Question 1

The risk of bias in a research study is that biases can lead us
A)to become anxious or depressed about our knowledge of the world.
B)to draw incorrect conclusions and then become convinced that they are accurate.
C)to doubt our intuition and gut feelings in important real-life circumstances.
D)to underestimate our general levels of cognitive abilities and skills.

Accepted Answer

Bias in research can cause researchers to draw incorrect conclusions, and if they are not cautious, they will become convinced that these conclusions are accurate, leading to incorrect findings and erroneous conclusions.

Question 2

Elle,a university student,had a great time at a party last night.She danced,sang karaoke,and played the Rock Band video game-all behaviours that she had never exhibited in public before.She had been drinking the "punch" all night long,which she was told contained a lot of alcohol.Elle was quite surprised to find out the next morning that the punch did NOT contain any alcohol.What may explain Elle's behaviour at the party?
A)the Hawthorne effect
B)confirmation bias
C)the nocebo effect
D)the placebo effect

Accepted Answer

The most likely explanation for Elle's behavior is the placebo effect, where she believed she was drinking alcohol in the punch and therefore exhibited behaviors associated with being drunk, such as increased sociability and lowered inhibitions.

Question 3

Eila is participating in a psychological experiment for one of the graduate students at her university.She is fairly certain that she knows the true intent of the study and is trying to answer the questions accordingly.Eila is adjusting her responses based on
A)the Hawthorne effect.
B)social desirability bias.
C)observer bias.
D)demand characteristics.

Accepted Answer

Eila is adjusting her responses based on what she believes the researchers expect to find or the purpose of the study, which is known as responding to demand characteristics. This occurs when participants alter their behavior based on their perceptions of the study's goals.

Question 4

Dr.Wilkins randomly assigns subjects to one of two groups.He is interested in the effects of caffeine on anxiety levels.He gives subjects in the first group an extra two cups of coffee a day for six months.The second group receives an extra two cups of decaffeinated coffee a day for the same time period.Importantly,subjects do not know whether they are being given regular or decaffeinated coffee.By providing one group with decaffeinated coffee,Dr.Wilkins is trying to account for which potential element of the experiment?
A)the Hawthorne effect
B)generalizability
C)the placebo effect
D)variability

Accepted Answer

By providing one group with decaffeinated coffee, Dr. Wilkins is trying to account for the placebo effect. The placebo effect is the phenomenon in which people's belief or expectation about a treatment (in this case, the caffeine in the coffee) influences the outcome, even if the treatment itself has no physiological effect. By giving one group decaffeinated coffee (which looks and tastes the same), the subjects will be less likely to expect or believe that they are receiving caffeine, which could otherwise influence their anxiety levels.

Question 5

Bandar is participating in a survey on undergraduate drug use.When the interviewer asks Bandar whether he has used illegal drugs in the last 6 months,he lies and says "no" because he knows drug use is frowned upon by many people.Bandar's response is an example of
A)socially desirable responding.
B)the Hawthorne effect.
C)experimenter bias.
D)over-generalization.

Accepted Answer

Bandar's response is an example of socially desirable responding, where a participant gives an answer that they believe is socially acceptable or desirable, rather than the truth.

Question 6

What is the best way to reduce the social desirability bias in research?
A)use random sampling
B)provide anonymity and confidentiality
C)use random assignment
D)submit the research to peer review

Accepted Answer

Providing anonymity and confidentiality for participants can reduce the social desirability bias as it can help increase honest and truthful responses. Random sampling and random assignment can also help reduce biases, but they address different types of biases, such as sample selection bias and assignment bias, respectively. Peer review is a process that evaluates the quality and validity of research, but it does not directly address the issue of social desirability bias.

Question 7

The term demand characteristics refers to
A)a set of personality traits that most good scientists share.
B)unintended cues that suggest how study participants should behave.
C)statements that describe the specific measures that are used to record observations.
D)the specific set of instructions for an experiment.

Accepted Answer

Demand characteristics are unintentional cues or signals that suggest how a participant is supposed to behave or respond in an experiment. These cues can influence the participant's behavior and invalidate the results of the study.

