Research Methods Test Bank

Question 1

Science comes from the Latin word scire, which means

a) to know
b) to research
c) to question
d) all of the above

Answer 1

a) to know

Question 2

The scientific approach requires that theories be stated

a) clearly and precisely
b) as questions
c) in scientific terms
d) without reference to research

Answer 2

a) clearly and precisely

Question 3

When testing a theory, each scientific observation must be

a) replaceable.
b) replicable.
c) unique.
d) original.

Answer 3

b) replicable

Question 4

“The primary problem is an unconscious anger toward his mother.” What makes this statement unscientific?

a) It is not reliable.
b) It does not make sense.
c) It is not theoretical.
d) It is not testable.

Answer 4

d) It is not testable

Question 5

A theory

a) is derived from hypotheses.
b) is the result of long deliberation by a scientist.
c) attempts to explain a class of phenomena.
d) all of the above.

Answer 5

d) all of the above

Question 6

A good theory should

a) be incapable of being proven wrong.
b) make sense of obscure phenomena.
c) develop directly out of observations.
d) explain cause-effect relationships.

Answer 6

d) explain cause-effect relationships

Question 7

Which of the following are generated by theories?

a) case material
b) hypotheses
c) statistical significance
d) none of the above

Answer 7

b) hypotheses

Question 8

Juan wants to do a research study on whether or not studying for a test will improve students’ performance. If he believes it will, what would be his hypothesis?

a) Will studying improve test performance?
b) Will those who don’t study perform worse than those who do?
c) Students who study will perform better on the test.
d) All of the above

Answer 8

c) Students who study will perform better on the test.

Question 9

Which of the following can disprove but not prove a hypothesis?

a) correlation
b) case study
c) experiment
d) questionnaire

Answer 9

b) case study

Question 10

Dr. Lee has been treating someone with an unusual combination of symptoms. He notes that there is no published research on such a combination of symptoms, and considers developing a case study. How would Dr. Lee conduct this study?

a) Try to find other cases like the one he is treating.
b) Gather detailed historical and biographical information on this single individual.
c) Examine treatment response using an ABAB design.
d) Withhold treatment in an effort to fully understand the significance of symptoms.

Answer 10

b) Gather detailed historical and biographical information on this single individual.

Question 11

Which research method would be most useful in generating hypotheses about the cause of a newly discovered, rare abnormality?

a) case study
b) correlational method
c) experimental design
d) single-subject ABAB design

Answer 11

a) case study

Question 12

Case studies can be effective for which of the following purposes?

a) Confirming theoretical propositions.
b) Generating research hypotheses.
c) Demonstrating universal relationships.
d) Showing cause-effect relationships.

Answer 12

b) Generating research hypotheses.

Question 13

Which of the following scientific methods uses random assignment?

a) experiment
b) correlation
c) case study
d) realistic

Answer 13

a) experiment

Question 14

Case studies are not useful in

a) providing the means for ruling out alternative hypotheses.
b) providing a rich description of clinical phenomena.
c) disproving an allegedly universal hypothesis.
d) generating hypotheses.

Answer 14

a) providing the means for ruling out alternative hypotheses.

Question 15

Which of the following are valid criticisms of the case-study method?

a) It does not provide the means for ruling out alternative hypotheses.
b) It cannot provide satisfactory evidence for cause-effect relationships.
c) The results of a case study are influenced by many factors unique to the subject and the context of the case study.
d) All of the above.

Answer 15

d) All of the above.

Question 16

The research design that does NOT accomplish the goal of being able to draw broad conclusions is the

a) case-study method.
b) correlational method.
c) experimental method.
d) longitudinal design.

Answer 16

a) case-study method.

Question 17

Dr. Bradley has been conducting a case study of Brenda P., a woman with dissociative identity disorder. Which of the following statements by Dr. Bradley is a misuse of the case study method?

a) “Brenda, a woman with dissociative identity disorder, was sexually abused as a child. Therefore, all individuals with multiple personality disorder must have been abuse victims.”
b) “Since Brenda was not sexually abused, the theory that all dissociation is caused by sexual abuse may not be universally true.”
c) “Brenda was sexually molested as a child. This leads me to hypothesize that perhaps other individuals with dissociative identity disorder were molested as children.”
d) All of the above are examples of inappropriate uses of the case study.

