Quantitative Methods in Psychology
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Quantitative Methods in Psychology introduces students to the fundamental concepts and techniques used to collect, analyze, and interpret numerical data in psychological research. The course covers topics such as descriptive statistics, probability theory, hypothesis testing, correlation, regression, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the use of statistical software. Emphasis is placed on understanding the logic behind statistical decision-making, selecting appropriate methods for different research designs, and critically evaluating quantitative research findings. By the end of the course, students will gain practical skills to apply quantitative approaches to real-world psychological questions and enhance their ability to draw meaningful conclusions from data.
Recommended Textbook
Research Methods in Psychology Evaluating a World of Information 1st Edition by Beth Morling
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2
Chapter 1: Psychology Is a Way of Thinking
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Q1) The Harlow study described in the text is an example of basic research.It found that attachment to a caregiver is important in the early months of life.How might a researcher use this study as inspiration for an applied research study?
Answer: Students should provide an example applying the concept of attachment in early life to an applied domain.For example,a student could include studying foster children who may not be with their caregivers in early life and their later attachment.Another example could involve examining different techniques used in hospitals to teach parents-to-be how to form close attachments with their children.
Q2) Which of the following is an example of applied research?
A) A social psychologist who is interested in the components of self-concept
B) An educational psychologist who looks for a way to increase math skills in 8-year-olds
C) A personality psychologist who studies the difference between introverts and extroverts
D) A cognitive psychologist who looks at the difference in problem-solving abilities of men and women
E) None of the above
Answer: B
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Chapter 2: Sources of Information: Evaluating,Finding,and Reading Information
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Q1) Lana is writing her first empirical journal article.Although she thinks she knows why she found the results she did,she also wants to mention some alternative explanations for her findings.In which section will she mention these alternative explanations?
A) Introduction
B) Method
C) Results
D) Discussion
E) References
Answer: D
Q2) Refer to Research Study 2.1 above to answer the following question. A change to which of the following cells will result in a different interpretation of the results of subliminal messages?
A) Cell A
B) Cell B
C) Cell C
D) Cell D
E) A change in any of the cells will affect the interpretation
Answer: E
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Chapter 3: Three Claims,Four Validities: Interrogation Tools
for Consumers of Research
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 3.5 above to answer the following question. Explain the difference between a variable and a constant.Give an example of each in the above study.
Answer: A variable is something that varies.A variable must have at least two levels or values,although it can have many more.A constant is something that does not vary in a particular study.However,students may point out that what is a variable in one study can be amended in another study to be a constant and vice versa.A constant in this study is the sex of the participants (they are all female).A variable in the study is the sex of the math major or the number of math problems attempted.
Q2) Refer to Research Study 3.1 above to answer the following question. In this study,the authors recorded how many math questions (out of 10 questions)participants tried to solve.This is an example of which of the following?
A) A constant
B) A variable's level
C) A measured variable
D) A manipulated variable
E) None of the above
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Ethical Guidelines for Psychology Research
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Q1) Which of the following events did NOT occur in the Tuskegee Study?
A) Researchers told participants they were receiving treatment even though they were not.
B) Participants in the study were given/infected with the disease.
C) Participants were not told they had been infected with the disease.
D) Researchers prevented participants from seeking treatment.
E) All of the above occurred in the study.
Q2) Under what conditions is debriefing necessary? What should be included in a debriefing?
Q3) Why is plagiarism a violation of ethics?
A) Because it violates an APA standard
B) Because it violates a Belmont Principle
C) Because it is akin to stealing
D) Both a and c
E) All of the above
Q4) Explain why the Belmont Principle of Respect for Persons requires participants to provide informed consent.
Q5) What are the three primary arguments provided in favor of animal research?
Q6) What are the two issues that need to be balanced in conducting ethical research?
Q7) What is plagiarism? Explain why plagiarism is an ethical violation.
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Chapter 5: Identifying Good Measurement
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 5.4 above to answer the following question. Given the above situation,explain the difference between predictive validity,convergent validity,and discriminant validity.Why is each one important?
Q2) Refer to Research Study 5.1 above to answer the following question. Dr.Valencia is concerned whether her measure will really measure narcissism or if it will measure some other related concept.She is concerned about the scale's ____________.
A) Conceptual definition
B) Operational definition
C) Validity
D) Reliability
E) Convenience
Q3) Explain the difference between validity and reliability.Explain whether they are related or independent concepts.
Q4) Refer to Research Study 5.3 above to answer the following question. For each student described above,indicate whether the operational definition of her variable is categorical or quantitative.If a student's operational variable is categorical,explain whether it could or could not be made quantitative.
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Chapter 6: Describing What People Do:
Surveys,Observations,and Sampling
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Q1) Dr.Smith is interested in measuring how adults view sexual behavior in teenagers.She asks the following two questions.Explain why Dr.Smith should be worried and how she can correct the problem.
i.Is it okay for boys under the age of 18 to be sexually active?
ii.Is it okay for girls under the age of 18 to be sexually active?
Q2) Refer to Research Study 6.4 above to answer the following question. What is the difference between a cluster technique and a multistage technique? Explain why Dr.Parrett would be advised to use a cluster or a multistage technique rather than a simple random sample.
Q3) All of the following are true of observational data EXCEPT:
A) Observational measures tend to have good construct validity
B) Observational measures cannot be used in making causal claims
C) Observational measures can be used in frequency claims
D) Observational measures tend to provide richer information than survey data
E) None of the above are true
Q4) What is the difference between random sampling and random assignment?
