Free Research Methods and Statistics MCQs with Answers

263 Research Methods and Statistics MCQs from Psychology, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

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263 questions · page 9 of 14

  • A. experimental regression
  • B. naturalistic observation
  • C. controlled experimentation
  • D. clinical case study

Explanation: Naturalistic observation records behaviour in its normal setting without deliberately manipulating the situation.

Correct answer: naturalistic observation
  • A. the independent variable
  • B. a control variable
  • C. an extraneous variable
  • D. the dependent variable

Explanation: The dependent variable is the outcome measured by the researcher. Here, ginseng intake is manipulated and IQ score is measured to see…

Correct answer: the dependent variable
  • A. researchers misrepresent their date
  • B. a theory must be defined so it can be dis confirmed
  • C. theories are rich array of observations regarding behavior but with few facts to support them
  • D. nothingMental Health

Explanation: A falsifiable theory makes predictions that evidence could potentially show to be wrong or disconfirm.

Correct answer: a theory must be defined so it can be dis confirmed
  • A. explanation
  • B. theory
  • C. prediction
  • D. description

Explanation: Naturalistic observation measures behaviour in its ordinary environment without experimental manipulation, so its immediate product is a…

Correct answer: description
  • A. carefully design controlled situations in which to observe behavior
  • B. Rely on observations of subjects' responses to nares
  • C. observe behavior as it happens outside the laboratory or clinic
  • D. make records of the behavior of clients treated in therapy

Explanation: Naturalistic observation involves recording behaviour as it naturally occurs outside a laboratory or clinic, without imposing a controlled…

Correct answer: observe behavior as it happens outside the laboratory or clinic
  • A. naturalistic observation
  • B. the correlational method
  • C. a controlled experiment
  • D. the survey methodGet Study Guides

Explanation: The correlational method assesses the degree and direction of relationship between two measured events or variables.

Correct answer: the correlational method
  • A. All subject get the experimental procedure
  • B. Half the subjects get the experimental procedure, half the placebo; which they receive is know only to the experimenter
  • C. Half the subjects get the experimental procedure, half the placebo; which they receive is not know to subjects or experimenters
  • D. all subjects get control

Explanation: In a double-blind procedure, neither the participants nor the researchers who interact with them know who receives the experimental…

Correct answer: Half the subjects get the experimental procedure, half the placebo; which they receive is not know to subjects or experimenters
  • A. researchers misrepresent their data
  • B. a theory must be defined so it can be disconfirmed
  • C. theories are a rich array of observations regarding behavior but with few facts to support them
  • D. nothing

Explanation: Falsifiability means a theory must make claims that evidence could potentially show to be false.

Correct answer: a theory must be defined so it can be disconfirmed
  • A. the stimulus intensity that can be detected 100% of the time
  • B. the stimulus intensity that can be detected 50% of the time
  • C. the minimum amount of difference in intensity needed to tell two stimuli apart
  • D. a constant proportion of the size of the initial stimulus

Explanation: Because detection varies with attention and other conditions, the absolute threshold is conventionally set at the stimulus intensity…

Correct answer: the stimulus intensity that can be detected 50% of the time
  • A. counterconditioning
  • B. meta - analysis
  • C. factor analysis
  • D. electric therapy

Explanation: A meta-analysis statistically combines findings from many separate studies to estimate the overall evidence for a treatment.

Correct answer: meta - analysis
  • A. therapeutic touch.
  • B. regression toward the mean
  • C. the double - blind technique
  • D. transference

Explanation: Regression toward the mean means that unusually severe scores often become closer to average on later measurement, even without effective…

Correct answer: regression toward the mean
  • A. the simultaneous use or two or more therapeutic treatments in the hope that at least one will be effective.
  • B. replacing a positive response to a harmful stimulus with a negative response.
  • C. blocking anxiety - arousing material from consciousness during therapy.
  • D. a procedure in which neither patients nor health care staff know whether a given patient is receiving a drug or placebo

Explanation: In a double-blind procedure, neither the participants nor the researchers or healthcare staff know who receives the active treatment and…

Correct answer: a procedure in which neither patients nor health care staff know whether a given patient is receiving a drug or placebo
  • A. sampling accuracy
  • B. reliability
  • C. validity
  • D. predictability

Explanation: Reliability is the consistency of a measurement, including its ability to produce similar results when the same phenomenon is measured…

Correct answer: reliability
  • A. An operational definition
  • B. A theory
  • C. An hypothesis
  • D. A correlation

Explanation: A hypothesis is a testable, tentative statement predicting a relationship between variables.

Correct answer: An hypothesis
  • A. the identification of a cause-and-effect relationship
  • B. similar to the correlational method in the causality is determined.
  • C. that the surroundings are always similar to real life experiences
  • D. that is an informal way to investigate behavior.

Explanation: Experiments manipulate an independent variable while controlling other conditions, allowing researchers to determine whether it causes…

Correct answer: the identification of a cause-and-effect relationship
  • A. Do the findings from psychological studies parallel what happens to real crime witnesses?
  • B. Should research findings be made available to the court to influence real trials?
  • C. Both a and b.
  • D. Neither a nor b.Take Psychology Courses

Explanation: External validity asks whether findings generalize beyond the study, including to real crime witnesses and courtroom decisions.

Correct answer: Both a and b.
  • A. poor reliability and poor validity.
  • B. good reliability but poor validity
  • C. poor reliability but good validity.
  • D. good reliability and good validity.

Explanation: An oral thermometer may produce consistent readings, giving the measure reasonable reliability, but body temperature is not a valid…

Correct answer: good reliability but poor validity
  • A. the validity of the test.
  • B. an operational definition of "intelligence."
  • C. the creation of a "culture fair" test.
  • D. the reliability of the test.

Explanation: Giving the same test again after one month allows the psychologist to examine test-retest reliability, or the stability of scores over…

Correct answer: the reliability of the test.
  • A. validated
  • B. normalized
  • C. operationalized
  • D. standardized

Explanation: A test is standardized when its administration and scoring procedures are kept the same for all examinees.

Correct answer: standardized
  • A. functional
  • B. valid
  • C. reliable
  • D. operational

Explanation: An operational definition specifies how an abstract concept is measured in practice.

Correct answer: operational