Answer 17

a) “Brenda, a woman with dissociative identity disorder, was sexually abused as a child. Therefore, all individuals with multiple personality disorder must have been abuse victims.”

Question 18

Correlational research differs from experimental research in that correlational research

a) is associated with external validity.
b) does not involve manipulation of variables.
c) relies on significance tests.
d) samples large groups of participants.

Answer 18

b) does not involve manipulation of variables.

Question 19

Correlational data would allow one to make which of the following statements?

a) “Depression causes weight gain.”
b) “Weight gain causes people to become depressed.”
c) “Depression is associated with higher weight.”
d) “Lack of social support is the root of both depression and weight gain.”

Answer 19

c) “Depression is associated with higher weight.”

Question 20

The more intelligent a person is, the greater the chance that he or she will receive higher grades in school. Most likely, this finding comes from which type of research?

a) case study
b) epidemiology
c) correlational study
d) experiment

Answer 20

c) correlational study

Question 21

Professor Jones has observed a correlation between students sitting in the front of the room and getting better grades in her classes. In order to conduct an “experiment” on this, Professor Jones could

a) collect data on student study habits.
b) assign students randomly to seats.
c) adjust her data for overall grade point average.
d) obtain similar data from other professors and classes.

Answer 21

b) assign students randomly to seats.

Question 22

Which of the following correlation coefficient values demonstrates the highest degree of correlation?

a) -1.00
b) +0.67
c) +0.96
d) -0.84

Answer 22

a) -1.00

Question 23

If variables were found to be unrelated their correlation coefficient would be:

a) -1.00
b) 0.00
c) +1.00
d) None of the above

Answer 23

b) 0.00

Question 24

Which research design is illustrated by the following? A therapist gathers data showing that, repeatedly, a patient is better on days his wife visits and worse on days when she does not.

a) observation
b) correlational method
c) single-subject (ABAB) experiment
d) longitudinal design

Answer 24

b) correlational method

Question 25

Men and women were compared for their levels of disgust reactions to a gross photograph. This would be a(n) __________ study.

a) case
b) correlational
c) experimental
d) epidemiological

Answer 25

b) correlational

Question 26

A correlation coefficient can range in value from

a) -1.00 to +1.00.
b) -100 to +100.
c) 0 to 1.
d) 0 to 100.

Answer 26

a) -1.00 to +1.00.

Question 27

Which of the following correlations might have resulted from a study which compared grade point average to hours per week spent partying and which concluded that students who party more get poorer grades?

a) +1.50
b) +.50
c) 0.00
d) -.50

Answer 27

d) -.50

Question 28

Which of the following correlation coefficients is plausible for a study that showed that the weight of people’s clothing increases as the temperature decreases?

a) r = +.20
b) r = 0.00
c) r = -.20
d) r = -2.0

Answer 28

c) r = -.20

Question 29

Which of the following would likely produce a negative correlation?

a) intelligence and grade point averages.
b) family income and living in the inner city.
c) length of hair and history of child abuse.
d) auto accident injuries and blood alcohol level of drivers.

Answer 29

b) family income and living in the inner city.

Question 30

A correlation of .98 between X and Y would indicate

a) virtually no relationship between X and Y.
b) a causal relationship, where X causes Y.
c) a weak positive relationship between X and Y.
d) a strong positive relationship between X and Y.

Answer 30

d) a strong positive relationship between X and Y.

Question 31

If the correlation between two variables is zero, this means that

a) higher scores on one are associated with higher scores on the other.
b) they are perfectly related.
c) there is no relationship between them.
d) they are inversely related.

Answer 31

c) there is no relationship between them.

