Question 1

Dr.Peltier wants his research assistants to be as unbiased as possible when coding observations of participants in an upcoming study on gender identity.One of the most effective means of ensuring limited biases is to conduct:
A) intra-observer reliability.
B) blind observations.
C) external validity.
D) duration recording.

Accepted Answer

Conducting blind observations, in which the observers are unaware of the gender of the participant, reduces the potential for biases related to gender identity. Intra-observer reliability and duration recording do not necessarily address biases, and external validity refers to the generalizability of the study findings, which is not directly related to reducing biases.

Question 2

Dr.Izmen decided to conduct research multiple nights at the county fair.He decided to observe patrons on both weeknights and weekends,as well as in the afternoon,early evening,and late evening.He had research assistants throughout the fair,at different booths,noting observations about parenting behaviors and romantic relationship behaviors.He was able to collect data on a diverse sample in age,ethnicity,sex,and socioeconomic status.Dr.Izmen's study has:
A) high external validity.
B) low external validity.
C) lack of representativeness.
D) observer bias.

Accepted Answer

Dr.Izmen's study has high external validity because he observed patrons on both weeknights and weekends, as well as in the afternoon, early evening, and late evening, and had a diverse sample in age, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status. This allows for generalization of the findings to the larger population. The use of research assistants at different booths also helps to reduce observer bias.

Question 3

Mrs.Sommer and Dr.Elston are researching eating habits in various different types of restaurants.They have several different research questions they would like answered by these observations.One research question focuses on how many different times couples ate at different eating establishments to help determine any patterns in behavior.This research question would best be addressed by:
A) frequency count recording.
B) duration recording.
C) interval recording.
D) variable schedule recording.

Accepted Answer

Frequency count recording would be the best choice for this research question as it involves tallying the number of times a behavior occurs in a specific time period. In this case, the researchers could tally the number of times couples ate at different types of restaurants to determine patterns in their behavior. Duration recording involves measuring the length of time a behavior occurs, which is not relevant to this research question. Interval recording involves breaking up observation time into intervals and recording whether the behavior occurs during that interval, which would not be as useful for capturing the frequency of couples eating at restaurants. Variable schedule recording involves observing the behavior in random or unpredictable intervals, which may not provide consistent data for this research question.

Question 4

A study in which an observer must make accurate decisions as to the relationship an individual has with another person (e.g. ,friend,parent,sibling,romantic partner)without being able to question the individuals being observed would rely heavily on:
A) subjective reasoning.
B) research protocol.
C) observer training.
D) blind observations.

Accepted Answer

The ability to accurately determine relationships between individuals without being able to question them requires extensive observer training. This type of study relies heavily on the observer's ability to pick up on subtle cues such as body language, tone of voice, and contextual clues to make accurate judgments. It is imperative that the observer is trained to recognize these cues to ensure reliability and validity of the data collected. Subjective reasoning and blind observations may also play roles in the study, but observer training is the most important factor in this case. Research protocol, while important, does not specifically address the issue of accurately determining relationships without direct questioning.

Question 5

Mr.Gregory and Dr.Eszpara are researching eating habits in various different types of restaurants.They have several different research questions they would like answered by these observations.One research question focuses on how long between the first bite of the entrée before alcohol is ordered by either party.This research question would best be addressed by:
A) frequency count recording.
B) duration recording.
C) interval recording.
D) variable schedule recording.

Accepted Answer

Duration recording would be the best choice to answer this research question because it involves recording the length of time between two specific behaviors - the first bite of the entrée and the ordering of alcohol. This will provide a precise measurement of the time interval between these two behaviors. Frequency count recording would not be appropriate because it only records how many times a behavior occurs, rather than the length of time between behaviors. Interval recording and variable schedule recording would also not be the best choice because they do not focus on the length of time between behaviors.

