Dimitri is interested in understanding the effects of sleep deprivation on short-term memory. Which of
the following is an empirical approach Dimitri could take to answer this question?
A. He could ask his psychology teacher for his opinion on the effects of sleep deprivation on short-term
memory.
B. He could design and execute a study that measures short-term memory function following different
amounts of sleep.
C. He could watch several movies about sleep deprivation and make a strong, logical argument about
the effects of sleep deprivation on short-term memory, based on the films
D. He could consider his own experiences with sleep and memory - correct answer B. He
could design and execute a study that measures short-term memory function following different
amounts of sleep.
Seligman (1975, 1991) proposed that animals that cannot escape an aversive outcome don't even try to
avoid the aversive experience later, when they can escape it, because they don't perceive themselves as
having control ("learned helplessness"). Latecia thinks this concept may apply to people's working
conditions. She conducts a study and has 20 research participants work in an office space with some
dilapidated supplies (e.g., barely functional pens, crumpled papers). The participants are split into two
rooms. In one work room, Latecia offers to replace any of the run-down supplies with newer items. In
another work room, Latecia tells the participants that they have to work with what they have. After a
few days of working with this setup, both groups' work spaces now include the old supplies as well as
new supplies. Latecia predicts that the participants who had to work with the dilapidated supplies for
the first fe - correct answer C. Hypothesis
Carolyn sometimes taps on the basketball before shooting a free throw. She has noticed the times when
she taps and makes the free throw more than she notices the times she makes the free throw without
tapping the ball. Carolyn is experiencing which of the following?
A. the bias blind spot
,B. the present/present bias
C. confound bias
D. cherry-picking - correct answer B. the present/present bias
Research suggests that the time a student spends studying for an exam is positively related to the
student's grade on the exam. However, last week, you took an exam without studying and got an A on
the exam. What should you conclude about the relationship between study time and exam scores?
A. You should ignore the research and base your conclusions on your own experience.
B. You should conclude that the research findings were probably wrong.
C. Although your experience with one exam is an exception, the research findings explain a certain
proportion of the many possible cases.
D. Because your experience was different than the research, you should conclude that there is no
relationship between study time and exam scores. - correct answer C. Although your
experience with one exam is an exception, the research findings explain a certain proportion of the
many possible cases.
Which of the following is NOT a reason why basing one's conclusions on research is superior to basing
one's conclusions on personal experience?
A. experience is counfounded
B. experience has no comparison group
C. Research involves systematically and objectively comparing conditions.
D. Research definitively proves theories. - correct answer D. Research definitively proves
theories.
Daniel's teacher tells him that his theory about dating is not strong because it is not falsifiable. What
does she mean by this?
, A. Daniel's theory is too complicated.
B. Daniel's theory has already been put forth by another psychologist.
C. Daniel's theory has already been tested, and the evidence did not support the theory
D. Daniel's theory cannot be disproven - correct answer D. Daniel's theory cannot be
disproven
Hilda is studying the effects of a major natural disaster on people living nearby. She finds that many of
the victims are depressed and show stress-related symptoms. Why can't Hilda conclude that the natural
disaster caused depression and stress-related symptoms?
A. she doesn't have a comparison group
B. she doesn't have a theory
C. she hasn't done enough background research
D. she is relying in intuition - correct answer A. she doesn't have a comparison group
It has been reported that half of Americans show road rage. For this claim to have strong external
validity, which of the following would have been the best sample for the researcher to have used?
A. students from Intro to Psych courses who are earning extra credit
B. a cross-section of American drivers representing men and women; people from the city, suburbs, and
farms; and people of all ages
C. young men from ages 20 to 30 years; because they are the group most frequently charged with road
rage, they should be the focus
D. a random sample of people from a Los Angeles telephone book - correct answer B. a
cross-section of American drivers representing men and women; people from the city, suburbs, and
farms; and people of all ages
Phuong is conducting an experiment on proofreading. All participants are asked to read a passage with
several typos and correct the errors. However, one group proofreads by reading silently, a second group