Question 1

The subjects who participate in an experiment should

Accepted Answer

Subjects should be carefully chosen so they are a representative sample of the population in order to ensure that the findings can be applied to a larger group. Choosing subjects from the same geographical area and socioeconomic class (A) can limit the generalizability of the results. Allowing subjects to choose which group they would like to be in (B) can introduce bias into the study. Although a wide range of ages (C) can be beneficial in some studies, it is not always necessary or appropriate.

Question 2

Dr Herbst is interested in people's reactions to a controversial court verdict.Dr Herbst calls people at their home between the hours of 1:00 p.m.and 3:30 p.m.on a Tuesday afternoon.In this example Dr Herbst has MOST likely selected

Accepted Answer

Dr. Herbst's sample is biased because he is only calling people during a specific time on a specific day. This does not give equal opportunities for all members of the population to be included in the sample. It is also possible that people who are more likely to be home during those hours (such as retirees or homemakers) may be overrepresented in the sample, while those who are working or busy may be underrepresented.

Question 3

Sampling bias is a problem because it

Accepted Answer

Sampling bias limits the generality of the findings because the sample may not be representative of the population. As a result, the findings may not be applicable to the larger population, making it difficult to generalize the results. The other options (B, C, and D) are not necessarily true of sampling bias.

Question 4

Jeso tells you that he just completed an experiment in his botany class, and the results he obtained were statistically significant.This means that the results he obtained

Accepted Answer

The statement "the results he obtained were statistically significant" indicates that the results were unlikely to be a result of chance variations in his sample, which is the definition of statistical significance. It does not necessarily mean that the results are important or of interest to people outside of the field of botany. Also, option D is incorrect because statistically significant results are not likely to be the result of chance variations in the sample.

Question 5

Placebos are used in research to control for

Accepted Answer

Placebos are used to control for the subjects' expectations about treatment. By giving a group of participants a placebo instead of the active drug or treatment being tested, researchers can measure the specific effects of the treatment while controlling for the placebo effect. This helps ensure that any observed effects are truly due to the treatment, instead of just the participants' expectations or other factors.

Question 6

To discover whether residents of a city are in favor of building a new sports stadium, the team's owner randomly selected and interviewed 500 of the city's 500,000 residents.In this instance, the 500 people that the owner interviewed would be

Accepted Answer

The 500 people that the owner interviewed would be a representative sample because they were randomly selected from the population and therefore have a fair chance of being representative of the entire population's views on building a new sports stadium.

Question 7

While a(n) ____ is the group of individuals actually observed in a research study, the ____ is the group of individuals that researchers want to generalise or extend their findings to describe.

Accepted Answer

A sample is the group of individuals actually observed in a research study, while the population is the group of individuals that researchers want to generalise or extend their findings to describe. Therefore, choice D is the correct answer. A, B and C are incorrect because they do not accurately represent the concepts described in the question.

Question 8

Inferential statistics help us determine whether ____ played a role in an experiment.

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to make inferences about a population based on a sample of data. One of the purposes of inferential statistics is to determine whether the results of an experiment are due to chance or to a real effect.

Question 9

A researcher who is conducting an opinion survey asks viewers who are watching a political debate to dial a 0-800 number and record their opinion to the "question of the day." In this case the researcher is likely to have

Accepted Answer

This sampling method is biased because it only allows those who are watching the political debate and have access to a phone to participate. This excludes those who do not have access to a phone or are not watching the debate, and therefore does not represent the population as a whole.

Question 10

When research results are said to be statistically significant it means that

Accepted Answer

When research results are said to be statistically significant, it means that the probability that the observed findings are due to chance is very low. This is typically determined by calculating a p-value, which is the probability of obtaining a result as extreme or more extreme than the observed findings, assuming that there is no true effect. A p-value less than 0.05 is often considered statistically significant in many fields. It does not necessarily mean that the findings are important or interesting, although they may be.

