Chapter 1 practice (notes)

Question 1

your mother told you not to eat cookie dough because it will give you worms
what method was knowledge acquired through?

Answer 1

authority

Question 2

mary explains that men are emotionally less sensitive than women because she has always believed it and because everyone knows that it is true
what method was knowledge acquired through?

Answer 2

common sense

Question 3

because all psychology professors are intelligent, and bob is a psychology professor, you conclude that bob is intelligent

Answer 3

logic

Question 4

1. Which of the following is not a characteristic of science, but rather a goal of science?
   a. objectivity and empiricism
   b. description
   c. open-mindedness
   d. healthy scepticism

Answer 4

description

Question 5

2. Which of the following sets of variables are most likely to be correlated?
   a. shoe size and intelligence
   b. stress level and height
   c. pupil size and hair length
   d. reading ability and test scores

Answer 5

reading ability and test scores

Question 6

3. If a psychologist wanted to know why variable A caused changes in variable B then s/he would need to run a(n):
   a. correlational design.
   b. experimental design.
   c. applied research design.
   d. We cannot find causal relationships in psychology.

Answer 6

experimental design

Question 7

4. Most psychologists seek to find general laws about behaviour by measuring large numbers of people and then using statistics to summarize their results. This type of research is both:
   a. nomothetic and qualitative.
   b. idiographic and quantitative.
   c. idiographic and qualitative.
   d. nomothetic and quantitative.

Answer 7

nomothetic and quantitative

Question 8

1. Using examples, differentiate between empirical and non-empirical methods of knowing.

Question 9

2. Describe the characteristics and assumptions of science.

Question 10

3. Explain the basic principles involved in the “scientific method.”

Question 11

4. Describe the four basic goals of psychology and the criteria for causal claims and the criteria for causal claims.

Question 12

5. Examine and discuss using examples the differences between basic and applied behavioural
   research.

Question 13

what is empirical knowledge gained through?

Answer 13

experience

Question 14

what is a correlation?

Answer 14

a measure of the association of two related variables

Question 15

4. Your final exam for a research methods course contains 50 multiple-choice questions that appear to testing knowledge of English literature. The final exam:
   a. lacks reliability.
   b. lacks validity.
   c. is appropriate because the history of science was covered in unit 1.
   d. lacks predictive power because a correlation has not been performed.

Answer 15

lacks validity

Question 16

5. Which of the following is not a goal of science?
   a. description
   b. prediction and association
   c. understanding the causes of behaviour
   d. scepticism of the research results

Answer 16

skepticism of the research results

Question 17

6. Which of the following statements is true?
   a. Correlation and causation are the same thing.
   b. Correlation implies causation.
   c. Causation implies correlation.
   d. Correlation implies association.

Answer 17

correlation implies association

Question 18

7. Which of the following is not true?
   a. The scientific method is based on facts.
   b. The scientific method collects facts.
   c. The scientific method links facts to theories.
   d. The scientific method needs its facts to be verified.

Answer 18

scientific method is based on facts

Question 19

8. Quantitative research can be best described as:
   a. numerically oriented.
   b. conceptually driven.
   c. open-ended.
   d. based on theory.

Answer 19

numerically oriented

Question 20

9. Hypotheses are testable statements that describe the relationships between variables. Which of the following statements best illustrates a hypothesis?
   a. Abortion is morally wrong.
   b. There is a difference between the verbal skills of three-year-old boys and three-year-old girls.
   c. The brain emits thought waves that influence others but cannot be measured or recorded in any fashion.
   d. If people had gills, there would be a lot fewer cases of schizophrenia.

Answer 20

there is a difference between the verbal skills of three- year- old boys and three- year- old girls

Question 21

10. Ford says that their minivans are the safest on the road. If you believe this statement, then this knowledge was acquired through which process?
    a. common sense
    b. logic
    c. authority
    d. science

Answer 21

authority

Question 22

1. Determine whether or not each of the following statements is a testable and refutable hypothesis. If not, please explain your reasoning.
   * If the ozone layer is truly depleting, then there will be a trend for thicker and darker skinned animals and plants that could better withstand the increased intensity of solar radiation.

Answer 22

The ozone leading to thicker-skinned animals and plants statement is not testable and refutable. In order for a statement to be a hypothesis it must be testable. In other words, we need to be able to make observations that will either support or refute the statement. While we may be able to speculate about what will happen if the ozone layer depletes, it would be very difficult to observe the gradual effects of ozone depletion on animals and plants. This statement is therefore an inappropriate scientific hypothesis. Therapy with drug A will decrease the symptoms of depression. This statement is both refutable and testable. The statement makes a positive prediction about the existence of something and thus is readily refutable. In addition, it would be relatively easy to observe the effectiveness of drug A on depressive symptoms thus the statement is testable. This statement is an appropriate scientific hypothesis.