passer5_tb1_ch02

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a. hypothesis. a. hypothesis. b. theory. b. theory. c. correlation. c. correlation. d.

d. initial initial research research question.question. Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 33 Page: 33 Style: Application Style: Application

Topic: Research Methods Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

APA Goal: 2.4 5.

5. As As papart rt of of ththeieir rr reseseaearcrch oh on bn bysystatandnder er apapatathyhy, J, Johohn Dn Dararleley ay and nd BiBibb bb LaLatatannéé_{created fake “emergencies” in}_{created fake “emergencies” in} their experimental laboratory and observed people’s responses. When making these observations, what step their experimental laboratory and observed people’s responses. When making these observations, what step of the scientific process were they engaged

of the scientific process were they engaged in?in? a.

a. creating creating a a hypothesishypothesis b.

b. creating creating a a predictionprediction c.

c. generating generating a a theorytheory d.

d. conducting conducting researchresearch Answer: d Answer: d Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 33 Page: 33 Style: Application Style: Application

APA Goal: 2.4 6

6.. A hA hyyppootthheessiis is is bs beesst ct coonnssiiddeerreed ad as as a((nn)):: a.

a. tentative tentative explanation explanation or or prediction prediction about about some some phenomenon.phenomenon. b.

b. attempt attempt to eto explain xplain something something after after it hit has aas already lready occurred.occurred. c.

c. set of set of formal sformal statements tatements that explathat explain how cin how certain eveertain events are nts are related related to one to one another.another. d.

d. particular particular type type of of experimenter experimenter expectancy.expectancy. Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 33 Page: 33 Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

APA Goal: 2.1 7

7.. JJoohhn n DDaarrlleey y aannd d BBiibbb b LLaattaannéé_{made the following assumption: diffusion of responsibility reduces the}_{made the following assumption: diffusion of responsibility reduces the} likelihood of any single bystander feeling responsible to intervene in an

likelihood of any single bystander feeling responsible to intervene in an emergency. This assumption is anemergency. This assumption is an example of a(n):

example of a(n): a.

a. dependent dependent variable.variable. b.

b. operational operational definition.definition. c.

c. independent independent variable.variable. d. hypothesis. d. hypothesis. Answer: d Answer: d Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 33 Page: 33 Style: Application Style: Application

Topic: Research Methods Topic: Research Methods

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APA Goal: 2.4 APA Goal: 2.4 8.

8. A psA psychychodyodynamnamic pic psycsycholhologiogist ast assussumes mes thathat pet peoplople wie with uth unrenresolsolved ved chichildhldhood ood ississues ues are are mormore sue suscesceptiptibleble to stress and anxiety. This

to stress and anxiety. This psychologist’s assumptiopsychologist’s assumption is best viewed n is best viewed as an example of:as an example of: a.

a. a a hypothesis.hypothesis. b.

b. an an experiment.experiment. c.

c. correlational correlational research.research. d.

d. a a dependent dependent variable.variable. Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 33 Page: 33 Style: Application Style: Application

APA Goal: 2.4 9.

9. A huA humanmanististic pic psycsycholhologiogist bst belielieveeves ths that pat peopeople wle who dho don’on’t hat have a ve a cleclear sar sensense of e of meameaninning in tg in theiheir lir lives ves areare more vulnerable to depression and physical illness. This psychologist’s beliefs are best viewed

more vulnerable to depression and physical illness. This psychologist’s beliefs are best viewed as anas an example of:

example of: a.

a. scientific scientific skepticism.skepticism. b.

b. a a hypothesis.hypothesis. c.

c. a a control control group.group. d.

d. conducting conducting research.research. Answer: b Answer: b Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 33 Page: 33 Style: Application Style: Application

APA Goal: 2.4 10.

10. A(nA(n) ___) _______________________ is a f__ is a formormal seal set of stt of stateatemenments thts that exat explaplains wins why anhy and how cd how certertain eain evenvents arts are rele relateated tod to one another.

one another. a. hypothesis a. hypothesis b.

b. specific specific predictionprediction c. theory

c. theory d.

d. operational operational definitiondefinition Answer: c Answer: c Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 35 Page: 35 Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

APA Goal: 2.1 1

111.. A tA thheeoorry iy is bs beesst dt deeffiinneed ad ass:: a.

a. a a tentative tentative explanation explanation or or prediction prediction about about some some phenomenon.phenomenon. b.

b. a specia specific prefic prediction, oftdiction, often in en in the fthe form of orm of an “ifan “if-then” sta-then” statement.tement. c.

c. conducting conducting research research to to test test a a prediction.prediction. d.

d. a set a set of statemof statements that ents that explains explains the relathe relationship betwetionship between various en various events.events. Answer: d Answer: d Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low

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Page: 35 Page: 35

Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

APA Goal: 2.1 12

12.. OnOne of te of the mhe maiain din diffffererenenceces bes betwtweeeen thn theoeoriries aes and hnd hypypototheheseses is ts is thahat:t: a.

a. theories theories tend tend to to be be broader broader than than hypotheses.hypotheses. b.

b. hypotheses hypotheses tend tend to to be be broader broader than than theories.theories. c.

c. theories ttheories tend to end to be exterbe externally valid, nally valid, whereas hypotwhereas hypotheses tend heses tend to be to be internally internally valid.valid. d.

d. theories theories use use operational operational definitions, definitions, whereas whereas hypotheses hypotheses do nodo not.t. Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Page: 35 Page: 35 Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

APA Goal: 2.1 13.

