Question 1

Giving placebos in drug experiments is necessary to
A)counteract the random assignment of subjects.
B)counteract the side effects of the drug.
C)control for the effects of suggestion and expectation.
D)keep control subjects from knowing they have been given the real drug.

Accepted Answer

Giving placebos in drug experiments is necessary to control for the effects of suggestion and expectation. Placebos can be used to create similar expectations and experiences for the control group as those receiving the real drug, allowing researchers to better distinguish the actual effects of the drug from those of suggestion or expectation.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers?
A)Accurately describe risks to potential participants.
B)Never use deception.
C)Provide results and interpretations to participants.
D)Ensure that participation is voluntary.

Accepted Answer

The use of deception is sometimes necessary in psychological research, but researchers are required to minimize deception and debrief participants as soon as possible after the study has ended. This is acknowledged in the basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers. However, researchers are required to accurately describe risks to potential participants, provide results and interpretations to participants and ensure that participation is voluntary.

Question 3

John recently took what he thought was a pain reliever and reports less shoulder pain.However, the pill he took was only a sugar pill.This best illustrates the _____ effect.
A)Barnum
B)extraneous factor
C)placebo
D)psychosomatic

Accepted Answer

The described scenario is an example of the placebo effect, in which a person experiences a reduction in symptoms or pain after receiving a treatment that is inactive, such as a sugar pill. The placebo effect is believed to be related to the person's expectations and beliefs about the treatment, rather than any pharmacological or physiological response to the treatment itself.

Question 4

Research findings become more convincing when
A)the results are statistically significant.
B)the obtained results would occur very rarely by chance alone.
C)the findings are replicated by other researchers.
D)any of these occur.

Accepted Answer

All of these factors contribute to research findings becoming more convincing. Statistical significance indicates that the results are unlikely to be due to chance, replication by other researchers enhances the reliability and generalizability of the findings, and overall, any combination of these factors increases the credibility of the research.

Question 5

Regarding ethics in research, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)Although the APA has set up guidelines for experiments with humans, they have yet to provide guidelines for research with animals.
B)Deception, invasion of privacy, and lasting harm to subjects can be part of a research project if the projected results are very important.
C)Once a subject begins an experiment, continued participation is no longer voluntary.
D)Most university psychology departments have ethics committees that oversee the research done at the college to ensure ethical guidelines are followed.

Accepted Answer

Most university psychology departments have ethics committees that oversee the research done at the college to ensure ethical guidelines are followed. This is a true statement. The other options are false. The APA has set up guidelines for research with animals, deception, invasion of privacy and lasting harm to subjects cannot be a part of a research project even if projected results are important, and subjects always have the right to withdraw from the study.

Question 6

Which of the following presents an ethical problem in behavioral research?
A)deception
B)self-fulfilling prophecies
C)the placebo effect
D)the correlation/causation problem

Accepted Answer

Deception in behavioral research presents an ethical problem because it involves misleading or withholding information from participants, which can violate their autonomy and potentially cause harm.

Question 7

A(n) _____ is an inactive substance, such as a sugar pill or a saline injection, that is given to subjects to make them think they've taken a drug.
A)placebo
B)extraneous variable
C)dependent variable
D)control drug

Accepted Answer

A placebo is a substance without any therapeutic effect that is given to subjects in a clinical trial to serve as a control group, against which the effects of a drug can be compared. Its purpose is to convince subjects that they are receiving treatment when they are not, in order to remove the psychological bias of expecting a certain outcome. Placebos are usually made to look and taste like the real treatment, but they do not contain any active ingredient.

Question 8

In research reports, a statement that "the results of the experiment were statistically significant" means that the difference must be large enough so that is would occur by chance in
A)less than five experiments out of 100.
B)less than 20 experiments out of 100.
C)more than five experiments out of 100.
D)more than 20 experiments out of 100.

Accepted Answer

If the results of the experiment were statistically significant, it means that there is less than a 5% chance that the results occurred by chance. This is typically the threshold for significance in research. This corresponds to less than five experiments out of 100. Therefore, the best choice is option A.

