Psychologist as Detective The An Introduction to Conducting Research in Psychology 6th Edition By Smith & Davis - Test Bank

Psychologist as Detective The An Introduction to Conducting Research in Psychology 6th Edition By Smith & Davis – Test Bank

 

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Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

CHAPTER 5: USING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN PSYCHOLOGY

 

Activities/Assignments

 

Independent and Dependent Variables. This handout (see Independent and Dependent Variables handout) is designed to give students practice with independent and dependent variables.

 

The Psychological Experiment. Polyson and Blick (1985) present an interesting analogy of a basketball game as a psychology experiment. For example, there is a hypothesis regarding which team will win, there is an independent variable (the two teams), a dependent variable (number of points scored), and control of extraneous variables (e.g., same number of players on each team). The authors report that the analogy provokes a good class discussion and might trigger student interest in the topic.

 

Polyson, J. A., & Blick, K. A. (1985). Basketball game as a psychology experiment. Teaching of Psychology, 12, 52-53.

 

General Implication Form. Most abstracts of articles do not state hypotheses in general implication form, which gives students an opportunity to practice this conversion (see General Implication Form handout). This activity requires students to have access to PsycINFO and be able to find references in it.

 

Article Review. The Article Review for Chapter 5 comes from Clark and Hatfield (1989). In these experiments, either a male or female confederate approached college students of the opposite sex and made one of three requests: (1) “Would you go out with me tonight,” (2) “Would you come over to my apartment tonight,” or (3) “Would you go to bed with me tonight.” The results showed that both men and women were receptive to dates, but men were much more receptive than women to an invitation to go to an apartment or to have sex that night.

 

In addition to the questions suggested on the handout, you may wish to examine the ethics of this study (e.g., regarding informed consent, deception, debriefing).

 

Clark, R. D., & Hatfield, E. (1989). Gender differences in receptivity to sexual offers. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 2, 39-55.

 

 

 

Independent and Dependent Variables

 

Each question below contains a brief description of an actual undergraduate research study from Psi Chi: Journal of Undergraduate Research. For each description, (a) identify the independent variable, (b) identify the number of levels for each independent variable and describe each level, (c) identify the dependent variable, and (d) identify one potentially extraneous variable that should be controlled.

 

1. Undergraduate students read either a neutral paragraph or a paragraph describing one man’s experiences of anti-gay prejudice on a college campus. Researchers then measured participants’ levels of anti-gay prejudice (Nierman, 2005).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                                                                                  

(b) Levels of the IV:                                                                                                  

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):                                                                                   

(d) Extraneous Variable:                                                                                            

                                                                       

 

 

1. Patients at a health clinic received either their usual care or health care targeting the patients’ particular stages of change. Researchers measured the extent of positive change for various health behaviors (fat intake, exercise, smoking; Ellington & Martz, 2002).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                                                                                  

(b) Levels of the IV:                                                                                                  

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):                                                                                   

(d) Extraneous Variable:                                                                                            

                                                                       

 

 

1. Researchers were interested in examining whether writing or drawing about past emotional experiences would relieve anxiety. Female college students either wrote about emotional topics, drew about emotional topics, or wrote about non-emotional topics daily for 3-5 days. Anxiety and stress were measured using standard questionnaires (Ittayem & Cooley, 2004).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                                                                                  

(b) Levels of the IV:                                                                                                  

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):                                                                                   

(d) Extraneous Variable:                                                                                            

                                                                       

 

 

1. Researchers were interested in examining whether deaf customers would experience a longer wait for service than hearing customers. Two deaf confederates (conversing in sign language) or two hearing confederates (speaking English) entered stores and timed how long it took for them to be waited on by salespersons (McClellan & Woods, 2001).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                                                                                  

(b) Levels of the IV:                                                                                                  

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):                                                                                   

(d) Extraneous Variable:                                                                                            

                                                                       

 

 

 

References

 

Ellington, J. K., & Martz, D. M. (2002). The transtheoretical model targeting dietary fat, exercise, and smoking in a university health clinic. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 7, 129-136.

Ittayem, N. M., & Cooley, E. L. (2004). Self-disclosure of emotional experiences: Narrative writing and drawing for stress reduction. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 9, 126-133.

