Question 1

Dr.Sparks is concerned because he gave Julie a new intelligence test that he personally designed and her scores do not seem very consistent.Which aspect of psychological testing is Dr.Sparks concerned with?
A)Validity
B)Self-report measures
C)Reliability
D)Falsifiability

Accepted Answer

Dr. Sparks is concerned with the consistency and reliability of Julie's test scores, indicating that he is worried about the test's reliability. Therefore, the best answer is C: Reliability.

Question 2

Alex,a freshman in college,wants to know how many of her dorm mates have tried marijuana,so she decides to survey everyone on her floor.Despite rumors to the contrary,the results suggest that fewer than ten percent of her classmates have tried the drug.What is the most likely explanation for her findings?
A)People being interviewed often change their answers to increase the chances that they will be viewed favorably.
B)Her dorm mates did not understand the question.
C)Alex did not calculate the findings correctly.
D)Surveys are not an acceptable means to gather new information.

Accepted Answer

The most likely explanation for the finding that fewer than ten percent of her dorm mates have tried marijuana despite rumors is that survey respondents often change their answers in order to appear more socially acceptable, especially when it comes to behaviors that may be stigmatized or illegal. Therefore, it is possible that the actual percentage of dorm mates who have tried marijuana is higher than what was reported.

Question 3

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)claims based on anecdotal evidence.

Accepted Answer

Demand characteristics refer to cues that may unintentionally communicate to study participants how they are expected to behave or what the purpose of the study is. This can lead to participants altering their behavior or responses in order to match what they perceive as the expected outcome, rather than giving honest or accurate responses. Option A is incorrect as it describes personality traits and not demand characteristics. Option C refers to operational definitions, which are not necessarily related to demand characteristics. Option D is incorrect as anecdotal evidence is not related to demand characteristics.

Question 4

__________ is consistency of measurement.
A)Random assignment
B)Validity
C)Reliability
D)Confounding variable

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of measurements, meaning that if the same measurement is taken repeatedly, the results should be consistent. Therefore, choice (C) is correct. Choice (A) refers to a method of ensuring equivalence of groups in an experiment, choice (B) refers to the accuracy of a measurement, and choice (D) refers to an extraneous variable that confounds the relationship between the independent and dependent variables in an experiment.

Question 5

According to your text,which of the following have researchers concluded about the "Mozart effect"?
A)Listening to classical music,but not other types of music,causes a long-lasting improvement in several types of thinking and reasoning.
B)Listening to all types of music causes a long-lasting improvement in several types of thinking and reasoning.
C)Listening to classical music appears to have only a small,short-lasting effect on spatial reasoning.
D)Listening to classical music has no effect on any type of thinking or reasoning.

Accepted Answer

The text states that researchers have concluded that listening to classical music has only a small, short-lasting effect on spatial reasoning. This eliminates options A, B, and D.

Question 6

When assessing patients' personalities using an "ink blot" test that she created,Dr.Hardcastle is gaining confidence in the test's reliability.Which of the following is likely to be happening?
A)Her patients are enjoying being tested every day.
B)The test is generating approximately the same results each time.
C)The test is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring.
D)The test is likely to be uninformative.

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency or stability of a test or measure. If the ink blot test is generating approximately the same results each time, it shows that the test is reliable, and Dr. Hardcastle can have confidence in its reliability.

Question 7

__________ is the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure.
A)Operationalization
B)Reliability
C)Validity
D)Control group

Accepted Answer

Validity is the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure. Operationalization refers to the process of defining or specifying a measurement procedure for a concept. Reliability is the consistency or stability of a measure over time or across different researchers or circumstances. A control group is a group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment being studied, and is used as a baseline for comparison to the experimental group.

Question 8

Louis is participating in a survey on undergraduate drug use.When the interviewer asks Louis whether he has used illegal drugs in the last 6 months,he lies and says 'no' because he doesn't want the interviewer to have a poor opinion of him.Louis's response is an example of ________________.
A)socially desirable responding
B)sampling bias
C)peer review
D)an appeal to authority

Accepted Answer

Louis's response is an example of socially desirable responding, which refers to the tendency of survey respondents to give answers that they believe will be viewed favorably by others. In this case, Louis is likely concerned about how the interviewer will perceive him if he admits to using illegal drugs, so he gives the socially acceptable answer of "no."

Question 9

An important danger of the various types of research bias discussed in Chapter 2 is that they lead us:
A)to become anxious or depressed about our place in 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

Various types of research bias can lead us to draw incorrect conclusions and then become convinced that they are accurate, which can have serious consequences.

Question 10

One difficulty in conducting medical research is that participants often assume that any treatment will be effective in alleviating their symptoms.Therefore,a researcher has to design an experiment that measures the influence of ____________.
A)random selection
B)medical confounds
C)the Rosenthal effect
D)the placebo effect

Accepted Answer

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon where participants in an experiment experience a perceived improvement in their symptoms due to the belief that they are receiving a treatment, even if the treatment is actually inert or has no active ingredients. To accurately measure the effectiveness of a treatment, it is important to control for the placebo effect by including a control group that receives a placebo.

Question 11

One way to increase the possibility that research results will generalize is to study a ____________ sample.
A)small
B)large
C)single-person
D)convenience

Accepted Answer

The larger the sample size, the more representative it is likely to be of the population, and the more generalizable the results are likely to be. A larger sample size also increases the power to detect effects and reduces the influence of chance factors.

Question 12

Ursula works in an office.One day,her boss tells her that researchers will be in the office to observe productivity.Because she knows she is being observed,Ursula finds that she is working harder than she normally does.What is this an example of?
A)the placebo effect.
B)the Heisenberg principle
C)a single-blind study
D)the Hawthorne effect

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the Hawthorne effect, where individuals modify their behavior or performance because they know they are being observed or studied.

