Psychology Multis

Question 1

Once a theory has successfully predicted outcomes in 100 or more experiments, it is:
A) accepted as true and no longer tested.
B) considered to be a good theory, but not regarded as absolute truth.
C) said to conform to the law of parsimony.
D) very likely to be displaced by a new theory.

Answer 1

B) considered to be a good theory, but not regarded as absolute truth.

Question 2

One of the main differences between theories and hypotheses is that:

A) theories tend to be broader than hypotheses.
B) hypotheses tend to be broader than theories.
C) theories tend to be externally valid, whereas hypotheses tend to be internally valid.
D) theories use operational definitions, whereas hypotheses do not.

Answer 2

A) theories tend to be broader than hypotheses.

Question 3

During a survey interview, a participant decides to answer the questions in such a way as to make himself look more acceptable to the interviewer. The participant does this on his own and is NOT responding to any cues from the interviewer. This example most clearly demonstrates which limitation of survey research?

A) experimenter effects
B) demand characteristics
C) the social desirability bias
D) random sampling

Answer 3

C) the social desirability bias

Question 4

Case studies and naturalistic observations are similar research methodologies in that:

A) they are both specific types of experimental research.
B) they both frequently make use of unobtrusive measurement.
C) neither of them are susceptible to experimenter expectancy effects.
D) neither of them is well suited for making cause-and-effect interpretations.

Answer 4

D) neither of them is well suited for making cause-and-effect interpretations.

Question 5

Which of the following are all measures of central tendency?

A) mean, standard deviation, range
B) mode, statistical significance, range
C) standard deviation, mean, mode
D) mean, median, mode

Answer 5

D) mean, median, mode

Question 6

Which of the following goals is best suited to correlational research?

A) to determine cause–effect relations
B) to gather detailed information about a single variable
C) to examine associations between several variables
D) to observe behaviour in natural settings

Answer 6

C) to examine associations between several variables

Question 7

The placebo effect refers to:

A) when an unintended ‘triple blind’ design occurs.
B) how people’s behaviour can change because of their expectations rather than the treatments they receive.
C) the problems associated with drawing causal conclusions in correlational research.
D) how researchers can accidentally or unintentionally manipulate other dependent variables.

Answer 7

B) how people’s behaviour can change because of their expectations rather than the treatments they receive.

Question 8

When two observers watching the same behaviours show a high level of agreement in their coding, the coding system is said to be:

A) valid
B) invalid
C) reliable
D) unreliable

Answer 8

C) reliable

Question 9

The concept of replication is most closely associated with which of the following?

A) internal validity
B) whether the original findings can be duplicated
C) random selection
D) the placebo effect

Answer 9

B) whether the original findings can be duplicated

Question 10

Which of the following statements regarding animal research is TRUE?

A) Animal research has significantly increased in recent years.
B) Animal research has declined slightly in recent years.
C) According to American Psychological Association standards, all animal research is unethical.
D) Most psychologists and university psychology students oppose animal research.

Answer 10

B) Animal research has declined slightly in recent years.

Question 11

If a study found that career motivation was higher among recent immigrants to Australia than among Australians, most people could offer several reasonable explanations for this finding. However, if the study found that career motivation was higher among Australians than recent immigrants to Australia, most people could give an equally convincing set of explanations. This example demonstrates the problems associated with:

A) operational definitions.
B) hypotheses.
C) after-the-fact explanations.
D) theoretical predictions.

Answer 11

C) after-the-fact explanations.

Question 12

_______________ refers to the process of repeating an experiment to determine whether the same results can be obtained.

A) Replication
B) Meta-analysis
C) Random sampling
D) Program evaluation

Answer 12

A) Replication

Question 13

In experimental research the dependent variable is the one that you:

A) measure
B) manipulate
C) control
D) double-blind

Answer 13

A) measure

Question 14

A meta-analysis has the strongest association with which of the following terms?

A) placebo effect
B) representative sample
C) random selection
D) replication

Answer 14

D) replication

Question 15

Dr Williams is conducting an experiment and decides to use a design where each participant will be exposed to all of the conditions in her study. In designing her study, Dr Williams is:

A) making use of random assignment.
B) making use of an alternative to random assignment.
C) using the double-blind procedure.
D) controlling the placebo effect.