McClellan, K. S., & Woods, E. B. (2001). Disability and society: Appearance stigma results in discrimination toward deaf persons. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 6, 57-62.

Nierman, A. J. (2005). The influence of empathy on implicit and explicit measures of anti-gay prejudice. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 10, 102-107.

 

Independent and Dependent Variables – Answer Key

 

1. Undergraduate students read either a neutral paragraph or a paragraph describing one man’s experiences of anti-gay prejudice on a college campus. Researchers then measured participants’ levels of anti-gay prejudice (Nierman, 2005).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                       type of paragraph                               

(b) Levels of the IV:                           2 (neutral, experiences of anti-gay prejudice)           

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):            participants’ level of anti-gay prejudice        

(d) Extraneous Variable:                     paragraphs should be approximately the same length (other answers possible)                     

 

1. Patients at a health clinic received either their usual care or health care targeting the patients’ particular stages of change. Researchers measured the extent of positive change for various health behaviors (fat intake, exercise, smoking; Ellington & Martz, 2002).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                       type of health care                              

(b) Levels of the IV:                           2 (usual, targeted to stage of change)            

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):            extent of positive change in health behaviors

(d) Extraneous Variable:                     the amount of time spent with doctors should be the same for each group (other answers possible)

 

1. Researchers were interested in examining whether writing or drawing about past emotional experiences would relieve anxiety. Female college students either wrote about emotional topics, drew about emotional topics, or wrote about non-emotional topics daily for 3-5 days. Anxiety and stress were measured using standard questionnaires (Ittayem & Cooley, 2004).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                       type of writing/drawing                     

(b) Levels of the IV:                           3 (write-emotions, draw-emotions, write-nonemotions)

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):                        anxiety and stress scores                    

(d) Extraneous Variable:                     the amount of time spent drawing/writing should be the same for each group (other answers possible)

 

1. Researchers were interested in examining whether deaf customers would experience a longer wait for service than hearing customers. Two deaf confederates (conversing in sign language) or two hearing confederates (speaking English) entered stores and timed how long it took for them to be waited on by salespersons (McClellan & Woods, 2001).

(a) Independent Variable (IV):                       type of customer                                

(b) Levels of the IV:                                       2 (deaf, hearing)                                 

(c) Dependent Variable (DV):            amount of time it took to be waited on          

(d) Extraneous Variable:                     all salespersons should be unoccupied when

the confederates begin (other answers possible)

 

 

General Implication Form

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Barnes, G. E., Malamuth, N. M., & Check, J. V. (1984). Psychoticism and sexual arousal to rape depictions. Personality and Individual Differences, 5, 273-279.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form.

 

 

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

 

 

1. What is ONE dependent variable in this study?

 

 

1. Why do you think the researchers chose to use two dependent variables instead of one?

 

 

 

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Frank, M. G., & Gilovich, T. (1988). The dark side of self- and social perception: Black uniforms and aggression in professional sports. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 74-85.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form.

 

 

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

 

 

1. What is the independent variable in this study?

 

 

1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

 

 

 

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Latane, B., & Darley, J. M. (1968). Group inhibition of bystander intervention in emergencies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10, 215-221.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form.

 

 

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

 

 

1. What is the independent variable in this study?

 

 

1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

 

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Cline, V. B., Croft, R. G., & Courrier, S. (1973). Desensitization of children to television violence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 360-365.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form (Note: The hypothesis is not explicitly stated; what do you think the hypothesis was?).

 

 

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

 

 

1. What is the independent variable in this study?

 

 

1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

 

 

 

 

General Implication Form – Answer Key

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Barnes, G. E., Malamuth, N. M., & Check, J. V. (1984). Psychoticism and sexual arousal to rape depictions. Personality and Individual Differences, 5, 273-279.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form.

 

ANSWER: If men score high in psychoticism, then they will be more sexually aroused by violent sexual material than men who score low in psychoticism.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

ANSWER: If men score high in psychoticism, then they will differ in sexual arousal from men who score low in psychoticism.

 

1. What is ONE dependent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: (1) self-reported arousal, (2) penile tumescence

 

1. Why do you think the researchers chose to use two dependent variables instead of one?

 

ANSWER: One dependent variable is self-report, which is vulnerable to self-report biases (e.g., giving a socially desirable response). The other dependent variable is a behavioral measure; it would be very difficult for men to fake penile tumescence!