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 the findings of a study can be generalized to the real world. It is concerned with whether the study is applicable in a real-world context and whether the results obtained in a laboratory or controlled situation are representative of what would happen in the real world.

Question 14

The degree to which one set of results can be applied to other situations,individuals,or events is called __________.
A)objectivity
B)reliability
C)validity
D)generalizability

Accepted Answer

Generalizability refers to the extent to which research findings and conclusions can be applied to other situations, individuals, or events different from the ones originally studied. Objectivity refers to the absence of bias or personal opinions in research. Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of research results. Validity refers to the degree to which research measures what it intends to measure. While all of these concepts are important in research, generalizability is the most appropriate answer for this question.

Question 15

Which of the following is true?
A)Researchers typically study populations because it is often too difficult to study samples.
B)Researchers typically study samples because it is often too difficult to study populations.
C)Researchers typically include both samples and populations in their research.
D)Researchers typically avoid studying both populations and samples.

Accepted Answer

Researchers often study samples because it is impractical or impossible to study entire populations due to constraints such as time, cost, and accessibility. By studying a representative sample, researchers can make inferences about the population as a whole.

Question 16

Eila is participating in a psychological experiment for one of the graduate students at her university.She is pretty confident that she knows the true intent of the study and is trying to answer the questions accordingly.A common pitfall in experiments,Eila is falling prey to ______________.
A)intentionality
B)the Rosenthal effect
C)observer bias
D)demand characteristics

Accepted Answer

Eila is falling prey to demand characteristics, which refer to cues in an experiment that give participants clues about how they are expected to behave or respond. Eila's belief that she knows the true intent of the study may cause her to alter her responses in a way that she thinks aligns with that intent.

Question 17

Although not ideal,researchers often use _______________ samples,which are samples of individuals that are the most readily available.
A)random
B)confound
C)ecological
D)convenience

Accepted Answer

Convenience samples are often used when researchers don't have the time, money, or resources to obtain a random or representative sample. It's not ideal because convenience samples may not accurately reflect the larger population, and instead may only represent a particular subset of individuals who happen to be more easily accessible.

Question 18

Jasmine took a self-administered online intelligence test three times yesterday and obtained scores of 124,128,and 125.This made her feel great because the score she received from the psychologist last month at school was only a 95.What characteristic might the online test be lacking?
A)Reliability
B)Validity
C)Both reliability and validity
D)Nothing,the test appears to have both reliability and validity.

Accepted Answer

The discrepancy between Jasmine's scores on the online test and the psychologists' test suggests that the online test may lack validity, meaning it may not be measuring intelligence accurately or effectively. The fact that Jasmine received different scores each time she took the online test also suggests that it may lack reliability, meaning it is not producing consistent results.

Question 19

Brittany,a softball player who plays catcher for the local college,has thrown out base stealers at a 42,39,and 41 percent rate over her three years.Her performance could be considered which of the following?
A)Valid
B)Invalid
C)Reliable
D)Not reliable

Accepted Answer

Brittany's performance can be considered reliable as she consistently throws out base stealers at similar rates over the three-year period. However, without further information, it is difficult to determine if her performance is valid or not.

Question 20

The most important factor to ensure that one's results apply to other people in other settings is to use
A)a convenience sample.
B)extremely small sample sizes.
C)random assignment.
D)a random sample.

Accepted Answer

Using a random sample ensures that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected for the study. This increases the likelihood that the sample represents the population accurately and thus, the results can be generalized to other people in other settings.

Quiz 2: Reading and Evaluating Scientific Research

Dr.Sparks is concerned because he gave Julie a new intelligence test that he personally designed and her scores do not seem very consistent.Which aspect of psychological testing is Dr.Sparks concerned with?

The term demand characteristics refers to:

__________ is consistency of measurement.

According to your text,which of the following have researchers concluded about the "Mozart effect"?

When assessing patients' personalities using an "ink blot" test that she created,Dr.Hardcastle is gaining confidence in the test's reliability.Which of the following is likely to be happening?

__________ is the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure.

Louis is participating in a survey on undergraduate drug use.When the interviewer asks Louis whether he has used illegal drugs in the last 6 months,he lies and says 'no' because he doesn't want the interviewer to have a poor opinion of him.Louis's response is an example of ________________.

An important danger of the various types of research bias discussed in Chapter 2 is that they lead us:

One difficulty in conducting medical research is that participants often assume that any treatment will be effective in alleviating their symptoms.Therefore,a researcher has to design an experiment that measures the influence of ____________.

One way to increase the possibility that research results will generalize is to study a ____________ sample.

Ursula works in an office.One day,her boss tells her that researchers will be in the office to observe productivity.Because she knows she is being observed,Ursula finds that she is working harder than she normally does.What is this an example of?

Ecological validity refers to:

The degree to which one set of results can be applied to other situations,individuals,or events is called __________.

Which of the following is true?

Eila is participating in a psychological experiment for one of the graduate students at her university.She is pretty confident that she knows the true intent of the study and is trying to answer the questions accordingly.A common pitfall in experiments,Eila is falling prey to ______________.

Although not ideal,researchers often use _______________ samples,which are samples of individuals that are the most readily available.

Jasmine took a self-administered online intelligence test three times yesterday and obtained scores of 124,128,and 125.This made her feel great because the score she received from the psychologist last month at school was only a 95.What characteristic might the online test be lacking?

Brittany,a softball player who plays catcher for the local college,has thrown out base stealers at a 42,39,and 41 percent rate over her three years.Her performance could be considered which of the following?

The most important factor to ensure that one's results apply to other people in other settings is to use