Answer 15

B) making use of an alternative to random assignment.

Question 16

An advantage of using operational definitions is that:

A) other researchers will usually agree with these definitions.
B) they let other researchers know exactly how variables have been produced or measured.
C) they automatically generate the relevant dependent and independent variables.
D) they are consistent with the law of parsimony.

Answer 16

B) they let other researchers know exactly how variables have been produced or measured.

Question 17

A psychologist is interested in studying stress. Because stress can mean different things to different people, she decides to assess stress by measuring people’s blood pressure. This psychologist has just created:

A) a control group.
B) an operational definition.
C) a population.
D) a case study.

Answer 17

NOT D

Question 18

A researcher is interested in interpersonal attraction and the factors that affect it. She looks at the effect of similarity and social warmth. Participants meet a target person who either is or is not similar to them (the similarity variable) and who is either friendly or is aloof (the social warmth variable). After interacting with the target person under these conditions, participants rate how attractive they think the target person is. In this study, similarity and social warmth are the ___________ variables and interpersonal attraction is the ___________ variable.

A) independent; dependent
B) dependent; independent
C) confounding; dependent Incorrect
D) independent; confounding

Answer 18

NOT C

Question 19

There is a strong negative correlation between two variables: variable 1 and variable 2. If a person’s score on variable 1 is low, what would be your best prediction for the person’s score on variable 2?

A) The person’s score on variable 2 should also be low.
B) The person’s score on variable 2 should be high.
C) The person’s score on variable 2 should be average.
D) The person’s score on variable 2 should be zero.

Answer 19

B) The person’s score on variable 2 should be high.

Question 20

Which of the following lists the steps of the scientific process in the proper order?

A) conduct research, ask question, gather information, create hypothesis, analyse data, build theory
B) ask question, gather information, create hypothesis, conduct research, analyse data, build theory
C) ask question, conduct research, create hypothesis, gather information, build theory, analyse data
D) ask question, conduct research, analyse data, create hypothesis, build theory, gather information

Answer 20

B) ask question, gather information, create hypothesis, conduct research, analyse data, build theory

Question 21

Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson (1966) told teachers at a primary school at the beginning of the year that certain students were ‘late bloomers’ and that these students would become strong students during the school year ahead. Sure enough, by the end of the year, the identified students were doing much better in school. In fact, the researchers had selected these children randomly. The findings are most relevant to the problem of:

A) nocebo effect.
B) the teachers’ expectations.
C) the placebo effect.
D) random sampling.

Answer 21

B) the teachers’ expectations.

Question 22

One of the essential differences between experimental research and correlational research is that:

A) in experimental research all variables are measured, but in correlational research at least one variable is manipulated.
B) in correlational research all variables are measured, but in experimental research at least one variable is manipulated.
C) experimental research tends to use random sampling, but correlational research uses random assignment.
D) experimental research tends to have higher external validity than correlational research.

Answer 22

NOT D

Question 23

The double-blind procedure strengthens the internal validity of a study because:

A) it minimises the effect of experimenter or participant expectations on the outcome of an experiment.
B) it creates more confounding variables in the experiment.
C) it eliminates the problem of the social desirability bias.
D) it ensures that a given sample is representative of the population from which it is drawn.

Answer 23

A) it minimises the effect of experimenter or participant expectations on the outcome of an experiment.

Question 24

Measures of variability:

A) capture the degree of variation in a distribution of scores.
B) address the question, ‘What’s the typical score?’
C) tell us how likely it is our findings occurred simply due to chance.
D)is the most frequently occurring score in a distribution.

Answer 24

A) capture the degree of variation in a distribution of scores.

Question 25

In order to learn about the social behaviour of children, a developmental psychologist goes to a primary school and watches the children playing in the playground outside during recess. This psychologist is engaged in which method of research?

A) naturalistic observation
B) correlational research
C) a case study
D) experiment research

Answer 25

A) naturalistic observation

Question 26

A(n) ______________ refers to any characteristic that can vary.

