Quiz 1
Question 1
George needs to choose participants for his research study. What is the most effective way for him to ensure that his participant sample accurately represents the whole population?
A. Purposive sampling
B. Snowball sampling
C. Random sampling
D. Convenience sampling
Answer
C. Random sampling
Random sampling gives each member of the population an equal chance of being chosen to participate in the research.
Question 2
Ryann is planning a research study with human participants, who will have to wear a head-mounted eye-tracking device during data collection. While the device is not painful or dangerous, it can be a bit uncomfortable, and some participants may get a headache from wearing the device. According to the textbook, what would be the most important ethical practice for Ryann to address for approval?
A. Privacy
B. Risk/benefit ratio
C. Confidentiality
D. Random assignment
Answer
B. Risk/benefit ratio
If the risk/benefit ratio favors the benefit, this will make the study more likely to be approved.
Question 3
Ali and Meghan both attend lectures and take notes in psychology class. Ali turns his phone off during class, whereas Meghan checks her texts during the lecture. Even though both take notes, Ali remembers the lecture material better than Meghan. According to the textbook, which of the following principles is illustrated by this situation?
A. Growth mindset
B. Repeated practice
C. Self-regulated learning
D. Selective attention
Answer
D. Selective attention
We can only focus and learn so much at one time—multitasking is psychologically impossible.
Question 4
Which of the following is most likely a quasi-independent variable?
A. Task difficulty
B. Drug dosage
C. Type of feedback
D. Intelligence
Answer
D. Intelligence
As we can’t manipulate an individual’s intelligence, it would qualify as quasi-independent.
Question 5
On annual trips to the Smoky Mountains, Virginia notices that, every year, the number of park visitors increases. She also notices that the cost of ice cream at the Cades’ Cove campground increases each year. She decides that the inflation of ice cream prices is caused by the increase in demand for ice cream with more people attending the park. According to the textbook, which of the following statements correctly describes whether Virginia can make a causal claim based on this observation?
A. No, Virginia can only make a correlational claim
B. No, a causal claim would require her to observe this trend in multiple parks
C. Yes, Virginia can make a causal claim because she has observed the trend over several years
D. Yes, Virginia can make a causal claim because she is using cause and effect
Answer
A. No, Virginia can only make a correlational claim
Virginia is observing a TREND because no experiment has been conducted
Question 6
In a study investigating whether caffeine consumption affects mental performance, Tate asks participants to drink either a caffeinated (has caffeine) or decaffeinated (doesn’t have caffeine) beverage. Then, he tests how quickly the participants can press a button when they hear a sound. Which of the following correctly describes the conceptual independent variable?
A. How quickly they press the button
B. Whether the beverage has caffeine
C. Mental performance
D. Caffeine consumption
Answer
D. Caffeine consumption
A conceptual variable is an idea that could be quantified in many ways.
Question 7
Which of the following best defines critical thinking?
A. When you use your personal judgments about a topic
B. Believing that a person’s intelligence and skills cannot be improved
C. Systematically evaluating information to reach conclusions
D. When you have an instinctive or gut feeling about something
Answer
C. Systematically evaluating information to reach conclusions
This best defines critical thinking because it uses evidence to guide judgment.
Question 8
Abigail conducts a lot of research, and she always makes sure that her study records are stored in a locked cabinet inside of a locked office. Only she and her lab manager have both keys. According to the textbook, which ethical issue does this address?
A. Informed consent
B. Privacy
C. Confidentiality
D. Protection from harm
Answer
C. Confidentiality
Ensuring only key people have access to the data maintains confidentiality.
Question 9
Nick wants to perform a case study exploring how a musician uses their experience to add emotion to their performance, recruiting with volunteer sampling. According to the textbook, how many musicians does he need to recruit for the study?
A. Exactly one
B. More than 50
C. Between 10 and 20
D. Exactly five
Answer
A. Exactly one
Regardless of the recruitment method, a case study only has a sample size of one.
Question 10
Which of the following is the best strategy to examine a naturally-occurring relationship between two factors, without intentionally manipulating any factor?
A. Case study
B. Meta-Analysis
C. Correlational method
D. Experimental method
Answer
C. Correlational method
Correlational methods are used to simply observe patterns.