Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between a population and a sample in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

A sample is a subset of the population that participates in the study, while the population is the entire group of people of interest.

Question 2

A researcher wants to study aggression in children. Which of the following is the best example of operationalizing this variable?

Accepted Answer

Measuring the number of times a child hits another child during recess.

Question 3

Which research method is most appropriate for establishing cause-and-effect relationships?

Accepted Answer

Experimental method

Question 4

A study finds a correlation coefficient of $r = -0.85$ between hours spent on social media and exam scores. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

There is a strong negative relationship; as social media use increases, exam scores decrease.

Question 5

Which of the following is a disadvantage of naturalistic observation?

Accepted Answer

It is time and resource consuming.

Question 6

A researcher uses the Feline Preference Scale to measure how much people like cats. What concept does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Validity

Question 7

Which of the following best describes test-retest reliability?

Accepted Answer

The consistency of a measure across two points in time.

Question 8

In a survey, participants tend to answer in ways that make them look good rather than truthfully. What is this bias called?

Accepted Answer

Social desirability bias

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of inter-rater reliability?

Accepted Answer

Two researchers independently rate the same set of behaviors and their ratings are highly correlated.

Question 10

Why is random selection important for generalizability in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

It gives each member of the population an equal chance of being selected, reducing sampling bias.

Question 11

Which of the following statements about validity and reliability is correct?

Accepted Answer

A test can be reliable but not valid.

Question 12

A case study is most useful when:

Accepted Answer

Investigating rare, unusual, or non-working phenomena.

Question 13

Which of the following is a disadvantage of case studies?

Accepted Answer

They have low external validity.

Question 14

A researcher wants to know if a new teaching method improves student performance. She randomly assigns students to two groups: one receives the new method, the other does not. What is the independent variable (IV)?

Accepted Answer

Teaching method

Question 15

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of external validity?

Accepted Answer

How well the findings of a study can be applied to the real world.

Question 16

In the Stanford Marshmallow experiment, what was the dependent variable (DV)?

Accepted Answer

The percentage of children who waited for the second marshmallow.

Question 17

Which of the following is a potential problem with self-report survey methods?

Accepted Answer

Participants may misunderstand questions or respond randomly.

Question 18

A scatter plot shows a positive correlation between hours studied and exam scores. Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

As hours studied increase, exam scores tend to increase.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a good operational definition?

Accepted Answer

It is vague and open to interpretation.

Question 20

A researcher finds that a test has a reliability coefficient of $r = 0.95$ but a validity coefficient of $r = 0.30$. What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

The test is highly reliable but not very valid.

Introduction to Psychological Research Methods: Key Concepts and Approaches

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