Psych 304 Exam 1

Scientific questions are distinguished from non-scientific questions by the fact that they

can be empirically tested

The main unifying feature across diverse areas of psychology is their

use of the scientific method.

Folk wisdom is often unfalsifiable because

it offers explanations for all possible outcomes

Past-life regression therapy is not considered a legitimate treatment by most scientific psychologists because

it has failed to find empirical support.

Even peer-reviewed research requires critical thinking because

research design and interpretation can still have flaws.

Which of the following is a hallmark of pseudoscience?

Emphasis on anecdotal testimonials as “proof”

Which of the following best defines pseudoscience?

A belief system presented as scientific, without empirical evidence.

Groupthink is a barrier to critical thinking because it

suppresses doubts and alternative ideas in order to conform.

Critical thinking should be considered essential for psychology because

psychology involves complex and often counterintuitive phenomena that require careful evaluation.

Confirmation bias is problematic in science because

it can distort the interpretation of evidence in favor of results matching prior beliefs.

The “illusion of authority” refers to

believing information is accurate because it is well-articulated.

Ari strongly believes that a new diet works. When scrolling online, they pay close attention to testimonials about dramatic weight loss but skim past rigorous studies showing no effect. This illustrates

confirmation bias.

Critical thinking is best described as

an active, intentional process of weighing evidence to make informed judgments.

In general, people advancing pseudoscientific theories

sidestep disproof by describing their studies in vague terms.

How can you differentiate between science and pseudoscience?

Science relies on empirical evidence and rigorous testing, while pseudoscience does not.

Sometimes considered the core of science, _________ refers to the careful surveillance of the natural world with the aim of better understanding it.

systematic observation

____________ questions that can be answered through systematic observation and data collection.

Empirical

A "psychofact" is a

repeated but false belief about psychology.

Peer review attempts to safeguard against

biased or poorly designed studies.

When proponents of subliminal messaging explained away failures to replicate the results, this demonstrated the pseudoscience feature of

sidestepping disproof.

Confirmation bias is problematic in science because

it can distort the interpretation of evidence in favor of results matching prior beliefs.

Learning about research methodology is important for

evaluating standards of care in social or healthcare services, evaluating information from various sources, and learning to make decisions based on evidence.

Pseudoscientific claims often avoid meaningful skepticism by

responding to critique with conspiracy theories or defensiveness.

AI pose a barrier to critical thinking by

giving the illusion of understanding, reducing mental effort.

___________ methods in psychological research are approaches to data-gathering that are tied to actual measurement and observation.

Empirical

Systematic empiricism involves

making structured, theory-driven observations.

Critical thinking should be considered essential for psychology because

psychology involves complex and often counterintuitive phenomena that require careful evaluation.

Why is critical thinking essential for understanding psychology?

It helps evaluate complex ideas and prevent misinformation.

Why is James Vicary’s original claim about subliminal messages considered pseudoscience?

The claims relied on anecdotes and testimonials rather than controlled data.

Past-life regression therapy is not considered a legitimate treatment by most scientific psychologists because

it has failed to find empirical support.

In the context of science, the term “public knowledge” refers to

the idea that scientific "facts" are open to verification and criticism

How to Think Straight About Psychology discusses the “Barron’s GRE Guide” myth about changing answers on multiple choice exams. This example illustrates that

folk beliefs can be contradicted by research.

The main difference between a testimonial and controlled evidence is that

testimonials come from individuals, whereas controlled evidence uses comparison groups.

Conspiracy fears about fluoridation show that

pseudoscience can block public health policies.

Case studies are most useful for

generating hypotheses.

In the scientific peer-review process, the action editor's role includes

making comments about the scientific rigor and innovation of the study.

When a PsycINFO search yields too many results, the best approach is to

refine your search terms and apply additional filters to narrow results.

Which of these is a primary source?

A graduate student's dissertation on canine cognition

One way to determine whether a psychology journal is legitimate is to

check whether it's indexed in recognized research databases.

Scientific findings published in the popular press are

often dramatized.

Which of the following actions can help narrow a search in PsycINFO?

Using more specific terms related to the research question

Reading the Discussion section of a research article is important for

understanding the implications of the findings and how they relate to existing knowledge.

Neuroscience research shows that adding brain images to research reports makes people

see the findings as more credible.

Testimonials considered weak evidence in science because they

cannot rule out alternative explanations.

In science, a primary source is

an article that reports original research conducted by the authors.

Which of the following is an example of a secondary source?

A psychology textbook summarizing multiple studies.

In the peer review process, one role of the action editor is to

assign manuscripts to qualified reviewers for evaluation.

A study's hypothesis typically can be found in the ___________ section of a research article.

Introduction

The Results section of a research article provides

detailed findings,  typically presented with statistics and tables

Which of the following is a peer-reviewed source of evidence?

A research article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology

Testimonials should not be considered harmless because

they can lead to harmful health and policy decisions.

The Barnum effect describes

people's tendency to find vague statements personally meaningful.

One can verify whether a journal adheres to a peer-review process by

checking the journal’s website for editorial policies.