Question 32

Dr. Hauser hypothesized that depression is related to stress so that people who are more depressed are also more stressed. Which of the following correlations between depression and stress would best support her hypothesis?

a) 0
b) .55
c) .80
d) -.99

Answer 32

c) .80

Question 33

When examining a scatter diagram, the __________ scattered the points are distributed, the __________the correlation.

a) more; lower
b) more; higher
c) less; lower
d) less; higher

Answer 33

a) more; lower

Question 34

A statistical finding is usually considered significant if:

a) the probability that it is an accurate finding is 5 or less in 100
b) the probability that it is an accurate finding is 1 or less in 100
c) the probability that it is a chance finding is 5 or less in 100
d) the probability that it is a chance finding is 50 or less in 100

Answer 34

c) the probability that it is a chance finding is 5 or less in 100

Question 35

__________ is defined by whether or not a relationship between variables is large enough to matter.

a) clinical significance
b) statistical significance
c) reliable significance
d) valid significance

Answer 35

a) clinical significance

Question 36

With the __________ method, only people with above-average risk of developing a particular disorder would be studied.

a) scientific
b) correlational
c) heredity
d) high-risk

Answer 36

d) high-risk

Question 37

Saying that a research result is “statistically significant” means that it probably

a) has practical applications.
b) shows a cause-effect relationship.
c) did not occur by chance.
d) shows a positive correlation.

Answer 37

c) did not occur by chance.

Question 38

Which of the following correlation coefficients is most likely to be statistically significant?

a) .00
b) -.10
c) +.40
d) -.85

Answer 38

d) -.85

Question 39

Statistical significance is used to evaluate

a) the causal relationship between variables.
b) the external validity of research results.
c) the likelihood of repeating research results.
d) the theoretical consistency of research results.

Answer 39

c) the likelihood of repeating research results.

Question 40

The standard for suggesting that a result is statistically significant is if the chances are less than __________ in 100 that it occurred by chance.

a) .05
b) 5
c) 10
d) 25

Answer 40

b) 5

Question 41

Dr. Samuelson finds that the relation between level of hopelessness and suicide is .35, and that there is a less than 5 in 100 probability that this occured by chance alone. What would be concluded about this correlation?

a) It demonstrates that suicide attempts cause hopelessness.
b) It is statistically significant.
c) It is unreliable.
d) It is valid.

Answer 41

b) It is statistically significant.

Question 42

Which of the following findings is most likely to be statistically significant?

a) correlation = .30; sample size = 350
b) correlation = .30; sample size = 200
c) correlation = -.25; sample size = 200
d) Can’t tell from the available information

Answer 42

a) correlation = .30; sample size = 350

Question 43

If a correlation between depressive symptoms and active treatment is clinically significant, this means

a) the effect is large enough to provide reliability information.
b) the effect is large enough to provide meaningful information in predicting or treating depression.
c) it is not statistically significant.
d) that causation can be implied.

Answer 43

b) the effect is large enough to provide meaningful information in predicting or treating depression.

Question 44

Psychopathologists rely upon correlational research since

a) it is effective in determining cause and effect.
b) many of the variables they wish to study cannot be manipulated.
c) ethical considerations prevent them from doing case studies.
d) they cannot measure all the constructs.

Answer 44

b) many of the variables they wish to study cannot be manipulated.

Question 45

Which statement is TRUE regarding correlation?

a) Correlation does not imply causation.
b) Causation does not imply correlation.
c) Both a and b are true.
d) Neither a nor b are true.

Answer 45

a) Correlation does not imply causation.

Question 46

Dr. Fiedler found that people with schizophrenia are more likely to have lower socioeconomic status than those who do not have schizophrenia. What can you conclude from this study?

a) Poverty is a cause of schizophrenia.
b) Schizophrenia leads to poverty.
c) Economic reform would reduce the incidence of schizophrenia.
d) Schizophrenia and poverty are related.

Answer 46

d) Schizophrenia and poverty are related.

Question 47

Several studies have found a correlation between schizophrenia and family conflict. Which of the following explanations illustrates the directionality problem?

a) The relationship found between schizophrenia and family conflict may not be consistent in different ethnic groups.
b) Schizophrenics may be less likely to live with their families.
c) Both schizophrenia and family conflict may be caused by low socioeconomic status.
d) Family conflict may be a contributing factor in schizophrenia, or schizophrenia may contribute to family conflict.

Answer 47

d) Family conflict may be a contributing factor in schizophrenia, or schizophrenia may contribute to family conflict.

Question 48

In correlational studies it can be hard to show which variable led to a change in the other variable. This is a problem with

a) directionality.
b) cross-fostering.
c) incidence.
d) clinical significance.

