Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

A population is the entire group of people of interest, while a sample is the smaller group drawn from the population who participate in the study.

Question 2

Why is random selection important when choosing participants for a study?

Accepted Answer

It helps to ensure the sample accurately represents the population, increasing generalizability.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of an operational definition for measuring stress in university students?

Accepted Answer

Counting the number of times students report feeling overwhelmed during exams.

Question 4

A researcher wants to study aggression in children. Which of the following is the best operational definition?

Accepted Answer

Aggression is measured by the number of times a child hits, yells, or pushes another child during recess.

Question 5

Which research method is most appropriate for studying rare or unusual phenomena, such as a unique brain injury?

Accepted Answer

Case study

Question 6

What is a major disadvantage of self-report/survey methods?

Accepted Answer

Participants may respond inaccurately due to social desirability or misunderstanding questions.

Question 7

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of test-retest reliability?

Accepted Answer

A measure produces similar scores when administered to the same participants at two different time points.

Question 8

If two raters observe the same behavior and consistently agree on their ratings, which type of reliability is being demonstrated?

Accepted Answer

Inter-rater reliability

Question 9

Which formula represents the range of possible values for a correlation coefficient?

Accepted Answer

$-1.0 \leq r \leq +1.0$

Question 10

Which of the following statements best explains the difference between correlation and causation?

Accepted Answer

Correlation means two variables are related, but does not imply causation.

Question 11

A researcher finds that children with dogs are happier than those without. What is a possible third variable/confound in this study?

Accepted Answer

The socioeconomic status of the family

Question 12

Which research design allows for the determination of causal relationships between variables?

Accepted Answer

Experimental design

Question 13

In an experiment, what is the independent variable (IV)?

Accepted Answer

The variable that is manipulated by the researcher

Question 14

Which of the following is a threat to internal validity in an experiment?

Accepted Answer

Confounding variable

Question 15

What is the main purpose of a double-blind design in psychological experiments?

Accepted Answer

To prevent expectancy effects and observer bias

Question 16

Which ethical principle was violated in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?

Accepted Answer

Informed consent and protection from harm

Question 17

Which of the following best describes external validity?

Accepted Answer

The extent to which a study's findings can be generalized to real-world settings.

Question 18

A researcher observes university students in a lecture hall to see how often they use laptops for non-class reasons. Which method is being used?

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation

Question 19

Which of the following is true about reliability and validity?

Accepted Answer

A test must be reliable to be valid, but a reliable test can still be invalid.

Question 20

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of social desirability bias in self-report surveys?

Accepted Answer

A participant answers questions in a way that makes them look good to others.

Research Methods in Psychology: Foundations, Designs, and Validity

Study Guide - Practice Questions