Research Methods in Psychology
Midterm Exam
Course Introduction
Research Methods in Psychology introduces students to the fundamental principles and techniques used to investigate human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors scientifically. The course covers a range of research designs including experimental, correlational, and observational methods, alongside essential topics such as hypothesis formulation, sampling strategies, measurement, data collection, and ethical considerations. Students will learn how to critically evaluate psychological research, analyze data, and present findings, equipping them with the skills necessary to conduct independent research and interpret published studies in the field of psychology.
Recommended Textbook
Research Methods for the Behavioral Sciences 4th Edition by Frederick J Gravetter
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction, Acquiring Knowledge, and the Scientific Method
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Q1) A good hypothesis should make a positive statement about the existence of a relationship,a difference,or a treatment effect.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) One critical component of the scientific method is that all answers or explanations must be demonstrated empirically.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) When your doctor asks you whether you have been sleeping well at night,the doctor is gathering information by using the A)method of authority.
B)rational method.
C)empirical method.
D)method of intuition.
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: Research Ideas
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Q1) The method section of a research article typically
A)provides interpretation of the findings.
B)describes the overall purpose and rationale of the research.
C)includes the results of statistical analyses.
D)provides the details of how the research was conducted.
Answer: D
Q2) A ________ source contains original research reports.
A)primary
B)secondary
C)premier
D)germinal
Answer: A
Q3) It is best to let the background literature lead you to a new research idea.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Ideas for research can come from reading a magazine.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Defining and Measuring Variables
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Q1) Research results indicate that the more time individuals spend watching educational television programs as preschool children,the higher their high school grades will be.This is an example of a _________ relationship between variables.
A)cause-and-effect
B)coincidental
C)positive
D)negative
Answer: C
Q2) Describe what new information is obtained from measurements on an interval scale compared to measurements from an ordinal scale.
Answer: If two individuals have different measurements on an ordinal scale,you can tell whose score is higher but you cannot determine how much higher.Ordinal scales permit the measurement of direction but not the measurement of distance.If two individuals have different scores on an interval scale,you can determine whose score is higher and you can determine how much higher.On an interval scale,you can measure the distance between any two measurements.
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Chapter 4: Ethics in Research
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Q1) Milgram's obedience study is ethically questionable because the shocks posed a threat of physical harm.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The Tuskegee study involved injecting patients with live cancer cells without their knowledge or consent.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Deception is in direct contradiction with which element of the ethical guidelines?
A)no harm
B)informed consent
C)confidentiality
D)anonymity
Q4) Questions of ethics concern moral versus immoral behavior.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the two basic categories of ethical responsibility that a researcher has.
Q6) Describe the factors that influence a debriefing's effectiveness.
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Chapter 5: Selecting Research Participants
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Q1) When a researcher does not know the exact number of individuals in the population but still wants to control the composition of a sample,the best technique is to use quota sampling.
A)True
B)False
Q2) If you cannot list all the individuals in the population,then you cannot take a simple random sample.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In most research situations,the researcher does not have a list of all the individuals in the population and,therefore,must use ___________ sampling.
A)simple random
B)probability
C)nonprobability
D)systematic
Q4) Convenience sampling involves selecting individuals who are easy to get.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Research Strategies and Validity
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Q1) In a study with a group of individuals being tested in a series of treatment conditions that extends over a relatively long time,it is possible that there will be systematic changes in the participants' physiology or psychology that occur during the time of the study.If these changes influence the participants' scores,causing scores at the end of the study to be different from scores at the beginning,the effect is called A)history.
B)maturation.
C)instrumentation.
D)regression toward the mean.
Q2) The primary distinction between quantitative research and qualitative research is based on differences in the A)type of participants.
B)type of phenomena they study.
C)type of data they produce.
D)type of phenomena they study and data they produce.
Q3) What is a confounding variable? How does it affect the validity of your research study? Describe a research study that contains an example of a confounding variable.
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Chapter 7: The Experimental Research Strategy
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Q1) Dr.Jones systematically varies the temperature in the laboratory (70,80,and 90 degrees)while holding other variables constant,and observes that the participants' activity level decreases as the temperature increases.This illustrates
A)a non-causal relationship between temperature and activity level.
B)a causal relationship between temperature and activity level.
C)no relationship between temperature and activity level.
D)an unsystematic relationship between temperature and activity level.
Q2) All experiments must have either a no-treatment control group or a placebo control group.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A researcher reports that participants made fewer errors on a simulated air-traffic-control task when quiet background music was playing than when there was no music.For this study,the number of errors is the independent variable.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain why control of extraneous variables is a necessary component of an experiment.
Q5) Describe and differentiate the three methods to control extraneous variables.
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Chapter 8: Experimental Designs: Between-Subjects Design
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Q1) When comparing means in a two-group design,which statistical analysis is most appropriate?
A)independent-measures t test
B)repeated-measures t test
C)single-factor analysis of variance
D)chi-square test for independence
Q2) One characteristic of a between-subjects design is that the data consist of exactly one score for each participant.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Random assignment guarantees that participant characteristics do not become a confounding variable.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In a between-subjects experiment,increasing the variance within treatments increases the likelihood of finding significant differences between treatments.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the basic characteristics of a between-subjects experiment.
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Chapter 9: Experimental Designs: Within-Subjects Design
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Q1) The effect of counterbalancing is
A)to eliminate order effects.
B)to spread order effects equally across the different treatment conditions.
C)to separate order effects from the treatment effects.
D)to subtract out order effects along with the individual differences.