Answer 48

a) directionality.

Question 49

Professor Misha collects data showing a correlation between grades and happiness. He concludes that being happy helps students to get better grades. Which of the following illustrates the “directionality problem” in Professor X’s conclusion?

a) Students in love may be happier and get better grades.
b) Good grades may produce happiness.
c) Students with poor grades may drop out of school.
d) Female (or male) students may get better grades.

Answer 49

b) Good grades may produce happiness.

Question 50

Dr. Less collected data showing that depressives were less interested in interacting with nondepressives. She concluded that their depression had caused them to withdraw from nondepressives. However, later research showed that depressives had not interacted with nondepressives even before they became depressed. Dr. Less failed to consider __________ problems.

a) high risk
b) directionality
c) third variable
d) internal validity

Answer 50

b) directionality

Question 51

Directionality is best addressed by

a) using a control group.
b) using a longitudinal design.
c) using a case study.
d) using a correlational design.

Answer 51

b) using a longitudinal design.

Question 52

You hypothesize that low social class causes poor school grades. You find that the correlation between low social class and school grades is .01. What can you conclude?

a) Your hypothesis may be correct, but a case study would be necessary to reach a firm conclusion.
b) Your hypothesis is probably incorrect.
c) There is very little relationship between social class and school grades.
d) It is likely that poor school grades lead to low social class.

Answer 52

c) There is very little relationship between social class and school grades.

Question 53

Ava wants to design a study in which the causes and effects are measured at the same point in time because it is more cost-efficient. This type of study design is called

a) longitudinal.
b) correlational.
c) cross-sectional.
d) epidemiological.

Answer 53

c) cross-sectional.

Question 54

Farrah is working on a study that selected a group of teenage girls diagnosed with an eating disorder and plans to measure risk variables in this sample repeatedly for the next 25 years. Farrah is most likely working on a study with a

a) experimental design.
b) correlational design.
c) cross-sectional design.
d) longitudinal design.

Answer 54

d) longitudinal design.

Question 55

When studying the relationship between social class and anxiety disorders, Dr. Stewart follows 50 children whose parents were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder from birth to age 30. This is an example of:

a) the experimental method.
b) an epidemiological study.
c) a behavioral-genetics study.
d) the high-risk method.

Answer 55

d) the high-risk method.

Question 56

Dr. Hall found a positive correlation between depression and child abuse: depressed mothers were more likely to abuse their children. Which of the following explanations best illustrates the third-variable problem?

a) Abusing one’s children may cause depression.
b) Poverty may cause both depression and child abuse.
c) The relationship between depression and child abuse may apply only to women.
d) Abused children may have a predisposition to become depressed.

Answer 56

b) Poverty may cause both depression and child abuse.

Question 57

A research team found that men who did not exercise had a greater rate of heart disease than those who did. Which of the following explanations best illustrates the third-variable problem?

a) Heart disease might make it more difficult for men to exercise.
b) The relationship between exercise and heart disease might not be causal.
c) Including men who smoke in the study might erase the relationship between exercise and heart disease.
d) Smoking might cause both heart disease and reluctance to exercise.

Answer 57

d) Smoking might cause both heart disease and reluctance to exercise.

Question 58

Epidemiology is the study of

a) unique cases or unusual disorders.
b) the rates and correlates of disorders in a population.
c) the development of disorders over the life span.
d) mental disorders in other cultures.

Answer 58

b) the rates and correlates of disorders in a population.

Question 59

The __________ problem is concerned with whether or not an additional variable may have caused the outcome.

a) third-variable
b) additional-variable
c) correlated-variable
d) extra-variable

Answer 59

a) third-variable

Question 60

Eric is concerned about the distribution of schizophrenia in a particular city. To answer his question he would have to look at the findings of a(n) __________ study.

a) epidemiological research
b) episodic research
c) occasional research
d) representative research

Answer 60

a) epidemiological research

Question 61

Professor Merrick wishes to study the percentage of men from various social classes who drop out of school. Which of the following methods would be most useful?

a) the experiment
b) the case study
c) epidemiological research
d) the mixed designs

