Questions and Answers of Research In Psychology Methods And Design

You are the head of an advocacy group hired by a school district to develop an anti‐bullying program in the public elementary schools in the district. Because you’ve read this chapter, you
Imagine a time series study evaluating the effects of a helmet law on head injuries among hockey players in amateur city leagues across the nation. Head injuries were significantly lower in the year
A wheel‐bearing manufacturer owns two plants, both in Illinois.She wishes to see if money for health costs can be reduced if a wellness program is instituted. One plant (E) is selected for a
Threats to internal validity are common in non‐experimental studies. What follows is a list of some threats you’ve encountered in this chapter and in Chapter 5. For each of the hypothetical
For each of the hypotheses listed below, identify the best methodological approach from among the following possibilities. Indicate the reason(s) for your choice. Some items have more than one
For each of the following studies, decide whether to illustrate the described outcomes with a line graph or a bar graph; then create graphs that accurately portray the outcomes.1. In a study of the
Return to Exercise 5.2 in Chapter 5 and fix the confounds in those studies by designing a well‐controlled study for each scenario. For each study, be sure to explain how you would use the
For each of the following, identify the independent and dependent variables and the levels of each independent variable, and find at least one extraneous variable that has not been adequately
Consider each of the following research outcomes. If you were a part of the research team, (a) What might you suggest as the next study to do, (b) What do you predict would happen (i.e., what would
For each of the following studies, indicate which scale of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio) is being used for the behavior being measured.1. Sally wishes to discover whether the
For each of the following studies, (a) Identify the null hypothesis, (b) Make your best guess about the alternative hypothesis—that is, what you would expect to happen in this study, (c)
Suppose you did a study comparing the critical thinking skills of psychology majors and philosophy majors. You collect the data found in the following table. Each number is a score on a test of
In terms of main effects and interactions, describe the results of the Research Example about studying and taking exams.
Design a changing criterion program for one of the following selfimprovement projects. For each project, be sure to define the target behavior(s) operationally, identify what you would use as
For each of the following descriptions and data sets, prepare a graph in the single‐subject style that would accurately portray the results. Write a brief conclusion.An A–B–A–B design was
For each of the following, sketch hypothetical graphs in the singlesubject style that illustrate each of the alternative outcomes.1. Multiple baseline across three settings:a. The treatment program
Consider people who have a strong belief in a personal God who, they believe, directs their daily lives. Using the various ways of knowing described in this chapter, explain how such a belief might
Pseudosciences do what they can to appear scientific; use the graphology example to illustrate this point.
What factors determine whether research proposals are exempt from IRB review, receive expedited review, or are subject to full review? How does the concept of risk relate to these judgments?
Describe what changes you think could be made to Milgram’s basic obedience study in order to get it approved by an IRB today.Then track down Burger’s description of his replication (Burger, 2009)
The first general principle of the APA ethics code is “beneficence and nonmaleficence.” What does this mean for the researcher?
Distinguish between consent and assent and explain how both concepts are accomplished in research with children.
The following exercise is based on a study by Galvin and Herzog (1992) and is used with the permission of Hal Herzog. The idea is for you to play the role of a member of an IACUC (Institutional
You wish to do a study comparing two memory improvement techniques. Which category of the IRB approval process will apply in this case?
Why is deception sometimes used in psychological research? How can the use of deception be reconciled with the concept of informed consent?
Milgram’s procedure probably would not have gained IRB approval in terms of its consent procedures. What was the most obvious problem?
Describe the two main purposes of a debriefing session. When might a full debriefing be delayed until the experiment is completed?
Miller argued that animal rights activists exaggerate when making claims about animal research. What were his other two arguments for the value of animal research in psychology?
Which ethical principles were violated in(a) The Willowbrook study,(b) The Tuskegee study, (c) MK‐ULTRA?
What does the APA recommend about the use of animals for educational purposes?
Use the Gibson visual cliff study to explain why psychologists sometimes use nonhuman species as research subjects.
Describe the arguments for and against the use of nonhuman species in psychological research.
What is the essential difference between basic and applied research? Use the basic shadowing and applied cell phone studies to illustrate.
Consider the psychological phenomenon of attention. Give an example of basic research on attention and one of applied research on attention.
What are the comparative advantages and disadvantages of research completed in and out of the laboratory?
Consider Milgram’s obedience study, highlighted in Chapter 2 in the context of ethics. As you recall, subjects playing the role of teachers thought they were in a study of the effect of punishment
Milgram’s obedience study was low on mundane reality but high on experimental reality. Explain.
In the Bushman and Anderson (2009) study of the effects of media violence on helping, why did the researchers believe it necessary to complete the field study, given the results of their laboratory
Create two operational definitions for each of the following psychological constructs.1. Frustration2. Cognitive dissonance3. Anxiety4. Sense of direction5. Memory6. Self‐esteem
The study on male versus female control of the TV remote illustrated how two types of research can be combined in the same study. Which two types?