Question 8

An experiment is said to be __________ when neither researchers nor participants are aware of who is in the experimental or control group.
A)single-blind
B)generalizable
C)peer-reviewed
D)double-blind

Accepted Answer

In a double-blind experiment, both the researchers and the participants are unaware of who is in the experimental or control group. This is done to minimize experimenter bias and placebo effects.

Question 9

In a single-blind study,who is "blind" to the treatment?
A)the peer reviewers
B)the participants
C)the experimenters
D)both the experimenters and participants

Accepted Answer

In a single-blind study, the participants are "blind" to the treatment being given. The experimenters still know which treatment is being given, but the participants do not. This helps to minimize bias in the results. Peer reviewers may not be involved in the study design itself and are typically not involved in the blinding process.

Question 10

The main purpose of replicating research is to
A)keep the scientific community up-to-date on current findings.
B)renew drug and technology patents based on the research.
C)ensure that the findings are correct and not statistical flukes.
D)increase a researcher's number of publications.

Accepted Answer

The main purpose of replicating research is to ensure that the findings are correct and not just a result of chance or statistical anomalies. Replicating research helps to validate the results and increase confidence in the scientific community that the findings are reliable.

Question 11

Without the process of replication as part of the scientific process,what would happen?
A)Incorrect results would often go uncorrected.
B)Demand characteristics would have a larger effect on data.
C)The Hawthorne effect would increase.
D)Samples would be less representative of the populations they came from.

Accepted Answer

Replication ensures that results are not due to chance or errors and can be verified by others. Without replication, incorrect results would go uncorrected, potentially leading to false conclusions and wasted resources.

Question 12

One difficulty in conducting medical research is that participants often assume that the treatment will be effective in alleviating their symptoms,hence they report that their symptoms are alleviated.Therefore,a researcher must design an experiment that accounts for the possible influence of
A)random selection.
B)medical confounds.
C)the Rosenthal effect.
D)the placebo effect.

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect is the phenomenon where participants report improvement in their symptoms despite receiving a treatment that has no active medical ingredients. Therefore, to account for the possible influence of participants' expectations and beliefs, a researcher must design an experiment that includes a placebo control group. This will allow the researcher to compare the effects of the actual treatment to the effects of receiving a placebo, which helps to distinguish whether the treatment is truly effective or not.

Question 13

Ecological validity refers to
A)whether the results of a laboratory study can be applied to the real world.
B)the impact of a scientific study on the environment.
C)the degree to which animal research can be applied to humans.
D)the degree to which naturalistic research techniques are used.

Accepted Answer

Ecological validity refers to the extent to which research results can be generalized to real-world settings. It reflects the degree to which the study conducted in a laboratory setting can be applied to everyday situations or natural settings.

Question 14

Ursula works in an office.One day,her boss tells her that upper-management will be in the office to observe employee productivity.Because she knows she is being observed,Ursula works harder than she normally does,a phenomenon known as
A)the placebo effect.
B)the Heisenberg principle.
C)ecological validity.
D)the Hawthorne effect.

Accepted Answer

The Hawthorne effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals modify or improve their behavior because they know they are being observed or studied. In this case, Ursula is working harder because she knows upper-management is observing her, which is an example of the Hawthorne effect.

Question 15

When people report feeling better after taking medication even though it hasn't had time to exert any physical effects,they are experiencing
A)the experimenter bias effect.
B)low reliability.
C)the placebo effect.
D)confirmation bias.

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon where people report feeling better or experiencing symptom relief after taking a medication or receiving a treatment that has no active ingredients or therapeutic effect. This is believed to occur due to the power of suggestion and the expectation that the treatment will work. It can occur even when people are aware that they are receiving a placebo. The other options do not accurately describe this phenomenon.

Question 16

Priya,a university student,wants to know how many of the students living in her residence have tried cannabis,so she decides to interview everyone in her building.Despite rumours to the contrary,the results suggest that fewer than five percent of her classmates have tried the drug.What is the most likely explanation for her findings?
A)The student responses were influenced by social desirability.
B)Priya's question was unclear.
C)Priya miscalculated the results.
D)Interviews often lead to exaggerated results.