Answer 61

c) epidemiological research

Question 62

There is no relationship between social class and schizophrenia. What types of research would most likely lead to such a conclusion?

a) epidemiological and case study
b) epidemiological and correlational
c) case study and mixed design
d) correlational and experimental

Answer 62

b) epidemiological and correlational

Question 63

“About 2% of adults have obsessive-compulsive disorder.” This is a statement about the __________ of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

a) incidence
b) prevalence
c) risk factor
d) correlation coefficient

Answer 63

b) prevalence

Question 64

Incidence refers to

a) the likelihood that a disorder will be found in another culture.
b) the number of people who develop new cases of the disorder in a given time period.
c) the proportion of a population that has a disorder now.
d) the likelihood that a person will have a disorder given that they have a particular characteristic.

Answer 64

b) the number of people who develop new cases of the disorder in a given time period.

Question 65

“Approximately 1500 new cases of AIDS were diagnosed in 1988 in Chicago.” This is an example of the estimate of the __________ of AIDS.

a) prevalence
b) incidence
c) risk factor
d) statistical significance

Answer 65

b) incidence

Question 66

A risk factor may be best defined as

a) the likelihood that a disorder will be found in another culture.
b) the likelihood of contracting a disorder in a given time period.
c) the proportion of a population that has a disorder now.
d) a characteristic that increases the likelihood of developing a disorder.

Answer 66

d) a characteristic that increases the likelihood of developing a disorder.

Question 67

Researchers went door to door conducting structured diagnostic interviews to determine how common particular psychiatric diagnoses were. Which type of research was this?

a) case studies
b) epidemiological
c) correlational
d) experimental

Answer 67

b) epidemiological

Question 68

Frank and Jamal are monozygotic twins, so we can expect them to:

a) look identical
b) look different
c) dress alike
d) have the same friends

Answer 68

a) look identical

Question 69

Jacob was “cross-fostered,” which means he was:

a) raised in more than one foster family
b) raised in two foster families – half his life in one family and half in the other
c) raised completely apart from his biological parents
d) raised by his grandparents and then foster care

Answer 69

c) raised completely apart from his biological parents

Question 70

“The lifetime prevalence rate of panic disorder is 3.5%.” This statement indicates that

a) new cases of panic disorder will be 3.5% of the population over the next year.
b) there is a 3.5% chance of developing panic disorder following the interview until death.
c) of individuals interviewed, 3.5% had experienced panic disorder at some point in their life.
d) the proportion of chronic panic sufferers is 3.5%.

Answer 70

c) of individuals interviewed, 3.5% had experienced panic disorder at some point in their life.

Question 71

Epidemiological research can be helpful for

a) addressing third-variable and directionality problems.
b) determining the effectiveness of different treatments.
c) planning for the health care needs of communities.
d) intensive analysis of a disease in a single individual.

Answer 71

c) planning for the health care needs of communities.

Question 72

What type of research enabled psychopathologists to discover that Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is more common in boys than in girls?

a) case study
b) epidemiological
c) experimental
d) correlational

Answer 72

b) epidemiological

Question 73

What is a common problem in epidemiological studies?

a) They are experimental.
b) They cannot measure prevalence, only incidence.
c) They often draw on samples that are not representative of the population being studied.
d) They do not use undergraduate samples.

Answer 73

c) They often draw on samples that are not representative of the population being studied.

Question 74

A study finds that children of mothers with a fear of heights are more likely to have a fear of heights themselves. Which of the following may be a reason why it would be inaccurate to conclude that a fear of heights is genetically transmitted from mother to offspring?

a) Specific phobias cannot be genetically transmitted.
b) The mothers may model phobic behavior.
c) The study did not test the possibility of the fathers having a fear of heights.
d) The children might develop their own new fears.

Answer 74

b) The mothers may model phobic behavior.

Question 75

An investigator finds that the concordance rate for bipolar disorder is higher among monozygotic twins than dizygotic twins. Which would be an INCORRECT conclusion on the basis of this finding?

a) Bipolar disorder is partially inherited.
b) Bipolar disorder is learned through interactions and observations of family members.
c) Genetics play no role in bipolar disorder.
d) Identical twins may not be treated in the same way as non-identical twins.

Answer 75

c) Genetics play no role in bipolar disorder.