 

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Frank, M. G., & Gilovich, T. (1988). The dark side of self- and social perception: Black uniforms and aggression in professional sports. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 74-85.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form.

 

ANSWER: If sports teams have black uniforms, they will be more aggressive than teams with nonblack uniforms.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

ANSWER: If sports teams have black uniforms, then they will differ in aggression from teams with nonblack uniforms.

 

1. What is the independent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: the color of the uniforms (black, nonblack)

 

1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: aggression

 

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Latane, B., & Darley, J. M. (1968). Group inhibition of bystander intervention in emergencies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10, 215-221.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form.

 

ANSWER: If men are by themselves, then they will be more likely to report smoke than men in the presence of passive others or in groups of three.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

ANSWER: If men are by themselves, then they will differ from men in the presence of others and men in groups of three in their likelihood of reporting the smoke.

 

1. What is the independent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: group composition (by themselves, presence of passive others, groups of three)

 

1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: reporting smoke

 

 

Read the abstract for the following reference:

 

Cline, V. B., Croft, R. G., & Courrier, S. (1973). Desensitization of children to television violence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27, 360-365.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis in general implication form (Note: The hypothesis is not explicitly stated; what do you think the hypothesis was?).

 

ANSWER: If boys with a history of watching violent television view a violent film, then they will be less autonomically aroused than boys without a history of watching violent television.

 

1. Restate the hypothesis as a nondirectional research hypothesis.

 

ANSWER: If boys with a history of watching violent television view a violent film, then they will differ in autonomic arousal from boys without a history of watching violent television.

 

1. What is the independent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: history of watching violent television (high, low)

 

1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

ANSWER: autonomic arousal

 

 

 

Chapter 5: Using the Scientific Method in Psychology

 

Article Review

 

Read the following article and answer the questions that follow:

 

Clark, R. D., & Hatfield, E. (1989). Gender differences in receptivity to sexual offers. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 2, 39-55.

 

1. According to your text, “You find a research idea when you identify a gap in the current knowledge base…” (p. 14). What was the gap in the knowledge base, according to the authors?

 

ANSWER: There are few experimental studies of sexual initiation and rejection. Furthermore, there is little research on how overt men and women have to be in order to be effective in requesting sex.

 

1. The authors list two competing hypotheses on p. 48. What is the first hypothesis?

 

ANSWER: Men will be more likely than women to agree to a sexual encounter with a stranger.

 

1. Is this first hypothesis stated as directional or nondirectional? Explain.

 

ANSWER: directional; a specific outcome (that men will be more receptive than women) is predicted.

 

1. Is this first hypothesis a synthetic statement, an analytic statement, or a contradictory statement? Explain.

 

ANSWER: It is a synthetic statement because it can be either true or false.

 

1. Restate the first hypothesis in general implication form.

 

ANSWER: If men are approached by a woman offering sex, then they will be more receptive to the offer than women approached by a man offering sex.

 

1. There are two independent variables in this study. What is one of the independent variables?

 

ANSWER: sex of requestor (male, female) or type of request (“Would you go out with me tonight,” “Would you come over to my apartment tonight,” “Would you go to bed with me tonight”)

 

1. What variables were controlled in this study?

 

ANSWER: The same female and male experimenter was used. Both experimenters were rated as moderately attractive. Requests were made on weekdays and not between class periods or during rainy weather.

 

1. What is the dependent variable?

 

ANSWER: Number of participants who said yes to the request.

 

1. In Table 1, what percentage of women approached by a male requestor agreed to go to bed with him that night?

 

ANSWER: 0%

 

1. In Table 1, what percentage of men approached by a female requestor agreed to go to bed with her that night?

 

ANSWER: 75%

 

1. Do the results in Table 1 support Hypothesis #1 or Hypothesis #2? Explain.

 

ANSWER: These results support hypothesis #1: Men were more receptive to sexual requests than females.