In the scientific peer-review process, a reviewer should comment on all of the following EXCEPT

the prestige of the university where the research was conducted.

An effective way to determine whether a source is credible is to

check the author's qualifications and the publication's peer-review status.

A Los Angeles Times article entitled "Green coffee beans show potential for losing weight" is most likely to be a

non peer-reviewed secondary source.

The Method section of a research article describes

the materials and procedures used in the study.

A friend says, “I tried this diet supplement and I lost 10 pounds.” Which critical question should you ask?

Did you also exercise or change your diet?

The Discussion section of a research article

explains the implications of the findings and connects them to existing knowledge.

A potential issue with secondary sources is that they

may misinterpret or oversimplify original findings.

APA-style references are important for

giving proper credit to the original authors of ideas or findings.

allowing readers to locate and verify the sources you used.

helping other researchers further explore the same topic.

Anxiety is not observed directly but is inferred from certain behaviors. That is, anxiety is an example of

a construct.

A cognitive psychologist states that children who complete optional practice tests perform better on exams than those who don't. This represents a(n) ____________ claim.

association

A researcher interested in romantic relationships investigates why couples who are dating engage in more eye contact with each other than non-romantic friends. This question illustrates psychology's goal of

explanation.

A newspaper headline states, "70% of teenagers use social media daily." This represents a ____________ claim.

frequency

Which of these is NOT one of psychology's goals?

persuasion

In psychological research, eliminating alternative explanations is important for

ensuring the accuracy of causal claims.

Imagine you study traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood. Which of the following research questions would lead to description, rather than prediction, explanation, or application?

What percentage of people in the U.S. experience a TBI at some point in their lives?

Which of the following examples illustrates an applied research question?

What interventions help college students manage stress effectively?

Which of the following is an unfalsifiable claim?

“Dreams reveal hidden desires in the unconscious mind.”

A doctor claims, “No matter what happens, the results confirm my theory.” This doctor's theory is best described as

unfalsifiable.

Which of these claims should be considered unfalsifiable?

“Aliens exist somewhere in the universe.”

One limitation of purely descriptive research is that it

does not explain why behavior occurs.

The statement "Many students fear taking a research methods course" is an example of ____________ behavior; the statement "The fear of taking a research methods course is caused by unfounded gossip" is an example of ____________ behavior.

describing; explaining

Which of the following is an example of an empirical question that could be tested using systematic observation?

Do girls learn math better in a single-gender or all-gender classroom?

Which of the following is an empirical research question?

Do students perform better on tests when they eat breakfast vs. when they don’t?

If a hypothesis is supported by research data, the researcher's next step should be to

replicate the study to confirm findings.

"Individuals with higher levels of stress tend to report more frequent headaches." This statement makes a(n) ____________ claim.

association

A prediction is made from a theory and the results are just as predicted. From this, we can conclude that the theory

has been supported inductively.

According to Karl Popper, a theory is scientific only if

it makes predictions that can be tested and potentially refuted.

Which of the following questions can be answered through empirical research?

How does parental involvement affect children's academic performance?

Two research assistants are asked to observe “friendliness” on a college campus. At the end of the observation session, they have very different counts of "friendly behavior." What would be the best way to resolve the discrepancy in future observations?

Formulate an operational definition of "friendly behavior."

"Exposure to violent video games triggers aggressive behavior in children." This statement makes a(n) ____________ claim.

causal

A cognitive psychologist states that children who complete optional practice tests perform better on exams than those who don't. This represents a(n) ____________ claim.

association

A good scientific theory should be productive. This means that

it leads to new hypotheses and research studies.

____________ are unifying explanations for a set of closely related phenomena or observations.

Theories

The first step in the scientific method is

asking a research question.

Which of the following questions can be answered through empirical research?

How does parental involvement affect children's academic performance?

A psychologist studying the relationship between peer pressure and risky behavior would most likely make a(n) __________ claim, which helps them to ____________ behavior.

association; predict

"Consuming caffeine leads to increased heart rate." This statement makes a(n) ____________ claim.

casual

Conspiracy theories typically are unfalsifiable because

any evidence against them is dismissed as part of the conspiracy.

The following is an example of a ________ question: “Are you interested in getting your degree in psychology and getting a job in the field?”

double-barreled

Which of the following is an example of a behavioral measure?

Counting how many times a child raises their hand in class.

Two trained observers watch videos of children playing and both code the same behaviors as “cooperative.” This demonstrates

interrater reliability.

Which of the following is an example of a timing-based measure?

Recording how quickly a child completes a math assignment.

A major advantage of using physiological measures in research is that

they provide objective data that avoids observer bias.

In the context of observational measures, what can reactivity lead to?

Altered participant behavior due to knowledge of being observed.

To generalize from the results obtained with a sample to the population as a whole,

the sample must be representative of the population.

By definition, ___________ sampling means that all members of the population have the same chance of being selected as participants.

probability

Psychologists need multiple operational definitions for the same concept because

no single definition is ultimate or final.