research psychology test 2

test answers as well as unit definitions

What is the purpose of an EXPERIMENT?

to allow the direct observation of cause-and-effect

In a cause-and-effect relationship that we study in an experiment, which of these is the cause?

independent variable

To illustrate that false beliefs cause harm, Dr. Critchfield described how one doctor persuaded the public that vaccines cause

autism

To illustrate that false beliefs cause harm, Dr. Critchfield explained how the belief that vaccines are harmful caused major outbreaks of what formerly eradicated disease?

whooping cough

You walk into a room where there's a live student at front. Then Dr. Critchfield stabs the student, who dies.

causation

In the 1990s, British physician Andrew Wakefield presented what kind of evidence that he believed shows that autism is caused by vaccines?

correlation research

Do people who have extraverted personalities have more trouble dealing with a quarantine than people who have introverted personalities?

asks about prediction (correlation)

Do workers who have children tend to miss more job days than workers without children?

asks about prediction (correlation)

Will providing parents with free childcare make them miss less work?

asks about control (causation)

What is the average grade of students taking an online course?

asks about description

How many questions, on average, did the students get correct on Exam 1?

asks about occurrence

Does given a patient core-strengthening exercises reduce pain from a bad back?

asks about cause-and-effect

How many dollars did consumers invest in the stock market last year?

asks about occurrence

Does holding your little brother's head in the toilet make him talk less?

asks about cause-and-effect

Will stress be higher in members of minority ethnic groups than in members of the majority ethnic group? This question focuses on

prediction

Dr. Fang showed some children a scary movie. He showed other children no movie. Then he watched all the children on the playground to see how often they acted aggressively toward other kids. The independent variable in this study is

the scary movie

Will blood cholesterol levels be related to the severity of a patient's depression symptoms? This question focuses on

prediction

Using old hospital records of many patients, researchers compared blood cholesterol levels with severity of depression symptoms. They found that when blood cholesterol was high, depression symptoms tended to be severe. This is a(n)

correlational study

A research study compared online versus in-person instruction. All students studied social psychology. After the course ended, students were asked how much they liked the way they were taught. The dependent variable is

none of the above

Research participants studied math facts with music playing. For some participants, the music was bluegrass, while for others it was classical. After the studying ended, participants were asked whether they enjoyed studying that way and whether they would recommend it to another students. They were asked how well they thought they learned, and then later were tested to see how many math facts they actually remembered. The independent variable is

none of the above

College students were given a yellow pill to swallow that was described as a vitamin. Then they were taken to a crowded waiting room "to wait for the vitamin to take effect." For some people the pill was really a stimulant drug. For others the pill was really a sedative drug." The researcher really was interested in how talkative each student became while in the waiting room. The independent variable is

stimulant drug vs. sedative drug

Lorge (1930) investigated whether performance on a task is better when the task is practiced continuously without interruption (massed practice) or when it is practiced with rest intervals distributed between practice sessions (distributed practice). The task involved tracing a shape that can only be viewed in its mirror image. Subjects in three groups practiced the tracing task 20 times. For one group, all 20 trials were completed in the same day without rest breaks. For a second group, each trial was followed by a 1-minute rest break. The third group did one trial per day for 20 days. The investigators measured how long it took each subject to trace the pattern on each trial. The average performance of the third group was better than that of the other groups. The INDEPENDENT variable is

massed versus distributed practice

Participants were shown words, one at a time. For some of the words they were asked to decide whether the word contained the letter “e” (shallow processing). For other words they were asked to decide whether the word was pleasant or unpleasant (deep processing). Then, in a surprise test, memory for the two kinds of words was compared. The DEPENDENT variable is

remembering

Behavioral variables

based on observable and measurable characteristics of a person's behavior. (This approach is a cornerstone of ______, which suggests that only observable behaviors should be studied scientifically.

Survey and interview variables

These variables are often used for measuring constructs—psychological concepts that are not directly observable, like personality or self-esteem. 

Physiological variables

measure the body's physical processes that are influenced by psychological states. These variables provide a biological basis for psychological experiences like emotion, stress, and cognition. 

Conceptual

describes a variable in theoretical, abstract terms (like "happiness") provides the broad understanding

Operational

explains precisely how that variable will be measured or manipulated in a specific study (e.g., happiness as a score on a standardized happiness questionnaire). specifies the practical, observable, and measurable aspects. 

“Happiness is the number of times per day that you hiccup.” Most people would say that this operational definition

is not valid

“Anxiety is the number of times per day that a person says 'I'm worried that...'." Most people would say that this operational definition

is reasonably valid

"Intoxication is having a blood alcohol level higher than 0.08" This is a(n) _________ definition.

operational

“ Empathy is the number of times in a day that you say what another person must be thinking or feeling.” Most people would say that this operational definition

is reasonably valid

"Depression is a state of hopelessness and sadness." This is a(n) _________ definition.

conceptual

It was thought that a treatment program could improve eating habits. Before the treatment program began, participants ate lot of sweets, as expected. After treatment concluded, they still ate a lot of sweets. This experiment shows that the treatment improved eating habits

False

Thirty people who had been injured in a past mugging were recruited along with 30 people who had never been mugged. All completed a test of self-esteem.

individual differences manipulation

Manipulation of type for EXERCISE (as a cause of changes in mood).

Group 1 runs 4 laps. Group 2 swims for 30 minutes.

Perceptions of threat in ambiguous social situations were measured in people who had experienced injuries to the amygdala during automobile accidents and in people who had not experienced a head injury.

individual differences manipulation

“Does a person’s appearance – dressed casually or dress in business attire – affect other peoples’ impression of his or her competence?” Which kind of independent-variable manipulation works best for this research question?

event manipulation

“Would having a million dollars change your saving habits from what they are now?” Which kind of independent-variable manipulation works best for this research question?

instructional manipulation

Participants all completed the same task, and were randomly assigned to do it in no more than 2 minutes; no more than 10 minutes; no more than 30 minutes. The number of errors that they made was compared. Which of the following would be the best manipulation check for this experiment?

having an independent person time the work sessions to make sure they were exactly the planned duration

“Does gender affect ability in learning mathematics?” Which kind of independent-variable manipulation works best for this research question?

individual differences manipulation

Participants all completed the same task, and were randomly assigned to do it in no more than 2 minutes; no more than 10 minutes; no more than 30 minutes. This experiment makes what kind of comparison?

amount

Researchers determined whether each person was a pessimist or an optimist.

nominal measurement scale

Each participant is labeled as 1 = intoxicated and 0 = not intoxicated. This measurement has which of the following characteristics?

none of the above

Participants who identified themselves as alcohol drinkers were asked about the number of alcoholic beverages they consumed at the last party they attended. They gave one of these responses: 1 = many more than the typical person at the party, 2 = a bit more than the typical person at the party, 3 = the same as the typical person at the party, 4 = a bit fewer than the typical person at the party, 5 = a lot fewer than the typical person at the party.

ordinal measurement scale

Participants evaluated a job applicant’s interview performance using a scale ranging from 1 = VERY SURE I WOULD NOT HIRE THIS PERSON to 100 = VERY SURE I WOULD HIRE THIS PERSON.

ordinal measurement scale

The dependent variable was the number of minutes needed to complete a
series of math problems. This measurement has which of the following characteristics?

all of the above

Based on their responses to a battery of laboratory tests, participants were put into one of the following personality types: Creative, Organized, Shy, and Flexible.

nominal measurement scale

Patients read a series of statements describing depressive thoughts. For each, they indicated whether they had had that kind of thought during the past 24 hours. The final score was the number of statements that each patient endorsed.

ratio measurement scale