Research Methods
A psychologist wants to find out whether giving students a reward causes them to complete more assignments. Which research method should the psychologist use?
An experiment
A researcher changes the room temperature to see how it affects test scores. What is the independent variable?
As study time increases, test scores tend to increase. Is this a positive or negative correlation?
Positive correlation
A researcher predicts that students who sleep eight hours will score higher on a memory test. What is this testable prediction called?
Hypothesis
Before joining a study, participants must receive enough information to make an informed decision about participating. What is this principle called?
Informed consent.
A researcher watches students interact in the cafeteria without interfering. Which research method is being used?
Naturalistic observation
A researcher changes the room temperature to see how it affects test scores. What is the dependent variable?
Test scores
As hours spent watching television increases, grades tend to decrease. What type of correlation is this?
Negative correlation
A researcher defines "class participation" as the number of times a student speaks during a 40-minute class. What research concept does this demonstrate?
Operational definition.
At the end of the a study, a researcher explains the study's true purpose after withholding some information beforehand. What is this called?
Debriefing
A psychologist investigates one person with an unusual memory ability using interviews, brain scans, and memory tests. Which method is this?
Case study
A participant receives an inactive pill but behaves as though they received the real medication. What psychological effect does this illustrate?
The placebo effect
A study finds that students who watch more television tend to earn lower grades. Can researchers conclude that television causes lower grades? Explain.
No. Correlation alone cannot establish causation; other variables may explain the relationship.
After a team wins a championship, someone says, "I knew they would win all along." What psychological bias does this illustrate?
Hindsight bias
A journalist selects five student names by drawing from a container holding every student's name. What sampling method is this?
Random sampling
A researcher asks 500 students how many hours they sleep each night. Which research method is being used?
Double-blind
Which set of scores has the smallest standard deviation:
A) 20, 40, 60, 80, 100
B) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
B) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Someone is certain that their prediction is correct, even though they have little evidence to support it. What psychological tendency does this demonstrate?
Overconfidence
Starting at a random point on a list, a researcher contacts every hundredth person. What sampling method is this?
Periodic (systematic) sampling
A psychologist wants to study a rare behavior in one individual in great depth. Why might a case study be especially useful, and what is one limitation?
It allows an in-depth investigation of a rare or unusual case.
Its findings may not generalize to the wider population.
Researchers compare memory in three groups: Group A studies with ice cream, Group B studies with no food, and Group C studies with chicken noodle soup. Identify the independent variable, dependent variable, and control group.
IV = food treatment
DV = memory tests
Control = group with no food
On the game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a contestant has answered the last four answers as B. Assuming the answer choices are equally like and independent, is the next question being B: more likely, less likely, or equally like to be the next answer?
Equally likely. Previous independent random outcomes do not determine the next outcome.
Why do psychologists use scientific research instead of relying on common sense to explain human behavior?
Common-sense beliefs and intuitions can be inaccurate
Systematic research helps test whether explanations are supported by evidence
A researcher proposes isolating baby monkeys to study development. What ethical concern(s) would an animal research review committee most likely consider?
Whether the study causes unnecessary harm or distress
Whether its scientific value justifies the risk