Question 76

Concordance for disorders should be greater for __________ than __________ if there is a genetic predisposition for the condition.

a) monozygotic; dizygotic pairs
b) genotypic; phenotypic pairs
c) dizygotic; monozygotic pairs
d) phenotypic; genotypic pairs

Answer 76

a) monozygotic; dizygotic pairs

Question 77

In research using the twin method, a disorder is heritable if the concordance is __________ in DZ compared to MZ twins is

a) absent
b) higher
c) the same
d) lower

Answer 77

d) lower

Question 78

The best evidence supporting a genetic component to different disorders stems from

a) proband studies.
b) studies of twins reared apart.
c) sibling studies.
d) family studies.

Answer 78

b) studies of twins reared apart.

Question 79

The family method refers to

a) identifying the gene(s) believed to cause inherited disorders.
b) comparing the incidence of disorders in other members of a family.
c) examining twins raised apart.
d) examining phenotypes of nuclear families.

Answer 79

b) comparing the incidence of disorders in other members of a family.

Question 80

Which of the following is another term for an index case?

a) genotypes
b) phenotypes
c) probands
d) zygotes

Answer 80

c) probands

Question 81

A genetic explanation of schizophrenia would be supported by which of the following choices?

a) Higher concordance between MZ than DZ twins.
b) MZ twins reared apart are likely to share the disorder.
c) First-degree relatives of someone with schizophrenia are more likely to have schizophrenia than third-degree relatives.
d) All of these support a genetic explanation.

Answer 81

d) All of these support a genetic explanation.

Question 82

In this method, children are adopted and reared by adopted parents who have a particular disorder.

a) family method
b) twin method
c) experiment
d) cross-fostering

Answer 82

d) cross-fostering

Question 83

Causal relationships are best identified by which design?

a) case study
b) epidemiological
c) correlational
d) experimental

Answer 83

d) experimental

Question 84

In the field of psychopathology, what is the most common use of the experiment?

a) evaluating the effects of therapies
b) discovering the causes of disorders
c) disconfirming the results of correlational studies
d) identifying third variables

Answer 84

a) evaluating the effects of therapies

Question 85

The “experimental effect” refers to

a) manipulation of the independent variable.
b) random assignment to conditions.
c) measurement of the dependent variable.
d) differences between conditions on the dependent variable.

Answer 85

d) differences between conditions on the dependent variable.

Question 86

Professor Fulford believes that when people try to block certain thoughts, the thoughts are more intrusive. She randomly assigns participants to two groups: one that must try to prevent thoughts, and one that can think of anything they wish. What is the independent variable in this experiment?

a) participants
b) intrusive thoughts
c) thought prevention
d) think of anything

Answer 86

c) thought prevention

Question 87

Dr. Wilhelm randomly assigned 50 depressed patients (half women and half men) to two groups for treatment. One group received medication and the other received cognitive therapy. Ratings of the depression level of the subjects were taken before and after treatment. The rating of subjects’ depression level is the

a) dependent variable.
b) confound variable.
c) third variable.
d) independent variable.

Answer 87

a) dependent variable.

Question 88

In a study where participants are assigned to one of two treatment groups (medication versus cognitive therapy), the type of treatment received is the

a) third variable.
b) classificatory variable.
c) dependent variable.
d) independent variable.

Answer 88

d) independent variable.

Question 89

Persons with schizophrenia are randomly assigned to either an attention-training group or a social skills training group. Scores on a measure of thought disorder were examined after the end of the training sessions. __________ is/are the independent variable(s) and __________ is/are the dependent variable(s).

a) Schizophrenia; the thought disorder scores
b) The thought disorder scores; the treatment group.
c) The treatment group; the thought disorder scores
d) The gender of the participants; the treatment group

Answer 89

c) The treatment group; the thought disorder scores

Question 90

In a study of 100 people with panic disorder, 50 were treated with psychotherapy and 50 were treated with medication. At the end of 12 weeks of treatment, the psychotherapy group had an average score of 25 on a scale of panic severity, while the medication group had an average score of 75. This difference is called the

a) within-groups variance.
b) experimental effect.
c) internal validity.
d) none of the above.

Answer 90

b) experimental effect.

