Variables
Which of the following is true of variables?
a.) Variables are the same as constants.
b.) All variables can be manipulated.
c.) Some variables can be either manipulated or measured.
d.) Variables only need conceptual definitions.
c.) Some variables can be either manipulated or measured.
An operational definition...
a.) tell us what something is.
b.) describes the underlying cause of a behavior.
c.) associates a behavior with a cause.
d.) tells us how to measure something.
d.) tells us how to measure something.
One of the reasons that research studies are superior to personal experience is that
a.) they include at least one comparison group.
b.) they avoid constants.
c.) they use confederates.
d.) an authority is involved.
a.) they include at least one comparison group.
Asking questions to get the answers we want is known as
a.) the availability heuristic.
b.) the bias blind spot.
c.) a confirmation bias.
d.) overconfidence.
c.) a confirmation bias.
What is the difference between a variable and a constant?
Variable: A variable is something that changes or varies, so it needs to have at least two levels or values (but it can have more).
Constant: A constant does not vary. In other words, it stays the same.
Which of the following statements is an operational definition of “fear of snakes” that could be assessed as a structured question?
a.) measuring heart rate following exposure to snakes
b.) asking the question “When was the last time you saw a snake?”
c.) assigning the participant to keep a “daily fear diary” in which they track their fear level
d.) asking, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how afraid of snakes are you?”
d.) asking, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how afraid of snakes are you?”
Different factors that could account for significant results are called
a.) hypotheses.
b.) biases.
c.) predictions.
d.) confounds.
d.) confounds.
After reading the chapter, Cyril says to himself, “I am sure other people might engage in faulty thinking, but I never would.” What is Cyril experiencing?
a.) bias blind spot
b.) confirmation bias
c.) faulty intuition
d.)motivated thinking
a.) bias blind spot
Mark is conducting a laboratory study on aggression. He is measuring aggression based on how often participants are willing to deliver an electric shock to another participant (although Mark does not realize that the participant is never getting shocked). The aggression variable is a ____ variable.
a.) measured
b.) manipulated
c.) control
d.) constant
b.) manipulated
Daniel is studying violence among school-aged children. He is planning to observe them during recess and to count the number of aggressive acts he sees during that time. To prepare for the study, he is listing and describing the specific behaviors that he will consider to be aggression. In other words, he is developing a(n)...
Operational Definition
You read research that found that first-born children tend to have higher IQs than their siblings. However, you typically earn higher grades than your older brother. Scientists might explain this discrepancy by saying that
a.) research is probabilistic.
b.) you have cherry-picked information to support your conclusion.
c.) you have fallen prey to your blind spot bias.
d.) your intuition is better than research.
a.) research is probabilistic.
Name four examples of biases of intuition.
Examples of biases of intuition include being swayed by a good story, the confirmation bias, the availability heuristic, and the blind spot bias
Describe a manipulated variable for the following construct:
STRESS
Exposing participants to different conditions that can causes a range of stress responses and observing their behavior
What might you call a variable whose levels are “fiction” and “nonfiction”?
Type of Books read...
How does research overcome the problem of confounds?
a.) Research uses intuition to detect potential confounds.
b.) Research combines data across diverse individuals.
c.) Research focuses on one possible explanation for the results.
d.) Research systematically compares multiple conditions.
d.) Research systematically compares multiple conditions.
Explain how conclusions drawn from the confirmation bias are different from those using the theory-data cycle.
When people engage in the confirmation bias, they are seeking to confirm their hypotheses and are asking questions that will give them the answer they expect.
By contrast, when people engage in the theory-data cycle, they ask questions that may confirm or disconfirm their hypothesis.