What are pilot studies, and what purpose do they serve? What is a manipulation check?
Using PsycINFO, find records for any five of the articles referenced in this chapter. For each of the five articles,(a) Find another article by the same author,(b) Find another article on the same
Research on the bystander effect is a good example of how ideas for research can come from _____________.
Give three operational definitions of hunger and explain why research using all three could result in converging operations.
When drawing conclusions from a theory about a research outcome, researchers don’t use the terms prove or disprove. Explain.
What is a theory in psychology? What are the attributes of good theories?
Dogs sometimes escape from yards by lifting latches on gates. Explain why trial and error learning is a more parsimonious explanation than logical reasoning.
Use cognitive dissonance theory to illustrate the reciprocal relationship between theory and research. Be sure to work the terms deduction, induction, and hypothesis into your answer.
What is the goal of a “what’s next?” question?
What is the difference between a direct replication and a conceptual replication?
Explain why you are unlikely to hear scientists say that a theory has been proven or disproven.
What is the point of Pasteur’s comment that “chance favors the prepared mind?”
Explain how the Clever Hans study illustrates the importance of (a) a falsification strategy, and (b) the use of parsimonious explanations.
Explain why both direct and conceptual replications are important for psychology science.
Use the origins of maze learning to illustrate the process of creative thinking in science.
Describe any three tips that facilitate searches in PsycINFO.
Suppose the average discrimination reaction time is 0.28 sec. If the average simple reaction time is 0.19 sec, how long would the mental event of “discrimination” take, according to Donders’
Describe the three forms of probability sampling described in the chapter.
Suppose I claim that head size is a good measure of IQ and my measure is head circumference. Is the measure reliable? Valid? Explain.
Define nonprobability sampling and describe three forms of it.
In the Dilbert cartoon, which measurement scale was Dilbert using? What about Liz?
Describe the logic behind Donders’s “mental chronometry” research. What was the basic flaw?
If the data include significant outliers, what is the best measure of(a) Central tendency(b) Variability?
Define reliability and explain why phrenological measurements would have been highly reliable.
When reporting a mean, why is it also important to report a standard deviation?
Define validity and explain why phrenological measurements would have failed a validity test.
Why is it difficult to interpret a graph if the Y‐axis is not labeled?
Explain why it is more important that a measure be both reliable and valid rather than be merely reliable (but not valid).
A researcher believes wild rats will learn to escape from a puzzle box more quickly than tame rats. What is H0 in this study?
Use the Connectedness to Nature Scale as an example to show how construct validity can be determined. Be sure to work convergent and discriminant validity into your answer
In the same study with rats, what kind of result would be considered a Type I error? Type II?
Describe the essential difference between descriptive and inferential statistics.
What is a meta‐analysis and how does it relate to effect size?
Distinguish between a mean, a median, and a mode, and explain when a median is a better descriptor of central tendency than a mean.
Why is the standard deviation a better measure of variability than the range?
When describing variability, what is interquartile range and when is it most likely to be used?
Describe the basic logic of hypothesis testing and distinguish between Type I and Type II errors.
What are confidence intervals and how are they interpreted?
What is effect size and how does its calculation complement hypothesis testing?
What is meant by the power of a statistical test? How might power be enhanced?
In a study of the effects of problem difficulty (easy or hard) and reward size ($1 or $5 for each solution) on an anagram problem‐solving task, what are the independent and dependent variables?
For each of the following, identify the independent variable(s), the levels of the independent variable(s), and the dependent variable(s).For independent variables, identify whether they are
What was Robert Woodworth’s definition of an experiment in psychology?
What are extraneous variables and what happens if they are not controlled properly?
With anxiety as an example, illustrate the difference between independent variables that are(a) Manipulated variables(b) Subject variables.
Explain how frustration could be an independent, extraneous, or dependent variable, depending on the study.
Distinguish between Mill’s methods of Agreement and Difference, and apply them to a study with an experimental and a control group.
In Chapter 3, you first learned about operational definitions and completed an exercise on the operational definitions of some familiar constructs used in psychological research. In this exercise,
Explain how anxiety could be both a manipulated variable and a subject variable.
Use examples to show the differences between situational, task, and instructional independent variables.
In the famous Bobo doll study, what were the manipulated and the subject variables?
What is a confound and why does the presence of one make it impossible to interpret the results of a study?
What is the basic difference between internal and external validity?
When a study uses subject variables, it is said that causal conclusions cannot be drawn. Why not?
The study on interpersonal attraction during speed dating was used to illustrate which form of validity?
Describe the circumstances that could reduce the statistical conclusion validity of an experiment.
Determined to get into graduate school, Jan takes the GRE nine times. In her first 7 attempts, she scored between 1050 and 1100, averaging 1075. On her eighth try, she gets a 1250. What do you expect
Describe the three types of circumstances in which external validity can be reduced.
What is the best way to control for the effects of history, maturation, and regression?
Explain why using speed dating is a good illustration of ecological validity.

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