Question 9

_____ has been used to summarize and synthesize large amounts of psychological research and allows researchers to draw conclusions that might be missed in a single, small-scale study.
A)Meta-analysis
B)Natural clinical tests
C)Multi-phasic research
D)Double-blind experiments

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that combines data from multiple studies on a particular topic to provide a more comprehensive and reliable understanding of the research findings. It can identify patterns or trends that might not be apparent in a single study, and help to clarify discrepancies or inconsistencies between studies. Meta-analysis is particularly useful for synthesizing data across different populations, interventions, or outcome measures, and can provide a more generalizable view of the topic of interest.

Question 10

Deception, invasion of privacy, and lasting harm are considerations in the
A)justification for doing non-laboratory, or "real world" experiments.
B)control of dependent variables in a field experiment.
C)determination of the degree of placebo effect.
D)ethics of behavioral research.

Accepted Answer

Deception, invasion of privacy, and potential harm are ethical concerns in behavioral research. Researchers have an obligation to ensure that participants are fully informed of the nature of the study, and that their privacy and well-being are protected. The ethical guidelines for behavioral research require that potential risks and benefits be carefully considered and that any potential harm to participants be minimized.

Question 11

The basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers include which of the following?
A)Use deception only when absolutely necessary.
B)Maintain confidentiality.
C)Provide results and interpretations to participants.
D)All of these are basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers.

Accepted Answer

All of these (A, B, and C) are basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers. Psychological researchers have a responsibility to respect the rights and dignity of their participants. They must follow ethical guidelines that ensure that the research is conducted in a responsible and ethical manner. These guidelines include obtaining informed consent from the participants, maintaining confidentiality of the data collected, avoiding the use of deception unless absolutely necessary, and providing the results and interpretation of the study to the participants.

Question 12

Milgram's study of obedience to authority, where subjects thought they were shocking another subject, raised questions about which two ethical concerns?
A)deception and invasion of privacy
B)invasion of privacy and lasting harm to subjects
C)lasting harm to subjects and deception
D)confidentiality and invasion of privacy

Accepted Answer

Milgram's study raised concerns about both deception, as participants were not fully informed of the true nature of the study, and lasting harm to subjects, as participants experienced emotional distress and potential long-term effects from their participation. Invasion of privacy and confidentiality were not prominent ethical concerns in this study.

Question 13

A statistical technique called _____ can be used to combine the results of many studies, as if they were all part of one large study.
A)meta-analysis
B)the natural clinical test
C)the standard error of measurement
D)double-blind experimental analysis

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that combines the results of multiple studies to provide a quantitative overall estimate of the effect of an intervention or exposure on an outcome. It allows for a more precise estimate of the true effect size by analyzing a larger sample size than any individual study. The other options listed do not pertain to this statistical technique.

Question 14

You are investigating the topic of gender differences in which extensive previous research has already been conducted with the findings of these previous studies not always in agreement.Your best approach to conducting research would be to
A)randomly assign your subjects.
B)conduct a meta-analysis.
C)conduct a double-blind experiment.
D)utilize a field experiment.

Accepted Answer

Conducting a meta-analysis would be the best approach because it allows for a comprehensive review and analysis of previous studies on gender differences. This can help to identify any inconsistencies, biases, or limitations in the previous research and provide a more thorough understanding of the topic. Randomly assigning subjects, conducting a double-blind experiment, or utilizing a field experiment may not necessarily address the issues with previous research and may not be the most effective approach in this case.

Question 15

In a well-designed experiment, the researchers must be careful about what they tell the subjects, since small bits of information might create _____, which are changes in subjects' behavior caused by the influence of their expectations.
A)research participant bias
B)observer bias
C)the fallacy of positive instances
D)the anthropomorphic error

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as research participant bias, where the subjects' understanding of the experiment might influence their behavior and lead to inaccurate results.