13. WhiWhich ch of of the the folfollowlowing ing ststateatemements nts reregargardinding thg theoreories ies and and hyphypothotheseeses is is Ts TRUE?RUE? a.

a. Hypotheses Hypotheses use use independent independent variables, variables, whereas whereas theories theories use deuse dependent pendent variables.variables. b.

b. Hypotheses speHypotheses specify lawfucify lawful relatil relations between ons between behaviors behaviors and their and their causes, whercauses, whereas theories eas theories do not.do not. c.

c. Hypotheses Hypotheses are are derived derived from from theories.theories. d.

d. Theories Theories use use operational operational definitions, definitions, whereas whereas hypotheses hypotheses do do not.not. Answer: c Answer: c Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 35 Page: 35 Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

APA Goal: 2.1 14.

14. WhiWhich och of thf the foe follollowinwing is g is a maa major jor proprobleblem of m of aftafter-er-thethe-fa-fact oct or hir hindsndsighight ext explaplanatnationions?s? a.

a. There are mThere are many ways of any ways of explaining past explaining past events and events and there is there is usually no wausually no way to know whiy to know which of thech of thesese explanations is correct.

explanations is correct. b.

b. Hindsight explaHindsight explanations fail nations fail to provide to provide a foundation a foundation on which furton which further scientifher scientific study cic study can occur.an occur. c.

c. Science rScience requires that equires that theories theories be testable be testable and hindsighand hindsight explanatt explanations are ions are usually too usually too theoreticallytheoretically complex and sophisticated to be testable.

complex and sophisticated to be testable. d.

d. Hindsight Hindsight explanations explanations overemphasize overemphasize the ithe importance mportance of eof external xternal validity.validity. Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Page: 35-36 Page: 35-36 Style: Comprehension Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 3.1

APA Goal: 3.1 15.

15. WheWhen pren presensented wted with tith the fihe findindingngs of pss of psychycholoologicgical ral reseesearcarch, it ih, it is not us not unconcommommon for pn for peopeople to cle to commommentent that the results are trivial, obvious, and

that the results are trivial, obvious, and that they “knew that all that they “knew that all along.” This tendency is referred to along.” This tendency is referred to as:as: a.

a. the the law law of of parsimony.parsimony. b.

b. hindsight hindsight bias.bias. c.

c. the the bystander bystander effect.effect. d.

d. an an unobtrusive unobtrusive measure.measure. Answer: b

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Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 35-36 Page: 35-36 Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

APA Goal: 3.1 16.

16. If a reIf a reseasearcrch stuh study fody found tund that chat carareer meer motiotivatvation wion was hias highegher amor among reng recencent immt immigrigrantants to Ams to Amerierica thca thanan among Americans, most people could readily offer several reasonable explanations for this finding. among Americans, most people could readily offer several reasonable explanations for this finding. However, if the study

However, if the study found that career motivation was higher among Americans than recent found that career motivation was higher among Americans than recent immigrants toimmigrants to America, most people could generate an equally

America, most people could generate an equally convincing set of explanations. This example demonstratesconvincing set of explanations. This example demonstrates the problems associated with:

the problems associated with: a.

a. operational operational definitions.definitions. b. hypotheses.

b. hypotheses. c.

c. after-the-fact after-the-fact explanations.explanations. d.

d. theoretical theoretical predictions.predictions. Answer: c Answer: c Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Page: 35 Page: 35 Style: Comprehension Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 3.1

APA Goal: 3.1 17.

17. A friA friend of yend of yourours is tels is tellinling you abg you about thout the rese resultults of a muls of a multimtimillillionion-do-dollallar gover governmrnmentent-fu-fundended studd study shey she heard about on the news last night. She complains that she could have predicted the results of the study heard about on the news last night. She complains that she could have predicted the results of the study before it was done

before it was done and that here is yet and that here is yet another instance of the government wasting the taxpayers’ hard-another instance of the government wasting the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. Which of the

earned money. Which of the following issues would have the most following issues would have the most relevance to the potential accuracy ofrelevance to the potential accuracy of your friend’s complaints?

your friend’s complaints? a.

a. the the limitations limitations of of hindsight hindsight explanationsexplanations b.

b. the the problem problem of of demand demand characteristicharacteristicscs c.

