PSYC 300 Midterm Exam Week 4
Question 1 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Professor Adams is constructing a demographic questionnaire for use in a research
... [Show More] project. One question asks students to report whether they are currently living in an "urban", "suburban", or "rural" setting. This is an example of a/an:
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A. nominal scale
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B. ordinal scale
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C. interval scale
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D. ration scale
Answer Key: A
Question 2 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Which of the following represents a null hypothesis?
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A. Class A high school basketball teams who employ a sports psychologist will have a higher proportion of wins over the course of the season than comparable teams who do not employ a sports psychologist.
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B. There will be no difference in rate of skill improvement between college gymnasts who practice meditation and those who do not.
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C. Does incorporating relaxation exercises into the daily practice routine of college vocal majors enhance their performance confidence?
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D. None of the above
Answer Key: B
Question 3 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Which of the following represents a research hypothesis?
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A. Class A high school basketball teams who employ a sports psychologist will have a higher proportion of wins over the course of the season than comparable teams who do not employ a sports psychologist.
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B. There will be no difference in rate of skill improvement between college gymnasts who practice meditation and those who do not.
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C. Does incorporating relaxation exercises into the daily practice routine of college vocal majors enhance their performance confidence?
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D. None of the above
Answer Key: A
Question 4 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
In a _______, each participant is tested under all conditions.
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A. carryover effect
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B. practice effect
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C. within-subjects experiment
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D. fatigue effect
Answer Key: C
Feedback: C
Question 5 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
The ______ of psychology—the diagnosis and treatment of psychological problems—is one important application of the scientific discipline of psychology.
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A. clinical practice
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B. treatment field
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C. addiction field
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D. mental health field
Answer Key: A
Question 6 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
________ is written by a single author or a small group of authors and usually gives a coherent presentation of a topic much like an extended review article. Edited volumes have an editor or a small group of editors who recruit many authors to write separate chapters on different aspects of the same topic.
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A. A professional journal
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B. A scholarly book
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C. A monograph
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D. An edited volume
Answer Key: C
Question 7 of 24
0.0/ 4.0 Points
When considering general criteria for high-quality research projects, replicability refers to the fact that:
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A. the research design allows the researcher to control those factors that are central to the success of the project.
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B. another researcher, using the same procedures under the same circumstances to research the same question, would obtain comparable results.
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C. a well-designed research project could be carried out by a specific individual conducting research in the same field.
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D. the phenomena of interest must be quantified in some systematic way.
Answer Key: B
Question 8 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Charlotte, an anthropologist, has been living in an Incan village for three years. During that time Charlotte has become expert in Incan weaving by observing and imitating the master weavers in the community. For Charlotte, observing weaving constitutes:
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A. primary data
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B. secondary data
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C. informal data
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D. nonempirical data
Answer Key: A
Question 9 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Charlotte wrote a book about her experience as an anthropologist living in an Incan village for three years and becoming an expert weaver. Her book was widely read by other anthropologists, including Mira, who is an expert in Navaho weaving. For Mira, Charlotte’s book constitutes:
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A. hearsay data
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B. secondary data
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C. informal data
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D. primary data
Answer Key: B
Question 10 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Sean, a high school wrestler, has agreed to participate in a study of cardiovascular conditioning. He is left somewhat confused when, at the first research session, he is asked to complete a questionnaire about commonly purchased grocery items. Sean’s confusion indicates a lack of ______ regarding the task.
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A. construct validity
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B. content validity
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C. criterion validity
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D. face validity
Answer Key: D
Question 11 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
A researcher decides to use a high school sample to test the relationship between her new measure of empathy and a well-established measure of interpersonal sensitivity. She finds that the two instruments are highly related, which supports the ______ of the new instrument.
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A. predictive validity
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B. content validity
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C. criterion validity
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D. face validity
Answer Key: C
Question 12 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
A researcher designed a new questionnaire to measure political conservatism. To test out his new instrument, he asks people leaving their polling place on election day to report their degree of political conservatism on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) and then complete his questionnaire. Results show that people who identified themselves as political conservatives also had the highest scores on his questionnaire. This is an indication of the ______ of the new instrument.