Q5) Refer to Research Study 6.3 above to answer the following question. For each of Dr.Omiata's statements,say whether it is well worded.If it is not,indicate what the problem is and how it could be fixed.
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Chapter 7: Bivariate Correlational Research
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Q1) Which of the following tells you that an association claim is being made?
A) The graph used to interpret the results
B) The fact that the two variables are measured
C) The statistic used to interpret the results
D) The validities that can be established
E) None of the above
Q2) Draw a scatterplot for the following three associations:a.A curvilinear associationb.A positive association with a large effect sizec.A zero association
Q3) Refer to Research Study 7.2 above to answer the following question. Of the three findings in Dr.Moynihan's study,which finding has the largest effect size? Name two things that having a large effect size means.
Q4) Which of the following is true of moderators?
A) They help establish a cause and effect relationship.
B) They decrease effect size.
C) They can inform external validity.
D) They weaken statistical significance.
E) None of the above are true.
Q5) Refer to Research Study 7.2 above to answer the following question. Draw a scatterplot for the three associations found by Dr.Moynihan.
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Chapter 8: Multivariate Correlational Research
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 8.1 above to answer the following question. Which of the correlations is an autocorrelation?
A) Correlation A
B) Correlation B
C) Correlation C
D) Correlation D
E) All of the above
Q2) Refer to Research Study 8.1 above to answer the following question. For Dr.Farah to make the claim that homework causes academic achievement,which correlation does she predict will NOT be significant?
A) Correlation A
B) Correlation B
C) Correlation C
D) Correlation D
E) Correlation E
Q3) Refer to Research Study 8.6 above to answer the following question. State Dr.Uchida's hypothesis and sketch a diagram of this hypothesized relationship.
Q4) How do multiple regression designs help rule out third variables?
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Chapter 9: Introduction to Simple Experiments
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Which of the following is a dependent variable in Dr.Lonsbary's study?
A) Number of words on the list
B) Number of groups participants were assigned to
C) Time given to remember the words
D) Time given to memorize the words
E) Number of words remembered
Q2) Refer to Research Study 9.1 above to answer the following question. Dr.Lonsbary's study contains which of the following techniques designed to address a threat to construct validity?
A) Counterbalancing
B) A placebo group
C) A demand characteristic
D) Random sampling
E) A manipulation check
Q3) What is a design confound? What type of validity is threatened by design confounds and how is it threatened? Explain why not all problems in a study are necessarily confounds.
Q4) Name three disadvantages of within-groups designs.
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Chapter 10: More on Experiments: Confounding and Obscuring Variables
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 10.2 above to answer the following question. Which of the following threats to internal validity will Dr.Bloedorn NOT be worried about?
A) History
B) Attrition
C) Instrumentation
D) Placebo effects
E) She should be worried about all of the above
Q2) Which of the following is NOT a reason that a study must yield a null result?
A) A lack of between-group variance
B) Too much within-group variance
C) A "true" null result
D) All of the above are reasons
E) None of the above are reasons
Q3) Refer to Research Study 10.4 above to answer the following question. Provide three reasons why Armand's study may have resulted in null effects.
Q4) Name two study designs that would address issues of individual differences contributing to within-group variance.If these two designs are not possible,what else could a researcher do?
Q5) Explain how within-group variance can obscure between group differences.
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Chapter 11: Experiments With More Than One Independent
Variable
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Q1) Dr.Gavin is conducting a 2 x 4 independent-groups factorial design.How many cells are in his design?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 6
D) 8
E) 10
Q2) Which of the following CANNOT be said of the interaction in a study?
A) It can be determined by examining a graph of the results.
B) It can be determined by investigating marginal means.
C) It can exist even if the main effects are not significant.
D) It is almost always more important than a study's main effects.
E) There are multiple types of interactions (e.g., crossover interaction).
Q3) Refer to Research Study 11.1 above to answer the following question. In Dr.Elder's study,how many possible main effects exist?
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) 4
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Quasi-Experiments and Small-N Designs
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 12.1 above to answer the following question. What would Dr.Fletcher need to do to his current study design to make it a nonequivalent groups interrupted time-series design?
A) Recruit a group of participants who did not join a fraternity/sorority
B) Take measurements of body concern before and after joining a fraternity/sorority
C) Measure body concern using a different measure than the Body Concern Scale
D) Both a and b
E) All of the above
Q2) Refer to Research Study 12.3 above to answer the following question. In examining the external validity of her study,Dr.Anderson is probably most concerned about making sure her study generalizes to:
A) All people
B) All men
C) All transplant recipients
D) All overweight people
E) She is probably not very concerned about external validity
Q3) Explain why quasi-experiments and correlational studies can be seen as similar but why quasi-experiments are superior.
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Chapter 13: Replicability,Generalization,and the Real World
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Q1) Refer to Research Study 13.1 above to answer the following question. Mark decides to conduct a conceptual replication.Which of the following could be in the study to make it this type of replication?
A) Measuring a different group of participants
B) Having participants drink a caffeinated energy drink rather than a caffeinated cola
C) Having participants complete a 20-item math test
D) Having participants complete a 10-item math test
E) All of the above
Q2) Name the subdiscipline of psychology that works exclusively in generalization mode and explain why it works exclusively in this mode.
Q3) According to the textbook,which of the following is NOT a component of WEIRD people?
A) Western
B) Educated
C) Interdependent
D) Rich
E) Democratic
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