Q2) A matched-subjects design attempts to eliminate the problems associated with _______ that are a concern for between-subjects designs and also eliminate the problems associated with ______ that are a concern for between-subjects designs.
A)order effects,order effects
B)order effects,individual differences
C)individual differences,individual differences
D)individual differences,order effects
Q3) If one or more of the treatments in an experiment is expected to have a large and long-lasting effect that could influence the participants' scores in later treatments,the best strategy is to use a between-subjects design.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the limitations or problems that can occur with counterbalancing.
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Chapter 10: The Nonexperimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies: Nonequivalent Group, Pre-Post, and Developmental Designs
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Q1) A quasi-experimental design
A)makes no attempt to minimize threats to validity.
B)makes some attempts to minimize threats to validity.
C)controls extraneous variables,similar to an experiment.
D)manipulates one variable,similar to an experiment.
Q2) A researcher records participants' weights every Friday for three weeks prior to administering a diet education program and for three weeks following the program.This study is an example of
A)a time-series design.
B)an interrupted time-series design.
C)a cross-sectional design
D)a longitudinal design.
Q3) Which research design is used by a researcher comparing self-esteem scores for children from divorced families versus scores for children from families with no divorce?
A)differential research design
B)pretest-only nonequivalent control group design
C)pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design
D)time-series design
Page 12
Q4) Distinguish nonexperimental designs from quasi-experimental designs.
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Chapter 11: Factorial Designs
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Q1) If the means for a two-factor study are displayed in a graph and the lines in the graph are perfectly parallel,then what can you conclude about the main effects and interaction?
A)There is no main effect for either of the two factors.
B)There is a main effect for both of the two factors.
C)There is no interaction between factors.
D)There are no main effects and no interaction between factors.
Q2) How many separate groups of participants would be needed for a between-subjects,two-factor study with 3 levels of factor A and 4 levels of factor B?
A)3
B)4
C)7
D)12
Q3) For a two-factor design,describe what is meant by a "main effect" and an "interaction."
Q4) There are four levels of the second factor in a 3*4*4 factorial design.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe two situations in which factorial designs are commonly used.
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Chapter 12: The Correlational Research Strategy
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Q1) A researcher reports that there is no consistent relationship between grade point average and the number of hours spent studying for college students.The correlation between grade point average and the number of hours studying is an example of A)a positive correlation.
B)a negative correlation.
C)a correlation near zero.
D)a correlation near one.
Q2) To establish the validity of a measure,a researcher examines A)the relationship between the scores from 2 administrations of the measure. B)the relationship between the measure and another measure.
C)the mean difference between the scores from 2 administrations of the measure. D)the mean difference between the measure and another measure.
Q3) If the data for a correlational study consists of one or more scores that are not numerical values,the relationship between the variables cannot be evaluated.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe how correlational studies can be used.
Q5) Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the correlational research strategy.
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Chapter 13: Descriptive Research Strategy
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Q1) What type of question produces a numerical score for each participant?
A)open-ended
B)restricted
C)rating scale
D)physiological
Q2) The case study design can be useful for studying unusual clinical cases such as rare psychiatric disorders.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The goal of the descriptive research strategy is
A)to describe an individual person or patient in great detail.
B)to describe a variable (or variables)as they exist naturally.
C)to describe the relationship between two variables.
D)to establish the existence of a cause and effect relationship between variables.
Q4) The idiographic approach to research involves
A)direct observation of individuals without their knowledge.
B)interviewing people in a small group setting.
C)the intensive study of one individual.
D)the study of groups.
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Chapter 14: Single-Subject Research Designs
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Q1) A treatment phase is defined as
A)a series of observations made when a treatment is being administered.
B)the first observation made after a treatment is administered.
C) the amount of change between the final observation before treatment and the first observation after treatment.
D)the boundary between pre-treatment observations and post-treatment observations.
Q2) Discuss the general advantages and disadvantages of single-subject research compared to traditional group designs.
Q3) In a single-subject phase change study,it does not matter how long it takes for behavior to change after a phase change as long as there eventually is a large change in behavior.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe the goal of a single-subject research study.
Q5) A clear indication of a treatment effect is a gradual change in behavior after the treatment is initiated.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Statistical Evaluation of Data
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Q1) To construct a frequency distribution graph displaying a set of scores that were measured on an interval or a ratio scale,you should use
A)only a histogram.
B)only a polygon.
C)only a bar graph.
D)either a histogram or a polygon.
Q2) The most commonly used descriptive statistics for a set of numerical scores are
A)the mean and the variance.
B)the mean and the standard deviation.
C)the mean and the mode.
D)the mean and the median.
Q3) Describe the general purpose for descriptive statistical techniques and for inferential statistical techniques.
Q4) If the data in a scatter plot form a nearly perfect circle,the Pearson correlation would be approximately
A)+0.8 or +0.9.
B)1.00.
C)zero.
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Chapter 16: Writing a Research Report
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Q1) Describe the ways in which a research proposal is different from a research report.
Q2) Interpretation of the results of a study belongs in which section of an APA-style research report?
A)results
B)method
C)introduction
D)discussion
Q3) Which is the correct order of parts in a research report?
A)abstract,title page,introduction,references,method,results,and discussion
B)title page,introduction,method,results,discussion,abstract,and references
C)title page,abstract,introduction,method,results,discussion,and references
D)abstract,references,title page,introduction,method,results,and discussion
Q4) The method section is designed to answer what questions?
A)What was the hypothesis of the study?
B)How was the study conducted?
C)How were the data analyzed?
D)What was the purpose of the study?
Q5) Describe what elements are typically contained in an APA-style abstract for a research report.
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