Question 1

Which of the following is NOT one of the five key characteristics of scientific research?

Accepted Answer

It relies on anecdotal evidence

Question 2

A researcher wants to measure 'intoxication' in a study. Which of the following is an example of an operational definition for this variable?

Accepted Answer

Blood alcohol level measured in milligrams per deciliter

Question 3

What does 'validity' refer to in psychological measurement?

Accepted Answer

The degree to which an instrument or procedure actually measures what it claims to measure

Question 4

A depression questionnaire produces similar results when given to the same person on different occasions, but the person's level of depression remains unchanged. What does this demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

High reliability

Question 5

Which scenario best illustrates the concept of 'inter-rater reliability'?

Accepted Answer

Two psychologists independently rate the same video of a social interaction and reach similar conclusions

Question 6

A researcher uses a sample of university students to study memory. Which caution about generalizability should be considered?

Accepted Answer

Findings may not represent elderly people or other groups

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of researcher bias?

Accepted Answer

An experimenter unintentionally treats groups differently, affecting results

Question 8

The Hawthorne Effect refers to which phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Participants change their behavior simply because they are being observed

Question 9

In a double-blind study, which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

Neither participants nor researchers know who receives which treatment

Question 10

Which technique is used to minimize demand characteristics in psychological research?

Accepted Answer

Anonymous computer responses

Question 11

Rosenthal & Jacobson (1966) found that teachers' expectations influenced students' performance. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Experimenter bias

Question 12

Why is replication important in scientific research?

Accepted Answer

It strengthens psychological theory by filtering out flukes and methodological errors

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of poor research?

Accepted Answer

Unfalsifiable hypotheses

Question 14

A claim that 'eyewitnesses identify suspects more accurately one at a time' is considered:

Accepted Answer

Falsifiable

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the difference between reliability and validity?

Accepted Answer

Reliability is about consistency; validity is about accuracy

Question 16

A study finds that a new anxiety test produces similar results when administered to the same group of people twice, but fails to distinguish between anxious and non-anxious individuals. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The test is reliable but not valid

Question 17

Which of the following is an example of a random sample?

Accepted Answer

Selecting individuals so each member of the population has an equal chance of being included

Question 18

A researcher claims that 'people have unconscious desires for their parents.' Why is this considered a weak scientific claim?

Accepted Answer

It is unfalsifiable and cannot be tested scientifically

Question 19

Which of the following is a key takeaway for evaluating scientific evidence?

Accepted Answer

Strong scientific claims rely on falsifiable, systematic, objective, and peer-reviewed evidence

Question 20

If a study uses physiological, behavioral, and self-report measures to assess a variable, which principle of scientific research is being demonstrated?

Accepted Answer

Use of techniques that reduce bias

Principles of Scientific Research in Psychology: Measurement, Bias, and Evidence

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