1

Debbie is interested in determining if music helps people study. To do this, she uses the help of 20
students in her psychology class. Half the people study with music in the background for an hour and
the other half study with no music for an hour. The students then take a test on that material. In this
example, what is the independent variable?
A Music versus no music
B Group that studies with no music
C Group that studies with music
D Scores on the exam
E Students in the class

2
What is the only form of psychological research that can determine cause and effect?
A Survey
B Longitudinal study
C Correlational study
D Experiment
E Comparative study

3
Which of the following is not a measure of central tendency that psychologists use?
A Mean
B Median
C Mode
D Standard Deviation
E Variability

4
Which of the following best explains the longitudinal research method?
A Observing one individual or group in their natural environment for a period of time
B Comparing groups of various ages for a long time
C Assessing changes in a small group at different intervals over time
D Comparing a large group of foreigners
E Following a small group of people until they die

5
In research terms, what qualifies a study as valid?
A If the study measures what it claims to be measuring
B If the study succeeds
C If the study proves the hypothesis
D If the study fails
E If the study is conducted under strict conditions

6
What type of study involves watching participants to see how they behave?
A Case Study
B Experiment
C Interview
D Naturalistic Observation
E Questionnaire

7
Dr. Miller believes there is a relationship between the amount of carbohydrates a child eats and the
hyperactivity of a child. This belief is:
A a theory
B a variable
C a hypothesis
D untestable
E all of the above

8
If the mean, median, and mode are identical, what kind of distribution if present?
A Ideal distribution
B Negatively skewed distribution
C Normal distribution
D Positively skewed distribution
E This is not possible

9
In a normal distribution, what is the percentage of scores that lie within one standard deviation of the
mean?
A 24
B 34
C 50
D 68
E 90

10
On a scatter plot, a pattern extends from the lower-left corner to the upper-right corner. This pattern
reflects that this scatterplot shows:
A Negative correlation
B No correlation
C Negative skew
D Positive correlation
E Positive skew

11
Patrick wants to talk to his mother about his weekly allowance. It is currently $1, and he would like it to
be increased. He gathers data from several of his friends: $2, $4, $4, $5, $7, $20. To make the best
argument to his mother, Patrick would be well-advised to use which measure of central tendency?
A Mean
B Median
C Mode
D Standard deviation
E Variance

12
Weve compared two sets of data in a correlational study and have found a correlation coefficient of +.
83. We can legitimately conclude that theres what kind of relationship between our measures?
A No relationship
B Strong inverse relationship
C Strong positive relationship
D Weak inverse relationship
E Weak positive relationship

13
In an experiment designed to determine whether watching violent scenes on television increases the
frequency of aggressive behavior in children, one group of subjects saw a nonviolent cartoon and
another group saw a violent cartoon. In the play period that followed the viewing of the cartoons,
researchers observed the two groups of children together and counted instances of aggressive
behavior.
The control group in the experiment is the group that
A the researchers thought would be most aggressive
B performed the larger number of aggressive acts
C performed the smaller number of aggressive acts
D watched the violent cartoon
E watched the nonviolent cartoon

14
The dependent variable in the experiment is the
A amount of aggressive behavior exhibited by the children
B amount of time that each child spent interacting with the other children
C group in which each child was originally placed
D violent cartoon
E nonviolent cartoon

15
A survey shows that children who have encyclopedias in their homes earn better grades in school than
children whose homes lack encyclopedias. The researcher concludes that having encyclopedias at home
improves grades. This conclusion is erroneous primarily because the researcher has incorrectly
A failed to allow for experimenter bias
B identified the independent variable
C identified the dependent variable
D inferred correlation from causation
E inferred causation from correlation

16
The mean will be higher than the median in any distribution that
A is symmetrical
B is not normal
C is positively skewed
D represents measures for a random sample
E represents measures for a biased sample

17
In an experiment, which of the following variables refers to the outcome that is measured by the
experimenter?
A Independent
B Dependent
C Control
D Random
E Stimulus

18
Drawing a random sample of people from a town for an interview study of social attitudes ensures that
A each person in town has the same probability of being chosen for the study
B an equal number of males and females are selected for interviews
C the study includes at least some respondents from every social class in town
D the study will uncover widely differing social attitudes among the respondents
E the sample will be large enough even though some people may refuse to be interviewed

19
A double-blind control is essential for which of the following?
A A study comparing the IQ test scores of children from different educational systems
B A study of relationships among family members
C An experiment to determine the effect of a food reward on the bar-pressing rate of a rat
D Assessment of a treatment designed to reduce schizophrenic symptoms
E A survey of drug use among teenagers

20
In experimental psychology, a significant difference refers to a
A difference not likely due to chance
B difference not likely due to faulty design
C result that indicates a correlation equal to 1.0
D result that departs from previous findings
E result that proves a new theory

21
The most distinctive characteristic of the experimental method is that it
A studies a few people in great depth
B studies subjects in their natural environment
C is an efficient way to discover how people feel
D seeks to establish cause-effect relationships
E provides a chronological basis for reaching conclusions