Question 1

Which of the following observational research methods is most likely to create ethical problems?
A) Acknowledged participant
B) Unacknowledged participant
C) Unacknowledged experimenter
D) Acknowledged experimenter

Accepted Answer

Unacknowledged participant observation can create ethical problems because it involves observing people without their knowledge or consent, potentially invading their privacy and autonomy.

Question 2

Alex is interested in studying aggressive driving patterns. He gets in his car, cuts some people off on the highway and has his passenger code how the other drivers react. Alex is using which of the following types of observational research?
A) Acknowledged participant
B) Acknowledged observer
C) Unacknowledged participant
D) Unacknowledged observer

Accepted Answer

Alex is actively participating in the environment he is studying (aggressive driving patterns) without the knowledge of those being observed (the other drivers). This makes him an unacknowledged participant, as the subjects are unaware they are being studied.

Question 3

One of the advantages of naturalistic research is its
A) ability to simulate natural environments in lab settings.
B) ability to predict unusual or abnormal behavior.
C) high test-restest reliability.
D) high ecological validity.

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic research involves observing subjects in their natural environments, which ensures that the behavior observed is more likely to reflect real-life scenarios, thus granting the research high ecological validity.

Question 4

In a study involving altruism in restaurants, Elena focused only on the helping behaviors that each restaurant employee demonstrated (and not on any other types of behaviors). This is an example of which of the following?
A) Event sampling
B) Time sampling
C) Individual sampling
D) Snowball sampling

Accepted Answer

Event sampling focuses on observing and recording specific types of behaviors (in this case, helping behaviors) rather than recording all behaviors during a given time period or among all individuals present.

Question 5

The oldest method of conducting research is
A) observational research.
B) ANOVA.
C) experimental designs.
D) regression analysis.

Accepted Answer

Observational research is the oldest method of conducting research, as it involves simply observing subjects in their natural environment without manipulating any variables. This method has been used for centuries across various fields, long before the more structured and statistical methods like ANOVA, experimental designs, and regression analysis were developed.

Question 6

In order to reduce observer bias in an observational research design, a researcher might
A) set the alpha level prior to observing.
B) use field notes or brief reports to record data.
C) specify ahead of time who will be observed and for how long.
D) use a stratified random sample.

Accepted Answer

Specifying ahead of time who will be observed and for how long helps reduce observer bias by providing clear guidelines and reducing subjective decision-making during the observation process.

Question 7

Which of the following is not an example of a case study as described in your textbook?
A) Stanley Milgram's research on obedience
B) The study of Phineas Gage's behavior after a railroad accident
C) The developmental work of Jean Piaget
D) The psychoanalytic studies of Sigmund Freud

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not an...

Question 8

Case studies differ from observational research because they
A) assess people in a natural setting.
B) make use of the Chi-square analysis.
C) may assess the behavior of only one person.
D) are more useful in creating valid samples.

Accepted Answer

Case studies often focus on a single subject or a small group, providing in-depth information about that subject or group, unlike observational research which can involve larger populations without focusing deeply on individuals.

Question 9

Fowler, Lilienfield, and Patrick (2009) studied the extent to which observers agreed on judgments of psychopathy after viewing "thin slices" (short glimpses) of the behavior of prisoners. The researchers based their findings on which of the following?
A) Content analysis.
B) Ecological validity
C) Inter-rater reliability
D) Inter-rater validity

Accepted Answer

Inter-rater reliability refers to the degree to which different observers or raters agree in their assessments. In the study by Fowler, Lilienfield, and Patrick (2009), the focus was on how consistently observers could judge psychopathy from brief observations, making inter-rater reliability the basis of their findings.

Question 10

Jamal decides to compare the lyrics of rock and roll songs in the 1950s and the 1990s. He selects from the top 10 lists for each time period, and compares the lyrics. Jamal's research method is based upon
A) Individual sampling
B) Lyrical sampling
C) Archival data
D) Ecological sampling

Accepted Answer

Jamal's research method involves analyzing existing documents or records, which is characteristic of using archival data. In this case, the documents are the lyrics of rock and roll songs from the 1950s and 1990s.

Question 11

One of the advantages of archival research is that the researcher can
A) expect honest answers from respondents.
B) have access to more valid information.
C) easily give informed consent to the participants.
D) use existing data that has been collected by others.

Accepted Answer

Archival research involves the study of existing data or records. The advantage of this method is that researchers can utilize data that has already been collected by others, saving time and resources.

Quiz 7: Naturalistic Methods

Which of the following observational research methods is most likely to create ethical problems?

Alex is interested in studying aggressive driving patterns. He gets in his car, cuts some people off on the highway and has his passenger code how the other drivers react. Alex is using which of the following types of observational research?

One of the advantages of naturalistic research is its

In a study involving altruism in restaurants, Elena focused only on the helping behaviors that each restaurant employee demonstrated (and not on any other types of behaviors) . This is an example of which of the following?

The oldest method of conducting research is

In order to reduce observer bias in an observational research design, a researcher might

Which of the following is not an example of a case study as described in your textbook?

Case studies differ from observational research because they

Fowler, Lilienfield, and Patrick (2009) studied the extent to which observers agreed on judgments of psychopathy after viewing "thin slices" (short glimpses) of the behavior of prisoners. The researchers based their findings on which of the following?

Jamal decides to compare the lyrics of rock and roll songs in the 1950s and the 1990s. He selects from the top 10 lists for each time period, and compares the lyrics. Jamal's research method is based upon

One of the advantages of archival research is that the researcher can