c. the lthe limiimitattationions of cos of corrrrelaelatiotional rnal reseesearcarchh d.

d. the the problem problem of of experimenter experimenter expectancy expectancy effectseffects Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Difficulty: Medium Page: 35-36 Page: 35-36 Style: Comprehension Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 3.1

APA Goal: 3.1 18

18.. ScScieientntisists ts tytypipicacalllly ty tesest tt theheir ir unundedersrstatandndining tg thrhrououghgh:: a.

a. prediction prediction and and control.control. b.

b. hindsight hindsight understanding.understanding. c.

c. after-the-fact after-the-fact understanding.understanding. d.

d. the the use use of of survey survey research.research. Answer: a Answer: a Book: Passer Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Difficulty: Low Page: 36 Page: 36 Style: Knowledge Style: Knowledge

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19. Which of the following is a characteristic of a good theory? a. A good theory is complex and sophisticated.

b. A good theory is difficult to test.

c. A good theory organizes information in a meaningful way. d. A good theory uses operational definitions.

Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 36

Style: Knowledge

Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.1

20. One common characteristic of a good theory is that: a. all things being equal, a good theory is simple. b. all things being equal, a good theory is complex. c. it tends NOT to generate new hypotheses. d. it focuses exclusively on independent variables. Answer: a

Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 36

Style: Knowledge

21. 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: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 36 Style: Knowledge

22. Imagine a research area in psychology in which there are several seemingly conflicting findings and theories. You develop a new theory that resolves these conflicts and 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 organizes information in a meaningful way. Answer: d

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23. A psychologist during the time of Freud creates a new and different theory designed to explain human behavior. 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 were 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 organizes information in a meaningful way.

Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 36

Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.2

24. A(n) _______________ defines a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to measure it. a. dependent variable b. independent variable c. operational definition d. archival measure Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 37 Style: Knowledge

25. A(n) ______________ refers to any characteristic that can vary. a. operational definition b. hypothesis c. variable d. theory Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 37 Style: Knowledge

26. The essential function of an operational definition is that it translates: a. something measurable into something observable.

b. something measurable into something abstract. c. something observable into something abstract.

d. something abstract into something observable and measurable. Answer: d

Book: Passer Difficulty: Low

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Page: 37

27. A psychologist is interested in studying stress. Because stress can mean different things to different people, she decides that she would like 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: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 37 Style: Application

28. Suppose that a clinician is willing to diagnose a person as having depression if, and only if, they have had persistent symptoms of depression for more than 6 months. Creating a specific criterion such as this in order to diagnose depression would be an example of which of the following?

a. correlational study b. hypothesis c. case study d. operational definition Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 37 Style: Application

29. An advantage of using operational definitions is that:

a. other researchers will usually always agree with these definitions.

b. they let other researchers know exactly how variables have been manipulated or measured. c. they automatically generate the relevant dependent and independent variables.

d. they are consistent with the law of parsimony. Answer: b

Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 37

30. The social desirability bias was discussed as a limitation of which of the major ways of measuring behavior?

a. physiological measures b. behavioral observations c. reports by others

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d. self-report measures Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 38 Style: Knowledge

31. ____________ refers to the tendency to respond in what is believed to be a socially appropriate manner rather than according to how a person actually thinks, feels, or behaves.

a. Reactivity

b. The social desirability bias c. Confounding

d. The placebo effect Answer: b

Style: Knowledge

32. Stressful situations associated with taking a final exam can impact how well a person does on the exam. Identifying excessive noise in the room during the exam as a potential stress factor represents the use of examining which of the following levels of analysis?

a. biological b. environmental c. psychological d. genetic Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 38 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

33. A researcher is interested in the amount of sweat produced by students while taking a final exam in order to measure their level of stress. Which of the following levels of analysis is the researcher focusing on?

a. biological b. environmental c. psychological d. genetic Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 38 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

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34. Imagine you are about to take a final exam. You have noticed yourself becoming increasingly worried about the exam as it approaches. Examination of your apparent amount of stress under these circumstances would entail which of the following level of analysis?

a. biological b. environmental c. psychological d. genetic Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 38 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

35. A child psychologist is working with a young girl named Sally. In order to get more information, the

psychologist interviews Sally’s parents and asks them about Sally’s childhood experiences. This would best be considered an example of which of the major ways of measuring behavior?

a. self-report measures b. physiological measures c. reports by others d. behavioral observations Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 39 Style: Application

36. If a researcher conducting an observational study of people at a shopping mall is making use of an unobtrusive measure, which of the following will he NOT have to worry about?

a. He won’t have to worry about potential experimenter expectancy effects contaminating his observations.

b. He won’t have to bother using operational definitions to define the variables in which he is interested. c. He won’t have to worry about the generalizability of the findings from his study.

d. He won’t have to worry about the people in the mall changing their behavior because they know they are being watched.

Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 39

37. Which of the following would be considered an example of an archival measure of behavior?

a. measuring driving patterns by counting the number of “road rage” incidents reported in the newspaper b. measuring stress by taking someone’s blood pressure and monitoring the levels of stress hormones in

the blood

c. measuring depression by asking a person to indicate how depressed they are on a questionnaire d. measuring academic behavior by asking a parent to describe the study habits of her son

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Style: Application

38. A social psychologist is interested in studying aggression in sports fans. He goes to various sporting events and keeps track of the number of aggressive acts that occur between fans using a well-defined coding system. This psychologist is using which of the following ways of measuring behavior?

a. self-report measures b. psychological tests c. behavioral observations d. reports by others Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 39 Style: Application

39. A young man is interested in making a good impression on the parents of the person he is currently dating. Because of this, when he meets them he overemphasizes his good qualities and ignores many of his

shortcomings. This man’s behavior is most relevant to which of the following concepts? a. experimenter expectancy effects

b. the social desirability bias c. confounding variables d. demand characteristics Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 38-39 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.2

40. Imagine you have created a new personality questionnaire and you are worried about social desirability influencing people’s responses. Which of the following would minimize the impact of this potential problem?

a. make sure that the sample of people completing the questionnaire is representative b. use random assignment

c. use the double-blind procedure

d. have the people complete the questionnaire anonymously Answer: d

Style: Application

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41. If you are conducting research that involves making observations of people’s behavior, 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 behaviors 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: a

42. Researchers sometimes gather information about people’s overt behaviors by using _____________, which are preexisting records or documents.

a. archival records b. physiological responses c. self-report measures d. random samples Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 39 Style: Knowledge

43. In order to assess the effectiveness of a new statewide seatbelt law, researchers collected data from the Department of Transportation regarding the number of traffic fatalities in the last year. This type of measurement of behavior is called a(n):

a. case study. b. archival record. c. sample. d. meta-analysis. Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 39 Style: Application

44. When they know that they are being observed, people sometimes change their behavior. To counter this problem, psychologists will often use what are called _______________, which monitor behaviors in a way that people are unaware that they are being observed.

a. hidden measures b. unintentional measures c. unobtrusive measures d. subtle measures Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium

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Page: 39

Style: Knowledge

45. A college advisor in a dorm wants to know how much TV students in her dorm are watching, but she has noticed that students tend to leave the TV room when she comes in to see who is watching. To get around this problem, she decides to measure wear-and-tear on the TV remote control as a measure of how much TV is being watched. Like many psychologists, this advisor is using a(n):

a. unobtrusive measure. b. hypothesis.

c. double-blind procedure. d. placebo control group. Answer: a

Style: Application

46. A museum is interested in determining which particular pieces of art are the most popular but doesn’t want to directly ask its patrons. Instead, the head of the museum decides to keep track of the wear on the carpet in front of each of the pieces, assuming that the more popular pieces will have more worn carpet in front of them. This particular way of measuring art popularity is making use of a(n):

a. confounding variable. b. placebo. c. representative sample. d. unobtrusive measure. Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 39 Style: Application

47. Which one of the following is NOT one of the five principles of the APA ethics code? a. responsibility b. right to privacy c. integrity d. justice Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40 Style: Knowledge

48. The ethical standard of ___________ refers to how participants should be given full descriptions about the procedures involved in a study and told that they are free to withdraw from a study at any time.

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b. right to privacy c. psychological risk d. social risk Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40 Style: Knowledge

49. The ethical guideline of informed consent specifically asserts that:

a. participants can be deceived when it is ethically justified and no other alternatives are feasible. b. participants should be told of the key procedures in a study and told about any risks that may be

involved.

c. deception is always ethically justified and is a part of most experiments.

d. experimenters need to be informed about significant research that has already been done in their research areas. Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40 Style: Knowledge

50. Considerations about whether the setting of an experiment is public or private and the manner in which information gained in an experiment will be recorded and distributed are most relevant to which ethical area?

a. psychological risk b. social risk

c. the right to privacy d. deception Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.5

51. When participants are misled about the nature of an experiment, researchers refer to this as: a. a double-blind procedure. b. an expectancy effect. c. concealment. d. deception. Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40 Style: Knowledge

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52. The primary reason for using deception in psychological research is that sometimes it is the only way to obtain:

a. a representative sample. b. a random sample.

c. natural responses from participants. d. random assignment. Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.5

53. Deception is justified in psychological research: a. whenever a researcher would like to use it. b. only if there are no other alternatives available.

c. only if the study has benefits that clearly outweigh the costs of using deception.

d. when there are no other alternatives available and the benefits of a study using deception clearly outweigh the potential costs associated with the use of deception.

Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 40

Style: Knowledge

54. A researcher is designing a study and is debating the potential use of deception. After discussing the issue with her colleagues, it is decided that there really is no alternative methodology that she could use to test her idea. In addition, all of her colleagues agree that the cost of using deception in her study would strongly outweigh any positive benefits that would be gained from the study. Given this information, which of the following statements is TRUE?

a. The use of deception in this study is not ethically justified. b. The use of deception in this study is ethically justified.

c. The use of deception in this study is ethically justified only if she does not tell her participants about the deception after the study is over.

d. The use of deception in this study is ethically justified only if she uses the double-blind procedure. Answer: a

Book: Passer Difficulty: High Page: 40

Style: Application

55. Ethical guidelines for the treatment of animals in a research state that if there are experimental risks for animals, these risks need to be justified by the importance of the research. However, a problem associated with this guideline is that:

a. the majority of psychologists feel that animal research is unethical and unnecessary. b. there are additional psychological ethical guidelines which prohibit all animal research. c. it is often difficult to make the determination of what is “justified.”

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d. the majority of research done with animals has no benefit for humans. Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 41 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.5

56. 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 college psychology majors oppose animal research.

Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 41

Style: Knowledge

57. 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: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 42 Style: Knowledge

58. A ________________ is an in-depth study of an individual, group, or event. a. naturalistic observation b. survey c. case study d. correlational study Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 42 Style: Knowledge

Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2

59. 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.

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.

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Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 42-43

60. An important limitation of the case study research method is that it: a. is a poor method for determining cause-effect relationships. b. tends to be a poor source for new ideas and hypotheses. c. is a poor method for studying rare events or people. d. tends to have high external validity.

Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 42-43

61. 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 generalizability.

d. A case study is a poor method for studying rare events or people. Answer: c

Style: Knowledge

62. In ________________, the researcher observes behavior as it occurs in a normal or typical setting. a. survey research b. a case study c. correlational research d. naturalistic observation Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 45 Style: Knowledge

63. As part of a class on animal learning, students are sent to a local park and are asked to watch and record the feeding behavior of the crows there. These students are engaged in which method of research?

a. a case study

b. naturalistic observation c. a survey

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Style: Application

64. In order to learn about the social behavior of children, a developmental psychologist goes to an elementary school, finds a seat near one of the windows in a classroom, and watches the children playing on 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: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 43 Style: Application

65. An important advantage of naturalistic observation is that:

a. it can provide important information on cause-effect relationships. b. it can more easily be incorporated into meta-analyses.

c. it can provide detailed information on naturally occurring behavior. d. it tends to have low external validity.

66. 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: d

Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 43-44

67. Which of the following statements about naturalistic observations is TRUE? a. Naturalistic observations often make use of the double-blind procedure. b. It is difficult to make causal conclusions based on naturalistic observations. c. Naturalistic observations tend to have low external validity.

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d. Naturalistic observations tend to have more independent than dependent variables. Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 43 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.2

68. Initially, people or animals may behave differently if they are being watched, but, over time, they become acclimated to the presence of an observer and their behavior returns to normal. This process is specifically referred to as: a. adaptation. b. naturalization. c. adjustment. d. habituation. Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 44 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

69. Which of the following would be a potential limitation of naturalistic observation?

a. The observer’s presence may disrupt or influence the behavior of the person or animal they are watching.

b. Naturalistic observation makes improper use of random assignment.

c. The settings in which naturalistic observations typically occur tend to have low external validity. d. Naturalistic observation relies too heavily on the use of archival measures.

Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 43-44

70. 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: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 44 Style: Knowledge

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71. In order to estimate the results in a local election, a pollster contacts a select group of people and asks them how they voted. The pollster is using which of the following research methods?

a. correlational research b. survey research c. the case study method d. naturalistic observation Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 44 Style: Application

72. In survey research, a population is defined as:

a. the number of people we select to be in a survey. b. the number of people who actually complete a survey. c. an individual participant in a sample.

d. all individuals that we are interested in drawing conclusions about. Answer: d

Style: Knowledge

73. Which of the following correctly defines the term sample, as it is used in survey research? a. a subset of individuals drawn from the entire group in which we are interested

b. all the individuals we are interested in drawing conclusions about c. all the members of any experimental or control group

d. a preliminary survey designed to determine whether there are any problems with it Answer: a

Style: Knowledge

74. An advantage of survey research is that it:

a. allows us to make inferences regarding cause-effect relations.

b. is an efficient way to gather information about people’s opinions and lifestyles. c. is usually conducted without people knowing that they are being observed. d. is unusually effective at reducing the placebo effect.

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75. While conducting a survey interview, a participant becomes slightly embarrassed and decides to answer the questions in such a way as to make himself look more friendly and acceptable to the interviewer. The participant does this on his own and is NOT responding to any cues the interviewer is providing. 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: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 45 Style: Application

76. 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: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 44 Style: Knowledge

77. With regard to survey research it can be said that:

a. it is better to have a smaller sample than a larger sample.

b. it is better to have a larger unrepresentative sample than a smaller representative sample. c. it is better to have a smaller representative sample than a larger unrepresentative sample. d. it is better to have an internally valid sample than an externally valid sample.