A) operational definition
B) hypothesis
C) variable
D) theory

Answer 26

C) variable

Question 27

Experimenter expectancy effects are:

A) subtle cues that participants pick up about the hypotheses of an experiment.
B) subtle and unintentional ways that experimenters can influence their participants to respond in ways consistent with experimental hypotheses.
C) instances in which participants improve because of their expectations rather than the actual treatments they receive.
D) instances in which experimenters mistakenly use random selection instead of random assignment.

Answer 27

B) subtle and unintentional ways that experimenters can influence their participants to respond in ways consistent with experimental hypotheses.

Question 28

A researcher simply tells participants to form groups with their friends without using any special method to introduce a chance element (e.g. tossing a coin). This form of assignment is:

A) stratified random assignment
B) representative
C) not random
D) random.

Answer 28

C) not random

Question 29

The apparent improvement in Vang’s symptoms after seeing a shaman for Hmong Sudden Death Syndrome could have been due to:

A) culturally inappropriate intervention
B) the placebo effect
C) experimenter expectation
D) inhaling the smoke of the shaman’s incense.

Answer 29

B) the placebo effect

Question 30

Dr Sussman studies the effect of various motivational factors on job performance. In her study, she does an excellent job of controlling extraneous factors, and as a result we can have high confidence in the causal conclusions she draws. However, the participants in her study were from a select group of the population and, therefore, Dr Sussman will be limited in terms of her ability to apply her results to other people and situations. Taken as a whole, this study would be said to have ________ internal validity and __________ external validity.

A) good; good
B) poor; good
C) good; poor
D) poor; poor

Answer 30

C) good; poor

Question 31

A clinical psychologist developed a new form of psychotherapy for a particular personality disorder. To test its effectiveness, a group of people with the personality disorder receives the therapy for eight weeks. A second group of people with the disorder is also created, but this group receives no therapy at all. At the end of the eight weeks, the mental health of people in both groups is assessed to evaluate the new psychotherapy. In this study, the people who did NOT receive any therapy would be in the:

A) experimental group.
B) control group.
C) random group.
D) sample group.

Answer 31

B) control group.

Question 32

If you are conducting research that involves making observations of people’s behaviour, one major issue that you would need to be concerned about is:

A) that people may behave differently when they know they are being watched.
B) that if you do not have a representative sample, then your observations will be confounded.
C) that people’s behaviours often do not have good internal validity.
D) that you must consider at least two different variables in order to draw cause-and-effect conclusions.

Answer 32

A) that people may behave differently when they know they are being watched.

Question 33

In Australia, the organisation determining ethical guidelines for human and animal research is the:

A) Australian Medical Association (AMA)
B) Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
C) National Ethical Guidelines Council (NEGC)
D) National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Answer 33

D) National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

Question 34

A university rejected the need for more childcare places on the basis of a survey of 150 young students attending daytime classes. The problem with this sample is that:

A) it is too small to draw valid conclusions.
B) students with parental responsibilities are more likely to attend in the evening.
C) women are under-represented.
D) it could very easily be unrepresentative producing a distorted result.

Answer 34

D) it could very easily be unrepresentative producing a distorted result.

Question 35

A clinical psychologist observed an association between parental anger and childhood self-esteem. Parents who score higher on ratings of anger and hostility tend to have children who have lower self-esteem. If her impressions are correct, the relation between parental anger and childhood self-esteem would be an example of:

A) a positive correlation.
B) zero correlation.
C) a negative correlation.
D) random correlation.

Answer 35

C) a negative correlation.

Question 36

One of the important advantages of correlational research is that:

A) it can be used to infer causal relations. Incorrect
B) it is not susceptible to the social desirability bias.
C) it can be used to make predictions.
D) it tends to have higher internal validity than do other research methods.

Answer 36

not a

Question 37

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the case study research method?

A) A single case study cannot be used to refute or challenge a theory.
B) Case studies often have high internal validity.
C) Case studies often have questionable generalisability.
D) A case study is a poor method for studying rare events or people.

Answer 37

C) Case studies often have questionable generalisability.

