Week 2 - Research design and reporting

Question 1

An example of a longitudinal study would be…
a. The Australian swimming team records what they ate for breakfast before training.
b. After the Australian basketball team finishes a game, their stress levels are measured.
c. The wellbeing of the Australian sailing team is measured during the Olympics and 1 month after the Olympics, and compared.
d. After their plane lands, the Australian rowing team completes a questionnaire on their sleepiness.

Answer 1

c. The wellbeing of the Australian sailing team is measured during the Olympics and 1 month after the Olympics, and compared.

Question 2

Quasi-experimental designs…
a. Do not manipulate any variables; participants are assigned to a condition they select.
b. Do not manipulate any variables; participants are assigned to a condition based on non-random criteria.
c. Manipulate the minority of variables.
d. Manipulate the majority of variables.

Answer 2

b. Do not manipulate any variables; participants are assigned to a condition based on non-random criteria.

Question 3

An example of a cross-sectional study would be…
a. The Adelaide Thunderbirds netball team self-report their depression levels after their 1st game of the season.
b. The Adelaide Thunderbirds netball team wear activity trackers all season, and their activity patterns are assessed over time.
c. The Adelaide Thunderbirds netball team report their happiness levels after each game of the season.
d. The Adelaide Thunderbirds netball team players log their injuries after each game of the season.

Answer 3

a. The Adelaide Thunderbirds netball team self-report their depression levels after their 1st game of the season.

Question 4

We run an experiment investigating how monetary reward affects reaction time. Each participant undergoes each condition: (1) no monetary reward for reaction times <150ms, (2) $5 reward if >20% of reaction times <150ms, (3) $50 reward if >40% of reaction times <150ms. The order of conditions is counterbalanced across participants. What design is being used here?
a. Quasi-experimental between-subjects design
b. Experimental within-subjects design
c. Observational mixed-subjects design
d. Observational within-subjects design

Answer 4

b. Experimental within-subjects design

Question 5

We ran a study investigating how younger and older adults remember faces. All participants were presented with 20 images of faces, presented one at a time for 5 seconds, and were instructed that they should remember all images. They then engaged in a foil (distractor) task for 20 minutes, after which, they were presented with 40 images of faces, half of which were initially presented to them. They had to indicate whether the image was “old” (i.e. previously presented) or “new” (i.e. not previously presented). Correct responses were recorded and compared between the younger and older adult groups. What study design is being used here?
a. Mixed between-within subjects
b. Between-subjects
c. Within-subjects
d. Population-based

Answer 5

b. Between-subjects

Question 6

We go to a high school and collect data on numeracy and literacy from all students on one day. What can we say about the study design? It is…
a. Longitudinal, experimental and mixed (between- and within-subject assessments)
b. Longitudinal, quasi-experimental and mixed (between- and within-subject assessments)
c. Cross-sectional, experimental and between-subjects
d. Cross-sectional, observational, and between-subjects

Answer 6

d. Cross-sectional, observational, and between-subjects

Question 7

A population-based sample…
a. Is typically recruited through social media
b. Represents the structure of the underlying population.
c. Is more biased than clinic samples.
d. Cannot be randomly sampled.

Answer 7

b. Represents the structure of the underlying population.

Question 8

Most psychological research is on western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) samples. This means…
a. That highly educated people show the same pattern of responses as those with less education
b. That Universities in developing countries haven’t published their findings.
c. That findings reflect most of the world’s population.
d. That generalisation is very limited.

Answer 8

d. That generalisation is very limited.

Question 9

We advertise a study investigating the effects of bungee jumping. The poster states that participation involves bungee jumping off a man-made structure in Port Adelaide. We are most likely to observe…
a. A fear bias amongst participants
b. A healthy bias amongst participants
c. An under-coverage bias amongst participants
d. A self-selection bias among participants

Answer 9

d. A self-selection bias among participants

Question 10

Experimental designs are characterised by…
a. Manipulation of at least one variable and randomisation
b. Manipulation of at least two variables and randomisation
c. Allocation to conditions based participant characteristics
d. Conditions and manipulations