78. Dr. Jones is interested in conducting a survey of all the college students at her university. She is careful when conducting her research to make sure that each student on campus has an equal chance of

participating in her survey. To create her survey sample, Dr. Jones is using: a. random sampling. b. meta-analysis. c. random assignment. d. an operational definition. Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium

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Page: 45

Style: Application

79. 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 behavior.

c. Use random sampling to create your sample. d. Use a placebo control group in your survey. Answer: c

80. A researcher is examining the relation between two variables: variable X and variable Y. If she is

conducting a correlational study, the researcher ____________ variable X and ____________ variable Y. a. manipulates; manipulates b. manipulates; measures c. measures; manipulates d. measures; measures Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 45 Style: Knowledge

81. 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 behavior in natural settings

82. Dr. Little has heard that people tend to become more politically conservative as they get older. She decides to conduct a study to see if this is true. She conducts a telephone survey in which she asks participants their age and political identification. She then uses statistics to determine 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

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d. behavioral observation Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 45 Style: Application

83. It is difficult to draw causal inferences in correlational research because: a. in correlational research we only manipulate the variables.

b. placebo effects act as confounding variables.

c. the social desirability bias invalidates any causal conclusions. d. we often can’t tell which variable causes the other.

Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 47

84. A psychologist notes that there is a correlation between physical health and the number of vacations that a person takes. People who take more vacations tend to have better physical health. The psychologist suggests that people should take more vacations to improve their physical health. After thinking about this result, you realize that this association may be a result of a third factor: income. People with more income can afford more vacations and can afford better health care. This explanation best illustrates which

limitation of correlational research? a. the bidirectional causality problem b. the third-variable problem

c. the placebo effect

d. experimenter expectancy effects Answer: b

85. Dr. Gonzalez has just completed a correlational study in which he found a strong association between parental expectations and child academic achievement. In other words, children who perform well in school tend to have parents who have high expectations of them. However, Dr. Gonzalez can’t tell which variable causes the other. It may be that high expectations cause children to perform better, but it may be that children who perform better in school cause their parents to have higher expectations. This particular problem is known as:

a. the bidirectional causality problem. b. the third-variable problem.

c. poor external validity.

d. the experimenter expectancy effect. Answer: a

Book: Passer Difficulty: High

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Page: 47

Style: Application

86. 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 about the relation between TV watching and aggression. Answer: d

87. A(n) _____________ is a statistic that indicates the strength and direction of a relation between two variables. a. relation coefficient b. association coefficient c. correlation coefficient d. causality coefficient Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 47 Style: Knowledge

88. Which of the following would be most useful in helping you determine if two variables are associated with one another?

a. an unobtrusive measure of behavior b. a good operational definition c. a representative sample d. a scatterplot Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 48 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.3

89. In a negative correlation, ___________ scores on one variable are associated with ____________ scores on a second variable.

a. lower; lower b. higher; lower

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c. lower; random d. higher; higher Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 47-48 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.3

90. Dr. Lahore is a psychologist who is investigating the relation between stress and illness. In her research, she has observed that as stress increases, the occurrence of physical illness also tends to increase. The association between these two variables is an example of:

a. a positive correlation. b. a negative correlation. c. zero correlation. d. random correlation. Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 47 Style: Application

91. A clinical psychologist has observed that there appears to be an association between parental anger and childhood self-esteem. In particular, parents who score higher on ratings of anger and hostility tend to have children who have lower self-esteem. If this psychologist’s 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: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 47 Style: Application

92. The plus or minus sign (+/–) on the correlation coefficient reflects: a. the strength of the association.

b. the direction of the association. c. the magnitude of the association. d. the validity of the association. Answer: b

Style: Knowledge

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93. The size or absolute value of the correlation coefficient tells us: a. the strength of the association.

b. the meaningfulness of the association. c. the direction of the association. d. the randomness of the association. Answer: a

Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 47-48 Style: Knowledge

94. Which of the following statements regarding correlation coefficients is FALSE? a. A correlation of .75 indicates a stronger association than a correlation of .50. b. A correlation of –.75 indicates a stronger association than a correlation of .50. c. A correlation of –.75 indicates a stronger association than a correlation of –.50. d. A correlation of .50 indicates a stronger association than a correlation of –.75. Answer: d

95. A(n) ___________ is a graph used to graphically represent a correlation between two variables. a. scattergram b. scatterplot c. correlation map d. association chart Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 48 Style: Knowledge

96. One of the important advantages of correlational research is that: a. it can be used to infer causal relations.

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: c

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97. Assume that there is a strong negative correlation between two variables: variable 1 and variable 2. If you know that 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: b

Style: Application

98. Assume that there is a strong positive correlation between two variables: variable A and variable B. If you know that a person’s score on variable A is low, what would be your best prediction for the person’s score on variable B?

a. The person’s score on variable B should also be low. b. The person’s score on variable B should be high. c. The person’s score on variable B should be average.

d. We can’t accurately predict what the score on variable B should be. Answer: a

Style: Application

99. 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: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 49 Style: Knowledge

100. The logic behind most experimental research contains three essential steps: manipulate one variable, measure whether this manipulation affects another variable, and:

a. interpret the correlation between the two variables. b. attempt to manipulate other factors.

c. attempt to control or hold constant other factors. d. use random sampling.

Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium

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Page: 49

Style: Knowledge

101. 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: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 49

Style: Knowledge

102. One of the essential features of true experiments is that: a. participants in all conditions are treated exactly the same.

b. except for the measurement of the dependent variable, participants in all conditions are treated the same.

c. except for the manipulation of the independent variable, participants in all conditions are treated the same.

d. except for the use of random selection, participants in all conditions are treated the same. Answer: c

103. One of the essential differences between experimental research and correlational research is that: a. in experimental research all variables are measured, whereas in correlational research at least one

variable is manipulated.

b. in correlational research all variables are measured, whereas in experimental research at least one variable is manipulated.

c. experimental research tends to use random sampling, whereas correlational research tends to use random assignment.

d. experimental research tends to have higher external validity than correlational research. Answer: b

104. Which of the following statements regarding the differences between experimental and correlational research is TRUE?

a. Correlational research tends to take place in the laboratory, whereas experimental research usually studies behaviors in more natural contexts.

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b. Correlational research is better suited for examining cause-effect relations than is experimental research.

c. Experimental research uses random assignment, whereas correlational research does not.

d. Experimental research only measures variables, whereas correlational research manipulates at least one variable. Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 49 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

105. Which of the following statements regarding the differences between experimental and correlational research is FALSE?

a. Correlational research makes more use of random assignment than does experimental research. b. Causal explanations can be made with appropriate experimental research, but not with correlational

research.

c. In experimental research, at least one variable is measured, whereas in correlational research, all variables are measured.

d. Correlational researchers are not able to keep extraneous factors constant the way that experimental researchers can. Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 49 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.4

106. In experimental research, the _______________ variable is the variable that is manipulated by the experimenter. a. independent b. dependent c. operational d. random Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 49 Style: Knowledge

107. Which of following most accurately describes the distinction between independent and dependent variables?

a. Researchers look for the effect of the dependent variable on the independent variable. b. Researchers look for the correlation between the independent and dependent variables. c. The dependent variable “depends upon” the independent variable.

d. The independent variable “depends upon” the dependent variable. Answer: c

Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium

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Page: 49-50

108. An educational psychologist wants to study the effectiveness of using the Internet as a way of taking academic classes. She designs a study in which one group of students is assigned to take a course in a standard classroom with a live instructor. Another group of students is assigned to take the same course over the Internet. The psychologist then compares the course grades for students in each of the two groups. In this case, the instruction group (regular class vs. Internet class) would be considered the:

a. dependent variable. b. correlational variable. c. confounding variable. d. independent variable. Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 49 Style: Application

109. Dr. White wants to look at the impact of failure on self-esteem. He designs an experiment in which half of the participants are led to believe that they have failed on an ambiguous task, whereas the other half of the participants are told that they have succeeded. Dr. White then has the people in his study complete a questionnaire measuring self-esteem and he looks to see if there are any differences between the success and failure groups. In this example, self-esteem would be considered the:

a. dependent variable. b. independent variable. c. placebo variable. d. confounding variable. Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 50 Style: Application

110. A stress researcher wants to look at the effect of meditation on anxiety. To do this, she creates two groups of subjects: one group receives instruction in meditation, whereas the other receives no training at all. One month later, she has subjects complete a questionnaire designed to measure anxiety and she looks to see whether there are any differences in anxiety between the two groups. In this experiment, the meditation condition (meditation vs. no meditation) would be the _____________ variable and anxiety would be the _____________ variable. a. dependent; dependent b. independent; dependent c. dependent; independent d. independent; independent Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 49-50

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Style: Application

111. A researcher is interested in interpersonal attraction and the factors that affect it. She designs a study in which she looks at the effect of similarity and social warmth on interpersonal attraction. Participants in her study meet a target person who either is or is not similar to the participant (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 are then asked to 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 d. independent; confounding Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: High Page: 49-50 Style: Application

112. In an experiment, a ______________ is defined as a group that is not exposed to the treatment or that receives a zero-level of the independent variable.

a. contrast group b. experimental group c. check group d. control group Answer: d Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 50 Style: Knowledge

113. Control groups are important in experiments because:

a. they make calculations of the correlation coefficient possible. b. they provide a standard of comparison for the experimental group. c. they provide needed confounding variables.

