Question 1

Dr. Gillis has decided to use __________ in his research to guard against both experimenter bias and participant expectations.

Accepted Answer

The double-blind design is used to guard against both experimenter bias and participant expectations. In this design, neither the participants nor the researchers know which group is receiving the treatment and which group is receiving a placebo or control condition, which helps to prevent any potential biases from influencing the results.

Question 2

Dr. Narayan is interested in how much of personality is inherited, so she tests whether the personalities of siblings are more similar to each other than they are to distant cousins. This research would best be described as

Accepted Answer

The research described is investigating the extent to which personality is inherited, which is the focus of behavioral genetics. Twin analysis could also be a relevant approach to studying this question, but it is not specifically mentioned in the description. Genetic engineering and psychoanalytic approaches are not relevant to this type of research question.

Question 3

Dr. Harshaw is planning to research the relationship between behavioral genetics and the effect of impulsivity on consumer behavior. To complete his research, Dr. Harshaw would likely conduct a

Accepted Answer

A twin study would be the best choice as it allows the researcher to investigate the influence of both genetics and environment on impulsivity and consumer behavior by comparing the behavior of monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins. This design helps to control for both genetic and environmental factors, which could affect the behavior being studied. Representative sampling, random variable study, and personality tests are not specifically tailored to investigate the relationship between genetics, impulsivity, and consumer behavior.

Question 4

One way to prevent experimenter bias is to be sure that the experimenter and the participants know nothing of who is receiving the experimental treatment and who is not. This is known as

Accepted Answer

A double-blind design is a method used to prevent experimenter bias by ensuring that neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving the treatment and who is not.

Question 5

Dr. Ayhee's research is focused on exploring how environmental effects, such as stress and disease, can alter the functions of genes in the human body, even though the DNA itself remains unchanged. This field of study is known as

Accepted Answer

The field of study that explores how environmental effects can alter gene function without changing DNA is known as epigenetics. Choice A, forensic psychology, is a separate field that focuses on the application of psychology to the legal system. Choice C, inferential studies, refers to statistical analyses used to draw conclusions about a population based on a sample. Choice D, environmental psychology, examines the interactions between individuals and their physical and social environments.

Question 6

Veronica is preparing a lecture for class tomorrow on the topic of behavioral genetics. The content of her lecture will be about

Accepted Answer

Behavioral genetics is the study of how genes affect behavior, focusing on the role of genetic and environmental influences on behaviors.

Question 7

When each member of a population has an equal chance of being chosen for a study, the individuals selected constitute a(n)__________ sample.

Accepted Answer

A random sample is defined as a sample where each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. This ensures that the sample is representative of the entire population and reduces bias in the study. Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into subgroups and selecting individuals from each subgroup, while independent sampling does not take into account the characteristics of the population being studied. Significant sampling is not a commonly used term in statistics.

Question 8

While conducting an experiment on alcohol tolerance, Dr. Guff solicits his participants at the door to Skam's (a local drinking and social establishment). When he publishes his findings (that people are extremely tolerant to the effects of alcohol), Dr. Guff's research is criticized because

Accepted Answer

The sample is biased because it was taken from a specific location (a drinking establishment), which may not represent the general population's alcohol tolerance.

Question 9

Melanie has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. If the disorder is genetic, who is at the greatest risk of developing the disorder?

Accepted Answer

Identical twins share 100% of their genes, so if one twin has bipolar disorder, the other twin is at the greatest genetic risk of developing the disorder as well.

Question 10

Dr. Essen wants to conduct a study on eating habits. He suspects that there are both environmental and genetic influences that affect a person's eating behavior. To study this behavioral genetics topic, Dr. Essen will likely conduct a __________ study.

Accepted Answer

A family study is the best choice for investigating the interplay of genetic and environmental influences on eating behavior. By examining the eating habits of members within families, researchers can look at how shared genes and shared environments could be contributing to similar eating behaviors within the family. This type of research can also help differentiate between genetic and environmental causes by comparing the eating behaviors of biological relatives (who share genes) to adoptive relatives within the same family (who share environment but not genes).

Question 11

Dr. Zoe began working for a research foundation that focuses on the study of epigenetics. Dr. Zoe's work will most likely focus on

Accepted Answer

Epigenetics involves studying how environmental factors, such as diseases and stress, can affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence itself.

Question 12

A researcher wants to know if personality traits are more similar based on genetic contributions or based on environmental factors. She examines pairs of identical twins who are raised together in the same home and also studies identical twins who were separated at birth and raised in different homes by different parents. According to the textbook, this researcher is conducting a(n)__________ study.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher wants to know if personality...

Question 13

If Dr. Tarantino wants to know the degree to which heredity and environment affect differences among individuals, he would likely consider any of the following research approaches except for a(n)__________ study.

Accepted Answer

Gender studies do not specifically focus on heredity and environmental influences on individual differences, whereas adoption, family, and twin studies are designed to explore these aspects.

Question 14

For his sociology research paper, Sawyer would like to report descriptive statistics from his survey findings. In other words, the statistics Sawyer plans to report will

Accepted Answer

Descriptive statistics are used to describe and summarize the main features of a data set in a quantitative manner, such as through measures of central tendency and variability.

Question 15

The school psychologist at Happy Elementary School conducted a study where the students of one fourth-grade class were given five recesses during the day while students in the other class were allowed the standard two recesses. The psychologist explained to the teachers that more breaks should lead to better behavior in the classrooms and then had the teachers observe the children's progress. In this experiment, there is the risk of

Accepted Answer

The psychologist's explanation to the teachers about expecting better behavior could influence the teachers' observations, leading to experimenter bias.

Question 16

If you were interested in determining the effectiveness of a new medication in treating depression, it would be most important that you use

Accepted Answer

A double-blind design is crucial in clinical trials to prevent bias, as neither the participants nor the researchers know who is receiving the treatment or placebo, ensuring objective results.

Question 17

Suzie is a graduate student who is conducting research on the topic of relative happiness. Suzie also teaches an introductory psychology course. Because her students are readily available, she uses them as participants in her research. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Suzie's use of her students as participants in her research is an example of a convenience sample, where participants are selected because they are easily available to the researcher. This method may introduce biases, as the sample may not be representative of the population being studied.

Question 18

Dr. Abdul wants his research findings to be representative of the students at State U. He makes sure that every student has an equal chance of being a participant, thereby ensuring that he has done __________ sampling.

Accepted Answer

Random sampling ensures that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected, making the sample representative of the entire population.

Question 19

Dabney is examining the relationship between family history of drug use and adolescent addiction. He selects a sample composed of teens from one local high school. Dabney's sample may not be generalizable because it is not

Accepted Answer

Dabney's sample may not be generalizable because it is not representative of the broader population, as it only includes teens from one local high school, which may not reflect the diversity of all adolescents.

Question 20

A researcher at the university has students in the introductory psychology participant pool fill out a survey about life satisfaction. This use of the introductory psychology participant pool represents __________ sampling of the human population.

Accepted Answer

Using students from an introductory psychology participant pool introduces a bias because it does not accurately represent the entire human population. This group is likely to be more homogeneous in terms of age, education level, and possibly other demographic factors, compared to the general population.

Quiz 1: Introduction to the Science of Psychology