Question 16

In an experiment if the obtained results would occur by chance in less than five experiments out of 100, the results
A)were randomly assigned.
B)cannot be replicated.
C)were statistically significant.
D)were part of a meta-analysis.

Accepted Answer

If the obtained results would occur by chance in less than five experiments out of 100, they are considered statistically significant. This means that the probability of obtaining the results by chance is low, and they are therefore more likely to be due to the factors being tested in the experiment.

Question 17

To replicate an experiment means to
A)use control groups and experimental groups.
B)use statistics to determine the effect of chance.
C)control for the effects of extraneous variables.
D)repeat the experiment using either identical or improved research methods.

Accepted Answer

To replicate an experiment means to repeat the experiment using either identical or improved research methods. The other options (A, B, and C) refer to aspects that may be included in a replication study, but none of them fully capture the definition of replication.

Question 18

To prevent ethical abuse in psychology research,
A)psychologists have begun to use only computer models for research rather than human or animal subjects.
B)psychologists use only animal subjects in research.
C)role-play experiments have taken the place of those experiments requiring deception.
D)psychology departments have ethics committees to act as watchdogs.

Accepted Answer

Psychology departments have ethics committees to act as watchdogs to prevent ethical abuse in psychology research. These committees review research proposals and monitor ongoing studies to ensure that they comply with ethical standards and guidelines.

Question 19

Responding to a substance like a sugar pill as if it were a drug is called
A)the placebo effect.
B)an extraneous factor.
C)variability.
D)psychosomatic illness.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon where a patient responds to a substance like a sugar pill as if it were a drug is called the placebo effect.

Question 20

An experimenter conducts an experiment on the effects of a drug to control hallucinations.The experimenter declares the results to be "statistically significant," which usually means that
A)even though appropriate statistics were used, no differences could be detected between the experimental and control groups.
B)the results have important implications for theory or practice.
C)differences of this size between the experimental and control groups would occur by chance only five times out of 100 (or less).
D)differences between the experimental and control groups were so large they could never occur by chance alone.

Accepted Answer

"Statistically significant" means that the differences observed between the experimental and control groups are unlikely to be due to chance alone. Typically, a p-value of less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant, which means that the probability of observing such a large difference between the groups by chance alone is less than 5%. Therefore, choice C is the best answer.

Quiz 1: Extension B: Introduction to Psychology and Research Methods

Giving placebos in drug experiments is necessary to

Which of the following is NOT one of the basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers?

John recently took what he thought was a pain reliever and reports less shoulder pain.However, the pill he took was only a sugar pill.This best illustrates the _____ effect.

Research findings become more convincing when

Regarding ethics in research, which of the following statements is TRUE?

Which of the following presents an ethical problem in behavioral research?

A(n) _____ is an inactive substance, such as a sugar pill or a saline injection, that is given to subjects to make them think they've taken a drug.

In research reports, a statement that "the results of the experiment were statistically significant" means that the difference must be large enough so that is would occur by chance in

_____ has been used to summarize and synthesize large amounts of psychological research and allows researchers to draw conclusions that might be missed in a single, small-scale study.

Deception, invasion of privacy, and lasting harm are considerations in the

The basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers include which of the following?

Milgram's study of obedience to authority, where subjects thought they were shocking another subject, raised questions about which two ethical concerns?

A statistical technique called _____ can be used to combine the results of many studies, as if they were all part of one large study.

You are investigating the topic of gender differences in which extensive previous research has already been conducted with the findings of these previous studies not always in agreement.Your best approach to conducting research would be to

In a well-designed experiment, the researchers must be careful about what they tell the subjects, since small bits of information might create _____, which are changes in subjects' behavior caused by the influence of their expectations.

In an experiment if the obtained results would occur by chance in less than five experiments out of 100, the results

To replicate an experiment means to

To prevent ethical abuse in psychology research,

Responding to a substance like a sugar pill as if it were a drug is called

An experimenter conducts an experiment on the effects of a drug to control hallucinations.The experimenter declares the results to be "statistically significant," which usually means that