Accepted Answer

Social desirability bias can lead to underreporting of socially unacceptable behaviors, such as drug use. Therefore, it is likely that some students did not admit to trying cannabis, even if they had.

Question 17

Researchers at Universities often use Psychology students as their participants because they are readily available and eager to volunteer.This form of a sample is referred to as a(n)____________ sample.
A)random
B)confound
C)ecological
D)convenience

Accepted Answer

A convenience sample is a non-probability sample that is selected based on the ease of access or availability of participants. In this case, psychology students are readily available and willing to participate, making them a convenient sample for researchers.

Question 18

The peer review process is designed to
A)limit alternative therapies from being made available to the general public.
B)identify potential flaws in a research study's methods,findings,and conclusions.
C)eliminate the placebo effect.
D)translate scientific journal articles into easy-to-understand articles for social media.

Accepted Answer

The peer review process involves having experts in the field evaluate a research study to identify potential flaws in its methods, findings, and conclusions. This helps to ensure that the research is of good quality and can be trusted. The other options are not accurate descriptions of the peer review process.

Question 19

The process by which experts in a field carefully critique the work of their colleagues prior to publication,is known as
A)ecological validation.
B)social desirability.
C)peer review.
D)replication

Accepted Answer

Peer review is the process by which experts in a field closely examine and evaluate the research and findings of their colleagues before it is published. This ensures that the research is rigorous, accurate, and meets the standards of the scientific community. Ecological validation refers to the extent to which a study's findings are representative of real-world conditions, social desirability is the tendency to give socially desirable responses in research, and replication is the process of repeating a study to confirm its findings. None of these options fully capture the process of peer review.

Question 20

Dr.Leblanc is conducting a clinical drug trial.She wants to reduce bias as much as possible,so she has her assistant label the different drug doses as A,B,or C.Neither Dr.Leblanc or her patients know which dose of the drug the patients are receiving.This experimental design is known as a _________ study.
A)single-blind
B)placebo
C)peer-reviewed
D)double-blind

Accepted Answer

This is a double-blind study because both the researcher (Dr. Leblanc) and the patients are unaware of which drug dose the patients are receiving. The use of random assignment and blinding helps to reduce bias and increase the validity of the study. A placebo study involves giving patients a substance that has no active ingredients and comparing it to the treatment group. A peer-reviewed study is a process for evaluating the quality and validity of research by other experts in the field. A single-blind study involves only the patients being unaware of the treatment group they are in, while the researchers are aware.

Quiz 2: C: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

The risk of bias in a research study is that biases can lead us

Eila is participating in a psychological experiment for one of the graduate students at her university.She is fairly certain that she knows the true intent of the study and is trying to answer the questions accordingly.Eila is adjusting her responses based on

Bandar is participating in a survey on undergraduate drug use.When the interviewer asks Bandar whether he has used illegal drugs in the last 6 months,he lies and says "no" because he knows drug use is frowned upon by many people.Bandar's response is an example of

What is the best way to reduce the social desirability bias in research?

The term demand characteristics refers to

An experiment is said to be __________ when neither researchers nor participants are aware of who is in the experimental or control group.

In a single-blind study,who is "blind" to the treatment?

The main purpose of replicating research is to

Without the process of replication as part of the scientific process,what would happen?

One difficulty in conducting medical research is that participants often assume that the treatment will be effective in alleviating their symptoms,hence they report that their symptoms are alleviated.Therefore,a researcher must design an experiment that accounts for the possible influence of

Ecological validity refers to

Ursula works in an office.One day,her boss tells her that upper-management will be in the office to observe employee productivity.Because she knows she is being observed,Ursula works harder than she normally does,a phenomenon known as

When people report feeling better after taking medication even though it hasn't had time to exert any physical effects,they are experiencing

Researchers at Universities often use Psychology students as their participants because they are readily available and eager to volunteer.This form of a sample is referred to as a(n) ____________ sample.

The peer review process is designed to

The process by which experts in a field carefully critique the work of their colleagues prior to publication,is known as