Question 38

All of the research methodologies presented in the text share the common feature that:

A) they all involve the manipulation of at least one variable.
B) they are all used to test hypotheses and build theories.
C) they all have high external validity.
D) they are all are well suited for drawing cause-and-effect conclusions.

Answer 38

not a

Question 39

Which of the following would specifically be an advantage of the case study method of research?

A) Case studies generally are not susceptible to experimenter expectancy effects. Incorrect
B) Case studies are a good method for studying rare events.
C) Case studies are very useful for determining cause–effect relationships.
D) Case studies generally are not vulnerable to experimental confounds.

Answer 39

not a

Question 40

In an experiment, the main difference between internal validity and external validity is that:

A) external validity concerns the degree to which the experiment supports clear causal conclusions, whereas internal validity concerns the generalisability of the results.
B) internal validity concerns the degree to which an experiment supports clear causal conclusions, whereas external validity concerns the generalisability of the results.
C) internal validity is based on random sampling, whereas external validity is based on random selection.
D) internal validity is based on random selection, whereas external validity is based on random sampling.

Answer 40

B) internal validity concerns the degree to which an experiment supports clear causal conclusions, whereas external validity concerns the generalisability of the results.

Question 41

Dr Little has heard that people become more politically conservative as they get older. She decides to see if this is true. She conducts a telephone survey in which she asks participants their age and political identification. She then determines whether there is a relation between these two variables. Which of the following research designs best describes Dr Little’s research?

A) experimental research
B) correlational research
C) naturalistic observation Incorrect
D) behavioural observation

Answer 41

not c

Question 42

In _______________, information about an area of interest is gained by administering questionnaires or interviews to many people.

A) case studies
B) naturalistic observations
C) survey research
D) experimental research

Answer 42

not a

Question 43

The case study is an example of which kind of research method?

A) descriptive research
B) correlational research
C) experimental research
D) hypothetical research

Answer 43

not b

Question 44

A psychologist studies the effectiveness of a new computer program in helping students learn maths. She tests this new program with a group of high school students. At this particular school, the boys and girls are disruptive when they are in the same classroom, so she runs them separately in the experiment. She creates a group of boys who use the computer program four times per week. She creates a group of girls who do not use the computer program to serve as a comparison group. This experimental design is flawed because gender is a ______________ and so, the internal validity of the study has been __________.

A) confounding variable; lowered
B) dependent variable; lowered
C) confounding variable; raised
D) dependent variable; raised

Answer 44

A) confounding variable; lowered

Question 45

You study 100 children for a month, measuring how much TV they watch and how many aggressive acts they perform. You find that TV watching and aggression are highly and positively correlated. Based on this study, you:

A) can conclude that watching TV caused children to behave more aggressively.
B) can conclude that an aggressive personality causes children to watch more TV.
C) can conclude that TV watching and aggression are causally related, although you can’t tell which causes which.
D) cannot draw any causal conclusions from the relation between TV watching and aggression.

Answer 45

not c

Question 46

As part of their research on bystander apathy, John Darley and Bibb Latané created fake ‘emergencies’ in their experimental laboratory and observed people’s responses. When making these observations, what step of the scientific process were they engaged in?

A) creating a hypothesis
B) creating a prediction
C) generating a theory
D) conducting research

Answer 46

D) conducting research

Question 47

All of the following decrease internal validity, EXCEPT:

A) random assignment.
B) confounding variables.
C) demand characteristics.
D) the placebo effect.

Answer 47

A) random assignment.

Question 48

In experimental research, the researcher ______________ the independent variable and _________________ the dependent variable.

A) manipulates; manipulates
B) manipulates; measures
C) measures; manipulates
D) measures; measures

Answer 48

B) manipulates; measures

Question 49

A hypothesis is best considered as a(n):
A) specific prediction about some phenomenon.
B) attempt to explain something after it has already occurred.
C) set of formal statements that explain how certain events are related to one another.
D) particular type of experimenter expectancy.

Answer 49

A) specific prediction about some phenomenon.

