Choose the alternative that best completes the stem of each question.
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1 | |
The three broad categories of research ideas are |
| | A) | experience, deduction, and theory. |
| | B) | theory, models, and application. |
| | C) | experience, theory, and application. |
| | D) | experience, theory, and models. |
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2 | |
Casual observation of your pet hamster’s behavior would constitute what kind of observation? |
| | A) | systematic |
| | B) | unsystematic |
| | C) | irrelevant |
| | D) | experimental |
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3 | |
A valuable source of systematic observation is |
| | A) | informal observations of family members. |
| | B) | your personal experiences. |
| | C) | published research reports. |
| | D) | the anecdotes of a friend. |
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4 | |
Questions concerning whether the results from published research apply to participants of various ethnic backgrounds, races, or political beliefs is an example of ________ as a source of research ideas. |
| | A) | systematic observation |
| | B) | unsystematic observation |
| | C) | application |
| | D) | theory |
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5 | |
A set of assumptions about the causes for behavior and the rules that specify how the causes operate is your text’s definition for a(n) |
| | A) | model |
| | B) | hypothesis |
| | C) | application |
| | D) | theory |
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6 | |
According to your text, a theory can direct research when |
| | A) | you want to predict behavior under new combinations of variables. |
| | B) | two theories make competing predictions about the causes for behavior. |
| | C) | you want to see if a theoretical prediction applies in the real world. |
| | D) | all of the above |
| | E) | both a and b only |
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7 | |
If you designed an experiment to investigate the factors that cause patients to stick to diet and exercise programs, your research is primarily driven by a focus on |
| | A) | testing the validity of a model. |
| | B) | application. |
| | C) | theory. |
| | D) | both a and b |
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8 | |
Which of the following questions could (at least in theory) be answered using the scientific method? |
| | A) | How many angels can stand on the head of a pin? |
| | B) | Is abortion moral or immoral? |
| | C) | What conditions promote agreement in a bargaining situation? |
| | D) | Should prayer be encouraged in public schools? |
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9 | |
An empirical question is one |
| | A) | that can be answered by objective observation. |
| | B) | whose answer proves the validity of a theory. |
| | C) | whose answer solves a practical problem. |
| | D) | whose answer separates a good theory from a bad theory. |
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10 | |
Which of the following would not qualify as an operational definition of anxiety? |
| | A) | a score on a test designed to measure anxiety level |
| | B) | a vague feeling of impending disaster |
| | C) | sympathetic nervous system activity, as indexed by perspiration, heart rate, and blood pressure |
| | D) | none of the above |
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11 | |
As a stimulus for further research, a question is probably important if |
| | A) | it has already been satisfactorily answered by previous research. |
| | B) | its answer can support virtually any hypothesis. |
| | C) | answering it will clarify relationships among variables known to affect the behavioral system under study. |
| | D) | there is no a priori reason to believe the variables in question are causally related. |
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12 | |
According to your text, a scientific theory has which of the following characteristics? |
| | A) | It deals with potentially verifiable phenomena. |
| | B) | It is structured. |
| | C) | It is highly ordered |
| | D) | All of the above |
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13 | |
The relationship described by a theory must be |
| | A) | inferred from data. |
| | B) | deduced from a law. |
| | C) | directly observed. |
| | D) | revealed by divine inspiration. |
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14 | |
Theories are usually more __________ than hypotheses. |
| | A) | complex |
| | B) | simple |
| | C) | testable |
| | D) | lawful |
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15 | |
Most scientific laws represent |
| | A) | theories that have been substantially verified. |
| | B) | idealized real-world relationships. |
| | C) | restrictions on behavior imposed by a governing body. |
| | D) | partially verified relationships that cannot be directly observed. |
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16 | |
A specific implementation of a more general theoretical view is referred to as a |
| | A) | hypothesis. |
| | B) | fact. |
| | C) | law. |
| | D) | model. |
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17 | |
A(n) ___________ explanation describes an attribute or characteristic in terms of what it does for the organism. |
| | A) | mechanistic |
| | B) | functional |
| | C) | operational |
| | D) | reductionistic |
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18 | |
A theory that specifies the variables and constants with which it works numerically is termed |
| | A) | quantitative. |
| | B) | qualitative. |
| | C) | analogical. |
| | D) | fundamental. |
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19 | |
A theory that explains “drive” as a kind of pressure that builds up in an organism like steam in an engine would be termed |
| | A) | quantitative. |
| | B) | qualitative. |
| | C) | analogical. |
| | D) | fundamental. |
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20 | |
Theories differ in |
| | A) | whether they are quantitative or qualitative. |
| | B) | level of description. |
| | C) | domain or scope. |
| | D) | all of the above |
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21 | |
Theory A attempts to describe how perceptual mechanisms of the visual system give rise to visual perceptions, including normal and illusory ones. Theory B attempts to account for the Mueller-Lyer illusion. We can say that, of the two theories, Theory A |
| | A) | is more quantitative. |
| | B) | is more qualitative. |
| | C) | is more fundamental. |
| | D) | has greater scope. |
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22 | |
The role of theory in science is to |
| | A) | provide understanding. |
| | B) | provide a basis for prediction. |
| | C) | generating research. |
| | D) | all of the above |
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23 | |
Although a wrong theory may fail to provide a true understanding of the phenomena with which it deals, it may nevertheless |
| | A) | make correct predictions. |
| | B) | provide a correct description of the underlying processes. |
| | C) | give correct interpretations of the data. |
| | D) | all of the above. |
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24 | |
If a theory provides ideas for new research, it is said to have |
| | A) | moxie. |
| | B) | schmaltz. |
| | C) | heuristic value. |
| | D) | serendipity. |
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25 | |
A good theory should |
| | A) | account for the existing data within its scope. |
| | B) | offer solid grounds for believing that predicted phenomena would occur under the specified conditions. |
| | C) | be capable of failing some empirical test. |
| | D) | all of the above |
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26 | |
Theory A and Theory B account for the same range of phenomena and have the same degree of precision. However, Theory A requires five assumptions and Theory B only three. We can say that, relative to Theory A, Theory B is |
| | A) | more heuristic |
| | B) | less parsimonious. |
| | C) | less heuristic. |
| | D) | more parsimonious. |
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27 | |
A theory |
| | A) | is always right. |
| | B) | can never be proven wrong. |
| | C) | can never be proven right. |
| | D) | is the same as a fact. |
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28 | |
According to your text, adequately testing a theory requires using |
| | A) | confirmational strategies only. |
| | B) | disconfirmational strategies only. |
| | C) | both confirmational and disconfirmational strategies together. |
| | D) | neither confirmational nor disconfirmational strategies. |
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29 | |
When an experiment rules out one of several alternative explanations and you design an experiment to test the remaining alternatives, you are using |
| | A) | a confirmational strategy. |
| | B) | a disconfirmational strategy. |
| | C) | analogical comparison. |
| | D) | strong inference. |
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30 | |
According to your text, before trying to develop a theory that goes beyond a simple hypothesis you should |
| | A) | wait until an adequate observational base has been established. |
| | B) | go ahead and develop the theory even if an adequate observational base does not exist. |
| | C) | wait until “all the data are in” before developing the theory |
| | D) | avoid using disconfirmational strategies. |
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