Deck 2: Where to Start

Question 1

A major problem with using Internet search engines such as Google as a method of obtaining research information is

A) they are difficult to use.
B) it does not allow you to limit your search to peer reviewed articles.
C) it is too expensive to use.
D) they include online discussions and book reviews.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A(n)_______ consists of a system of logical ideas proposed to explain a particular topic or phenomenon.

A) hypothesis
B) inquisition
C) distinction
D) theory

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which one of the following would NOT be found in the introduction of a research report?

A) A review of an existing theory relevant to the research
B) A prediction about the results
C) A summary of past research
D) A description of how participants were selected and assigned to groups

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which one of the following would not always be found when you search the PsycINFO abstracting system?

A) Author and title of journal article
B) Journal reference
C) Complete article
D) Brief description of contents

Question 5

A prediction is best represented by which of the following statements?

A) "Female defendants will receive shorter prison sentences than male defendants."
B) "Gender and judgments of criminal behavior are related."
C) "Ratings of social desirability vary according to gender."
D) "Cats and dogs differ in their responses to loud noises."

Question 6

Michael Lynn's study on tipping behavior in restaurants and hotels,described in the text,was designed to determine whether factors such as posture and communication influence tips left by customers.The idea for his study was based on

A) past research.
B) common sense.
C) a theory.
D) everyday problem.

Question 7

The statement "Punishment will be harsher for drunk drivers who cause serious injuries than for drivers who cause mild injuries" is an example of a

A) rule.
B) prediction.
C) hypothesis.
D) question.

Question 8

Which of the following statements best represents a hypothesis?

A) "Attractive defendants will receive lower ratings of guilt than unattractive defendants."
B) "Grocery stores sell more ice cream during the summer than during the winter."
C) "Amount of time spent studying and test performance are related."
D) "Extraverts are more successful as sales people than are introverts."

Question 9

Which of the following would a researcher be least likely to do in order to find prior research on a specific topic?

A) Look in the published Psychological Abstracts
B) Conduct a computer search with PsycINFO
C) Consult Psychological Bulletin
D) Randomly select a psychological journal and search the table of contents for the topic

Question 10

The scientific meaning of the term "theory" is

A) essentially the same as a hypothesis.
B) valid only if the theory can be proven.
C) grounded in data from prior research.
D) "just an idea."

Question 11

Research articles formatted in APA are comprised of the following sections in which order?

A) abstract,method,introduction,results,discussion,references.
B) abstract,introduction,method,discussion,results,references.
C) abstract,introduction,method,results,discussion,references.
D) abstract,method,introduction,discussion,results,references.

Question 12

A scientist should consider a hypothesis to be supported if

A) observed data are consistent with the hypothesis.
B) there is a general belief that the hypothesis is probably correct.
C) it is not possible to falsify the hypothesis.
D) they receive financial support for research to be conducted into the hypothesis.

Question 13

The statement "Females will report greater incidences of sexual harassment than will males" is an example of a ______,while the statement "Reported incidences of sexual harassment will vary according to gender" is an example of a ________.

A) hypothesis;prediction
B) prediction;hypothesis
C) guess;rule
D) rule;guess

Question 14

A hypothesis is a

A) prediction of results.
B) tentative statement that something may be true.
C) fact.
D) small research report.

Question 15

A theory

A) generates new knowledge by guiding our observations.
B) is proven after many studies support its predictions.
C) is an established fact after being confirmed at least 100 times.
D) categorizes data into distinct groups.

Question 16

What is the name of the principle that states that "where multiple theories can explain observed results,the best theory to adopt is the simplest one"?

A) Natural selection
B) Regression
C) Falsifiability
D) Parsimony

Question 17

A(n)______ is a statement about the expected relationship between variables.A(n)______ is a statement about the outcome of a particular experiment.

A) prediction;hypothesis
B) hypothesis;prediction
C) educated guess;law
D) law;educated guess

Question 18

When the results of an experiment are consistent with a prediction developed from a theory,we conclude that the theory is

A) proven true.
B) supported by the results.
C) less likely to be true.
D) neither supported nor challenged by the results.

Question 19

In which section of a research article would a reader find a summary of the entire project?

A) Abstract
B) Introduction
C) Method
D) Results

Question 20

Which one of the following statements would be appropriate for the discussion section of a research report?

A) The present findings suggest that evaluation of the seriousness of an alcohol-related crash may be influenced by the severity of the injuries received by the victim.
B) The participants read an account of an alcohol-related crash in which a victim received mild or severe injuries.
C) Drivers who had consumed alcohol had their license suspended an average of six months compared to one month for those who had consumed coffee.
D) The average age of participants was 18.7 years.

Question 21

Because of tension between the police department and the citizens of Metropolis,the city council surveys residents for suggestions on how to improve police-community relations.This example best illustrates _____ as a source of research ideas.

A) observation of the world around us
B) theories
C) past research
D) practical problems

Question 22

In which section of a research article would a reader find an explanation for the findings?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion

Question 23

Hypotheses are scientifically meaningful only if they can be

A) supported.
B) falsified.
C) repeated in multiple studies.
D) cited by other researchers.

Question 24

A researcher designs a study to examine the relationship between gender and time spent talking in a group.The researcher states,"In a balanced mixed gender group,males will talk more than females." This is an example of a

A) hypothesis.
B) prediction.
C) question.
D) moral judgment.

Question 25

Which section of a research article includes a description of exactly how the study was conducted?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion

Question 26

To find out how many authors have cited a particular article in the years since it was published,you would consult

A) Psychological Abstracts.
B) Wikipedia.
C) Pubmed.
D) Web of Science.

