Self-test Questions

Click on the answer you consider correct.

All questions © William Glassman and Marilyn Hadad, 2004.

1		At a party, we are able to shift our focus from one conversation to another without actually changing our location. Our ability to do this is based on
			A)	the use of schemata
			B)	selective attention
			C)	complementarity
			D)	perceptual ambiguity
2		The fact that ambiguous figures can be perceived in more than one way is primarily related to which of the following perceptual processes?
			A)	Selection
			B)	Attention
			C)	Organisation
			D)	Interpretation
3		After noting that apples, pears, and peaches all fall toward the earth when detached from a tree, young Isaac Newton generalised that the earth attracts them due to gravity. This represents an example of
			A)	introspection
			B)	induction
			C)	structuralism
			D)	deduction
4		Which of the following would represent research using direct observation as a means of gathering data?
			A)	conducting a survey of voters' opinions
			B)	asking a person solving a problem to think out loud
			C)	collecting information from a job application
			D)	counting the number of people who buy a particular brand of product
5		In planning a study, a researcher is free to decide any of the following except whether
			A)	to use representative or non-representative sampling.
			B)	to work in a laboratory or in a field setting.
			C)	to use an experiment or non-experimental methods.
			D)	to use self-reports or direct observation.
6		A recent Swedish survey of 300 men reported that 25% of men over age 85 have sexual relations at least once a year. The most likely source of error in this study is the problem that
			A)	what people say may not be what they do.
			B)	small samples may not be representative.
			C)	the researchers may have used a cross-sectional sample.
			D)	all of the above may be true.
7		A researcher who wishes to develop a detailed understanding of a single person would be likely to
			A)	do a case study of the person.
			B)	ask the person to complete a survey.
			C)	do a field experiment.
			D)	use naturalistic observation.
8		Dr. Smith did a study in which he found a positive correlation between the number of children in the family and psychological adjustment. This means that
			A)	having many siblings causes one to be happy.
			B)	being happy causes one to have many siblings.
			C)	the parents have caused both happiness in the children and the size of the family.
			D)	one cannot determine a causal relationship from these data.
9		A researcher who wants to study the causes of racial prejudice should use which of the following research methods?
			A)	a survey.
			B)	naturalistic observation.
			C)	case studies.
			D)	a field experiment.
10		If you wanted to study the influence of drinking coffee on test performance, the amount of coffee given to subjects would be
			A)	the hypothesis.
			B)	a dependent variable.
			C)	a confounding variable.
			D)	an independent variable.
11		Dr. Mason does a study comparing the reactions of professional athletes and non-athletes towards eating and exercise. This study represents an example of
			A)	a case study
			B)	naturalistic observation
			C)	an experiment
			D)	a quasi-experiment
12		Debriefing is done as part of an experiment
			A)	in order to instruct participants about what they are expected to do.
			B)	to inform participants about the purpose of the research, and given them an opportunity to discuss their experience after participating.
			C)	to find out what subjects are thinking during an experiment.
			D)	to minimise reactivity in laboratory settings.