Question 1

Jessica wants to conduct a study about differences in jealousy between men and women. She asks 400 college men and women a series of questions about hypothetical scenarios of partner infidelity. What is Jessica's population?

Accepted Answer

The population refers to the entire group that the study aims to understand or make inferences about, which in this case is all men and women, as Jessica is interested in differences in jealousy between men and women in general.

Question 2

Jessica wants to conduct a study about differences in jealousy between men and women. She asks 400 college men and women a series of questions about hypothetical scenarios of partner infidelity. What is Jessica's sample?

Accepted Answer

Jessica's sample specifically consists of the 400 college men and women she has chosen to ask questions about hypothetical scenarios of partner infidelity.

Question 3

Jessica wants to conduct a study about differences in jealousy between men and women. She asks 400 college men and women a series of questions about hypothetical scenarios of partner infidelity. Which of the following is the most probable reason Jessica's study may be flawed?

Accepted Answer

Jessica's study might be flawed because her sample (college men and women) may not accurately represent the broader population's attitudes towards jealousy. Different age groups, cultural backgrounds, and social contexts could significantly influence jealousy, making her findings less generalizable.

Question 4

A survey is asking Bernie if he has cheated on partners in his romantic relationships. Bernie is reluctant to report that he has, in fact, cheated, because he does not want to look bad. Therefore, he says he has not cheated. This phenomenon of misreporting data is called the __________.

Accepted Answer

Social desirability bias occurs when respondents answer questions in a manner that they believe will be viewed favorably by others, often leading to misreporting or underreporting of certain behaviors, such as cheating in relationships, to appear more socially acceptable.

Question 5

In a descriptive research design, a psychologist will __________.

Accepted Answer

In a descriptive research design, the primary goal is to define and describe phenomena of interest without manipulating variables or predicting outcomes. This approach is often used to gather information about the state of affairs as they are at present.

Question 6

The following is an excerpt from an in-depth paper Dr. Paxton wrote about her client: "Miss T. experienced the loss of her parents at an early age. She is now 36, divorced, and has two children. Miss T. has difficulty maintaining steady employment. Eight months ago, she met the criteria for diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Miss T. is responding well to an experimental antidepressant and to cognitive behavioral therapy. She has a hopeful prognosis." This research method is considered __________.

Accepted Answer

The excerpt describes an in-depth examination of an individual's psychological issues, treatment, and response, which is characteristic of a case study research method.

Question 7

Cal believes that a larger percentage of a city's population will engage in public displays of affection in highly populated cities due to feelings of anonymity when an individual is among a lot of other people. He rides a bus in densely populated New York City for five hours straight, watches the bus riders' interactions with each other, and unobtrusively counts the number of couples who are holding hands, hugging, or kissing. He then does the same in the sparsely populated city of Rock Falls, Iowa. 
-The research method Cal used is known as __________.

Accepted Answer

Cal's method of observing and recording behavior in its natural environment without trying to manipulate or control the situation is known as naturalistic observation.

Question 8

Cal believes that a larger percentage of a city's population will engage in public displays of affection in highly populated cities due to feelings of anonymity when an individual is among a lot of other people. He rides a bus in densely populated New York City for five hours straight, watches the bus riders' interactions with each other, and unobtrusively counts the number of couples who are holding hands, hugging, or kissing. He then does the same in the sparsely populated city of Rock Falls, Iowa.
- What is Cal's sample?

Accepted Answer

Cal's sample consists of the specific individuals who ride the bus he selected in each city, as these are the people he directly observes and collects data from.

Question 9

Cal believes that a larger percentage of a city's population will engage in public displays of affection in highly populated cities due to feelings of anonymity when an individual is among a lot of other people. He rides a bus in densely populated New York City for five hours straight, watches the bus riders' interactions with each other, and unobtrusively counts the number of couples who are holding hands, hugging, or kissing. He then does the same in the sparsely populated city of Rock Falls, Iowa. 
-What is Cal's theory?

Accepted Answer

Cal's theory is that a larger percentage of a city's population will engage in public displays of affection in highly populated cities due to feelings of anonymity among many people, which is directly stated in choice A.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of naturalistic observation?

