Q&A Hero

Q: throughout psychologys history, research with animals has been especially important in the area of _____. today, animal research is becoming increasingly important in the area of _____. a.personality; behavioral genetics b.learning; personality c.behavioral genetics; learning d.learning; behavioral genetics

Q: your text suggests that during psychologys history, research with animals has been especially important in the area of: a.learning b.development c.memory d.personality

Q: what approach have researchers used to document changes in the brains metabolic activity during problem solving? a.eeg recording b.mri c.transcranial magnetic stimulation d.pet scan

Q: laticia is studying the brains metabolic activity to see how certain brain areas respond to a visual tracking task. her research is likely to use: a.eeg recording b.an fmri c.transcranial magnetic stimulation d.event-related potential

Q: lily is studying a participants arousal level as the participant watches a violent video. lily is likely to use: a.psychophysiological assessment b.experience sampling c.stimulus judgments d.participant observation

Q: transcranial magnetic stimulation investigates the activity of a given region of the brain through the: a.monitoring of overall brain functioning and recording of increases in magnetic activity in the region of interest b.interruption of functioning of the brain in the region of interest by sending a magnetic pulse to that region c.recording of changing levels of oxygen flow in the area of interest in the brain d.monitoring of glucose use in the area of interest in the brain

Q: a limitation of eeg recording in brain research is that: a.physiological recordings based on eeg are more useful for nonhuman animals than humans b.researchers cannot always identify the specific areas of the brain generating the electrical activity seen in the eeg recordings c.eeg recordings record only changes in mood and arousal, not how active the brain is as a whole d.eeg recordings require the use of radioactive glucose for taking measurements in different areas of the brain

Q: the approach that would be least useful in identifying how a specific region of the brain functions with a person engaged in a given task would be a(n): a.eeg recording b.mri c.fmri d.pet scan

Q: dr. brierly wishes to study the response of the autonomic nervous system to emotionally arousing stimuli. the best approach for such research is that of: a.experience sampling b.psychophysiological assessment c.participant observation d.reactivity

Q: which of the following brain imaging techniques measures blood flow directly by tracking a harmless radioactive substance? a.pet b.mri c.fmri d.all of the above

Q: researchers monitor changes in blood oxygen level when they record brain activity using: a.an eeg recording b.a pet scan c.transcranial magnetic stimulation d.an fmri

Q: the most powerful imaging technique, which documents changes in magnetic forces in the brain, is: a.fmri b.mri c.psychophysiological assessment d.eeg recording

Q: a researcher that wants to get a sense of overall levels of electrical brain activity would use: a.pet scans b.mri imaging c.transcranial magnetic stimulation d.eeg recordings

Q: if a researcher applies scalp electrodes to get measurements of brain activity, the researcher is using: a.pet scans b.fmris c.eeg recordings d.transcranial magnetic stimulation

Q: if a researcher wants to see how quickly a person can process complex information, that researcher is likely to use: a.psychophysiological assessment b.stimulus judgments c.reactivity d.reaction time studies

Q: a researcher would be likely to use a reaction time study in order to see how quickly mental processes proceed when a person solves a problem. reaction time is an example of: a.response performance b.stimulus judgment c.response accuracy d.experimental treatment

Q: with respect to the better-than-average effect, which of the following statements is true? a.the effect is absent in asian cultures. b.the effect is less pronounced among asians than among people in the united states. c.the effect is just as pronounced among asians as it is among people in the united states. d.the effect is more pronounced among asians than among people in the united states.

Q: in observational studies, participants sometimes show reactivity. a related phenomenon in self-report studies is called: a.participant observation b.experimenter expectancy c.socially desirable responding d.the third variable problem

Q: if a participant responds that she is getting a grade of a in a class but really is getting a b, she might not be lying; she might remember only her high test scores in that class. such behavior involves: a.observer bias b.experimenter expectancy c.better-than-average effect d.socially desirable responding

Q: in order to look good, respondents sometimes give incorrect answers on a questionnaire. this behavior illustrates: a.the better-than-average effect b.socially desirable responding c.an experimental confound d.selection bias

Q: jamal wants to find out whether the customers of his coffee shop prefer that he add booths or keep his tables and chairs. a researcher would be likely to use what kind of study to help him? a.participant observation b.self-report c.correlational d.experimental

Q: if a researcher wants to assess participants feelings at varied times during the day and in many different locations, a useful methodology would be: a.experience sampling b.random selection c.an experiment d.a case study

Q: investigators who are interested in gaining a lot of information about group attitudes quickly are likely to use what kind of research approach? a.case study b.psychophysical assessment c.participant observation d.self-report

Q: if a researcher asks a group of participants to record their thoughts or feelings at random times of the day, the best approach would be to use: a.correlational research b.experimental research c.longitudinal data d.experience sampling

Q: self-report questions on which the respondent can generate his or her own responses are called: a.observational b.open-ended c.operational d.event-related

Q: self-report questions in which the investigator provides answers from which the respondent chooses are called: a.closed-ended b.observational c.controlled d.experimental

Q: a self-report technique that might require a respondent to retrieve a great deal of information from memory involves: a.experience sampling b.stimulus judgments c.psychophysical assessments d.open-ended questions

Q: a study of the experiences of a synesthetefor example, a person who experiences a visual sensation when hearing a soundis likely to make use of: a.random selection b.a case study c.cross-sectional research d.participant observation

Q: an extensive study of a single person or a few people is characteristic of: a.self-report research b.case studies c.the scientific method d.psychophysiological assessment

Q: if you wanted to conduct observational research but were concerned that the people you observed would change their behaviors due to reactivity, you could: a.avoid debriefing them b.use a blinded study c.conduct culturally sensitive research d.rule out alternative explanations

Q: in which of the following studies would the concept of reactivity be most relevant? a.a blind study b.a case study c.an observational study d.an electrophysiological study

Q: the hawthorne effect refers to changes in behavior associated with: a.reactivity b.observer bias c.experimenter expectancy d.informed consent

Q: when people are aware of being observed, they might change their behaviors. this phenomenon illustrates: a.variability b.experimenter expectancy c.random assignment d.reactivity

Q: philippe wants to study the number of times that close friends touch each other in their interactions. his interpretations of this behavior would need to take into consideration: a.cultural differences in the meaning of touches b.whether participants were randomly assigned to groups c.whether the directionality problem is an issue in the study d.that participant observation generally results in reactivity

Q: pablo is conducting research and trying to determine whether he should monitor the presence versus the absence of a behavior or how long a behavior occurs. what approach to research is he most likely using? a.psychophysiological assessment b.observational research c.self-report method d.experience sampling

Q: the systematic recording of overt behavior of human and nonhuman animals in their natural environment involves what research strategy? a.observational techniques b.case studies c.psychophysiological assessment d.response performance strategies

Q: the fact that small samples are less reliable indicators of typical behavior than large samples is associated with the principle of: a.psychophysiological assessment b.descriptive statistics c.the use of random sampling d.the law of large numbers

Q: if a researcher created two groups by assigning the first 30 people to the experimental group and the last 30 to the control group, the process would violate the principle of: a.variability b.generalization c.random assignment d.correlational research

Q: a psychologist wants to create two groups that are as similar as possible at the beginning of an experiment. to do this, she should use: a.random sampling b.random assignment c.self-report methods d.participant observation

Q: in order to maximize the likelihood that experimental and control groups are similar before any treatment is begun, researchers typically use: a.naturalistic observation b.random assignment c.sampling d.participant observation

Q: unintended differences between the groups in an experiment reflect _____ bias; these differences stem from a failure to follow the principle of random _____. a.sampling; selection b.sampling; assignment c.selection; sampling d.selection; assignment

Q: unintended differences between the groups in an experiment may introduce confounds; these differences reflect a condition known as _____ bias. a.selection b.assignment c.directionality d.sampling

Q: a researcher wants to investigate the response of students on a college campus to a plan to turn a grassy area into a parking lot. she plans to give a questionnaire to a random sample of students. it is likely that: a.her results would generalize to the population of interest to her b.she would not be able to generalize her results because she is using a convenience sample c.if she repeated the study with another random sample, she would get very different results d.her findings are not representative of the attitudes of students on the campus

