PSY 301 Test 1

A scatterplot is often used to display data from

a correlational observation

You are interested in whether couples who have racially mixed marriages have similar divorce rates to those having same race marriages. You look up the divorce documents in various county court houses to use as your data. What type of research are you doing?

archival research

A neuropsychologist who extensively studies the behavior of a single patient having brain damage from an accident would be doing what type of research?

a case study

According to the text the most fundamental tasks of scientists are to

establish relationships between circumstances and behaviors and fit these into a body of knowledge.

Case histories that analyze the lives of famous figures are sometimes called

psychohistories

T/F: In correlational observations it is sometimes difficult to know which variable might have caused any change in the other variable. This is sometimes called the directionality problem.

True

T/F: If you search an existing data set in the library, you are doing survey research.

false

T/F: Studying a detailed account of the events of a single person's life is called a case history.

true

T/F: One problem with the case history approach is that it requires sophisticated statistical analysis.

false

T/F: Using of quantitative research techniques to investigate a particular topic makes it impossible to also use qualitative techniques.

false

The best way to get an idea for an experiment is to

observe the world around you.

In order to get an idea for an experiment you might do vicarious observation. Where would you likely do it?

in a library

Einstein's theory of relativity is

a quantitative theory.

When a theory predicts an observation and the observation is confirmed through experimentation, the theory is supported

inductively

Should data precede theory, or should theory precede data?

both are correct

If you theorize that people who are genetically related are attracted to one another the way masses are attracted by gravity, you have suggested a(n)

analogical theory.

Doing experiments on moral question such as "Is abortion wrong?" is impossible because the question is not

testable

If we know that all As are Bs, and we know that all Bs are Cs, then we know that all As are Cs through the process of

deduction

When Einstein thought about general relativity theory by picturing a man closed in a falling elevator he was using what type of theory?

analogical theory

A theory with parsimony is

a simple theory

T/F: In science, a theory is just a guess about the relationship between variables with no evidence to back it up.

False

T/F: Theories are easier to prove than to disprove.

false

T/F: Each time we get an experimental outcome that is predicted by a theory we have proven that theory.

false

T/F: If a physical model is used as the basis for a theory, it is an analogical theory.

True

T/F: A good theory should have parsimony. This means that it should be quite detailed.

false

In order to find a reference in PsycINFO you have to look up the reference using

either a key phrase or author.

On the average the greatest time lag for psychological literature sources is for

texts

One place you might look to find an article that integrates and summarizes the research done on a particular topic is

Psychological Bulletin.

The best way to do a "quick and dirty" literature search in which you might find some important articles is to

find a recent article in the area and tree backwards through the references.

PsycINFO is a

computerized database of abstracts.

The most serious problem with using the internet to search for literature on a particular topic is

the lack of quality control for information posted.

The best way to do a literature search is to

do an automated search using PsycLIT.

The biggest advantage of including books in your literature search is that books

have usually integrated the research with other research to form a coherent body of knowledge.

What literature source forms the backbone of our science?

journals

T/F: The most up-to-date source for a literature review is a recent book on a topic.

False

T/F: The real backbone for a literature review is original research, which is typically reported in psychology journals.

True

T/F: Most research articles that appear in journals can also be found for free on the web.

False

T/F: It is possible to search the abstracts listed in PsycINFO using either the author's name or key phrases.

true

T/F: Social Sciences Citation Index will allow you to find out which articles have cited a particular article.

true

The range of an independent variable is

the difference between the highest and lowest levels of the independent variable.

A pilot experiment is

a small-scale version of an experiment you are planning.

There are several forms of test validity. Which alternative listed below is NOT a form of test validity?

veridical validity

An example of an indirect dependent variable is

measuring heart rate to infer emotional states

An experiment is done in which participants remember a set of words and at the same time push a button when a tone occurs. If they respond more slowly to the tone in one condition we can infer that the word task required ____ in that condition.

more processing resources

In an experiment to determine whether violent TV causes a change in children's aggressiveness, a possible operational definition of the dependent variable might be

the percentage of time each child plays with toys such as guns and tanks versus dolls and trucks

The type of validity established by comparing the test score with a criterion when the two measures are taken at the same time is

concurrent validity.

