An Introduction to The World of Psychology Pt 3

111. A case study would be the most appropriate method to investigate which of these topics? a) The ways in which the games of boys differ from the games of girls. b) The development of a male baby raised as a female after a surgical error destroyed his penis. Correct. A case study involves investigating only one person in great detail. c) The math skills of students in Japan as compared to those of U.S. students. Incorrect. A case study involves investigating only one person and is not appropriate for comparing cultures. d) Physiological changes that occur when people watch violent movies. ANS: b 112. Sigmund Freud’s primary research approach was __________ a) the naturalistic study. b) survey research. c) experimental study. Incorrect. Freud did not do formal experiments, and in fact most of his theories are not testable using formal experiments. d) the case study. Correct. The basis of most of Freud’s theories came from in-depth studies of individual clients, which is the description of a case study. ANS: d 113. Which of the following does a case study allow you to do? a) apply findings to different cultures b) generalize findings to larger groups Incorrect. A lack of generalizability is one of the main criticisms of the case study approach. c) establish the cause of behaviors d) advance knowledge in an area of psychology Correct. The high amount of information that can be gathered in a case study can advance many different theories of psychology, but the case study does have limitations as well. ANS: d 114. You overhear psychology students preparing for a test. They note that one of the research methods often “fails to generalize.” Which method is the MOST likely topic of their discussion? a) correlation b) case study Correct. A case study focuses on one subject, and the information gained from it might not be generally true of other similar subjects. c) experiment d) surveys Incorrect. Surveys typically do generalize because the samples taken are somewhat random. ANS: b Learning Objective 1.18 – How do researchers ensure that survey results are useful? 115. Bernice received a phone call from a person interested in finding out her views on a specific politician. It is likely that she is a participant in a __________ a) sample. Incorrect. Bernice may be a part of a survey sample, but this is not the best answer to this question. b) population. c) survey. Correct. Surveys are often used to assess people’s attitudes or opinions on various topics. d) representative sample. ANS: c 116. Which of the following questions could be answered best by using the survey method? a) What is the effect of ingesting alcohol on problem-solving ability? Incorrect. Surveying students about their problem-solving abilities while drunk would allow too much room for subjectivity and give results with no accurate standards for analysis or comparison. b) Does wall color affect the frequency of violence in prison populations? c) Do students prefer a grading system with or without pluses and minuses? Correct. Student preferences are about opinions, and surveys are good at gathering the opinions of many people. d) What is the relationship between number of hours of study per week and grade point average? ANS: c 117. A researcher stops people at the mall and asks them questions about their attitudes toward gun control. Which research technique is being used? a) survey Correct. A survey asks the same questions of many people. b) experiment c) case study d) naturalistic observation Incorrect. Naturalistic observation never involves asking questions. ANS: a 118. Participants selected for a survey from a population make up a group referred to as a __________ a) subpopulation. Incorrect. “Subpopulation” is not a formal term in psychological research. b) critical mass. c) subgroup. d) sample. Correct. A sample represents the population from which it is drawn. ANS: d 119. A __________ includes all the subgroups within a given population in numbers that are proportionally equal to those found in that population. a) selective sample b) survey group c) biased sample Incorrect. A biased sample occurs when it does not accurately reflect, or represent, the population from which it is drawn. d) representative sample Correct. A proper sample should accurately reflect, or represent, the population from which it is drawn. ANS: d 120. In conducting a survey of the sexual behaviors of young adults, which sampling technique below would be the most “scientific”? a) taking a random sample of 2,000 young adults Correct. If the research is exploring the population of young adults, then the sample should be drawn from young adults as well without any additional specifications or restrictions. b) polling 10,000 young adults who volunteer for the survey c) polling readers of magazines like Playboy d) polling college students on a nearby campus Incorrect. Given the often inflated sexual culture of a college campus, this would probably not be a sample that perfectly represents the population of “all” young adults. ANS: a 121. Dr. Wiseman