 

 

 

 

Test Bank

 

Multiple Choice

 

1. Which of the following is NOT a key element in the scientific method?
   1. Objective measurements
   2. Self-correction of errors
   3. Confirmation of findings
   4. Having extraneous variables

 

ANSWER: d (p. 90)

 

1. An empirical study is based on
   1. the presence of extraneous variables.
   2. synthetic statements.
   3. contradictory statements.
   4. objectively quantifiable observations.

 

ANSWER: d (p. 90)

 

1. Janet conducts a study and finds that, similar to previous research, students by themselves worked harder than students in groups (a phenomenon known as social loafing). In addition, she found that social loafing could be lessened if the students in the group knew each other well. Janet’s study represents
   1. replication.
   2. replication with extension.
   3. lack of control.
   4. a synthetic study.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 91)

 

1. Which of the following scenarios correctly depicts the self-correcting nature of science?
   1. Jane controls various extraneous variables in her study on self-esteem.
   2. Mark conducts a replication with extension study on deindividuation and finds that the previous research reached a faulty conclusion.
   3. Kelly conducts a study illustrating a cause-and-effect relationship between distraction and reading comprehension.
   4. Ray conducts an empirical research study on racial discrimination.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 91)

 

1. Which of the following components in the scientific method best characterizes science, according to the text?
   1. Confirmation of findings
   2. Objectivity
   3. Control
   4. Self-correction

 

ANSWER: c (p. 91)

 

1. Control refers to
   1. directly manipulating an independent variable in a research study.
   2. managing unwanted variables that could influence the results of a research project.
   3. Both (a) and (b).
   4. None of the above.

 

ANSWER: c (p. 91)

 

1. Which of the following is NOT a component of an experiment?
   1. Control of extraneous variables
   2. Manipulation of the independent variable
   3. Measurement of the dependent variable
   4. Manipulation of the dependent variable

 

ANSWER: d (p. 92)

 

1. A research method involving independent and dependent variables is referred to as a(n)
   1. case study.
   2. naturalistic observation.
   3. experiment.
   4. survey.

 

ANSWER: c (p. 92)

 

1. The variable that the experimenter manipulates is referred to as the ____________ variable.
   1. extraneous
   2. independent
   3. dependent
   4. confounding

 

ANSWER: b (p. 92)

 

1. The ____________ variable is the causal part of a cause-and-effect relation.
   1. extraneous
   2. independent
   3. dependent
   4. confounding

 

ANSWER: b (p. 92)

 

1. The ____________ variable is the effect part of a cause-and-effect relation.
   1. extraneous
   2. independent
   3. dependent
   4. confounding

 

ANSWER: c (p. 93)

 

1. Changes in the __________ variable should be caused by the _________ variable.
   1. first independent; second independent
   2. first dependent; second dependent
   3. dependent; independent
   4. independent; dependent

 

ANSWER: c (p. 93)

 

1. A researcher manipulates the __________ variable and measures the effect on the _________ variable.
   1. extraneous; independent
   2. independent; extraneous
   3. dependent; independent
   4. independent; dependent

 

ANSWER: d (p. 93)

 

1. The data in an experiment represent the __________ variable.
   1. independent
   2. dependent
   3. extraneous
   4. control

 

ANSWER: b (p. 93)

 

1. Undesired variables that could invalidate an experiment are referred to as ________ variables.
   1. independent
   2. dependent
   3. extraneous
   4. intrinsic

 

ANSWER: c (p. 93)

 

1. Cause-and-effect relationships can be determined through
   1. replications.
   2. experiments.
   3. empirical research.
   4. None of the above.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 93)

 

1. Cause-and-effect explanations answer the ______ questions in research.
   1. what
   2. where
   3. when
   4. why

 

ANSWER: d (p. 94)

 

1. In one study, half of the rats are given one food pellet each time they correctly run a maze, and the other half of the rats are given two food pellets each time they correctly run a maze. The researchers record the average amount of time it takes the rats to run the maze. In this study, the number of food pellets represents the __________ variable.
   1. independent
   2. dependent
   3. extraneous
   4. intrinsic

 

ANSWER: a (p. 92)

 

1. In one study, students read a fictitious job application. The applications are identical except that half have a female name (“Joan”) and half have a male name (“John”). The students rate the likelihood of the applicant succeeding at the job. What is the dependent variable?
   1. The name on the job application
   2. The students
   3. The students’ ratings of the applicants’ success
   4. The gender of the students