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A. criterion validity
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B. content validity
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C. face validity
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D. predictive validity
Answer Key: A
Question 13 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Don and Jane are studying aggression among preschool children. Separately, they each watch a videotape of four children interacting in a playroom and then rate each child on the level of aggression displayed during the play session. They compare their completed ratings and are pleased to note they are highly similar. This is an example of ______ reliability.
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A. interrater
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B. internal consistency
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C. equivalent form
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D. test-retest
Answer Key: A
Question 14 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Dr. Stevens is testing a 10-question measure of achievement motivation. He notes that if his respondents agree with the first question, they tend to also agree with the other nine. Likewise, if his respondents disagree with the first question, they tend of disagree with the other nine. This is an indication of good ______ reliability.
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A. interrater
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B. internal consistency
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C. equivalent form
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D. test-retest
Answer Key: B
Question 15 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Professor Page is studying civic-mindedness among senior citizens. She administers a survey of civic mindedness to a senior citizens group in early April, then again in early May. By comparing the two sets of scores, the professor can assess the ______ reliability of her measure of civic-mindedness.
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A. interrater
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B. internal consistency
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C. equivalent form
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D. test-retest
Answer Key: D
Question 16 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Dr. Davenport wants to conduct a study of whether high school students learn more efficiently while seated at a desk compared to in an easy chair. She knows there is a large research literature regarding similar influences on learning, and she wants to see if the findings hold true with a group of high school history students. Moreover, as a researcher she is uneasy with a lack of structure. You recommend that Dr. Davenport conduct a ______ study.
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A. quantitative
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B. qualitative
Answer Key: A
Question 17 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Dr. Greenhill wants to know how it is that some early adolescents come to make a connection between their personal lifestyle and environmental problems, while others don’t. Furthermore, among those who see the connection, why do some become committed to environmentalism while others do not? Dr. Greenwald looks forward to probing the thoughts of young teens on these issues and trying to see the questions and issues through “14-year-old eyes.” You recommend that Dr. Greenhill conduct a ______ study.
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A. quantitative
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B. qualitative
Answer Key: B
Question 18 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
Scientific research is relevant to _______ because it provides detailed and accurate knowledge about psychological problems and establishes whether treatments are effective.
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A. psychology
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B. addiction
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C. clinical practice
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D. professors
Answer Key: C
Question 19 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
______ in psychology is conducted primarily for the sake of achieving a more detailed and accurate understanding of human behavior, without necessarily trying to address any particular practical problem.
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A. Statistical research
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B. Qualitative research
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C. Basic research
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D. Applied research
Answer Key: C
Question 20 of 24
4.0/ 4.0 Points
In ______ research proposal(s), specific hypotheses regarding findings are often stated.
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A. both quantitative and qualitative
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B. neither quantitative and qualitative
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C. a quantitative
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D. a qualitative
Answer Key: C
Question 21 of 24
19.0/ 25.0 Points
Describe three benefits of conducting a thorough review of existing literature before writing a research proposal.
When conducting a thorough review of an existing literature, it can have many beneficial outcomes. For example, one beneficial outcome from conducting a thorough review is gaining additional information that can be helpful for the researcher. With additional information is can help the researcher find different approaches, topics, and concepts that they may have overlooked or expand on their research. Another example, another beneficial outcome is helping the researcher identify rather or not the research topic has already been worked on. Also, learn if there are any results from the research and if the result can benefit their research. A final example of a beneficial outcome in conducting a thorough review of existing literature is providing insight into the research topic. This can help the research shape their research better based on inputted information, subjects, and feedback. Conducting a thorough review of an existing literature before writing a research proposal has its benefits and also important to every research proposal.
Question 22 of 24
25.0/ 25.0 Points
Concepts, ideas, opinions, feelings, and other intangible entities are often labeled as “insubstantial phenomena.” Select one of the following 3 phenomena that would be considered insubstantial, and explain two different ways — one qualitative and one quantitative — that you might measure it: a) the closeness of undergraduates’ social network friends; b) the “campus climate” at your university; c) “irrational exuberance” about the stock market.