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation involves observing subjects in their natural environment without interfering. Option D, where a developmental psychologist observes the play patterns of four-year-olds without their knowledge, is an example of this research method.

Question 11

A distinct advantage of naturalistic observation as a research method is that it ____________.

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation is advantageous because it allows researchers to study individuals in their natural environments, providing insights into behaviors and phenomena as they occur in real-world settings. This method does not manipulate variables or control the environment, nor does it typically allow for the determination of cause and effect relationships.

Question 12

Which of the following is a disadvantage to using surveys to collect behavioral data?

Accepted Answer

Surveys may not always reach a representative sample of the population because those who choose to respond can have different characteristics from those who do not, potentially biasing the results.

Question 13

A representative sample is a __________.

Accepted Answer

A representative sample is a subset of the population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the entire population, allowing for generalizations about the population based on the sample.

Question 14

One of Alfred Kinsey's contributions to the scientific study of sex was his method of __________.

Accepted Answer

Alfred Kinsey is known for considering homosexuality as falling on a continuum, rather than categorizing individuals strictly as homosexual or heterosexual. This approach led to the development of the Kinsey Scale, which ranges from 0 (exclusively heterosexual) to 6 (exclusively homosexual), acknowledging the fluidity of sexual orientation.

Question 15

A psychologist using a correlational study design would be most likely addressing which of the following research questions?

Accepted Answer

Correlational study designs are used to identify and analyze the relationships between variables without manipulating them. Choice D, which investigates the relationship between parents' income and their children's intelligence test scores, fits this description as it seeks to understand if there is a correlation between these two variables without altering any conditions.

Question 16

Which of the following is an important mantra of psychologists with respect to correlational studies?

Accepted Answer

Correlation does not indicate causation is a fundamental principle in psychology and statistics, emphasizing that a relationship between two variables does not imply that one causes the other.

Question 17

Dr. Butcher calculated a +.87 correlation coefficient between the number of days students attended class for the semester and their final exam scores. What can he interpret from this finding?

Accepted Answer

A correlation coefficient of +.87 indicates a strong positive relationship between two variables, in this case, class attendance and final exam scores. This means as one variable increases, so does the other, but it does not imply causation.

Question 18

Which of the following is a key factor of a true experimental design?

Accepted Answer

Random assignment is a key factor of a true experimental design because it helps ensure that any differences observed between groups are due to the manipulation of the independent variable and not some other factor.

Question 19

Dr. Bischer is conducting a study to determine if men who wear a new type of soccer uniform made from a specially designed fabric will perform better in soccer matches. She recruits a professional soccer team to participate. She randomly assigns half of the men to wear the new-material uniforms made in the color blue and the other half to wear old-material uniforms made in the color red. Although the men know of the uniform test, they are not told which of the uniforms is made from the new material. They are asked to wear their assigned uniforms and score as many goals as possible in a practice scrimmage game against one another. Dr. Bischer is noting the number of goals scored. Ultimately, the men who are wearing the old uniforms score more goals and therefore win the game. Dr. Bischer speculates that the new uniforms are not more beneficial to performance than the old uniforms, but she will rerun her study a few more times. 
-What is the dependent variable in Dr. Bischer's study?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome that the researcher is interested in observing or measuring, which in this case is the number of goals scored during the soccer matches.

Question 20

Dr. Bischer is conducting a study to determine if men who wear a new type of soccer uniform made from a specially designed fabric will perform better in soccer matches. She recruits a professional soccer team to participate. She randomly assigns half of the men to wear the new-material uniforms made in the color blue and the other half to wear old-material uniforms made in the color red. Although the men know of the uniform test, they are not told which of the uniforms is made from the new material. They are asked to wear their assigned uniforms and score as many goals as possible in a practice scrimmage game against one another. Dr. Bischer is noting the number of goals scored. Ultimately, the men who are wearing the old uniforms score more goals and therefore win the game. Dr. Bischer speculates that the new uniforms are not more beneficial to performance than the old uniforms, but she will rerun her study a few more times. 
-What is the independent variable in Dr. Bischer's study?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in an experiment is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable. In Dr. Bischer's study, the manipulation involves the type of uniform worn (old or new material), making it the independent variable.

Quiz 2: Conducting Psychological Research