Question 1

Gene believes he is much more likely to win the state lottery if he chooses the numbers than if the numbers are randomly generated by a computer program.Gene's belief best illustrates

Accepted Answer

A)   regression toward the mean.
B)   an independent variable.
C)   an illusion of control.
D)   a scatterplot.

Question 2

Rebecca is talking to her friend about her daughter,Amy,who is in the ninth grade.Amy seems to have changed dramatically.She has changed her group of friends,she stays out past curfew,and she has been caught drinking alcohol.Also,her grades have dropped significantly.Rebecca's friend remarks,"Of course! Bad associations spoil useful habits." This best demonstrates

Accepted Answer

A)   hindsight bias.
B)   overconfidence.
C)   scientific inquiry.
D)   perceiving patterns in random events.

Question 3

The personal values of psychologists are likely to influence their choice of

Accepted Answer

A)   topics of investigation.
B)   research methods.
C)   explanatory theories.
D)   topics,methods,and theories.

Question 4

A correlation coefficient is a

Accepted Answer

A)   confounding variable.
B)   statistical index.
C)   dependent variable.
D)   double-blind procedure.

Question 5

To minimize the extent to which outcome differences between experimental and control groups can be attributed to placebo effects,researchers make use of

Accepted Answer

A)   random sampling.
B)   the double-blind procedure.
C)   random assignment.
D)   operational definitions.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a weakness of the experimental method?

Accepted Answer

A)   lack of feasibility
B)   lack of control of variables
C)   reduced generalizability
D)   ethical limitations on manipulation of variables

Question 7

Hypotheses are best described as

Accepted Answer

A)   assumptions.
B)   replications.
C)   explanations.
D)   predictions.

Question 8

Regression toward the mean refers to the tendency for

Accepted Answer

A)   changes in one factor to predict changes in another factor.
B)   unusual events to be followed by more ordinary events.
C)   pessimistic thinking to trigger episodes of depression.
D)   a placebo pill to reduce suffering.

Question 9

Which of the following processes typically takes place shortly after people complete their participation in a research study?

Accepted Answer

A)   random assignment
B)   informed consent
C)   the double-blind procedure
D)   debriefing

Question 10

The self-correcting process for asking questions and observing nature's answers is known as

Accepted Answer

A)   a theory.
B)   a prediction.
C)   the scientific method.
D)   an operational definition.

Question 11

To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is related to their income levels,researchers would most likely make use of

Accepted Answer

A)   case studies.
B)   correlational research.
C)   experimentation.
D)   naturalistic observation.

Question 12

Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population?

Accepted Answer

A)   random assignment
B)   replication
C)   naturalistic observation
D)   random sampling

Question 13

Incorrectly interpreting a correlation between two factors as evidence of causation is best avoided by making use of

Accepted Answer

A)   experiments.
B)   survey research.
C)   case studies.
D)   naturalistic observation.

Question 14

The research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   scientific method.
B)   operational definition.
C)   case study.
D)   experiment.

Question 15

British researchers randomly assigned 424 hospitalized premature infants either to formula feeding or to breast-milk feeding.They found that on intelligence tests taken at the age of 8,those who were breast fed significantly scored higher than those who were formula fed.These researchers conducted a(n) :

Accepted Answer

A)   survey.
B)   naturalistic observation.
C)   experiment.
D)   correlational design.

Question 16

A correlation between levels of impulsiveness and annual income of -0.75 would indicate that

Accepted Answer

A)   lower levels of impulsiveness are associated with lower levels of annual income.
B)   higher levels of annual income are associated with lower levels of impulsiveness.
C)   it is impossible to predict annual income levels from knowledge of impulsiveness levels.
D)   impulsiveness has no causal influence on annual income.

Question 17

The illusion that uncontrollable events are correlated with our actions is facilitated by a phenomenon known as

Accepted Answer

A)   regression toward the mean.
B)   the correlation coefficient.
C)   random assignment.
D)   replication.

Question 18

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her school,Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students.Ariana is ensuring that her survey results are accurate by using

Accepted Answer

A)   random assignment.
B)   naturalistic observation.
C)   replication.
D)   random sampling.

Question 19

Research participants are randomly assigned to different groups in an experiment in order to

Accepted Answer

A)   minimize chances that participants in any group know each other.
B)   increase chances that participants are representative of people in general.
C)   minimize any differences between groups of participants.
D)   increase chances that the different groups have the same number of participants.

Question 20

Which of the following is true for those assigned to a control group?

Accepted Answer

A)   The experimenter exerts the greatest influence on participants' behavior.
B)   The research participants are exposed to all the different experimental treatments.
C)   The research participants are exposed to the most favorable levels of experimental treatment.
D)   The experimental treatment is absent.

Exam 2: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science

The research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process is called a(n)

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is NOT a weakness of the experimental method?

Correct Answer
verified

To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is related to their income levels,researchers would most likely make use of

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following is true for those assigned to a control group?

Correct Answer
verified

Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population?

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Which of the following processes typically takes place shortly after people complete their participation in a research study?

Correct Answer
verified

Gene believes he is much more likely to win the state lottery if he chooses the numbers than if the numbers are randomly generated by a computer program.Gene's belief best illustrates

Correct Answer
verified

To minimize the extent to which outcome differences between experimental and control groups can be attributed to placebo effects,researchers make use of

Correct Answer
verified

Incorrectly interpreting a correlation between two factors as evidence of causation is best avoided by making use of

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her school,Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students.Ariana is ensuring that her survey results are accurate by using

Correct Answer
verified

A correlation between levels of impulsiveness and annual income of -0.75 would indicate that

Correct Answer
verified

Regression toward the mean refers to the tendency for

Correct Answer
verified

Hypotheses are best described as

Correct Answer
verified

The self-correcting process for asking questions and observing nature's answers is known as

Correct Answer
verified

The illusion that uncontrollable events are correlated with our actions is facilitated by a phenomenon known as

Correct Answer
verified

A correlation coefficient is a

Correct Answer
verified

Research participants are randomly assigned to different groups in an experiment in order to

Correct Answer
verified

The personal values of psychologists are likely to influence their choice of

Correct Answer
verified

Exam 2: Thinking Critically with Psychological Science

The research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process is called a(n)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is NOT a weakness of the experimental method?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To determine whether the strength of people's self-esteem is related to their income levels,researchers would most likely make use of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is true for those assigned to a control group?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which procedure helps to ensure that the participants in a survey are representative of a larger population?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following processes typically takes place shortly after people complete their participation in a research study?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Gene believes he is much more likely to win the state lottery if he chooses the numbers than if the numbers are randomly generated by a computer program.Gene's belief best illustrates

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To minimize the extent to which outcome differences between experimental and control groups can be attributed to placebo effects,researchers make use of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Incorrectly interpreting a correlation between two factors as evidence of causation is best avoided by making use of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To assess reactions to a proposed tuition hike at her school,Ariana sent a questionnaire to every fifteenth person in the registrar's alphabetical listing of all currently enrolled students.Ariana is ensuring that her survey results are accurate by using

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A correlation between levels of impulsiveness and annual income of -0.75 would indicate that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Regression toward the mean refers to the tendency for

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Hypotheses are best described as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The self-correcting process for asking questions and observing nature's answers is known as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The illusion that uncontrollable events are correlated with our actions is facilitated by a phenomenon known as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A correlation coefficient is a

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Research participants are randomly assigned to different groups in an experiment in order to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The personal values of psychologists are likely to influence their choice of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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Correct Answer
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