Question 6

Who is the worst candidate to be an observer in a study?
A) a trained unbiased observer who was not involved in the development of the study
B) a trained college student who has moderate understanding of coding systems
C) the researcher who is responsible for the inception and development of the study
D) a trained research assistant from another research lab

Accepted Answer

The researcher who is responsible for the inception and development of the study may have biases or preconceptions that could impede their ability to objectively observe and record data. The other options are trained observers who are less likely to be biased or have conflicts of interest.

Question 7

There are multiple considerations Tessa must make when thinking about her sociology homework.She has been given the task to observe diverse children interact.She has decided to go to a neighborhood park near her parents' home.Her parents live in an upper-middle-class,predominantly White neighborhood.Which of the following would be an issue with her sample at the park?
A) low ecological validity
B) high external validity
C) lack of representativeness
D) observer bias

Accepted Answer

The issue with Tessa's sample at the park is the lack of representativeness. The park is in an upper-middle-class predominantly White neighborhood, which means the children she observes may not be representative of the wider population in terms of socioeconomic status and racial diversity. This can impact the generalizability of her findings and limit the scope of her observations.

Question 8

Dr.Yanira is an education specialist and has begun observing various schools throughout the county.Dr.Yanira randomly selected a private school in the area with the highest per-capita income to be her first school observation.She decided to base her request for budget,school supplies,school lunches,among many other things on that single observation.What is the main issue with her results from that single observation?
A) low ecological validity
B) low external validity
C) lack of representativeness
D) observer bias

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr.Yanira is an education specialist and has...

Question 9

Observer training teaches all of the following,EXCEPT how to:
A) minimize potential biases.
B) identify and define appropriate situations.
C) properly record behaviors.
D) use personal judgment in coding.

Accepted Answer

Observer training is designed to minimize biases and provide a clear understanding of proper recording techniques and appropriate situations. However, it is not intended to encourage personal judgment or interpretation in the coding process. This would lead to inconsistencies in data collection and impact the credibility of the study.

Question 10

Dr.Pryor is continuing previous research on suicidality by interviewing families as to the occurrence of completed and attempted suicides in the last four generations.Dr.Pryor will most likely use:
A) frequency count recording.
B) variable schedule recording.
C) interval recording.
D) duration recording.

Accepted Answer

Frequency count recording is the most suitable method for Dr. Pryor's research on suicidality, as it involves counting the number of times a specific event (in this case, completed and attempted suicides) occurs within a given time frame or across generations. This method allows for the collection of discrete data on the occurrence of these events, which is essential for understanding patterns or trends in suicidality across generations.

Question 11

Dr.Lorns is examining snoring patterns in males and females.He is interested to see if men snore more frequently than women and has developed a sleep lab to help answer this research question.He will most likely use:
A) frequency count recording.
B) duration recording.
C) interval recording.
D) variable schedule recording.

Accepted Answer

Frequency count recording would be the best choice as Dr.Lorns is interested in comparing the number of times men and women snore, making frequency count a suitable option for recording and analyzing this data. Duration recording would be used if Dr.Lorns were interested in how long the snoring lasted, interval recording would be used if he were interested in the length of time between snoring incidents, and variable schedule recording would be used if he were interested in the variability of snoring occurrences.

Question 12

A set of rules that helps guide how a researcher classifies and records observations refers to:
A) a coding system.
B) an action plan.
C) a research protocol.
D) descriptive statistics.

Accepted Answer

A coding system is used by researchers to classify and record observations systematically, facilitating data analysis and interpretation.

Question 13

Dr.Timmons is investigating criminal behavior trajectories,specifically the length of time between the first criminal act committed and the first criminal act that resulted with incarceration in prison.Dr.Timmons is interviewing hundreds of prisoners for his data collection.Dr.Timmons will be playing close attention to:
A) frequency count recording.
B) variable schedule recording.
C) interval recording.
D) duration recording.

Accepted Answer

Dr. Timmons is focusing on the length of time between two specific events (the first criminal act and the first incarceration), which directly relates to measuring the duration of a particular behavior or sequence of behaviors. Duration recording is the appropriate method for capturing this type of data.