 

ANSWER: c (p. 93)

 

1. Mary is interested in determining if active learning strategies promote better student learning than passive learning strategies. She teaches groups of volunteer students for one hour, using active learning strategies with half of the students and passive learning strategies with the other half of the students. The students are then given a test over the material and Mary records the number of items each student answers correctly. In this study, the independent variable is __________ and the dependent variable is __________.
   1. type of learning strategy; number of correct answers
   2. number of correct answers; type of learning strategy
   3. number of correct answers; the test
   4. type of learning strategy; the test

 

ANSWER: a (pp. 92-93)

 

1. Shayla conducts a study in which a confederate dresses up either in nice clothes or shabby clothes. The confederate goes to the mall and asks people for directions. Shayla hypothesizes that more people will help the confederate when he is nicely dressed rather than shabbily dressed. Which of the following represents control of an extraneous variable?
   1. The type of clothing worn by the confederate at the mall
   2. The number of people who stop to give directions
   3. The same student is used as the confederate (sometimes dressed in nice clothes and sometimes dressed in shabby clothes)
   4. None of the above.

 

ANSWER: c (p. 93)

 

1. The experimenter’s predicted outcome of a research project is known as a(n)
   1. theory.
   2. hypothesis.
   3. extraneous variable.
   4. problem.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 96)

 

1. A research hypothesis should consist of a(n) _________ statement.
   1. analytic
   2. synthetic
   3. contradictory
   4. irrational

 

ANSWER: b (p. 96)

 

1. The statement “Daisies are flowers” is an example of a(n) ________ statement.
   1. analytic
   2. synthetic
   3. contradictory
   4. irrational

 

ANSWER: a (p. 96)

 

1. The statement “Students with good study habits earn good grades” is an example of a(n) _______ statement.
   1. analytic
   2. synthetic
   3. contradictory
   4. irrational

 

ANSWER: b (p. 96)

 

1. ________ statements are always true.
   1. Analytic
   2. Synthetic
   3. Contradictory
   4. Irrational

 

ANSWER: a (p. 96)

 

1. ________ statements are always false.
   1. Analytic
   2. Synthetic
   3. Contradictory
   4. Rational

 

ANSWER: c (p. 96)

 

1. ________ statements can be either true or false.
   1. Analytic
   2. Synthetic
   3. Contradictory
   4. Irrational

 

ANSWER: b (p. 96)

 

1. The statement “If children watch violent television, then they will be more violent than children who do not watch violent television“ is written in
   1. contradictory form.
   2. general implication form.
   3. analytic form.
   4. iambic pentameter.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 97)

 

1. What is the independent variable in the following statement? “If rats are reinforced with five food pellets for each correct response, then they will make more correct responses than rats that are reinforced with zero food pellets.”
   1. Number of correct responses
   2. Number of food pellets (five or zero)
   3. Number of rats
   4. The researcher

 

ANSWER: b (p. 97)

 

1. What is the dependent variable in the following statement? “If people are put in groups, then they will be less likely to help a stranger than when they are by themselves.”
   1. Group size (group or individual)
   2. Likelihood to help a stranger
   3. The participants
   4. The researcher

 

ANSWER: b (p. 97)

 

1. Which of the following statements about hypotheses is true?
   1. Hypotheses must never be falsifiable.
   2. Psychologists are able to prove their hypotheses to be true or false.
   3. Hypotheses should be composed of analytic statements.
   4. Hypotheses should be stated in general implication form.

 

ANSWER: d (p. 97)

 

1. The principle of falsifiability refers to the idea that
   1. reasoning should proceed from specific cases to general theories.
   2. reasoning should proceed from general theories to specific cases.
   3. research should be capable of producing results that do not support the hypothesis.
   4. hypotheses should be composed of analytic statements.

 

ANSWER: c (p. 97)

 

1. Reasoning that proceeds from specific cases to general theories is referred to as
   1. the principle of falsifiability.
   2. inductive logic.
   3. deductive logic.
   4. serendipity.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 98)

 

1. Reasoning that proceeds from general theories to specific cases is referred to as
   1. the principle of falsifiability.
   2. inductive logic.
   3. deductive logic.
   4. serendipity.