Insubstantial phenomena are often measured by concepts, ideas, opinions, feelings, and other intangible entities. Based on the three phenomena that would be considered insubstantial, I chose to measure the “campus climate” at my university. Qualitative research is a form of research that the data that is collected is not in the form of numbers (McLeod, 2017). The purpose of qualitative research is to get a better understanding of social reality. Qualitative research is used to find the understanding and explanation of the “how” and “why” of behavioral traits as it does in a specific context (McLeod, 2017). Whereas, quantitative research is the opposite of qualitative. Qualitative research is a form of research that collects data in a numerical which is usually collected and put into categories, in rank order, or units of measurement (McLeod, 2017).
Qualitative can be used in many ways to measure the campus climate. For example, the campus could use interviews and focus groups. Using interviews and focus groups will allow me to gain information from each student’s personal experience on campus. Also, shad light on some good things and bad things on the campus. Quantitative also can be used in many different ways to measure the climate level on the campus. For example, since quantitative is about collecting data based on numbers, the best way to measure the climate level on campus is to create and send out a survey throughout campus. The survey could cover areas such as the cafeteria appears and food, safety on campus, parking, dorms room, social clubs, sports, and several other categories that are important to the campus climate. Conducting an in-depth survey will help me know what areas on campus needs fix and/or enhanced.
McLeod, S. A. (2017, Dec 05). Qualitative vs. quantitative research. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/qualitative-quantitative.html
Question 23 of 24
25.0/ 25.0 Points
In regard to quantitative research proposals, novice researchers often find it very challenging and tedious to explain in detail how the data will be analyzed and interpreted in their study. Explain why it is essential that the researcher not cut corners in this section of the proposal.
In regards to the quantitative research proposal, it extremely important not to cut corners during this section of the proposal for several reasons. One reason why it is essential that the researcher not cut corners in the section of the proposal because the researcher can overlook important information and data to the research. This can hinder getting the best outcome in the proposal. Another reason why it is essential that the researcher does not cut corners is that it can lose the reader. Not providing enough information and a lack of significant details can cause the reader to be lose. It is important to ensure that there is enough significant information and detail are provided in this section of the proposal. The third reason for the researcher not cutting corners in the section of the proposal is to ensure that the research had a successful outcome. As previously stated, cutting corners can cause the researcher to miss out on important information in return that can hinder the results of the research. When the research do not cut corner, he/she tend to end up with results that address the research sufficiently. A final reason cutting corners in the section of the proposal is not ideal because the researcher can collect not enough data but also data that is not significant to research. Which can also lend to not having accurate results.
Question 24 of 24
25.0/ 25.0 Points
Graduate professors like to insist that the completion of thesis or dissertation research is not merely an “academic exercise” or final hurdle to obtaining the desired degree. Explain at least two personal benefits that the individual derives from completing a high- quality thesis or dissertation. Then explain at least two societal benefits that follow from the individual’s completion of a high-quality thesis or dissertation.
There are several personal benefits for an individual to complete a high-quality thesis or dissertation. One personal benefit in completing a high-quality thesis or dissertation, feeling like you accomplished something major. Completing a thesis or dissertation is an achievement in itself. Anyone can start a thesis or dissertation but it takes the right person with the right amount of discipline to complete them. Anyone can start but not everyone finishes. Another personal benefit incomplete a thesis or dissertation is developing better communication skills through writing. Improving written communication skills can benefit anyone in any career field. Effective communication can be beneficial in many different aspects. Completing a high-quality thesis or dissertation can have many social benefits as well. For example, a societal benefit is inspiring other students to start and complete their own dissertation or thesis. “A completed dissertation can be a valuable resource for other students, describing experimental set-ups in more detail than journal articles ever do, offering an important review of relevant literature, flagging dead-ends, and approaches that didn't work as well as had been hoped, and serving as a model of what a successful dissertation looks like” (Stemwedel, 2009). A final societal benefit is getting a great job. Dissertations and thesis going on the resume can help in getting a dream job as well as giving you the ability to stay out in society. Stemwedel. (2009, July 21). Twelve Reasons to Finish Writing Your Dissertation. Retrieved from Science Blogs: https://scienceblogs.com/ethicsandscience/2009/07/21/twelve-reasons-to-finish-writi [Show Less]