wants to know about the alcohol consumption patterns among college juniors in the United States. He should __________ a) give the survey to every college junior in the country. Incorrect. It is impossible to survey every college junior. b) remember that sample size is the most critical factor in survey research. c) require students’ names on each survey to avoid the tendency to lie. d) draw a representative sample among college juniors. Correct. A representative sample should give enough information to enable him to generalize his findings to all juniors. ANS: d 122. A group of randomly selected subjects for study that matches the population on important characteristics such as age and sex is called __________ a) volunteer bias. b) a representative sample. Correct. A representative sample is a randomly selected group that matches the population on important characteristics. c) the experimental group. Incorrect. An experimental group is not necessarily representative of the population. d) the control group. ANS: b 123. The editors of Scientific American are able to obtain a representative sample of their readers in order to assess their attitudes toward preservation of the rain forests in Costa Rica. When interpreting the results of their survey, the editors will be able to __________ a) apply the results to the entire U.S. population. Incorrect. Readers of Scientific American are not representative of the entire U.S. population. b) apply the results to Costa Rica. c) apply the results to subscribers of Scientific American. Correct. The editors picked a representative sample of their own readers. d) apply the result to scientists. ANS: c 124. The magazine Desperate Wives publishes a survey of its female readers called “The Sex Life of the American Wife.” It reports that 87 percent of all wives like to make love in rubber boots. A more accurate title for this survey would be __________ a) “Rubber Boot Preferences and the American Wife.” b) “The New Sexuality in America: Rubber Boots in Bed!” c) “The Sex Lives of Our Readers: Desperate Wives Women Respond.” Correct. The article, like the survey, should focus on the readers of the magazine. d) “Sex in America: These Boots Were Made for Walking and for. . . .” Incorrect. The results of the survey do not apply to all Americans, only to the readers of the magazine. ANS: c 125. The magazine Desperate Wives publishes a survey of its female readers called “The Sex Life of the American Wife.” It reports that 87 percent of all wives like to make love in rubber boots. The critical flaw in this research would be __________ a) the fact that the sample is not representative of American wives. Correct. The survey asks only readers of the magazine, and they are not representative of all American wives. b) the fact that a psychological test, rather than a survey, should have been given. Incorrect. There is no mention of the need for a psychological test in this situation. c) the fact that rubber boots are not equally available in all regions of the country. d) the fact that making love has not been operationally defined. ANS: a 126. The social desirability response is seen when participants __________ a) deliberately mislead the researcher. Incorrect. While some survey respondents may try to mislead a researcher the social desirability effect refers to those who are more interested in presenting themselves positively. b) try to present themselves in a good light. Correct. When a survey question focuses on a very touchy or sensitive subject, participants may answer in a way that makes them look good but is not entirely honest. c) provide inaccurate information because they misunderstand the questions. d) deliberately avoid stressful subjects. ANS: b Learning Objective 1.19 – What are the strengths and weaknesses of the correlational method? 127. A(n) ___ is a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another. a) independent variable Incorrect. The independent variable is the variable that the experimenter manipulates. b) dependent variable c) experimental effect d) correlation Correct. A correlation measures how strongly two variables are related. ANS: d 128. Which method would be used to measure the degree of relationship between two variables like alcohol consumption and grades? a) the case study b) the correlational method Correct. A correlation is a relationship between two variables. c) the experimental method Incorrect. An experiment is used to determine cause-and-effect, not just the “degree” of a relationship. d) the meta-analysis method ANS: b 129. The word correlation is often used as a synonym for __________ a) validity. Incorrect. Validity is unrelated to correlation. b) reliability c) variable d) relationship Correct. Correlation means relationship. ANS: d 130. Drinking orange juice is negatively correlated with the risk of cancer. Based on this information, which of the following statements is true? a) The more orange juice you drink, the higher your risk of cancer. Incorrect. When the two variables move up or down together, that is a positive correlation. b) The more orange juice you drink, the lower your risk of cancer. Correct. When as one variable goes up (juice drinking) the other goes down (risk of cancer), that is a negative correlation. c) The less orange juice you drink, the lower your risk of cancer. d) Drinking orange juice causes people to be cancer free. ANS: b 131. Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the STRONGEST relationship? a) -.97 Correct. Of all of the answers, this one is the closest to + 1.00 without going over. b) +.79 c) +1.03 Incorrect. It is not possible to have a correlation greater than + 1.00. d) -.82 ANS: a 132. Which of the following correlation coefficients represents the WEAKEST relationship? a) -.97 Incorrect. Even though this coefficient is negative, it is still the strongest because its number (regardless of its sign) is the closest to 1.00. b) +.49 Correct. The closer a correlation coefficient gets to zero (whether it is positive or negative), the weaker the relationship it indicates. c) +.83 d) -.52 ANS: b 133. Which of the following statements is correct concerning correlation coefficients? a) A correlation of +.89 is strong and –.89 is weak. Incorrect. Both +.89 and –.89 are equally strong since they are the same distance from 0. b) A correlation of +.89 and –.89 are both strong and equally so. Correct. Both +.89 and –.89 are the same distance from 0. c) Correlation coefficients are indicators of cause and effect. d) A correlation of +1.5 is very strong ANS: b 134. A correlation is a numerical measure of the __________ a) unintended changes in participants’ behavior due to cues from the experimenter. Incorrect. There are no cues involved in correlation. b) relationship between two variables. Correct. Relationship strength is determined by the numerical correlation. c) behaviors of participants of different ages compared at a given time. d) behaviors of participants followed and periodically assessed over time . ANS: b 135. A correlation coefficient represents two things: __________ and __________. a) a representative sample; strength b) strength; direction of the relationship Correct. These are the two concepts that a correlation coefficient represents. c) the experimental group; control group d) direction of the relationship; expectant functionality Incorrect. Direction of the relationship is accurate, but expectant functionality is a made-up term. ANS: b 136. A correlation coefficient shows that smoking and life expectancy are indeed related. As a result, a researcher could predict _____________ if the direction of the relationship is known. a) if a person smokes a lot of cigarettes, he or she will have less money monthly to buy gas b) the person’s life expectancy will go up or down based on the number of cigarettes the person smokes daily Correct. The directionality of the correlation coefficient can predict this relationship. c) if a person smokes cigarettes, he or she will eventually develop lung cancer d) a person’s lungs will repair themselves and he or she will live a longer life Incorrect. The correlation mentioned did not include information about lungs. ANS: b 137. A correlation coefficient shows that alcohol consumption and driving accidents are indeed related. As a result, a researcher could predict _____________ if the direction of the relationship is known. a) the number of arrests a person has will go up or down based on the type of car an individual drives b) the number of driving accidents a person has will go up or down based on the number of alcoholic drinks consumed Correct. The directionality of the correlation coefficient can predict this relationship. c) the number of arrests will increase the fewer drinks an individual consumes d) the number of driving accidents a person has will contribute to the number of days spent in jail Incorrect. The correlation mentioned did not include information about days spent in jail. ANS: b 138. All of the following variables, except for a) height and weight Incorrect. These variables go in the same direction. b) men’s educational level and their income c) alcohol consumption and scores on a driving test Correct. In this case one goes up the other goes down. d) school grades and IQ scores ANS: c , would probably show a positive correlation. 139. All of the following variables, except for , would probably show a negative correlation. a) average income and the incidence of dental disease b) adult shoe size and IQ scores Correct. There is no correlation (i.e., relationship) here. c) the value of a car and the age of a car d) hours spent watching TV and grade-point average Incorrect. As one goes up, the other goes down, and that is a negative correlation. ANS: b 140. A negative correlation means that __________ a) high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other. Correct. A negative correlation means that high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other. b) high values of one variable are associated with high values of the other. Incorrect. A negative correlation means that high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other. c) low values of one variable