Statistics for Psychology Review Questions
Course Introduction
Statistics for Psychology introduces students to the fundamental concepts and methods of statistical analysis within the context of psychological research. The course covers descriptive statistics, probability theory, hypothesis testing, and inferential statistics, emphasizing practical applications relevant to behavioral sciences. Students learn to interpret data, conduct and analyze psychological experiments, and critically evaluate research findings using statistical software. By the end of the course, students will be able to apply statistical reasoning to understand psychological phenomena and make informed decisions based on data.
Recommended Textbook
Research In Psychology Methods and Design 7th Edition by C. James Goodwin
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12 Chapters
993 Verified Questions
993 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Scientific Thinking in Psychology
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Sample Questions
Q1) With which of the following attributes of scientific thinking is most likely to confuse and frustrate the general public?
A) the desire for objectivity
B) the emphasis of supporting claims with data
C) the recognition that conclusions are tentative
D) the reliance on empirical questions
Answer: C
Q2) A way to scientifically test (and potentially falsify) graphology's claims is to A) collect writing samples whose topics are not about the individual (e.g., copy a piece of text)
B) compare graphology's results with those of valid and reliable personality tests
C) avoid anecdotal evidence
D) all of the above
Answer: D
Q3) Peirce called the use of logical arguments to fix a belief the _________ method.
Answer: a priori
Q4) Fixing belief by relying on ________ occurs when students fail to question their professors.
Answer: authority
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Chapter 2: Ethics in Psychological Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Researchers believe that some degree of deception in research is sometimes warranted because
A) without it, participants might not behave naturally
B) without it, participants would be less likely to volunteer
C) most participants really cannot understand the complexity of research in psychology
D) participants expect to be deceived
Answer: A
Q2) The most recent APA code (2002) includes 5 general principles and 89 standards. One of the general principles obligates researchers to continually weigh the profit and the cost of the research they complete. Which general principle is this?
A) beneficence and nonmaleficence
B) integrity
C) justice
D) fidelity and responsibility
Answer: A
Q3) ____________ is the term used to describe that portion of debriefing that is aimed at telling participants the true purpose of the study.
Answer: dehoaxing
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4
Chapter 3: Developing Ideas for Research in Psychology
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Sample Questions
Q1) A theory that has the minimum of constructs and assumptions, yet adequately summarizes and organizes information, is said to be a(n) ________ theory.
A) parsimonious
B) operationalized
C) falsified
D) simplistic
Answer: A
Q2) What is the advantage of using operational definitions?
A) they force researchers in different laboratories to all use the exact same definition
B) they facilitate replication
C) it's easy to agree on a universal definition for a concept like aggression
D) there are no advantages to using operational definitions; no two persons can ever agree on the best definition
Answer: B
Q3) An __________ is someone who is working for the experimenter and is "in on" the experiment, but to the participant, appears to be another participant (or perhaps just a bystander).
Answer: experimental confederate
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Chapter 4: Measurement, Sampling, and Data Analysis
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Sample Questions
Q1) Consider the use of reaction time as a measure of behavior. Describe its original use and the manner in which it is used today (for the latter, use the mental rotation studies as an example).
Q2) Five children are tested for IQ. For which sets of scores will the median and the mode both be the same?
A) 110, 150, 100, 110, 115
B) 90, 100, 120, 110, 90
C) 100, 180, 90, 110, 80
D) 90, 90, 100, 120, 100
Q3) In a maze learning study, a researcher compares the performance of laboratory-bred rats and wild rats, hoping to find that the wild rats are better. Which of the following is true?
A) the null hypothesis is that wild rats will learn faster than lab rats
B) a Type II error would be to find a difference in the study when no true difference exists
C) a Type I error would be to find no difference in the study when a true difference exists
D) if wild rats really are better, but the researcher fails to reject the null hypothesis, then a Type II error has occurred
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Chapter 5: Introduction to Experimental Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sometimes performance differences could be attributed to an independent variable or to some basic difference in the composition of the two groups involved. When this occurs, there is said to be a threat due to
A) regression
B) maturation
C) attrition
D) selection
Q2) What is the difference between the internal validity of a study and its external validity?
Q3) In the study described in the previous item, what is the dependent variable?
A) a measure of room size
B) the type of maze being used
C) maze performance
D) the degree of natural light
Q4) You can be sure that a _______ variable is being used if the research hypothesizes sex differences in some task.
Q5) It is sometimes argued that using control groups is unethical because it can deprive participants of useful treatments. How do most research psychologists respond?
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Chapter 6: Control Problems in Experimental Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Longitudinal design is to cross-sectional design as ______ is to _______.
A) within-subjects; between-subjects
B) between-subjects; within-subjects
C) cohort effect; carry-over effect
D) subject variable; manipulated variable
Q2) All possible orders of conditions are used in ___________ counterbalancing.
Q3) When subjects partake in each condition before any condition is repeated ________ has been used.
A) reverse counterbalancing
B) matching
C) block randomization
D) blocked random assignment
Q4) In a cross-sectional comparison of intelligence in people aged 20, 40, and 60, differences might be due to aging but they might also be due to the different rearing conditions experienced by participants. This latter interpretation illustrates a(n) _______ effect.