Question 91

In an experiment, control groups and random assignment are used to

a) improve internal validity.
b) increase statistical significance.
c) improve external validity.
d) minimize correlations.

Answer 91

a) improve internal validity.

Question 92

In an experimental design, the control group is the group that

a) has the disorder in question.
b) does not have the disorder in question.
c) receives the experimental treatment.
d) does not receive the experimental treatment.

Answer 92

d) does not receive the experimental treatment.

Question 93

In an experiment, the subjects in the control group do not receive the

a) third variable.
b) independent variable.
c) dependent variable.
d) experimental effect.

Answer 93

b) independent variable.

Question 94

Dr. Reside treated 20 children using a new therapeutic procedure. An outside observer rated the children’s activity level on a laboratory task before and after the treatment; 80% of the children decreased their activity level following treatment, and Dr. Reside concluded that the procedure was highly effective. What is the major problem with Dr. Reside’s experiment?

a) lack of control group
b) lack of a double-blind procedure
c) no baseline measure
d) the observer was biased

Answer 94

a) lack of control group

Question 95

When an experimenter can state with confidence that the findings from an experiment are due to the independent variable and not due to other, uncontrolled factors, the research is considered

a) testable.
b) statistically significant.
c) double-blind.
d) internally valid.

Answer 95

d) internally valid.

Question 96

The inclusion of a control group

a) always makes a study internally valid.
b) is among the criteria for a design to be considered an experiment.
c) can never be done ethically when examining the effectiveness of therapy.
d) all of the above.

Answer 96

b) is among the criteria for a design to be considered an experiment.

Question 97

Random assignment is

a) only used in a control group.
b) among the criteria for a design to be considered an experiment.
c) used in the correlational method.
d) all of the above.

Answer 97

b) among the criteria for a design to be considered an experiment.

Question 98

Chris is suffering from a migraine headache. His mother gives him a small white pill to take and tells him that it is a new medication specifically for migraines. After taking the pill, Chris reports feeling a bit better. The pill was actually just a breath mint. This phenomenon is an example of

a) misdirection.
b) malingering.
c) the placebo effect.
d) the hopefulness principle.

Answer 98

c) the placebo effect.

Question 99

Lenny is enrolled in a study examining the psychological treatment of phobias. He sees a therapist weekly and receives support and encouragement, but no gradual exposure. Lenny is most likely in

a) a treatment group.
b) a control group.
c) an independent-variable group.
d) a low-severity group.

Answer 99

b) a control group.

Question 100

When conducting a study on the effects of different medications in the treatment of depression, if the individual dispensing the medication does not know which medication he/she is giving and the patient is unaware of which medication is being received, the study is called

a) double-blind.
b) analogue.
c) externally valid.
d) confounded.

Answer 100

a) double-blind.

Question 101

Dr. Dominguez conducted a study of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. She developed a new medication that was significantly better than placebo in treating the disorder, but this effect was not found in a similar study conducted in another laboratory. Dr. Dominguez’s study has __________ internal validity and __________ external validity.

a) high; high
b) high; low
c) low; high
d) low; low

Answer 101

b) high; low

Question 102

To test the impact of therapy on depression, a researcher tells a random half of his subjects (falsely) that they failed an exam. He then conducts one hour of therapy with the “failure” subjects. One week later the subjects given false feedback are no more depressed than the control group, so the researcher concludes the treatment was effective. This would be described as which type of research?

a) a longitudinal design
b) an analogue study
c) a correlational design
d) convenience sampling

Answer 102

b) an analogue study

Question 103

Which of the following steps would improve the external validity of an analogue experiment of subclinical depression in college students?

a) Include a no-treatment control group.
b) Perform statistical analyses on the results.
c) Use clinically depressed patients.
d) Include several types of therapy.

Answer 103

c) Use clinically depressed patients.

Question 104

Dr. Brown developed a psychological test to measure anxiety. She then conducted several additional studies in which she showed that scores on her test are higher for college students during finals week, people diagnosed with anxiety disorders, and people high in psychophysiological measures of anxiety. Dr. Brown’s additional studies help demonstrate the __________ of her test.

a) external validity
b) internal validity
c) independence
d) prevalence

Answer 104

a) external validity

Question 105

Dr. Smart conducted a study that examined the physiological reactions of rats reared in isolation to the introduction of a stranger rat in their cage. She wanted to examine the effects of growing up in isolation on social behavior in order to understand more about social phobia in humans. This study is an example of

a) an analogue experiment.
b) a correlational design.
c) an experimental design.
d) none of the above.