Question 14

In early research it has been found that the presence of others negatively influences:
A) performance on complex and simple tasks.
B) performance on an athletic activity.
C) performance on a task and the decision to help someone in need.
D) naturalistic observations.

Accepted Answer

This is known as the bystander effect where the presence of others decreases the likelihood of an individual helping someone in need. It has been found to occur in both simple and complex tasks, but not necessarily in athletic activities or naturalistic observations.

Question 15

According to the famous Asch (1951)study individuals feel:
A) pressure to display unique behaviors.
B) pressure to draw lines the same as the person next to them.
C) pressure to be just like their peers.
D) pressure to correct behavior to align more with expectations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the famous Asch (1951)study individuals...

Question 16

In a 2000 study investigating the relation between socioeconomic status and discipline,the researchers found that:
A) higher-income parents tended to endorse harsher discipline practices overall.
B) lower-income parents tended to endorse harsher discipline practices overall.
C) lower-income parents tended to endorse more lenient discipline practices overall.
D) higher-income parents tended to endorse more monetary discipline practices.

Accepted Answer

The study found that lower-income parents tended to endorse harsher discipline practices overall.

Question 17

As discussed in the text,most child discipline research focuses on:
A) fathers.
B) mothers.
C) grandparents.
D) stepparents.

Accepted Answer

Most child discipline research focuses on mothers, as they are typically the primary caregivers and spend more time with their children.

Question 18

Herschel and Lynn were trained observers in Dr.Pettier's research lab.Herschel was known for being consistent in his coding and observations of a rat named Perry,and although Lynn was trained at the same time as Herschel,her observations of Perry were not as dependable as Herschel's observations.Herschel had:
A) high intra-observer reliability.
B) high inter-observer reliability.
C) low inter-observer reliability.
D) low intra-observer reliability.

Accepted Answer

Intra-observer reliability refers to consistency of observations made by the same person over time. Since Herschel was consistent in his coding and observations of Perry, he displayed high intra-observer reliability.

Question 19

The goals of training observers include all of the following,EXCEPT how to:
A) conduct ambiguous observations.
B) conduct consistent observations.
C) conduct accurate observations.
D) conduct objective observations.

Accepted Answer

Conducting ambiguous observations is not a goal of training observers. In fact, the goal is to avoid ambiguity and ensure that observations are consistent, accurate, and objective.

Question 20

Blind observations mean that trained observers do not know:
A) how to code behaviors.
B) what behaviors to code.
C) what the study is about.
D) the individuals they are observing.

Accepted Answer

Blind observations mean that the observers do not know what the study is about.

Quiz 6: B: Observational Research: The Many Forms of Discipline in Parents Bag of Tricks

Dr.Peltier wants his research assistants to be as unbiased as possible when coding observations of participants in an upcoming study on gender identity.One of the most effective means of ensuring limited biases is to conduct:

A study in which an observer must make accurate decisions as to the relationship an individual has with another person (e.g. ,friend,parent,sibling,romantic partner) without being able to question the individuals being observed would rely heavily on:

Who is the worst candidate to be an observer in a study?

Observer training teaches all of the following,EXCEPT how to:

Dr.Pryor is continuing previous research on suicidality by interviewing families as to the occurrence of completed and attempted suicides in the last four generations.Dr.Pryor will most likely use:

Dr.Lorns is examining snoring patterns in males and females.He is interested to see if men snore more frequently than women and has developed a sleep lab to help answer this research question.He will most likely use:

A set of rules that helps guide how a researcher classifies and records observations refers to:

In early research it has been found that the presence of others negatively influences:

According to the famous Asch (1951) study individuals feel:

In a 2000 study investigating the relation between socioeconomic status and discipline,the researchers found that:

As discussed in the text,most child discipline research focuses on:

The goals of training observers include all of the following,EXCEPT how to:

Blind observations mean that trained observers do not know: