AP Psychology: History & Research Methods 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A researcher manipulates the independent variable to observe its effect on what?
- The control group
- The dependent variable (Correct answer)
- The confounding variable
- The population
Correct answer: The dependent variable
The dependent variable is the outcome measured to detect the effect of the independent variable.
Question 2: What is the purpose of random assignment in an experiment?
- To ensure the sample represents the population
- To evenly distribute participant differences across groups (Correct answer)
- To eliminate the placebo effect
- To define the operational definition
Correct answer: To evenly distribute participant differences across groups
Random assignment spreads participant characteristics evenly, reducing confounding between groups.
Question 3: A double-blind procedure means that neither participants nor whom know who received the treatment?
- The funding agency
- The research assistants administering it (Correct answer)
- The ethics board
- The statistician
Correct answer: The research assistants administering it
In a double-blind study, both participants and those administering the treatment are unaware of group assignments.
Question 4: A positive correlation coefficient of +0.85 indicates what?
- A strong relationship where variables increase together (Correct answer)
- No relationship
- A weak inverse relationship
- Causation between variables
Correct answer: A strong relationship where variables increase together
A coefficient near +1 shows a strong relationship where both variables rise together.
Question 5: Why can't correlational studies establish causation?
- They use too few participants
- A third variable may explain the relationship (Correct answer)
- They are always biased
- They lack a dependent variable
Correct answer: A third variable may explain the relationship
Correlation cannot prove cause because a confounding third variable may account for the link.
Question 6: Defining 'happiness' as a participant's score on a 1-to-10 self-report scale is an example of what?
- A hypothesis
- An operational definition (Correct answer)
- Random sampling
- A theory
Correct answer: An operational definition
An operational definition specifies how a variable is measured in concrete, observable terms.
Question 7: A study finds results that occur by chance less than 5% of the time. This is described as what?
- Statistically significant (Correct answer)
- Reliable
- Valid
- A confounding effect
Correct answer: Statistically significant
Results with a p-value below .05 are considered statistically significant, meaning unlikely due to chance.
AP Psychology: History & Research Methods 3
A researcher manipulates the independent variable to observe its effect on what?