Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Defining happiness as a score above 7 on a 10-point self-report scale.

Question 2

A researcher wants to test whether a new therapy reduces anxiety. She randomly assigns participants to either receive the therapy or not, and measures their anxiety levels after four weeks. Which is the independent variable in this experiment?

Accepted Answer

The group assignment (therapy or no therapy)

Question 3

Which research method is best suited for uncovering naturally occurring relationships between variables, but cannot establish causation?

Accepted Answer

Correlational research

Question 4

A psychologist wants to ensure that her survey results can be generalized to the entire population of college students. Which sampling method should she use?

Accepted Answer

Random sampling

Question 5

In a double-blind experiment, who is unaware of which participants are receiving the treatment?

Accepted Answer

Both the participants and the researchers

Question 6

A researcher finds a correlation coefficient of $$r = 0.85$$ between hours of sleep and memory performance. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

There is a strong positive relationship between sleep and memory performance.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of the placebo effect?

Accepted Answer

A participant improves after receiving a sugar pill, believing it is real medication.

Question 8

A psychologist observes a family of chimpanzees in the wild for 10 years, recording their social interactions. Which research method is being used?

Accepted Answer

Case study

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the main limitation of case studies?

Accepted Answer

They cannot be generalized to the wider population.

Question 10

A researcher analyzes the results of 70 different studies on mask-wearing and COVID-19 transmission. What is this research method called?

Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a requirement of the APA's ethical code for research with human participants?

Accepted Answer

Revealing all hypotheses to participants before the study

Question 12

A psychologist wants to test the effect of caffeine on test performance. She gives one group caffeinated coffee and another group decaf, without telling them which they received. What is the purpose of this procedure?

Accepted Answer

To control for the placebo effect

Question 13

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 14

A researcher finds that as ice cream sales increase, so do rates of sunburn. What is the most accurate interpretation of this correlation?

Accepted Answer

A third variable, such as hot weather, may explain the relationship.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Participants' caffeine intake before the test

Question 16

A psychologist wants to study how religious beliefs may predict political preferences. Which research method is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Correlational study

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the main advantage of using random assignment in experiments?

Accepted Answer

It equalizes the experimental and control groups on all variables except the independent variable.

Question 18

Which of the following is a key reason why repetition of fake news can make it seem more believable?

Accepted Answer

Repetition leads to increased familiarity, which can be mistaken for truth.

Question 19

A researcher wants to study the effect of exercise on mood. She measures participants' mood before and after a week of daily exercise. Which variable is the dependent variable?

Accepted Answer

The participants' mood scores

Question 20

Which of the following is an evidence-based suggestion for improving learning and retention, according to psychological science?

Accepted Answer

Practicing self-testing and retrieval

Research Strategies in Psychology: Scientific Methods and Ethics

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