Question 1

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'operational definition' in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

Measuring 'stress' by recording participants' heart rate during a public speaking task.

Question 2

A researcher wants to study whether sleep deprivation affects memory. She randomly assigns participants to either a sleep-deprived group or a well-rested group, then measures their recall of a word list. Which variable is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The amount of sleep participants receive.

Question 3

Which research method is most appropriate for investigating whether mask-wearing is effective at preventing COVID-19 transmission by analyzing the results of 70 different studies?

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis

Question 4

A psychologist observes and records the behavior of children in a preschool classroom for one day without interfering. Which research method is being used?

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation

Question 5

Which of the following statements about correlation is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

Correlation reveals relationships but cannot explain them.

Question 6

A double-blind procedure is used in an experiment to:

Accepted Answer

Prevent both the participants and the research staff from knowing who receives the treatment or placebo.

Question 7

Which ethical principle requires researchers to explain the research to participants after the study, including any temporary deception?

Accepted Answer

Debriefing

Question 8

A psychologist wants to study the long-term effects of a new teaching method. She follows the same group of students for 10 years, collecting data at regular intervals. What type of research design is this?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal study

Question 9

Which of the following is a confounding variable in an experiment testing the effect of caffeine on test performance?

Accepted Answer

Participants' prior sleep quality.

Question 10

A researcher wants to know if religious beliefs predict political preferences. Which research method is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Correlational study

Question 11

Which of the following best describes the placebo effect?

Accepted Answer

Experimental results caused by expectations alone, due to an inert substance or condition.

Question 12

Which sampling method ensures that every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected for a survey?

Accepted Answer

Random sampling

Question 13

A psychologist is interested in the behavior of a specific family of chimpanzees living in the African rainforest over a period of 10 years. Which research method is being used?

Accepted Answer

Case study

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a requirement of the APA and BPS ethics codes for research with human participants?

Accepted Answer

Publishing participants' names and data

Question 15

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'replication' in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

Repeating a study with different participants and materials to see if the results are consistent.

Question 16

Which of the following is a key reason why people are vulnerable to believing untruths, according to psychological science?

Accepted Answer

Repeated statements become more believable.

Question 17

A researcher wants to test whether a new therapy is effective. She randomly assigns participants to receive either the new therapy or no treatment, then measures their improvement. Which group receives the treatment?

Accepted Answer

Experimental group

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a universal principle in psychological science?

Accepted Answer

A general rule that explains many behaviors across different situations.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the SQ3R study method?

Accepted Answer

Survey, question, read, retrieve, review

Question 20

A psychologist wants to measure the relationship between exercise and academic performance among college students. She collects data on hours of exercise per week and GPA. Which statistical tool should she use to quantify the relationship?

Accepted Answer

Correlation coefficient

Research Strategies in Psychology: Scientific Methods and Ethics

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