are associated with low values of the other. d) there is no relationship between the two variables. ANS: a 141. Mrs. Mathews, a second-grade teacher, has noted that when students increase their compliance with her requests, their sharing behavior also increases. This is called a(n) ___________ a) correlation coefficient. b) negative correlation. c) inverse correlation. Incorrect. An inverse relationship between variables is indicated by a negative correlation. This is not the case in this example. This question indicates a direct relationship, or a positive correlation. d) positive correlation. Correct. In this relationship, both variables move in the same direction. This is a positive correlation. ANS: d 142. Georgio notices that the cooler it is outside the harder it is for him to stay awake. For Georgio, the relationship between feeling drowsy and the outdoor temperature is a(n) __________ a) correlation coefficient. b) negative correlation. Correct. As one variable goes down the other goes up. This is a negative correlation. c) inverse relationship. Incorrect. This is an inverse relationship, but in correlational terms this is a negative correlation. d) positive correlation. ANS: b 143. Julie finds that the number of hours she sleeps each night is related to the scores she receives on quizzes the next day. As her sleep approaches 8 hours, her quiz scores improve; as her sleep drops to 5 hours, her quiz scores show a similar decline. Julie realizes that __________ a) there is a negative correlation between the number of hours she sleeps and her quiz grades. Incorrect. Both variables in the example move in the same direction and, therefore, have a positive correlation. b) there is a positive correlation between the number of hours she sleeps and her quiz grades. Correct. Both variables in the example move in the same direction and, therefore, have a positive correlation. c) her low quiz scores are caused by sleep deprivation the night before a quiz. d) she should sleep about 10 hours a night to ensure 100 percent quiz grades. ANS: b 144. Which of the following provides a likely example of two positively correlated variables? a) hours spent playing computer games and hours spent outdoors b) annual number of days missed from work and annual production bonus wages c) average daily temperature and number of people at the beach Correct. As temperature rises, so too would the number of people at the beach. This is a positive correlation. d) number of students an instructor has in a class and time spent with each individual Incorrect. It is reasonable to assume that the larger a class is, the less time a teacher would have to spend with each student. This inverse relationship is a negative correlation. ANS: c 145. Which of the following would be true if the number of hours students spend watching T.V. is negatively correlated with their grades in school? a) Students who watch less T.V. would have the higher grades. Correct. This relationship indicates a negative correlation, as the two variables move in the opposite direction. b) Students who watch more T.V. would have the higher grades. c) T.V. viewing would not be related to grades in any systematic way. d) T.V. viewing would be the independent variable in the study. Incorrect. There are no independent or dependent variables in correlational research. These are experimental terms. ANS: a 146. The relationship between smoking and lung cancer was noted in several studies years before the Surgeon General of the United States was willing to claim that cigarette smoking did cause lung cancer. What was the primary reason for the reluctance? a) Cause-and-effect conclusions should not be made from correlational data. Correct. Correlational research cannot be used to determine relationships of causality. That requires an experiment. b) The samples were not representative of the population. c) The study results were contaminated by experimenter effects. Incorrect. It is not possible to have “experimenter effects” in a study that is not an experiment. d) The tobacco industry funded several important studies that found different conclusions. ANS: a 147. Professor Holden gives a psychology exam on the origins of intelligence. She gives a short answer question based on the IQ scores of a parent–child pair. In order to answer the question correctly, her students need to remember that __________ a) a parent’s high IQ does not necessarily cause a child to have a high IQ. Correct. Correlation does not prove causation. b) given these variables, the correlation will be positive. Incorrect. The fact that a parent has a high IQ is not necessarily related to his or her child’s IQ. c) given these variables, the correlation will be negative. d) given these variables, the correlation will be uncorrelated. ANS: a The Experimental Method Learning Objective 1.20 – Why do researchers use experiments to test hypotheses about cause-effect relationships? 