Answer 10

a. Manipulation of at least one variable and randomisation

Question 11

If we draw a random sample, we:
a. randomly select hypotheses to evaluate
b. randomly select participants to be in our study
c. randomly assign participants to levels of the independent variable
d. select participants who are a bit random

Answer 11

b. randomly select participants to be in our study

Question 12

What is not a property of distribution?
a. Symmetry
b. Central tendency
c. Information across a dataset
d. Variability

Answer 12

c. Information across a dataset

Question 13

Leptokurtic means…
a. Negative kurtosis
b. Normal distribution
c. Positive skew
d. Positive kurtosis

Answer 13

d. Positive kurtosis

Question 14

Qualitative designs use…
a. Only longitudinal (not cross-sectional)
b. Numbers
c. Descriptive representations of information
d. Numerical representations

Answer 14

c. Descriptive representations of information

Question 15

To assess test-retest reliability, we should
a. administer the test to the same people on two occasions
b. administer the test to different people on two occasions
c. administer half of the test on one occasion and the other half on another occasion
d. any of the above

Answer 15

a. administer the test to the same people on two occasions

Question 16

When a researcher chooses variables to measure a theoretical construct, she has ___ the construct.
a. validated
b. externalized
c. operationalised
d. generalised

Answer 16

c. operationalised

Question 17

Research has good ___ validity when the variables measured are highly related to the concepts under study.
a. construct
b. internal
c. external
d. operational

Answer 17

a. construct

Question 18

A researcher conducts a between groups study in which children were randomly assigned to view either an antisocial or prosocial cartoon. The researcher hypothesises that children who were exposed to the antisocial cartoon will engage in more aggressive behaviour than children who were exposed to the prosocial cartoon.
a. aggressive behaviour is the independent variable, type of cartoon is the dependent variable
b. aggressive behaviour is the dependent variable, type of cartoon is the independent variable
c. order of viewing the cartoons is the independent variable
d. none of the above

Answer 18

b. aggressive behaviour is the dependent variable, type of cartoon is the independent variable

Question 19

Prior to developing your hypothesis, you must…
a. Conduct a literature search
b. Determine if our p value is significant
c. Ensure we have a large effect
d. Collect your data

Answer 19

a. Conduct a literature search

Question 20

Counterbalancing:
a. is important in all experimental research
b. is a way of exerting experimental control in within-groups designs
c. rules out all of the threats to internal validity in non-experimental designs
d. is important when juggling knives whilst balancing on a tightrope

Answer 20

b. is a way of exerting experimental control in within-groups designs

Question 21

Participants are randomly allocated to levels of the independent variable in order to
a. increase the internal validity of a study
b. rule out the selection threat to internal validity
c. increase the external validity of the study
d. a & b

Answer 21

d. a & b

Question 22

There are four possible features of variables. They are…
a. Masking, magnitude, equal intervals, changeable zero.
b. Masking, magnitude, equal intervals, absolute zero.
c. Identity, magnitude, equal intervals, changeable zero.
d. Identity, magnitude, equal intervals, absolute zero.

Answer 22

c. Identity, magnitude, equal intervals, changeable zero.

Question 24

An example of a longitudinal study would be…
a. After their team bus arrives, the Australian cricket team completes a questionnaire on their anxiety levels
b. The Australian netball team records what they ate for lunch after training
c. After the New Zealand swimming team finishes a race, their heart rate is measured
d. The wellbeing of the English Football team is measured during the World Cup and 1 month later

Answer 24

d. The wellbeing of the English Football team is measured during the World Cup and 1 month later

Question 25

What is validity?
a. The consistency of our measurements
b. The scale has a true meaningful zero point
c. The degree to which we are measuring the construct that we think we are measuring
d. When the intervals between units on the measurement scale can be treated as equal

Answer 25

c. The degree to which we are measuring the construct that we think we are measuring

Question 26

Quasi experimental designs…
a. Do not manipulate any variables; participants are assigned to a condition they select
b. Manipulate the majority of variables; participants are assigned to a condition they select
c. Do not manipulate any variables; participants are assigned to a condition based on non-random criteria
d. Manipulate the minority of variables; participants are assigned to a condition based on non-random criteria

Answer 26

c. Do not manipulate any variables; participants are assigned to a condition based on non-random criteria

