researchers make in transcribing
data | b. | problems
researchers face when their unconscious biases influence data collection | c. | errors that
occur when researchers make imprecise measurements | d. | problems due to
nonsampling error | | |
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10.
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In
psychology, the word experiment has a specific meaning. A defining characteristic of an
experiment is a. | the systematic
collection of objective data. | b. | the active manipulation of variables. | c. | finding
associations between variables. | d. | creating operational definitions of abstract or complex
constructs. | | |
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11.
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In
determining causation, the cause of a behavior has to come before the effect. The principle of
causation involved here is the a. | covariance rule. | b. | internal
validity rule. | c. | causal ambiguity rule. | d. | temporal
precedence rule. | | |
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12.
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The
logic of an experiment is that when one group that experiences an experimental manipulation and
another group does not, any differences in subsequent behavior are due to the independent
variable. This conclusion is true when a. | both groups are comparable at the beginning of the
study. | b. | the control group and the placebo group experience the same
manipulation. | c. | the study is double-blind, but not single
blind. | d. | demand characteristics are present in both
groups. | | |
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13.
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Suppose two groups really differed from one another with respect to a dependent
variable but did not act differently in an experiment because an unknown variable affected one of the
groups. This problem could result from a. | the presence of a confound. | b. | causal
ambiguity. | c. | experimenter bias caused by double
blind. | d. | lack of divergent validity. | | |
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14.
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Sometimes participants engage in certain behaviors to help the researcher get then
results the experimenter wants. In order to keep the participants from trying to figure out
what behaviors are expected, the researcher could a. | use random assignment to place participants in
groups. | b. | increase the level of experimental realism to engage the
participants interest. | c. | produce a cover story so the participant doesnt know what the
experimenter is about. | d. | increase the extraneous variables to keep the participant from
identifying the independent variable. | | |
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15.
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A
double blind study is not possible when a. | an experiment lacks experimental
realism. | b. | the possibility of the Hawthorne effect
exists. | c. | the researcher uses a cover story. | d. | the research
involves assessing behaviors of men versus women. | | |
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16.
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If a
participant thinks the experimenter is too aggressive, the participant might start acting
negatively. A psychologist would say that this negative behavior is due to a. | psychosocial
effects. | b. | biosocial effects. | c. | stereotype
effects. | d. | experimenter bias effects. | | |
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17.
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When
there are significant correlations between variables that should be correlated, you can claim that
measurements show a. | statistical
conclusion validity. | b. | convergent validity. | c. | construct
validity. | d. | internal validity. | | |
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18.
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When
you can logically conclude that your independent variable is causal with respect to the dependent
variable, you are implying that your measurements are showing a. | external
validity. | b. | construct validity. | c. | convergent
validity. | d. | internal validity. | | |
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19.
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Initial studies of Fear of Success included descriptions of fictitious characters with
corresponding male and female names, like John and Joan, who were engaged in activities that could
lead to success. The researchers did not realize that a. | research
participants tended to relate those names to actual people they knew. | b. | women were seen
as being high in fear of success but were really high in expectation of
failure. | c. | the names used as stimuli in the research were associated with
different levels of achievement, with female names being associated with less
success. | d. | over time, fear of success became less meaningful among men but
not among women. | | |
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20.
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A
group of psychologists studying humor reaction studied participants’ enjoyment of jokes by
recording how many times the participants grinned, smiled, and laughed. These measurements of
grinning, smiling, and laughing to represent enjoyment involve a. | manipulated
variables | b. | main effects of humor enjoyment | c. | logistic
analysis. | d. | an operational definition of
enjoyment | | |
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21.
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A
group of researchers wanted to see if sex workers with high levels of motivation are more likely to
visit health clinics than are sex workers who are given nothing to motivate them. Whether the
workers are motivated or not in such a study reflects the _____ variable. a. |
independent | b. | dependent | c. | extraneous | d. | qualitative | | |
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22.
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When
we discuss hypothetical constructs in terms of how we measure them, we are using a. | quasi-experimental variables | b. | operational
definitions. | c. | task variables. | d. | factorial
designs | | |
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23.
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Independent variables that change along a continuum are called a. | quantitative
variables | b. | quasi-experimental variables | c. | measured
variables | d. | qualitative variables | | |
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24.
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A
comparison of the rates of injury of female athletes compared to male athletes involves an
independent variable that is a. | a subject variable | b. | a manipulated
variable | c. | a situational variable | d. | a task
variable | | |
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25.
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Suppose you conducted a study using a factorial design and somebody asked you about
the results for Variable A. If you replied that, to answer their question, they have to know
which level of Variable B was involved, your experiment involved a. | main
effects. | b. | logistic analysis. | c. | measured
variables | d. | an interaction. | | |
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Short Answer
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26.
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Identify two major reasons why psychological research typically does not involve
probability samples.
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27.
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How
does the logic of an experiment fulfill the criteria for establishing causation?
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28.
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Why
is it important to distinguish between a measured and manipulated variable?
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