 

ANSWER: c (p. 98)

 

1. Darley and Latane (1968) conducted a series of experiments after hearing about the murder of Kitty Genovese. On the basis of results from these experiments, they came up with a principle known as the bystander effect. This example illustrates
   1. inductive logic.
   2. deductive logic.
   3. a contradictory statement.
   4. an analytic statement.

 

ANSWER: a (p. 98)

 

1. Jasmine uses her knowledge of past research on social facilitation to help formulate a hypothesis for her experiment. This example illustrates
   1. deductive logic.
   2. inductive logic.
   3. serendipity.
   4. a contradictory statement.

 

ANSWER: a (p. 98)

 

1. Proctor and Capaldi (2001), who presented an alternate view of hypothesis testing, argued that researchers should use more ___________ logic with new research areas.
   1. deductive
   2. inductive
   3. directional
   4. independent

 

ANSWER: b (p. 98)

 

1. A ________ research hypothesis specifies the outcome of an experiment.
   1. nondirectional
   2. directional
   3. independent
   4. dependent

 

ANSWER: b (p. 100)

 

1. A ________ research hypothesis does not predict the exact outcome of an experiment.
   1. nondirectional
   2. directional
   3. independent
   4. dependent

 

ANSWER: a (p. 100)

 

1. “Depressed individuals who receive therapy will be less depressed than those in the control group who do not receive therapy.” This hypothesis is an example of a
   1. contradictory statement.
   2. nondirectional research hypothesis.
   3. directional research hypothesis.
   4. non-falsifiable hypothesis.

 

ANSWER: c (p. 100)

 

1. “Individuals who undergo therapy will differ in their levels of depression from those who do not undergo therapy.” This hypothesis is an example of a
   1. contradictory statement.
   2. nondirectional research hypothesis.
   3. directional research hypothesis.
   4. non-falsifiable hypothesis.

 

ANSWER: b (p. 100)

 

1. Under what circumstances is it best to use a nondirectional hypothesis?
   1. when the researcher is relatively certain of a prediction
   2. when the researcher would like to increase the chances of finding a statistically significant result
   3. when there is a possibility that the results could turn out the opposite of that which is expected
   4. when the researcher has not read the past literature on the topic

 

ANSWER: c (p. 101)

 

1. Which of the following statements is true?
   1. Most researchers adopt nondirectional hypotheses.
   2. Most researchers adopt directional hypotheses.
   3. Most researchers adopt non-falsifiable hypotheses.
   4. Most researchers state their hypotheses using analytic statements.

 

ANSWER: a (p. 101)

 

 

Short Answer/Essay

 

1. Briefly describe the key elements in the scientific approach.

 

1. Why is science considered empirical?

 

1. Distinguish between replication and replication with extension.

 

1. What does it mean to say that science is self-correcting?

 

1. Describe the two meanings of control in the scientific approach.

 

1. What are the key characteristics of an experiment? Why do researchers value experiments so much?

 

1. Suppose a researcher is interested in determining whether playing violent video games causes aggression in children. She obtains a sample of children and brings them individually to a laboratory setting. Half of the children play a violent video game and half play a nonviolent video game. After playing the game for 30 minutes, the children then play with toys in a separate room and an observer records the number of aggressive acts displayed by each child.

1. 1. What is the independent variable in this study? How many levels does this independent variable have? What are those levels?

 

1. 1. What is the dependent variable in this study?

 

1. 1. What extraneous variables should the researcher control?

 

1. Define the three types of statements described in the text (synthetic, analytic, and contradictory) and give an example of each. Which type of statement should you use for hypotheses and why?

 

1. What is general implication form? Give an example of a hypothesis written in general implication form.

 

1. Describe the principle of falsifiability.

 

1. Compare and contrast inductive and deductive logic.

 

1. Why do Proctor and Capaldi (2001) believe that hypothesis testing can be harmful in the early stages of theory-building? What do they propose researchers do instead?

 

1. Explain the difference between a directional and nondirectional hypothesis. Describe the circumstances under which a researcher would prefer a directional hypothesis over a nondirectional hypothesis. Describe the circumstances under which a researcher would prefer a nondirectional hypothesis over a directional hypothesis.