Question 27

Defining independent or dependent variables in terms of the procedures or actions used to measure them.
a. Operationalising
b. Compartmentalizing
c. Hypothesizing
d. Methods

Answer 27

a. Operationalising

Question 28

Most psychological research is on Western, educated, rich, democratic and industrialised samples. This means…
a. Universities in developing countries have published minimal findings
b. Findings reflect the majority of the world’s population
c. Generalisability is limited
d. Highly educated people show same responses as those with less education

Answer 28

c. Generalisability is limited

Question 29

It is critical in psychological research to operationalise key terms because…
a. Most variables are discernible
b. The reader needs to know what is being studied
c. The reader may conflate the hypothesis and aim
d. DVs and IVs are correlated

Answer 29

b. The reader needs to know what is being studied

Question 30

Which is NOT a step in Null Hypothesis testing?
a. Formulate a hypothesis that embodies our prediction
b. Formulate an interpretation of the data before analysis
c. Assess the “statistical significance” (p value) of the result
d. Collect some data relevant to the hypothesis

Answer 30

b. Formulate an interpretation of the data before analysis

Question 31

The Alpha value is…
a. Set before analyses are run
b. Akin to the p value
c. An alternative measure of effect size
d. Always 0.05

Answer 31

a. Set before analyses are run

Question 32

Effect size is a measure of…
a. The significance of the effect
b. The strength of the effect
c. The error of the effect
d. The variability of the effect

Answer 32

b. The strength of the effect

Question 33

I am writing a psychological research report. What is not a Method sub-section heading?
a. Participants
b. Statistical approach
c. Procedure/Method
d. Results

Answer 33

d. Results

Question 34

A good experimental research design does what?
a. Guarantees a significant p value
b. Minimises alternative explanations
c. Guarantees a large effect size
d. Sets a conservative alpha value

Answer 34

b. Minimises alternative explanations

Question 35

We use the terms predictor and outcome variable in…
a. Longitudinal research
b. Quasi-experimental research
c. Experimental research
d. Observational research

Answer 35

d. Observational research

Question 36

We use the terms independent variable and dependent variable for….
a. Observational research
b. Longitudinal but not cross-sectional designs
c. cross-sectional but not longitudinal designs
d. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs

Answer 36

d. Experimental and quasi-experimental designs

Question 37

A population-based sample…
a. Cannot be randomly sampled
b. Is more biased than aged populations
c. Represents the structure of the underlying population
d. Is recruited through social media

Answer 37

c. Represents the structure of the underlying population

Question 38

We go to a university and collect data on subjective wellbeing from all students on one day. What can we say about the study design?
a. Longitudinal, experimental, and mixed (between- and within-subject assessments)
b. Longitudinal, quasi-experimental and mixed (between- and within-subject assessments)
c. Cross-sectional, observational, and between-subjects
d. Cross-sectional, experimental and between-subjects

Answer 38

c. Cross-sectional, observational, and between-subjects

Question 39

Sampling base on pre-defined groups. E.g., equal numbers of 5-9, 10-14 and 15–19-year-olds.
a. Convenience
b. Population based
c. Stratification
d. None of the above

Answer 39

c. Stratification

Question 40

Psychological research samples need…

a. to be more diverse
b. to be smaller
c. to be skewed
d. to be stratified

Answer 40

to be more diverse

Question 41

When researching for a new study, you should primarily source what type of materials?

a. Magazines
b. Peer-reviewed published papers
c. Websites
d. Newspaper articles

Answer 41

Peer-reviewed published papers

Question 42

HARKing refers to…

a. Hypothesising After the Results are Known - and is a good research practice
b. Hypothesising After the Results are Known - and it’s not a good research practice
c. High Alpha as Results are Known - and it’s not a good research practice
d. High Alpha as Results are Known - and is a good research practice

Answer 42

Hypothesising After the Results are Known - and it’s not a good research practice

Question 43

Cognitive psychologists from Cambridge University (Conrad, Baddley, et al.) were asked to design the UK postcode system in the late 1950s. What cognitive principle did they not use?

a. working memory constraints/digit span
b. region information first as less error prone
c. letters+numbers easier to remember than numbers only
d. facial feedback hypothesis

Answer 43

facial feedback hypothesis