A) cohort
B) placebo
C) attrition
D) order
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Chapter 7: Experimental Design 1: Single Factor Designs
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Q1) In a study on social skills training in children with autism, Kroeger et al. made sure that at the start of the study the groups were equal in terms a level of cognitive functioning. They used a(n) __________ design.
Q2) In Lee and Aronson's "moving room" study, A) counterbalancing was needed
B) random assignment was used, rather than matching C) a subject variable, "level of perceptual skill," was used
D) a multilevel, repeated-measures design was used
Q3) A well-known example of a study that produced a nonlinear effect was the memory study by Ebbinghaus that produced his forgetting curve. Which of the following is true about his study?
A) the independent variable was the amount of time between studying and recalling B) it was a single-factor, two level, repeated-measures design
C) it was a multilevel, matched groups design
D) the independent variable was a "savings" score
Q4) A graph comparing males and females on reaction time would be a bar graph because gender is a(n) _________ variable.
Q5) Multilevel designs enable the researcher to discover ______ effects.
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Chapter 8: Experimental Design II: Factorial Designs
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a 2x3 mixed factorial design, with 10 people needed to fill the upper left hand cell of the matrix, how many people will be needed to complete the experiment?
A) 60
B) 20
C) 30
D) could be 20 or 30 (need more information)
Q2) Describe the defining features of a factorial design and explain its unique advantage over designs that have a single independent variable.
Q3) What is a ceiling effect and how can one's presence cloud the interpretation of a research outcome in a factorial design?
Q4) Use the research example on studying in noisy versus quiet environments to illustrate the concept of an interaction in a factorial design.
Q5) Any experimental design that includes more than one independent variable is called a(n) ________ design.
Q6) What is the basic difference between a mixed factorial design and a PxE factorial design?
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Chapter 9: Correlational Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) In Eron's study of TV and aggression, the initial correlation between preference for violent TV and later aggressiveness was +.31. Several partial correlations were calculated, to examine the potential effects of third variables. After these factors were statistically controlled, the overall correlation was still about +.30. What did Eron conclude?
A) none of the examined factors contributed to the observed relationship B) each of the examined variables showed a high likelihood of being third variables
C) that in fact no link between TV viewing preferences and aggressiveness could be shown
D) that TV causes 31% of all violent behavior
Q2) Which of the following is true about the presence of a Pearson's r in the results of a study?
A) it means that the study could not have been an experimental study
B) it means that the relationship between two variables has been determined
C) it means that a correlational design has been used
D) it means that you won't be seeing an ANOVA in the same results section
Q3) The effects of third variables can be evaluated by using a statistical procedure that involves calculating ________ correlations.
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Quasi-Experimental Designs Applied Research
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Q1) Wagner et al. used an interrupted times series design to examine changes in worker productivity after the institution of a worker incentive plan. In addition to measuring productivity, they also examined other information in order to rule out alternative explanations of their results. They were able to rule out _______ because _______.
A) history; no significant event occurred around the time of the program's start
B) instrumentation; the manner of measuring productivity didn't change C) selection; of an absence of significant worker turnover
D) all of the above
Q2) Program audits are most likely to be associated with which type of program evaluation?
A) needs analysis
B) cost analysis
C) summative evaluations
D) formative evaluations
Q3) In a(n) _____________, a researcher examines a program-in-progress to see if it is running as planned.
Q4) Describe the essential elements of the four main varieties of program evaluation research.
Q5) Trends can be evaluated by using a(n) ___________ design.
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Chapter 11: Small N Designs
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Sample Questions
Q1) Trying to change a behavior in more than one environment in the same study is the goal of a(n) _____ design.
A) multiple baseline
B) alternating treatments
C) withdrawal
D) A-B-C-B
Q2) Describe the essential features of these designs: A-B-C-B, A-A1-B-A1-B, alternating treatments.
Q3) A study by Kay and colleagues used a multiple baseline design to help an individual reduce drooling behavior. Their study included
A) a combination of training and reinforcement
B) multiple baselines in three different settings
C) calculation of interobserver agreement
D) all of the above
Q4) A changing criterion design is built on the operant conditioning principle of A) shaping
B) withdrawal
C) extinction
D) punishment
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Chapter 12: Descriptive Research Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true about participant observation?
A) the participant observers can influence the behavior of the group
B) unlike naturalistic observation, experimenter bias is unlikely to play a role
C) researchers usually become emotionally involved and fail to record behavior objectively
D) the method won't produce data that can be analyzed statistically
Q2) In survey research, the ___________ is the final list of individuals from whom a sample is drawn.
Q3) In the box describing the case of the female journalist who was fired on the basis of a survey, which of the following occurred?
A) the survey was not actually completed; the data were manufactured
B) even though an elaborate (and appropriate) statistical analysis was done, the survey itself was hopelessly biased
C) there was an inappropriate statistical analysis
D) it a well-designed and fair survey, but used a biased sample
Q4) To reduce bias in observational research, more than one observer is sometimes used, and ___________ is calculated.
Q5) Distinguish between open and closed questions and give an example of each.
Q6) Describe the two varieties of electronic surveying.
Page 14
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