Free Research Methods and Statistics MCQs with Answers

• A. naturalistic
• B. inventory
• C. correlational
• D. experimentalDownload Reference Apps

Explanation: Both birth order and achievement motivation can be measured and compared without manipulating either variable, so their relationship is…

• A. haphazardly encounter behavior as it naturally occurs
• B. set up controlled experiments by which they uncover causal elements in behavior
• C. set out actively observe subjects in their natural environments
• D. interview subjects at different ages

Explanation: Naturalistic observation means deliberately watching and recording behaviour in the setting where it normally occurs, without imposing…

• A. gender bias
• B. courtesy bias
• C. cultural bias
• D. age bias

Explanation: Aspirin research was criticized for gender bias when findings based mainly on men were generalized to women, even though treatment effects…

• A. engage in naturalistic observation
• B. develop a positive correlation
• C. perform a controlled experiment
• D. test for a negative correlation

Explanation: A controlled experiment manipulates a suspected cause and controls other factors, allowing researchers to make a stronger cause-and-effect…

• A. number of hours subjects go without sleep
• B. rote memory scores
• C. number of subjects deprived of sleep in the experimental group
• D. correlation between hours of sleep and fatigue

Explanation: The dependent variable is the outcome measured by the researcher. Here, sleep deprivation is manipulated, while rote-memory scores show…

• A. alternately
• B. hypothetically
• C. randomly
• D. consecutively

Explanation: Random assignment gives every participant an equal chance of entering the experimental or control group.

• A. correlational coefficients
• B. field experiment
• C. case study
• D. random assignment

Explanation: A field experiment combines manipulation and control with a natural, real-world setting, making it a laboratory-like test outside an…

• A. observation
• B. common sense
• C. reinforcement
• D. analysis

Explanation: Scientific inquiry begins with systematic observation, which supplies the evidence from which questions and hypotheses are developed.

• A. hypotheses
• B. theories
• C. axioms
• D. learning strategies

Explanation: Clever Hans appeared to perform mathematical calculations, but controlled observation revealed that he was responding to subtle cues from…

• A. use control groups and experimental groups
• B. use statistics to determine the effect of chance
• C. Control for the effects of extraneous variables
• D. repeat the experiment using either identical or improved research methods

Explanation: Replication means repeating a study with the same or improved procedures to see whether its findings can be reproduced.

• A. constants
• B. dependent variables
• C. extraneous variables
• D. independent variablesGet Study Guides

Explanation: Extraneous variables are conditions other than the independent variable that could influence the results, so researchers try to control or…

• A. repeatable results
• B. top-secret information
• C. analysis measurement
• D. emotive reasoning

Explanation: Scientific findings should be repeatable, meaning other researchers can use the method again and obtain comparable results.

• A. negative correlation
• B. positive correlation
• C. causal relationship
• D. zero correlationEnroll In Courses

Explanation: A negative correlation means that two variables move in opposite directions: as temperature rises, animal activity falls.

• A. identifying the group to be questioned
• B. obtaining a representative sample of subjects to be questioned
• C. obtaining enough information in a short amount of time
• D. that it cannot reveal very much about signification psychological events in the lives of the people Try Science Kits

Explanation: Survey results can be distorted when the sample is not representative of the population being studied.

• A. clinical method; naturalistic
• B. correlational method: survey method
• C. experimental method: naturalistic observation
• D. clinical method; survey method

Explanation: A clinical method examines an unusual individual or event in depth, whereas a survey collects information from many people, usually…

• A. observer bias
• B. that it sets up an artificial situation
• C. that replies may not be accurate
• D. the self-fulfilling prophecy

Explanation: Survey respondents may forget, misunderstand, or deliberately misreport information, so their replies are not always accurate.

• A. double-blind
• B. single-blind
• C. self-fulfilling prophesy
• D. representative sampling

Explanation: In a single-blind procedure, participants do not know which treatment or method they receive, while the experimenter does know.

• A. he could do math
• B. he could add. but he could not subtract
• C. he was cued by the owner looking up or down
• D. none of these could be determined by observation

Explanation: Careful testing showed that Clever Hans was responding to subtle cues from his owner, such as changes in posture or gaze, rather than…

• A. acts out the proper behavior for the subjects
• B. deceives the subject as to the real purpose of the experiment
• C. unknowingly hints to subjects what is expected of them
• D. overtly tells the subjects how to respond

Explanation: An experimenter effect occurs when the researcher's expectations unintentionally influence participants, for example through hints about…

• A. All subjects get the experimental procedure
• B. Half the subjects get the experimental procedure, half the placebo, which they receive is known only to the experimenter
• C. Half the subjects get the experimental procedure, half the placebo; which they receive is not known to subjects or experimenter
• D. All subjects get the control procedure

Explanation: In a double-blind experiment, neither the participants nor the experimenter dealing with them knows who receives the treatment and who…