SCIENTIFIC METHOD
A psychologist develops a possible explanation for why students who get more sleep perform better on tests. What is this proposed explanation called?
WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS
A researcher sends 2,000 people an online questionnaire asking about their attitudes toward school uniforms. What research method is being used?
WHAT IS A SURVEY
If two variables increase together, such as hours studied and test scores, what type of correlation might exist?
WHAT IS A POSITIVE CORRELATION
In an experiment, the researcher changes one factor to determine whether it affects another factor. What is the factor being changed called?
WHAT IS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
A researcher repeats a previous study to determine whether the original findings can be obtained again. What is this called?
WHAT IS REPLICATION
Researchers use a step-by-step process to investigate questions and build psychological knowledge. What is this process called?
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
A psychologist spends several months watching children interact on a playground without interfering with them. What research method is this?
WHAT IS NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION
If one variable increases while another decreases, such as stress increasing while sleep decreases, what type of correlation is this?
WHAT IS A NEGATIVE CORRELATION
Researchers test whether background music affects memory. The number of words participants remember is recorded. What is the dependent variable?
WHAT IS MEMORY PERFORMANCE/NUMBER OF WORDS REMEMBERED
A psychological test produces very similar results each time it is administered under similar conditions. What quality does the test demonstrate?
WHAT IS RELIABILITY
Researchers use a step-by-step process to investigate questions and build psychological knowledge. What is this process called?
WHAT IS FALSIFIABILITY
A psychologist spends several months watching children interact on a playground without interfering with them. What research method is this?
WHAT IS A CASE STUDY
Which represents the strongest relationship: +0.20, –0.45, +0.70, or –0.10?
WHAT IS +O.70
A researcher defines "academic success" as a student's score on a standardized test. What research concept does this example demonstrate?
WHAT IS AN OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
A test accurately measures the psychological characteristic it claims to measure. What quality does it demonstrate?
WHAT IS VALIDITY
A broad explanation supported by a large body of research is different from a single prediction that can be tested. What is the broad explanation called?
WHAT IS A THEORY
A researcher examines old newspapers, census records, and historical documents to investigate changes in public attitudes. What type of research is this?
WHAT IS ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
Researchers find that students who spend more time exercising tend to report lower stress. Can this finding alone prove that exercise causes lower stress?
WHAT IS NO. CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION
Researchers randomly place participants into either a treatment group or a control group. Why is random assignment useful?
It helps create groups that are comparable and reduces the influence of pre-existing differences.
Which term is most closely associated with being "accurate": reliability or validity?
WHAT IS VALIDITY
Researchers often move back and forth between developing explanations from observations and using those explanations to make predictions. What does this tell us about the scientific process?
IT IS CIRCULAR
A researcher wants to know whether attitudes toward a political issue differ among 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds. Why might simply comparing these age groups create a problem?
WHAT IS SOCIAL OR CULTURAL FACTORS MAY DIFFER
Suppose researchers find that students who eat breakfast tend to earn higher grades. A third factor—such as having a more consistent morning routine—could influence both breakfast habits and grades. What is this third factor called?
WHAT IS A CONFOUNDING VARIABLE
A drug study is designed so that neither the participants nor the researchers know who received the drug and who received the placebo until the study is finished. What type of design is this?
WHAT IS A DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY
A study produces consistent measurements every time, but the measurement does not actually measure what the researchers intended. What does this demonstrate about reliability and validity?
A STUDY CAN HAVE RELIABILITY WITHOUT VALIDITY