Week Two

Week 2: The Scientific Method

EXPLAIN BRIEFLY

1.  Describe how an experiment is used to understand the cause of a phenomenon by describing the  

     three conditions for causal inference an experiment meets.

2. Distinguish between the nomothetic approach and the idiographic approach in descriptions of   
    psychological phenomena.



MULTIPLE-CHOICE

3.   Which of the following is a characteristic of the scientific method?

      A.  biased reporting

      B.  uncontrolled observation

      C.  testable hypotheses

      D.  unreliable measurement

              

4.   Which of the following is a cognitive bias that can interfere with our ability to weigh evidence appropriately because we perceive a relationship when none exists?

      A.  perceptual set

      B.  covariation

      C.  spurious relationship
      D.  illusory correlation

     

5.   The empirical approach used in the scientific method is based on:

      A.  direct observation and experimentation

      B.  intuition and inference

      C.  illusory correlation

      D.  didactic rules of evidence

6.   The primary means that scientists use to establish control in their observations is to:

      A.  train multiple observers

      B.  use many dependent variables

      C.  select individual differences variables to evaluate
      D.  manipulate an independent variable in an experiment

     

7.   Based on investigations with the horse Clever Hans, an important factor researchers should seek to control when testing whether dogs can sniff cancer in urine samples is:

      A.  whether the dogs can see people who know which samples came from cancer patients while they are tested

      B.  whether the dogs are tested indoors or outdoors

      C.  that the urine samples should all come from one patient
      D. that some samples should come from people and some from horses

  

8.   The factors that the researcher controls or manipulates in order to determine their effect on behavior are called the:

      A.  independent variables

      B.  dependent variables

      C.  intervening variables
      D.  relevant variables

     

9.   In a study investigating the effects of two different doses of a drug on students’ test performance, the drug represents the:

      A.  dependent variable

      B.  independent variable

      C.  intervening variable

      D.  criterion variable

10. In an experiment that compares aggressive responses following exposure to media violence in television programming and video games, “aggressive responses” is the __________ and “exposure to media violence” is the __________.

      A.  independent variable; dependent variable

      B.  dependent variable; independent variable

      C.  construct; operational definition

      D.  operational definition; construct

11. In a study examining the number of proofreading errors made when students are tested while reading under bright or dim lighting, the number of proofreading errors represents the:

      A.  independent variable

      B.  dependent variable

      C.  control variable

      D.  individual differences variable

12. If you describe that a small rodent “chewed” an index card and “ate” a cookie when what you observed in these two situations was essentially the same, your report likely includes:

      A.  inferences
      B.  illusory correlations

      C.  distorted behaviors

      D.  contaminated observations

Take home exam for "Final Year Students" due on Tuesday, 15 February 2011. This activity is worth 10 points.

1. Reflect upon various aspects and characteristics of gaining knowledge. Distinguish between the scientific approach and “everyday” approaches to gain knowledge on the following categories:

1.      general approach

2.      observation

3.      reporting

4.      concepts

5.      instruments

6.      measurement

7.      hypotheses

8.      attitude

2. Consider the significance of their influence on controlling behavior which the researcher tries to determine. Differentiate between an independent variable and a dependent variable, and provide an example of each that could be used in an experiment.