Question 27

Juan has written a section of a research report that describes who participated in the research along with a description of how the study was conducted.Juan has most likely written the _____ section.

A) introduction
B) method
C) results
D) discussion

Question 28

Which section of the research article summarizes the hypothesis,the procedure,and results usually in 120 words or less?

A) Abstract
B) Introduction
C) Method
D) Results

Question 29

Which section of a research article includes a description of prior findings in the area of study?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion

Question 30

The following could be an excerpt from a scientific article.From which section is it most likely to have been derived? "Patients (N = 328)were selected from 10 different hospice centers located within the Greater Toronto Area.Participants ranged in age from 50 to 78,and were 58% female.They identified their ethnicity as Caucasian (79%),Pacific Rim (6%),Aboriginal (5%),African descent (2%),or other or unknown (8%).

A) Introduction
B) Results
C) Methods
D) Discussion

Question 31

A researcher makes the statement,"Breed of dog and ability to learn guide dog skills are related." This statement is called a

A) hypothesis.
B) prediction.
C) question.
D) moral judgment.

Question 32

At the beginning of any research project,it is necessary to explore thoroughly prior research on the topic of interest because

A) one should never replicate another study.
B) using someone else's research methods is plagiarism.
C) prior findings are useful for clarifying and generating research ideas.
D) it is unethical for researchers to begin work in a new field without first publishing a related review article.

Question 33

Kathy has written a section of a research report in which she explains the possible reasons for results in her study and suggestions for practical applications of the research and future research ideas.Kathy has most likely written the _____ section.

A) introduction
B) method
C) results
D) discussion

Question 34

As Joan becomes familiar with the literature examining the influence of physical attractiveness on judgments of criminal behavior,she notes inconsistencies in the results.She concludes that this area of study needs to be further investigated.This example best represents ______ as a source of ideas for research.

A) observation of the world around us
B) theories
C) practical problems
D) past research

Question 35

Victor has written a section of a research report that shows how past research and theory are connected to the current research problem and expected results.Victor has most likely written the _____ section.

A) introduction
B) method
C) results
D) discussion

Question 36

Why is it inadvisable to use Wikipedia as the only source of information when conducting a review of the scientific literature?

A) Most of the contents of Wikipedia are factually incorrect.
B) Wikipedia is not intended nor considered a credible source for academic research.
C) None of the articles written in Wikipedia contain enough depth of information to be of interest to scientific researchers.
D) The primary goal of Wikipedia is to be a source of entertainment,and not a source of information.

Question 37

Which section of a research article includes the interpretation of a study's findings?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion

Question 38

In which section of a research article would a reader find a description of what was done in the past and why the present study is being conducted?

A) Abstract
B) Introduction
C) Method
D) Results

Question 39

In which section of a research article would a reader find a description of the findings using statistical language?

A) Abstract
B) Introduction
C) Method
D) Results

Question 40

In which section of the research report would you describe the practical application of the experiment's results?

A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion

Question 41

Which of the following search terms in PsycINFO is most likely to retrieve the greatest number of references?

A) Stress OR depression
B) Stress AND depression
C) Stress NOT depression
D) Stress FOR depression

Question 42

Suppose you are conducting a literature search for articles about the relationship between right/left hand dominance and creativity.You find an article that is directly relevant to your topic.Which one of the following reference tools would you use to find other articles that cite your original article?

A) Psychological Abstracts
B) Wikipedia
C) Web of Science
D) PsycINFO

Question 43

Which one of the following statements would be appropriate for the method section of a research report?

A) Past research shows men generally talk more than women.
B) For men,the average time talking was 10.7 minutes while for women the average was 7.4 minutes.
C) While the three men and three women discussed the issue,the experimenter measured time spent talking by starting and stopping stopwatches.
D) Contrary to popular belief,in groups of mixed gender,men talk more than women,interrupt more than women,and are more likely to direct discussion topics.

Question 44

Testing common sense ideas

A) are of little value because it consists of things we already know are true.
B) results in no new knowledge.
C) should only be done if a theory has been developed.
D) is valuable because such notions often turn out to be incorrect.

Question 45

If the prediction "participants who consume alcohol will score lower on a reaction time test than participants who do not consume alcohol" is confirmed,we can say the hypothesis is _______.

A) proven
B) supported
C) undecided
D) ambiguous

Question 46

Which one of the following statements would be appropriate for the results section of a research report?

A) The difference between social desirability ratings of attractive versus unattractive individuals may be explained by the Cognitive Consistency Theory.
B) Past research suggests that differences exist in ratings of social desirability assigned to attractive versus unattractive individuals.
C) The average social desirability rating for attractive individuals was 6.4;however,the average rating for unattractive individuals was 3.2.
D) Future research should examine the effect of attractiveness on judgments of criminal behavior.

Question 47

When an interesting discovery,such as Pavlov's phenomenon of classical conditioning,is a result of an accident or luck,this finding can be attributed to

A) directive research.
B) purposeful research.
C) serendipity.
D) inquisition.

Question 48

The American Psychological Association computer database that stores the contents of Psychological Abstracts is

A) PsycINFO.
B) Psychological Abstracts.
C) Web of Science.
D) Pubmed.

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT true of theories?

A) It is sometimes necessary to modify a theory.
B) Theories help generate new knowledge.
C) Theories help organize and explain a variety of facts.
D) If a large number of studies provide support for the hypothesis,the theory is proven.

Question 50

The Meaning Maintenance Model

A) is a specific theory that explains an array of findings.
B) is not a valid and recognized theory.
C) triggers a biologically neutral state of general physiological arousal.
D) triggers a biologically aversive state of general physiological arousal.