Research participants are randomly assigned to different conditions in an experiment in order to:
reduce the likelihood that participants within any condition know each other.
increase the likelihood that research participants are representative of people in general.
reduce the likelihood of any preexisting differences between the groups of participants assigned to the different conditions.
increase the likelihood that the different experimental conditions have the same number of participants.
A researcher would be most likely to discover a positive correlation between:
intelligence and academic success.
financial poverty and physical health.
self-esteem and depression.
school grades and school absences.
During the last Central High School basketball game, the starting five players scored 11, 7, 21, 14, and 7 points, respectively. For this distribution of scores, the range is:
7.
11.
12.
14.
21.
Which measure of variation is affected most by a few extreme scores?
mode
standard deviation
mean
median
range
Which of the following research methods does NOT belong with the others?
case study
survey
naturalistic observation
experiment
A researcher was interested in determining whether her students' test performance could be predicted from their proximity to the front of the classroom. So she matched her students' scores on a math test with their seating position. This study is an example of:
experimentation.
correlational research.
a survey.
naturalistic observation.
The concept of control is important in psychological research because:
without control over independent and dependent variables, researchers cannot describe, predict, or explain behavior.
experimental control allows researchers to study the influence of one or two independent variables on a dependent variable while holding other potential influences constant.
without experimental control, results cannot be generalized from a sample to a population.
of all the above reasons.
An awareness of extensive cultural differences in attitudes and values is most helpful for avoiding:
replication.
random sampling.
the hindsight bias.
the false consensus effect.
Evelyn wants to know how consistent her bowling scores have been during the past season. Which of the following measures would be most relevant to this specific concern?
scatterplot
correlation coefficient
Overconfidence is best described as:
a placebo.
critical thinking.
a positive correlation.
intellectual conceit.
Which research method would be most appropriate for investigating the relationship between the religious beliefs of Americans and their attitudes toward abortion?
the survey
the case study
experimentation
The double-blind procedure is most helpful for minimizing:
random assignment.
the placebo effect.
operational definitions.
standard deviations.
Professor Delano predicts that because people are especially attracted to those who are good-looking, handsome men will be more successful than average-looking men in securing employment. The professor's suggestion regarding employment success exemplifies:
an hypothesis.
illusory correlation.
If eating saturated fat and the likelihood of contracting cancer are positively correlated, which of the following is true?
Saturated fat causes cancer.
People who are prone to develop cancer prefer foods containing saturated fat.
A separate factor links the consumption of saturated fat to cancer.
None of the above is necessarily true.
Psychologists' personal values and goals:
are carefully tested by means of observation and experimentation.
lead them to avoid conducting any experiments of a controversial nature.
can bias their observations and interpretations.
have very little influence on the process of scientific observation.
The process of replication is most likely to be facilitated by:
Esteban refuses to be persuaded by an advertiser's claim that people using their brand of gasoline average 50 miles per gallon. His decision probably is based on:
the possibility that the average is the mean, which could be artificially inflated by a few extreme scores.
the absence of information about the size of the sample studied.
the absence of information about the variation in sample scores.
all of the above.
The biases and errors of people's everyday judgments illustrate the need for:
curious skepticism.
open-minded humility.
The correlation between two vivid events will most likely be:
significant.
positive.
negative.
overestimated.
Experimental control is most clearly facilitated by means of:
testable hypotheses.
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