Because it is so subjective, the weakest form of validity is

face validity.

When you measure a person's behavior in an experiment you are measuring a(n)

dependent variable.

If you are concerned with being able to generalize a result from one of your experiments to a larger population, then you are worried about

external validity.

Suppose I choose my participants for each condition of my experiment by placing a bunch of names in a hat and drawing out the names. I have made participant assignment into a

random variable.

T/F: If we set a circumstance at a particular level and do not allow it to vary during an experiment, we have made it into a control variable.

true

T/F: If a second variable changes along with the levels of the independent variable, that second variable is a confounding variable.

true

T/F: Testing as a threat to internal validity refers to the fact that the test used may be deficient in its validity or reliability.

false

If participants are exposed to all levels of the independent variable, the experiment

within-subject experiment.

The fewest participants are required in a ____ experiment.

within-subject

If you are worried about the contaminating effects of exposure to one of the levels of the independent variable on behavior under other levels of the independent variable you might use which type of design?

between-subjects

Counterbalancing is a way to minimize

order effects

A partial counterbalancing scheme that assures that each level of the independent variable appears at every position in the order equally often is called a(n)

latin square

If you use a matched groups design in an experiment you should

match your groups on a variable that is highly correlated to the dependent variable

What is a disadvantage of a within-subject experimental design?

-The data are subject to range effects.

-Asymmetrical transfer can invalidate the results.

-It is necessary to counterbalance.

An example of an order effect is

learning

Complete counterbalancing of a single-variable three-level experiment would require at least how many participants?

6

T/F: One way to minimize order effects is to counterbalance.

true

T/F: In ABBA counterbalancing one group of participants receives the AB order, and a second group receives the BA order

false

T/F: Complete counterbalancing can eliminate the effects of asymmetrical transfer.

false

T/F: A Latin Square is one version of partial counterbalancing.

true

T/F: Range effects can be a problem with between-subjects designs.

false

correlational observation

try to determine whether two variables are related without attempting to manipulate either one

scatterplot

each variable is represented on an axis and each point represents a single measurement

directionality problem

one of the behaviors might be causing the other, but even if this is the case we do not know which behavior is doing the causing and which is being caused

third variable problem

neither behavior could be directly causing the other even though there is a relationship - a 3rd variable could be causing both behaviors

surveys

ask people about their behavior or their opinions

archival research

public/private records for research purposes and attempt to organize and interpret the information to find relationships

ethnography

study familiar cultures to make them strange

naturalistic observation

observe behaviors under the conditions in which they naturally occur

case history

detailed account of the events in a case; usually a person's life

independent variable

circumstance of major interest - "independent of the person's behavior"

dependent variable

behavior being measured

directional hypothesis

predicting the direction the dependent variable will change as the independent variable is manipulated

external validity

the generalizability of an experimental finding

randomization within constraints

control one part of the event assignments and randomize the other

confounding variable

any circumstance that changes systematically as the experimenter manipulates the independent variable

history

some event that takes place between the testing of the levels of the independent variables

maturation

threat to internal validity by the participants' growing older

selection

threat whenever experimenters cannot assign participants randomly, or participants assign themselves to conditions

statistical regression

[most subtle threat to internal validity] participants score very high or very low on a test, move toward the mean on the second test

vicarious observation

reading other people's research

ideas must be _______, ______, and _______

repeatable, observable, testable

theory

a statement about the probably relationships among a set of abstract variables

induction

general statement is derived from specific instances

deduction

a prediction can be made from the theory

descriptive theory

attaches names to events and is most useful when the names are attached to abstract but not definable events

analogical theories

explain how relationships work by drawing an analogy between psychological relationships and a physical model

ultimate questions

WHY questions

proximate questions

WHAT questions

applied research

research done to solve a problem

basic research

research done to contribute to the scientific body of knowledge

it is usually most efficient to begin your search in _____

books

you can use _____ articles to bring you within 5 to 8 years of current research

review articles

____ articles will form the backbone of your literature search

journal