Question 50

If a sample in a survey accurately reflects the important characteristics of the population from which it is drawn (e.g. the sample has 53% women and the population has 53% women), the sample is said to be:

A) a random sample.
B) a representative sample.
C) randomly assigned.
D) internally valid.

Answer 50

B) a representative sample.

Question 51

Random assignment controls for important differences between individual participants by ____________. This is in contrast to designs in which each participant is exposed to each condition or group in an experiment. These latter designs control for individual differences by ___________.

A) balancing them; randomly sampling them
B) holding them constant; balancing them
C) balancing them; holding them constant
D) randomly sampling them; holding them constant

Answer 51

not d

Question 52

The ________________ refers to the notion that if two theories can equally explain and predict the same phenomenon, then the simpler one is the preferred theory.

A) law of least complexity
B) law of parsimony
C) law of consistency
D) law of simplicity

Answer 52

B) law of parsimony

Question 53

_______________ refers to the process of repeating an experiment to determine whether the same results can be obtained.

A) Replication
B) Meta-analysis
C) Random sampling
D) Program evaluation

Answer 53

A) Replication

Question 54

Imagine a research area in psychology in which there are several conflicting findings and theories. You develop a new theory that explains the findings of this area within a single broad framework. Your theory best demonstrates which characteristic of a good theory?

A) Your theory conforms to the law of parsimony.
B) Your theory’s predictions are supported by new research.
C) Your theory is testable.
D) Your theory organises information in a meaningful way.

Answer 54

not a

Question 55

Often, psychological researchers will manipulate more than one variable in an experiment. The main reason for this is that:

A) it reduces demand characteristics.
B) it better captures the complexity of human behaviour in real life.
C) it allows variables to be both independent variables and dependent variables at the same time.
D) it reduces experimenter expectancy effects.

Answer 55

not a

Question 56

In survey research, _____________ is typically used to ensure that a sample is representative, whereas in experiments, _____________ is used to balance differences between subjects across the various experimental groups.

A) random sampling; random assignment
B) random assignment; random sampling
C) random sampling; random appointment
D) random appointment; random assignment

Answer 56

A) random sampling; random assignment

Question 57

What are the three essential characteristics of experimentation?

A) measure one variable, measure another variable, examine correlation between the two variables
B) manipulate one variable, measure another variable, attempt to control other factors
C) manipulate one variable, manipulate another variable, examine correlation between the two variables
D) manipulate one variable, manipulate another variable, attempt to control other factors

Answer 57

B) manipulate one variable, measure another variable, attempt to control other factors

Question 58

Assume that you are a researcher conducting a survey. Which of the following steps would be most important if you wanted to ensure that the sample in your survey is representative?

A) Use random assignment to create your sample.
B) Use unobtrusive measures of behaviour.
C) Use random sampling to create your sample.
D) Use a placebo control group in your survey.

Answer 58

C) Use random sampling to create your sample.

Question 59

Scientists typically test their understanding through:

A) prediction and control.
B) hindsight understanding.
C) after-the-fact understanding.
D) the use of survey research.

Answer 59

A) prediction and control.

Question 60

A psychologist during Freud’s era created a new and different theory designed to explain human behaviour. Using this new theory, it is relatively easy to design studies and experiments to evaluate its validity. This is in contrast to the concepts of Freud’s theory, which are very difficult to measure. This new theory best illustrates which characteristic of good theory?

A) The theory is testable.
B) The theory is parsimonious.
C) The theory’s predictions are consistent with the findings of new research.
D) The theory organises information in a meaningful way.

Answer 60

A) The theory is testable.

Question 61

Placebo effects make it difficult to draw causal conclusions because we can’t tell whether:

A) it is the treatment or the participants’ expectations that are responsible for the results.
B) it is the treatment or the experimenters’ expectations that are responsible for the results.
C) random sampling or random assignment is the appropriate procedure to use.
D) it is the independent variable or the dependent variable that is responsible for the results.

Answer 61

A) it is the treatment or the participants’ expectations that are responsible for the results.

Question 62

If you want to know whether your latest research finding will extend to real-world situations, which of the following designs would be most useful?

A) a case study
B) a lab-based experiment
C) a correlational study
D) a double-blind study

Answer 62

not a