Q: jafar conducted an experiment with student participants in which he investigated their reactions to advertisements that used humor. when analyzing his results, he should take into account that: a.there are likely to be many confounds in his methodology, so his results may not be reliable b.by using random assignment of participants to groups, it is likely that he avoided selection bias c.he has a convenience sample and may not be able to generalize his findings to the larger population of adults d.self-report methods are not an accurate way to get authentic reactions to the advertisements

Q: researchers have used driving simulators to investigate whether talking on a cell phone impairs the ability to drive. the published studies show that using a cell phone has a detrimental effect on attention to driving. one valid criticism of these studies is that: a.it is common knowledge that cell phone use does not have an impact on driving ability b.behavior is almost impossible to predict when it involves a complex set of behaviors like driving an automobile c.people are going to talk on cell phones while driving even if their driving ability is impaired d.participants may not take simulated driving tasks seriously because they know there are no real consequences if their driving behavior is poor

Q: one criticism that is made of many experimental studies in psychology is that: a.human behavior is almost impossible to study scientifically b.human behavior is seldom related to animal behavior c.experimental studies are conducted in artificial, laboratory settings d.it is very difficult to separate the effects of independent and dependent variables

Q: because psychologists regularly use college students as research participants, the research does not involve: a.random sampling b.convenience sampling c.selection bias d.populations

Q: which of the following sampling techniques gives each member of the population an equal and independent chance of being selected to participate? a.random sampling b.convenience sampling c.random assignment d.selection bias

Q: if a researcher wants to be able to generalize about a population using data pulled from a sample, it is best to use: a.a convenience sample b.experience sampling c.a descriptive study d.a random sample

Q: when identifying the pool of participants who will be in a research project, psychologists generally use: a.random assignment b.random sampling c.convenience sampling d.control participants

Q: bai is conducting a study on learning. when she manipulates an independent variable, it is possible that some other factor, such as noise in the hall, can affect learning in one of the groups but not in the other. this possibility reflects the presence of: a.a confound b.a dependent variable c.selection bias d.random assignment

Q: when an experiment lacks the proper control, which of the following unintended variables can influence the outcome of a study? a.confound b.independent variable c.dependent variable d.all of the above

Q: when confounds are present in an experiment, they result in: a.an increase in the possibility of selection bias b.a decrease in the reactivity of the experimental participants c.possible alternative explanations for the results of the experiment d.the same treatment for experimental and control groups in the experiment

Q: paloma randomly assigns participants to two groups and compares the group that receives a treatment with the group that receives no treatment. the group that gets no treatment is the: a.variable group b.confounded group c.experimental group d.control group

Q: researchers investigated whether mood affects participants ratings of jokes. participants in the first mood group read sad statements. in the second group, participants read neutral statements. in this study, the participants who read the sad statements constituted the: a.control group b.population c.experimental condition d.observational group

Q: wilhelm randomly assigns participants to two groups and compares the group that receives a treatment with the group that receives no treatment. the group that gets the treatment is the: a.variable group b.confounded group c.experimental group d.control group

Q: a research team told one group of people they would hear a set of jokes that were very funny and a second group that they would hear jokes that were not very funny. a third group was not told anything about the jokes. the jokes in all conditions were the same. research with this design is: a.observational b.correlational c.experimental d.psychophysiological

Q: researchers assess the baseline performance of people with respect to a given behavior so they can identify what happens to behavior when they manipulate a variable. the use of baseline groups and groups that experience a manipulation of a variable is characteristic of: a.correlational studies b.longitudinal research c.naturalistic observation d.experimental research

Q: which of the following types of studies allows the researcher to establish causality between an independent variable and a dependent variable? a.descriptive studies b.correlational studies c.experiment d.none of the above

Q: the variable that a researcher measures in an experiment to see if it has changed after a treatment is called the: a.independent variable b.dependent variable c.confounding variable d.stimulus

