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 a smaller group selected from the population to participate in the study.

Question 2

Why is random selection important for generalizability in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

It gives every person in the larger population an equal chance of being selected, reducing selection bias.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of an operational definition?

Accepted Answer

Aggression measured as the number of times a child hits another child during recess.

Question 4

A researcher wants to study the relationship between hours spent studying and exam scores. Which type of research design is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Correlational design.

Question 5

Which of the following is a disadvantage of naturalistic observation?

Accepted Answer

Lack of control over variables.

Question 6

In a study examining the effect of sleep deprivation on test performance, what is the independent variable (IV)?

Accepted Answer

Amount of sleep participants receive.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

The degree of certainty that the independent variable caused changes in the dependent variable.

Question 8

A researcher 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 between social media use and exam scores.

Question 9

Which of the following is a potential pitfall in experimental research that can be prevented by using double-blind designs?

Accepted Answer

Expectancy effects (experimenter bias).

Question 10

What is the main ethical concern illustrated by the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?

Accepted Answer

Participants were not fully informed and were denied treatment.

Question 11

Which of the following best describes test-retest reliability?

Accepted Answer

The consistency of a measure across two time points.

Question 12

A scale measuring 'preference for cats' includes items such as 'I watch videos of cats often' and 'I think cats are smarter than dogs.' What type of validity is most relevant to evaluate whether this scale truly measures 'preference for cats'?

Accepted Answer

Construct validity.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for ethical psychological research involving human participants?

Accepted Answer

Deception without debriefing.

Question 14

A researcher finds that students who exercise more tend to have higher GPAs. Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

There is a correlation between exercise and GPA, but causation cannot be determined.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a confound in an experimental study?

Accepted Answer

A variable that is not of interest but varies along with the independent variable, providing an alternative explanation for results.

Question 16

Which method is most appropriate for studying rare or unusual phenomena, such as brain injuries or rare diagnoses?

Accepted Answer

Case study.

Question 17

A researcher wants to measure stress levels in university students. Which of the following is an example of an operational definition for 'stress'?

Accepted Answer

Counting the number of times students report feeling overwhelmed in a week.

Question 18

Which of the following best describes inter-rater reliability?

Accepted Answer

The degree to which different raters agree in their assessments.

Question 19

Which of the following is a disadvantage of correlational research designs?

Accepted Answer

Cannot infer causal direction between variables.

Question 20

A researcher uses a survey to measure social desirability bias. Which of the following is most likely to occur?

Accepted Answer

Participants respond in a way that presents themselves in a positive light.

Research Methods in Psychology: Key Concepts and Applications

Study Guide - Practice Questions

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