2.1-2.4 Research Methodology

Label the chart based on the information discussed in Chapter 2 (Research Methodology)

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

Strengthens the theory

Refute or fail to support the theory

Research

Discard or revise the theory

Hypothesis

Support the theory

Theory

Label each step of the scientific method accordingly

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

Frame a research question

Conduct a Literature Review

Report the results

Form a hypothesis

Analyze the Data

Conduct a study

Design a study

Label each step of the scientific method accordingly

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

Report the results

Analyze the Data

Conduct a Literature Review

Design a study

Form a hypothesis

Frame a research question

Conduct a study

Which option is a theory?

• Teens’ social-reward sensitivity plus variable app rewards explains mood shifts after scrolling and predicts that hiding like-counts lowers approval-seeking.

• If a randomly assigned group hides like-counts for two weeks while a matched group keeps them visible, the hidden-likes group will report lower daily anxiety and fewer notification checks on nightly diaries.

• “Approval-seeking” will be operationalized as (selfie posts/day) + (notification checks/hour) verified by phone analytics and weekly logs.

• In a districtwide survey (N=640), push-notification frequency moderately correlated with FOMO and sleep disruption, even after controlling for homework load and sport hours.

Organize these options into the right categories

Groups:

(a) Literature review

,

(b) Study Design

,

(c) Conduct the Study

,

(d) Analyze data

• Use of operational definitions

• Collect data

• Deciding which research method to use to test hypothesis

• Recruit participants

• Knowing whether findings might be true for general population

• Searching in databases using keywords

• Knowing whether results are meaningful or happened by chance

• Use of statistics

• Seeing what other scientists have already discovered relevant to your theory

Observation: In several schools, teens who get late-night phone notifications fall asleep later; turning notifications off or parking phones outside the bedroom links to earlier sleep.

Which theory best satisfies the law of parsimony?

• Late-evening alerts capture attention and raise arousal, delaying sleep; fewer alerts reduce delay.

• A triadic loop: social comparison worsens mood, triggering doomscrolling; blue light shifts circadian phase; effects depend on neuroticism and family climate.

• Lunar cycles and 5G fields, amplified by sugary snacks, disrupt pineal rhythms so app pings keep teens awake.

• An evolved status-maintenance strategy: youths stay up to guard coalition rank; alerts act as fitness cues mainly for high-dominance teens.

Which options count as variables the team could measure or manipulate? (Mark all that apply)

• Minutes from 10 p.m. to first sleep onset, recorded by a smartwatch

• The statement “sleep is important for teens” in the consent form

• A system update that silences alerts on every phone in the sample

• Number of notifications delivered after 10 p.m., from phone logs

• Participants must be exactly 16 years old.

Which outlet most likely uses peer review before publication?

• An academic journal that sends studies to outside experts for anonymous critique and revisions before the editor decides.

• A science news site where staff writers summarize studies; editors publish for timeliness, clicks, and readability.

• A preprint server that posts manuscripts immediately; readers can comment publicly after posting.

• A sponsored repository that posts articles once fees are paid and formatting fits house style; no outside evaluation.

Which statements best capture the purpose of operational definitions in psychological research?

(Check all that apply)

• They specify exactly which variables were used and how they were measured or manipulated.

• They enable other researchers to closely reproduce the procedures when attempting a replication.

• They prove a theory is true by ruling out all alternative explanations before data collection.

• They guarantee findings are unbiased by standardizing wording across cultures.

Ideally, researchers not affiliated with those who produce the original findings conduct replication studies.

• True

• False