2.6 KEY CONCEPT QUIZ

Question 2.1

The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation is

  1. parsimony.

  2. dogmatism.

  3. empiricism.

  4. scientific research.

c

Question 2.2

Which of the following is the best definition of a hypothesis?

  1. empirical evidence

  2. a scientific investigation

  3. a falsifiable prediction

  4. a theoretical idea

c

Question 2.3

The methods of psychological investigation take _________ into account because when people know they are being studied, they do not always behave as they otherwise would.

  1. reactivity

  2. complexity

  3. variability

  4. sophistication

a

Question 2.4

When a measure produces the same measurement whenever it is used to measure the same thing, it is said to have

  1. validity.

  2. reliability.

  3. power.

  4. concreteness.

b

Question 2.5

Aspects of an observational setting that cause people to behave as they think they should are called

  1. observer biases.

  2. reactive conditions.

  3. natural habitats.

  4. demand characteristics.

d

Question 2.6

In a double-blind observation

  1. the participants know what is being measured.

  2. people are observed in their natural environments.

  3. the purpose is hidden from both the observer and the person being observed.

  4. only objective, statistical measures are recorded.

c

Question 2.7

Which of the following describes the average value of all the measurements in a particular distribution?

  1. mean

  2. median

  3. mode

  4. range

a

Question 2.8

What does a correlation coefficient show?

  1. the value of one specific variable

  2. the direction and strength of a correlation

  3. the efficiency of the relevant research method

  4. the degree of natural correlation

b

Question 2.9

When two variables are correlated, what keeps us from concluding that one is the cause and the other is the effect?

  1. the possibility of third-variable correlation

  2. random assignment of control groups

  3. the existence of false-positive correlation

  4. correlation strength is impossible to measure accurately

a

Question 2.10

A researcher administers a questionnaire concerning attitudes toward global warming to people of both sexes and of all ages who live all across the country. The dependent variable in the study is the _________ of the participants.

  1. age

  2. gender

  3. attitudes toward global warming

  4. geographic location

c

Question 2.11

The characteristic of an experiment that allows conclusions about causal relationships to be drawn is called

  1. external validity.

  2. internal validity.

  3. random assignment.

  4. self-selection.

b

Question 2.12

An experiment that operationally defines variables in a realistic way is said to be

  1. externally valid.

  2. controlled.

  3. operationally defined.

  4. statistically significant.

a

Question 2.13

Research suggests that people are usually

  1. open to seeing both sides of an issue.

  2. able to reason without emotion.

  3. able to arrive at conclusions based solely on facts.

  4. none of the above.

d

Question 2.14

When people find evidence that confirms their beliefs, they often

  1. tend to stop looking.

  2. seek evidence that disconfirms their conclusions.

  3. seek evidence that presents both sides.

  4. talk to their colleagues.

a

Question 2.15

What are psychologists ethically required to do when reporting research results?

  1. to report findings truthfully

  2. to share credit for research

  3. to make data available for further research

  4. All of the above.

d

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