Question 1

Which of the following is true of operational definitions?

Accepted Answer

Operational definitions can be challenging to create, especially for abstract or complex concepts. Some concepts may not be able to be adequately operationalized, but this is relatively uncommon. The purpose of an operational definition is to clearly define how a particular variable will be measured or observed, and it is not related to the question of why that variable is being measured. Nonetheless, operational definitions are essential in research to ensure that concepts are studied in a consistent and reliable way.

Question 2

In this study,the authors were interested in students' math effort.Which of the following would NOT be a reasonable operational definition of math effort?

Accepted Answer

A

Question 3

Anton and his friends are discussing a study he read about in his developmental psychology class.In the study,the researcher made the claim that a majority of middle school students who are bullied have low self-esteem.Clarissa questions the study,saying,"I am not sure that I am convinced-I am not sure you can really measure being bullied." Quinn also questions the study,saying,"Which middle school students did they study? I am curious if they included both private and public school students." Manish also is curious about the study,asking,"I wonder how strong the relationship is between bullying and self-esteem.Could you predict one from the other?"

-Clarissa's concern is addressing which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Clarissa's concern is about whether the study accurately measures the concept of being bullied, which relates to construct validity.

Question 4

To evaluate how well a study supports a frequency claim,you need to focus on evaluating which of the following validities?

Accepted Answer

Frequency claims are primarily concerned with how well the variables are measured (construct validity) and how well the results generalize to other populations or settings (external validity).

Question 5

Dr.Ramon makes the following claim: "Watching television leads people to spend less time communicating with their spouses,study says." Dr.LaSalle makes the claim: "Research shows that making more money correlates with spending less time talking with your spouse."

-Which type of claim is Dr.Ramon making?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Ramon is making a causal claim, as he is suggesting that watching television causes people to spend less time communicating with their spouses.

Question 6

How many variables are mentioned in this study/headline?

Accepted Answer

The question asks for the number of variables mentioned, and the correct choice is "Two".

Question 7

Which of the following allow us to make better predictions using association claims?

Accepted Answer

Both strong positive and strong negative associations allow us to make better predictions using association claims. Strong positive associations indicate that as one variable increases, the other variable tends to increase as well, making it easier to predict the value of one variable based on the value of the other. Strong negative associations indicate that as one variable increases, the other variable tends to decrease, which also makes it easier to predict the value of one variable based on the value of the other. Therefore, both a and b are correct choices.

Question 8

In this study,the authors recorded how many math questions (out of 10 questions)participants tried to solve.This is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The recording of how many math questions the participants tried to solve is an example of a measured variable, which is a variable that is observed or measured in a study. It is not a constant because it can vary between individuals, and it is not a manipulated variable because it is not being intentionally manipulated by the researchers. It is also not a variable's level because it is not a specific value or category of a variable.

Question 9

Which of the following is a variable in this study/headline?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is a variable...

Question 10

Dr.Ramon makes the following claim: "Watching television leads people to spend less time communicating with their spouses,study says." Dr.LaSalle makes the claim: "Research shows that making more money correlates with spending less time talking with your spouse."

-Which of the following statements is true of Dr.Ramon's and Dr.LaSalle's claims?

Accepted Answer

Dr.Ramon's claim specifically mentions the effect of television on communication with one's spouse, while Dr.LaSalle's claim only notes a correlation between income and communication. Therefore, Dr.Ramon's claim goes further than Dr.LaSalle's claim.

Question 11

Dr.Hoda measures job satisfaction and number of years of education.In examining her scatterplot,she sees that the cloud of points has no slope.This indicates which type of relationship?

Accepted Answer

When a scatterplot has no slope, it indicates that there is no relationship between the two variables being compared. This means that as the number of years of education increases, job satisfaction does not necessarily increase or decrease. Therefore, the relationship between job satisfaction and years of education is zero or has no association.