d. they decrease internal validity and external validity. Answer: b

114. An animal researcher is studying the effect of a new drug on the memory of mice. One group of mice receives the drug, whereas a second group does not. The memory of the mice is then tested by how quickly

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they can negotiate a maze. In this example, the group of mice that does NOT receive the drug would be considered the: a. experimental group. b. correlational group. c. control group. d. confounding group. Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 50 Style: Application

115. A clinical psychologist has developed a new form of psychotherapy to treat a particular personality disorder. In order to test its effectiveness, a group of people with the personality disorder is selected to receive the therapy for 8 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 8 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: b Book: Passer Difficulty: High Page: 50 Style: Application

116. In true experiments, ____________ is important because it allows a proper comparison between groups to be made. a. a control group b. random selection c. a representative sample d. a confounding variable Answer: a Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 50 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.2

117. If you are a participant in an experimental study, the procedure that ensures that you have an equal chance of being in any group or condition within the experiment is called:

a. random sampling. b. random choice. c. random assortment. d. random assignment. Answer: d

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Style: Knowledge

118. 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: a

119. Dr. Jun is conducting an experiment that has two experimental groups. In order to control for differences between her subjects, she flips a coin and uses chance to determine which subjects belong in which group. The procedure that Dr. Jun is using to place participants in the various groups is called:

a. random sampling. b. random assignment. c. random grouping. d. random choice. Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 50 Style: Application

120. Random assignment is important in experiments because: a. it eliminates experimenter expectancy effects.

b. it ensures that the samples are representative of the population.

c. it magnifies the validity of the operational definitions used in the study. d. it balances differences between participants across experimental groups. Answer: d

121. In experiments, researchers often use random assignment to assign participants to the various groups or conditions in their experiments. An alternative to random assignment is to design the study in such a way that each participant:

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a. is exposed to all conditions in the experiment.

b. is equally likely to end up in any one of the experimental conditions. c. is randomly sampled.

d. is able to provide this or her own independent and dependent variables. Answer: a

122. 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: b

Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 50-51 Style: Application

123. As an alternative to random assignment, researchers will sometimes design experiments where each participant is exposed to all conditions or groups in an experiment. This second procedure controls for differences between individual participants by:

a. balancing these differences between the conditions or groups. b. holding these differences constant.

c. making use of the double-blind procedure. d. increasing external validity.

Answer: b Book: Passer Difficulty: Medium Page: 50-51

124. 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: c

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125. 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 behavior.

c. it allows variables to be both independent variables and dependent variables at the same time. d. it reduces experimenter expectancy effects.

126. A researcher conducted an experiment assessing the effect of alcohol and expectation on sexual arousal. How many independent variables are there in this experiment?

a. 1 b. 2 c. 3

d. it can’t be determined from the information given Answer: b

Style: Application

127. If you were a researcher who was curious as to whether or not 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 true experiment c. a correlational study d. a double-blind study. Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 52 Style: Comprehension Topic: Research Methods APA Goal: 2.2

128. Case studies, naturalistic observations, and correlational studies are all similar in that: a. none of them need to be concerned with the problem of social desirability. b. the experimenter has a high degree of control over the research setting. c. none of them need to be concerned with the problem of reactivity. d. they are all poorly suited for drawing cause-effect conclusions. Answer: d

Book: Passer Difficulty: Low

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Page: 52

129. 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: b

130. Internal validity represents the degree to which:

a. the results from an experiment are generalizable to other situations. b. an experiment supports clear causal conclusions.

c. a sample is representative of the population from which it is drawn. d. it effectively utilizes random sampling.

Style: Knowledge

131. If an experiment allows for clear causal conclusions to be drawn, it is said to have strong: a. operational definitions. b. external validity. c. internal validity. d. hypotheses. Answer: c Book: Passer Difficulty: Low Page: 53 Style: Knowledge

132. All of the following decrease internal validity, EXCEPT: a. random assignment.

b. confounding variables. c. demand characteristics. d. the placebo effect. Answer: a

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133. A psychologist is interested in looking at the effectiveness of a new computer program in helping students learn math. She decides to test this new program with a group of middle school students. At this particular school, the boys and girls tend to be disruptive when they are in the same classroom, so she decides to run 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 as a result, 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: a

Style: Application

134. The placebo effect refers to:

a. when an unintended “triple blind” design occurs.

b. how people’s behavior 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: b

Style: Knowledge

135. A researcher conducting a study on the effectiveness of a new prescription medication gives the actual medication to a group of people. A second group of participants are told they are receiving the medication but instead are given an inert sugar pill. Although the drug is found to be effective for the people who actually took it, a sizeable percentage of the people given the sugar pill also improve. The improvement of this second group is most likely due to:

a. experimenter expectancy effects. b. the placebo effect.

c. the high internal validity of the study. d. the high external validity of the study. Answer: b

Style: Application