Choose the alternative that best completes the stem of each question.
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1 | | According to your text, to avoid the trap of easy, untested explanations for behavior, you must |
| | A) | adopt the scientific method. |
| | B) | develop more systematic commonsense explanations. |
| | C) | rely more on pseudoexplanations. |
| | D) | think in less scientific ways. |
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2 | | Even if you do not plan a career in research, your text says that you should care about learning about research |
| | A) | so that you can critically analyze information presented in the popular media. |
| | B) | because you are bombarded with science and research every day. |
| | C) | so you can impress your professors. |
| | D) | all of the above |
| | E) | both a and b |
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3 | | Cialdini (1994) refers to the early phases of research involving systematic observations of naturally occurring behavior as |
| | A) | “bagging.” |
| | B) | “trapping.” |
| | C) | “scouting.” |
| | D) | “reconnaissance.” |
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4 | | Scientific explanations are based on objective and systematic observations carried out under carefully controlled conditions. This quality makes scientific explanations |
| | A) | rational. |
| | B) | parsimonious. |
| | C) | empirical. |
| | D) | general. |
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5 | | A scientific explanation that is ______________ is the least complex, requiring the fewest assumptions. |
| | A) | empirical |
| | B) | parsimonious |
| | C) | general |
| | D) | testable |
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6 | | Explanations that are simple and based on the limited information available from a situation observed are |
| | A) | pseudoexplanations. |
| | B) | circular explanations. |
| | C) | commonsense explanations. |
| | D) | authoritative explanations. |
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7 | | Scientific explanations differ from nonscientific explanations in that scientific explanations are |
| | A) | less general. |
| | B) | subjected to rigorous research scrutiny. |
| | C) | more likely to be based on hearsay and anecdotal evidence. |
| | D) | both a and b |
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8 | | The “fantasy” explanation for violence caused by playing violent video games shows that |
| | A) | even scientific explanations sometimes fail. |
| | B) | commonsense explanations do not provide an adequate explanation for observed behavior. |
| | C) | it is difficult to avoid the trap of pseudoexplanations. |
| | D) | none of the above |
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9 | | Explanations based on belief |
| | A) | need no evidence to support them. |
| | B) | are often trusted because they seem to fit with the larger framework of belief. |
| | C) | can never be tested empirically. |
| | D) | both a and b |
| | E) | both b and c |
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10 | | Scientific explanations sometimes fail because they |
| | A) | are based on inferring underlying causes from observed events. |
| | B) | are too general. |
| | C) | are too heavily rooted in a flawed belief system. |
| | D) | are difficult to develop into testable hypotheses. |
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11 | | When an explanatory concept is nothing more than a new label for an existing phenomenon, we have a(n) |
| | A) | pseudoexplanation. |
| | B) | inferred explanation. |
| | C) | commonsense explanation. |
| | D) | alternative explanation. |
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12 | | To avoid the trap of circular explanations, you should |
| | A) | include more than one independent variable in your experiment. |
| | B) | avoid using correlational research designs. |
| | C) | provide independent measures of the behavior of interest and the proposed explanatory concept. |
| | D) | place a higher premium on maintaining internal validity rather than external validity. |
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13 | | After reading about a terrorist attack on an airliner, you go to the library and read about the factors contributing to such behavior. The method of inquiry you are using is the |
| | A) | rational method. |
| | B) | scientific method. |
| | C) | exploratory method. |
| | D) | method of authority. |
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14 | | The rational method of inquiry is most useful in the early stages of science to |
| | A) | identify potential causal relationships among variables. |
| | B) | develop hypotheses that will be subjected to empirical test. |
| | C) | help you decide which research questions are important and which are not. |
| | D) | none of the above. |
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15 | | The scientific method of inquiry differs from other methods of inquiry in that the scientific method |
| | A) | requires that hypotheses be tested empirically. |
| | B) | is limited to experimental research. |
| | C) | does not require revision and retesting of hypotheses that are not fully supported. |
| | D) | all of the above |
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16 | | Any characteristic or quantity that can take on several different values is a |
| | A) | variable. |
| | B) | constant. |
| | C) | hypothetical value. |
| | D) | none of the above |
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17 | | A hypothesis is |
| | A) | a statement of the actual relationship between variables. |
| | B) | a tentative statement about the relationship between variables. |
| | C) | tested only if it is not supported using the method of authority or rational method. |
| | D) | none of the above |
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18 | | The point where the scientific method differs from the other methods of inquiry is |
| | A) | initial observation of a phenomenon under real-world conditions. |
| | B) | formulation of tentative explanations for observed phenomena. |
| | C) | further observing and experimenting on an observed phenomenon. |
| | D) | refining and retesting tentative explanations. |
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19 | | Imagine that you have conducted an experiment and confirmed your hypothesis. If you were using the scientific method, your next step would probably be to |
| | A) | abandon your line of research and start a whole new research program. |
| | B) | refine your hypothesis and further study the behavior of interest. |
| | C) | conduct your experiment again because your results were probably in error. |
| | D) | none of the above |
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20 | | Research that is conducted to test a purely theoretical issue is termed |
| | A) | applied research. |
| | B) | laboratory research. |
| | C) | basic research. |
| | D) | fundamental research. |
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21 | | Dr. Jones conducts an experiment to help a local corporation solve some production problems. This experiment would best be classified as |
| | A) | basic research. |
| | B) | fundamental research. |
| | C) | pilot research. |
| | D) | applied research. |
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22 | | The first step in the research process is |
| | A) | choosing a research design. |
| | B) | deciding which statistics you want to use to analyze your data. |
| | C) | lining up participants for your study. |
| | D) | developing a research idea and hypothesis. |
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23 | | Hypothesis development involves deductive reasoning, which is deriving |
| | A) | general laws from specific instances. |
| | B) | general hypotheses from specific theories. |
| | C) | specific hypotheses from specific ideas. |
| | D) | specific hypotheses from general ideas. |
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24 | | Once you have narrowed your research question and developed a testable hypothesis, the next step in the research process is to |
| | A) | conduct your study. |
| | B) | choose a research design. |
| | C) | decide what to measure. |
| | D) | choose a data analysis strategy. |
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25 | | A miniature version of your study done to test your materials or procedures is called a |
| | A) | pilot study. |
| | B) | deductive study. |
| | C) | lead study. |
| | D) | manipulation check study. |
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