148. The research method that is used to explore cause-and-effect relationships between variables is __________ a) the experimental method. Correct. Experimentation is the only form of research that allows for the concluding of cause and effect relationships. b) naturalistic observation. c) the correlational method. Incorrect. The main limitation of the correlational method is its inability to determine cause and effect relationships. d) the case study. ANS: a 149. In Alan Lang’s (1975) classic experiment on the effects of alcohol on aggression, Lang found ___________ a) alcohol caused more aggression. Incorrect. It was the belief that they had drunk alcohol, not the ingestion of alcohol itself, that led to increases in aggressive behavior. b) alcohol made students less aggressive. c) intoxicated students were more sociable and less aggressive. d) the expectation of drinking alcohol, not the alcohol itself, caused students to be more aggressive. Correct. Even those who had been served very little (or no) alcohol acted as if they were impacted by liquor when they thought they had been drinking. ANS: d Learning Objective 1.21 – How do independent and dependent variables differ? 150. The administration of Midwest State University wants to know if arrangement of chairs affects student participation in classrooms. What would be a good operational definition of the dependent variable in an experiment designed to measure this relationship? a) class size: under 50 or over 50 b) number of students enrolled in each class c) chair arrangement: theater style or circular Incorrect. Chair arrangement is controlled by the experimenter and is, therefore, the independent variable. d) frequency with which students ask questions Correct. Counting the number of questions students ask is one measurable way to define the dependent variable, which is student participation. ANS: d 151. Adaris has always been drawn to the saying “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and she decides to incorporate this saying into her research project. Adaris is trying to define absence in a way that can be empirically tested. She is attempting to find an appropriate __________ a) hypothesis. Incorrect. A hypothesis is an educated guess, not a definition. b) operational definition. Correct. Operational definitions define terms in ways that render them measurable. c) double-blind study. d) theory. ANS: b 152. A researcher is investigating the effects of exercise on weight. What are the independent and dependent variables in this experiment? a) The dependent variable is weight; the independent variable is exercise. Correct. The exercise is controlled by the experimenter and is, therefore, independent of anything the participants do, whereas the participants’ weight is expected to be dependent on the amount of exercise. b) The independent variable is calories consumed; the dependent variable is diet. c) The independent variable is weight; the dependent variable is calories consumed. d) The dependent variable is amount of exercise; the independent variable is calories consumed. Incorrect. The exercise is controlled by the experimenter and is, therefore, the independent variable. ANS: a 153. A variable that the experimenter manipulates is called a(n) __________ a) coefficient of correlation. b) dependent variable. Incorrect. The dependent variable is what is measured. c) control condition. d) independent variable. Correct. Independent variables are controlled by the experimenter. ANS: d 154. With the experimental method, the independent variable is __________ and the dependent variable is __________ a) uncontrolled; controlled. Incorrect. The independent variable is the condition that is controlled by the researcher, while the dependent variable is the condition that is measured. b) manipulated; measured. Correct. The researcher controls and manipulates the independent variable, and observes and measures the dependent variable. c) measured; known. d) unknown, known. ANS: b 155. In Alan Lang’s experiment, aggression was defined as the intensity and duration of shocks given the accomplice. These measures represented the __________ variable. a) experimental b) independent Incorrect. The independent variable was the administration of alcohol, because this was what was controlled by Lang in the study. c) dependent Correct. Aggression was measured in Lang’s experiment. This makes it the dependent variable. d) control ANS: c 156. Which of the following variables is presumed to vary as a result of the researcher's manipulation of another factor or condition? a) control b) dependent Correct. The dependent variable is thought to vary with the manipulation of the independent variable. c) independent Incorrect. The independent variable is so named because it does not rely, or “depend,” on the movement of any other experimental condition or situation. d) random ANS: b 157. Professor Caine is running an experiment to determine if exercise affects memory retention. Two groups of participants are given the same list of 25 words and allowed 15 minutes to study them. Then one group sits idly in a classroom while the other participates in an hour-long aerobic work-out. After the work-out each group is tested in the classroom on the list of