Unit 1 Most Missed

Dimitri and Dominic are identical twins who were separated at birth and raised by different families. When they found each other through DNA tracking, they were surprised to see how different they were. Which research method would a psychologist most likely use to document their behavioral differences?

• Experiment

• Correlation

• Case Study

• Meta-analysis

A group of 25 American college students who were taking introductory psychology during the spring semester participated in a study about cognition. Participants were first asked to read a story about a Russian battle from the 19th century. Later, participants were asked to write down as many details as they could remember from the story. Twenty-two out of 25 of the students changed some of the details of the story, such as referring to a “house” instead of using the Russian word “dacha” that was used in the story.

Which of the following best describes the type of sample used in this study?

• It was a study that involved a sample from a case study.

• It was a study that involved random assignment.

• It was a study that involved convenience sampling.

• It was a study that involved random sampling.

How would a clinical psychology researcher know whether person-centered therapy is effective in treating anxiety?

• Clients randomly assigned to be hypnotized report lower anxiety than those who are not hypnotized.

• Clients test lower in anxiety after a reframing exercise than they did before the exercise.

  
  

• Clients randomly assigned to be spoken to with unconditional positive regard have lower cortisol levels than those in a control group.

  
  

• Clients who engage in weekly group sessions report lower anxiety than those who have weekly solo sessions with a therapist.

  
  

Clive Wearing is an individual involved in a well-known case study examining anterograde amnesia. Clive experienced a high fever which led to damage to the hippocampus nearly 40 years ago. Since that time, Clive has not been able to encode new memories and, by some estimations, can only hold a thought for 7 to 9 seconds. Which of the following is an ethical consideration regarding the case of Clive Wearing?

• Neither Clive nor his wife can provide their informed consent to be studied because of his condition.

  
  

• The level of risk in studying Clive’s condition is too great.

  
  

• We should not know Clive’s identity, especially while he is still living.

  
  

• This information should only be published or publicly discussed after Clive’s death.

  
  

Because of studies in the past that exposed participants to danger without their knowledge, which of the following was added to the American Psychological Association ethical guidelines?

• Research may not involve deception unless participants are debriefed.

  
  

• Participation must be voluntary.

  
  

• Participants must know about all aspects of the study before agreeing to participate.

  
  

• Participants must be offered alternative activities if research participation is a course requirement.

  
  

Researchers recruited student volunteers for a study about memory. Each student given a long story to read about someone experiencing a “health emergency” and then given a quiz on the details of the story a week later. In Group 1, the participants had to read the study each night for a week. In Group 2, the participants were told to read the story 5 times the night before the quiz. After the study was over, the student participants were told the real reason for the study before they left. The data collected are presented in the table.

Which of the following best describes the conclusion researchers could make if the results of this study are statistically significant?

• The results have added significant information to the field.

  
  

• The results are not likely due to chance.

  
  

• A strong negative correlation exists between the number of participants and response time.

  
  

• The reaction times were definitely the result of having or not having participants in the room.

  
  

Researchers have found a negative correlation between the signature strength of wisdom and dental problems. What conclusion can correctly be drawn from this statement?

• Having a higher level of wisdom causes fewer dental problems.

  
  

• As wisdom increases, dental procedures become more affordable.

  
  

• A rise in the incidence of dental problems causes wisdom to be lower.

  
  

• As wisdom increases, the likelihood of dental problems decreases.

  
  

A researcher is studying the accuracy of people’s memories when they use mnemonic devices. After studying the first 10 people, the data showed that memories using mnemonic devices were more accurate than the average’s person’s memories. Which of the following explains why the researcher should not draw any conclusions about the accuracy of memories using mnemonic devices yet?

• The data is positively skewed, which means the data was not collected correctly.

  
  

• The research method is an experiment, meaning she can draw cause-and-effect conclusions regardless of the sample size.

  
  

• The researcher should expect that the more data she collects, the more likely the results will regress to the mean.

  
  

• The research method is a correlation, so she cannot infer causation from the results.

  
  

A high school instructor wanted to see if implementing encoding strategies would help students master concepts in AP Psychology. They conduct a double-blind study in which students are randomly assigned to either the encoding strategy group or the group that continued to study as they had before. The data for each group is presented in the table. Which of the following best represents the results of this investigation?

• Those who studied as they did before scored better than those in the encoding strategies group.

  
  

• The students in the encoding strategies group were likely more academically successful, which caused the higher mean score.

  
  

• The instructor likely treated those in the encoding strategies differently.

  
  

• The variation of scores for the encoding strategies group was smaller.

  
  

Dr. Wilson, who teaches engineering classes, is interested in learning about how lack of sleep affects performance. What would be the best way to ensure that her findings are generalizable to all the students at her university?

• Randomly assigning half the students in one of her classes she teaches at into a condition where they are told to sleep four hours a night and other half a condition in which they are told to sleep eight hours a night

  
  

• Surveying every tenth student listed in the university directory about their sleep habits

  
  

• Surveying all students in the classes she teaches

  
  

• Studying 40 students over time, from their freshman year through their senior year, to see differences as the students mature