Q: the variable that a researcher manipulates in an experiment is called the: a.independent variable b.dependent variable c.confounding variable d.stimulus

Q: when a researcher manipulates a variable to see what effect the manipulation has on a study participants behavior, the research design involves: a.a correlational study b.an experiment c.naturalistic observation d.participant observation

Q: there is a correlation between depression and memory: when people suffer from depression frequently, they often display worse memory than people who suffer from depression less frequently. genetics, however, may have an effect on a study participants depression and memory. this combination of factors is known as: a.selection bias b.the experimenter expectancy effect c.the directionality problem d.the third variable problem

Q: samir is conducting a correlational study, and he cannot determine whether one variable causes another. one reason for this indetermination is that the additional variables that he did not study could influence the variables he did study. this result reflects the problem with: a.selection bias b.response accuracy c.the third variable problem d.the occurrence of random error

Q: in correlational studies, it is always possible that an unmeasured variable is responsible for the relation of interest. this complication is known as: a.observer bias b.experimenter expectancy effects c.the directionality problem d.the third variable problem

Q: using correlational studies, psychologists have studied whether exposure to violence in the media leads to violent behavior. they have found that participants who have been exposed to more violence in the media are, in general, more violent. it is not clear from such research which one causes the other. the problem in interpreting these results involves: a.directionality b.selection bias c.sampling error d.confounds

Q: in correlational studies, there is ambiguity as to which variable is the cause and which variable is the effect. this phenomenon is known as: a.observer bias b.experimenter expectancy effects c.the directionality problem d.the third variable problem

Q: when two variables are correlated, it is not clear which one is a causal variable and which is an effect. this ambiguity reflects: a.the third variable problem b.random error c.selection bias d.the directionality problem

Q: researchers are likely to choose a correlational design when: a.they are concerned that there will be a third variable problem b.the directionality problem is likely c.it is impossible to control the variables being studied d.they are using psychophysiological assessments

Q: in which of the following types of study do researchers examine the extent to which variables are naturally related in the real world? that is, there is no attempt by the researcher to influence the relation among the variables. a.descriptive study b.case study c.experimental study d.correlational study

Q: gwen is studying the effects of comedic film on depressed participants. she is concerned that the data collectors will produce biased observations if they know the purpose of the study. she addresses this problem by using a(n): a.blind study b.correlational study c.experimental study d.descriptive study

Q: which of the following is likely to be associated with observer bias? a.reactivity b.experience sampling c.experimenter expectancy d.the hawthorne effect

Q: the psychologist robert rosenthal told student researchers that some rats in a study would learn a task quickly and others would learn the task slowly. in reality, there was no difference in the rats ability to learn the task. when the students tested the rats, the animals learning matched what the students were told. these results reflect the: a.hawthorne effect b.experimenter expectancy effect c.directionality problem d.third variable problem

Q: in scientific research, a researchers expectations about a study can lead to systematic errors in observation. this phenomenon is called: a.observer bias b.critical thinking skills c.the third variable problem d.the directionality problem

Q: when a researcher who is collecting data does not know a studys hypothesis, the study is a: a.blind study b.confounded study c.meta-analytic study d.reactivity study

Q: when a researchers bias affects the coding of data, there is a problem with: a.the hawthorne effect b.experimenter expectancy c.a third variable d.confounds

Q: if a researcher does not have a clear operational definition of the behavior he is studying, he might experience: a.observer bias b.reactivity c.confounds d.a directionality problem

Q: when researchers collect data in a study, if they unconsciously code a persons behavior to match their expectations, we say there is: a.a directionality problem b.an observer bias c.a sampling error d.reactivity

Q: which of the following phenomena would be best researched using a longitudinal study? a.the change in childrens concepts of sharing from infancy through adolescence b.the difference between children and adults in their responses to a natural disaster c.the frequency with which people think about sources of stress in their lives over the course of a single day d.the rates of hospitalization of psychiatric patients over the course of the last century

Q: relative to cross-sectional research studies, longitudinal studies are: a.less subject to participants dropping out b.less expensive, but take more time c.more expensive and take more time d.none of the above