Question 11

When, or if, a research project uses a sample that is NOT representative of the population from which it was drawn, the project would show the effect of

Accepted Answer

If the sample is not representative of the population, then it is likely that the sample was drawn in a biased way, which is known as sampling bias. This can affect the generalizability of the study's results to the larger population.

Question 12

Research involving the repetition of a study to see whether the earlier results can be duplicated are referred to as

Accepted Answer

Replication studies involve the repetition of a study to see if the same results can be achieved, which is an important aspect of scientific research in order to establish the validity of findings. Verification studies may also be used, but they typically involve testing the accuracy of a new method or measurement tool, rather than repeating a previous study. Clarification studies and duplication studies are not commonly used terms in research methodology.

Question 13

Researchers use ____ to determine whether the observed difference between the two groups in the study was large enough to support the hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to determine if the observed difference between the two groups is significant enough to support the hypothesis. Descriptive statistics are used to summarize and describe the data, correlational statistics are used to determine the relationship between two variables, and mathematical statistics is a broad term that encompasses all the different types of statistics.

Question 14

If a lecturer surveyed his students about their attitudes concerning the public pension system and concluded that young adults doubt that they will ever receive public pension benefits, his conclusion would be flawed because

Accepted Answer

The conclusion would be flawed because the sample of young adults surveyed was not necessarily representative of the entire population of young adults. The sample may have been biased in some way, such as only including students from a specific university or academic program. Therefore, the lecturer's conclusion cannot be generalized to all young adults.

Question 15

"Statistically significant" means that the results of an experiment most likely

Accepted Answer

Statistically significant means that the results of an experiment are not due to chance, meaning they are likely caused by the independent variable being tested. This is usually determined by calculating a p-value, with a p-value of 0.05 or less being considered statistically significant.

Question 16

Sometimes a subject's expectations may lead to behaviour change in the absence of any effective treatment.This is referred to as an example of

Accepted Answer

The described scenario is an example of the placebo effect, where a person's belief or expectation of treatment leads to a change in behavior or symptoms, despite not receiving an effective treatment. Sampling bias refers to an error in selecting a sample that does not represent the population. Experimenter bias occurs when the researcher's expectations or beliefs influence the study results. Socially desirable responding refers to participants providing answers that they think are socially acceptable or desirable, rather than truthful answers.

Question 17

A sample is representative if

Accepted Answer

A representative sample must have a similar composition to the population it is intended to represent. This allows for more accurate and generalizable results. Using only volunteer subjects or selecting from a single unusual segment of the population would not result in a representative sample. Choosing a sample that is as different from the population as possible is also not ideal, as it may not accurately reflect the characteristics and demographics of the population.

Question 18

To determine whether students would like more courses scheduled in the late afternoon and evening hours, the Student Support department sends questionnaires to 50 students selected at random from the 5,000 who are registered at the campus.In this instance, the 5,000 students who are registered at the campus would be

Accepted Answer

The 5,000 students who are registered at the campus constitute the entire group or population of interest. The sample of 50 students selected at random is being used to gather information about the population, so the population is being studied rather than manipulated. Therefore, it is a population, not a sample or a variable.

Question 19

Helen conducted a study in which she measured the response time for males and females to complete a spatial task.She found that the mean response time was 1.48 minutes for males and 1.63 minutes for females.For Helen to be confident that an actual difference exists between the males and females in her study, she must

Accepted Answer

To determine if the difference in response time between males and females in Helen's study is significant, she needs to calculate an inferential statistic. This will allow her to determine if the difference observed in the sample is likely to exist in the population or if it can be explained by chance. Simply obtaining a larger sample or redoing the experiment may not necessarily address the issue of statistical significance. A correlation coefficient would not be appropriate here as it measures the strength of a relationship between two variables and does not necessarily indicate if a significant difference exists.

Question 20

Statistics that are used to interpret data and draw conclusions are called

Accepted Answer

Inferential statistics are used to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample of data. Descriptive statistics, on the other hand, are used to summarize and describe the characteristics of a dataset. Numerical statistics and significant statistics are not commonly used terms in statistics.

Quiz 2: Research Methods in Psychology