Answer 105

a) an analogue experiment.

Question 106

Mary, who has trichotillomania (chronic hair pulling), is enrolled in a single-subject study using an ABAB design to see if she pulls more hair while watching TV. Mary watched TV during dinner for four weeks and pulled at least ten hairs a day for the four weeks. Then she left the TV off for four weeks and pulled only one hair per day for the four weeks. In the next step of this design, the experimenter should ask Mary to

a) get other subjects to follow the same procedure.
b) have her mother rate how much she eats.
c) turn the TV back on for four weeks.
d) change what she eats during dinner.

Answer 106

c) turn the TV back on for four weeks.

Question 107

In a single-subject ABAB design, ABAB refers to

a) repeatedly introducing and removing the treatment.
b) repeatedly measuring different behaviors.
c) the statistical procedure used to analyze the results.
d) repeating the procedure with additional subjects.

Answer 107

a) repeatedly introducing and removing the treatment.

Question 108

The single-subject ABAB design cannot be used to study behaviors that

a) are not prevalent in the population.
b) do not return to baseline.
c) are highly reactive.
d) have highly heritable components.

Answer 108

b) do not return to baseline.

Question 109

In the single-subject ABAB design, the letters A and B refer to different

a) individuals.
b) controls.
c) sequences.
d) measures.

Answer 109

c) sequences.

Question 110

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the text as a weakness of the ABAB design?

a) It has low internal validity.
b) Reinstating the original condition is ethically questionable.
c) It has low external validity.
d) The initial state of the subject may not be recoverable.

Answer 110

a) It has low internal validity.

Question 111

Which of the following is considered to be a reversal design?

a) BBAA
b) BABA
c) ABAB
d) AABB

Answer 111

c) ABAB

Question 112

What type of research design synthesizes information across studies to arrive at general conclusions?

a) longitudinal
b) cross-sectional
c) meta-analysis
d) reversal design

Answer 112

c) meta-analysis

Question 113

Meta-analysis is

a) a method of analyzing data for an individual study.
b) a method of examining the findings from many studies in a quantitative manner.
c) a procedure that has solved the problem of psychotherapy.
d) none of the above.

Answer 113

b) a method of examining the findings from many studies in a quantitative manner.

Question 114

Meta-analyses summarize the findings of different studies through the use of

a) correlation coefficients.
b) effect sizes.
c) between-group variance.
d) within-group variance.

Answer 114

b) effect sizes.

Question 115

Which of the following is a critique of findings from meta-analyses?

a) The summarized studies use different statistical procedures.
b) Different studies reach different conclusions.
c) They summarize findings from studies of varying quality.
d) There are usually insufficient numbers of studies to analyze.

Answer 115

c) They summarize findings from studies of varying quality.

Question 116

Statistical significance is influenced by
a) the size of the relationship between variables
b) the amount of hypotheses
c) the number of participants in the study
Statistical significance is influenced by
d) both a and c

Answer 116

d) both a and c

Question 117

If you want to determine cause and effect, which type of research method should you use?

a) Correlational
b) Case Study
c) Experimental
d) Survey

Answer 117

c) Experimental

Question 118

Which of the following is a good use of case study?

a) to illustrate a rare disorder or treatment
b) to show that theories apply to everyone
c) to prove a model
d) to show cause and effect

Answer 118

a) to illustrate a rare disorder or treatment

Question 119

In behavior genetics studies, researchers can rule out the influence of parenting variables most carefully if they conduct studies using the:

a) correlational method
b) family method
c) twin method
d) adoptees method

Answer 119

d) adoptees method

Question 120

Harry Harlow’s famous research study on newborn monkeys examined the effects
of early separation from the mother on infant monkeys. What type of research study did he use?
a) a longitudinal design
b) an analogue study
c) a correlational design
d) a twin study

Answer 120

b) an analogue study