words. What is the independent variable in this study? a) the aerobic work-out Correct. This is the condition or situation that is manipulated by the experimenter, so it is the independent variable. b) the word list c) scores on the test Incorrect. This is the experimental condition that is measured or observed, and thus it is the dependent variable. d) time allowed to study ANS: a 158. A psychology instructor studying the effects of the order of test items on test scores gave half the class a test in which the item order reflected the order in the textbook. The other half received the same questions in random order. What was the dependent variable in this experiment? a) the order of the items Incorrect. The order of the test items is the condition that is being manipulated by the instructor, so it is the independent variable. b) the method used to assign participants to groups c) the students’ scores on the two versions of the test Correct. The instructor is measuring the score on the test, not manipulating the scores. This makes it the dependent variable. d) the difficulty of the items on the test ANS: c 159. Students from two groups were sent one-at-a-time into a room to receive a set of instructions pertaining to four simple tasks they were supposed to perform. The first group was met by a kindly individual who carefully explained in a cheerful manner what was expected of them. The second group was met by the same man, but this time he was angry and aggressive and forcefully demanded compliance. The experimenter then left the room and each student was observed through a one-way mirror to see how long it took them to complete all four tasks. The independent variable in this experiment is __________ a) time required to complete the four tasks. Incorrect. This is the condition that is being measured by the researcher, so it is the dependent variable. b) the demeanor or attitude presented by the experimenter. Correct. This is the experimental condition that is being manipulated by the researcher, so it is the independent variable. c) the number of tasks the students were required to perform. d) the isolation of the students. ANS: b 160. An operational definition is __________ a) a statement that attempts to predict a set of phenomena and specifies relationships among variables that can be empirically tested. b) an organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain a specified set of phenomena and their interrelationships. Incorrect. Operational definitions are not assumptions. c) the precise meaning of a term used to describe a variable, such as a type of behavior, that researchers want to measure. Correct. Preciseness is essential for the scientific method. d) the principle that a scientific theory must make predictions that are specific enough to expose the theory to the possibility of disconfirmation. ANS: c 161. Marcy is trying to define anxiety in a way that can be empirically tested. She is attempting to find an appropriate __________ a) hypothesis. Incorrect. A hypothesis is an educated guess, not a definition. b) operational definition. Correct. Operational definitions define responses in terms that allow them to be measured. c) double-blind study. d) theory. ANS: b 162. In order to increase typing speed Minisoft has redesigned its keyboard and provided a chime that is related to typing speed. The company wants to know if its innovations affect typing speed. Identify the independent and dependent variables in this proposed study. a) The dependent variable is the chime; the independent variables are the chime and typing speed. b) The dependent variable is speed of typing; the independent variables are the keyboard design and the chime. Correct. The speed of typing is expected to be dependent on the keyboard design and chime, which are independent variables controlled by the experimenter. c) The dependent variable is keyboard design; the independent variables are the speed of typing and the chime. Incorrect. Both the keyboard design and the chime are independent variables controlled by Minisoft. d) The dependent variable is the number of errors made; the independent variables are the chime and the speed of typing. ANS: b 163. In a laboratory, smokers are asked to “drive” using a computerized driving simulator equipped with a stick shift and a gas pedal. The object is to maximize the distance covered by driving as fast as possible on a winding road while avoiding rear-end collisions. Some of the participants smoke a real cigarette immediately before climbing into the driver’s seat. Others smoke a fake cigarette without nicotine. You are interested in comparing how many collisions the two groups have. In this study, the independent variable is __________ a) the use of nicotine. Correct. The nicotine is controlled by the experimenter and is, therefore, the independent variable. b) the use of a driving simulator. c) the number of collisions. Incorrect. The number of collisions is believed to be dependent on the consumption of nicotine and is, therefore, the dependent variable. d) the driving skills of each drive ANS: a