Question 12

Anton and his friends are discussing a study he read about in his developmental psychology class.In the study,the researcher made the claim that a majority of middle school students who are bullied have low self-esteem.Clarissa questions the study,saying,"I am not sure that I am convinced-I am not sure you can really measure being bullied." Quinn also questions the study,saying,"Which middle school students did they study? I am curious if they included both private and public school students." Manish also is curious about the study,asking,"I wonder how strong the relationship is between bullying and self-esteem.Could you predict one from the other?"

-Quinn's concern is addressing which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Quinn's concern is about the types of middle school students included in the study, which is related to the study's external validity, or generalizability to the larger population.

Question 13

Which of the following is the difference between anecdotal claims and frequency claims?

Accepted Answer

Anecdotal claims are based on personal experiences and are not backed by scientific evidence, while frequency claims are based on empirical data and statistical analysis.

Question 14

Anton and his friends are discussing a study he read about in his developmental psychology class.In the study,the researcher made the claim that a majority of middle school students who are bullied have low self-esteem.Clarissa questions the study,saying,"I am not sure that I am convinced-I am not sure you can really measure being bullied." Quinn also questions the study,saying,"Which middle school students did they study? I am curious if they included both private and public school students." Manish also is curious about the study,asking,"I wonder how strong the relationship is between bullying and self-esteem.Could you predict one from the other?"

-Manish's concern is addressing which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Manish's concern is about the strength of the relationship between bullying and self-esteem, which relates to the study's statistical validity.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT true of variables?

Accepted Answer

Variables and constants are not the same thing. Variables are factors that can change or vary in a research study, while constants are factors that are held constant or consistent throughout the study.

Question 16

Which of the following phrases would NOT indicate that a researcher is making a causal claim?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following phrases would NOT...

Question 17

Dr.Ellison finds a relation between the amount of sleep and problem solving.Specifically,having a higher amount of sleep the night before an exam is associated with higher scores on two measures of problem solving.This is an example of which type of association?

Accepted Answer

The description indicates that a higher amount of sleep is associated with higher scores on two measures of problem solving. This implies a positive association.

Question 18

Which of the following is a constant in this study/headline?

Accepted Answer

The sex of the participants is a constant because it is not being manipulated or changing throughout the study. The study is specifically looking at how the sex of the role model affects effort on math problems for both male and female participants, so their sex is a variable. The number of researchers is not relevant and does not have an impact on the results.

Question 19

Dr.Ramon makes the following claim: "Watching television leads people to spend less time communicating with their spouses,study says." Dr.LaSalle makes the claim: "Research shows that making more money correlates with spending less time talking with your spouse."

-Which type of claim is Dr.LaSalle making?

Accepted Answer

Dr. LaSalle is making an association claim, as he is stating a correlation between making more money and spending less time talking with a spouse, without implying causation.

Question 20

Which of the following is an association claim?

Accepted Answer

An association claim describes a relationship between two variables. In this case, owning a dog is related to higher life satisfaction, indicating a connection between two variables. The other choices do not describe a relationship between variables, but rather a fact (B), a narrative (C), or a causal claim (D).

Quiz 3: Three Claims, four Validities: Interrogation Tools for Consumers of Research

Which of the following is true of operational definitions?

In this study,the authors were interested in students' math effort.Which of the following would NOT be a reasonable operational definition of math effort?

To evaluate how well a study supports a frequency claim,you need to focus on evaluating which of the following validities?

How many variables are mentioned in this study/headline?

Which of the following allow us to make better predictions using association claims?

In this study,the authors recorded how many math questions (out of 10 questions) participants tried to solve.This is an example of which of the following?

Which of the following is a variable in this study/headline?

Dr.Hoda measures job satisfaction and number of years of education.In examining her scatterplot,she sees that the cloud of points has no slope.This indicates which type of relationship?

Which of the following is the difference between anecdotal claims and frequency claims?

Which of the following is NOT true of variables?

Which of the following phrases would NOT indicate that a researcher is making a causal claim?

Dr.Ellison finds a relation between the amount of sleep and problem solving.Specifically,having a higher amount of sleep the night before an exam is associated with higher scores on two measures of problem solving.This is an example of which type of association?

Which of the following is a constant in this study/headline?

Which of the following is an association claim?