Research Methods AP- MC

RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY
SECTION I 
Time — 41 Minutes
35 Questions

Directions:  Each of the questions or incomplete statements below is followed by four suggested answers or completions. Select the one that is best in each case

In a recent study on the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance, researchers recruited 300 volunteers from a local university. The study required participants to either sleep for 4 hours or 8 hours for three consecutive nights. Following this, their memory, attention, and reaction times were tested using standardized cognitive assessments. To ensure the diversity of the sample, participants were chosen from various departments, years, and backgrounds. The recruitment posters were placed around the university, and participants were selected based on who responded first to the advertisement. 

Which of the following allows psychologists to generalize research findings to the intended population?

A team of researchers is interested in studying the impact of video gaming on sleep quality among teenagers. They hypothesize that teenagers who play video games for more than three hours daily exhibit poorer sleep quality compared to those who play less. To objectively measure "sleep quality," the researchers decide to use several criteria including the total sleep time, the time it takes to fall asleep, and the number of awakenings during the night. These criteria are monitored using a wearable sleep tracker that records sleep patterns over two weeks.

Which of the following best illustrates the use of an operational definition in the researchers' study?

In a university lab, psychologists are conducting research on the effect of motivational speeches on endurance in physical tasks. They invite volunteers to participate in a treadmill exercise, where the participants run for as long as they can. Before the exercise, one group listens to a motivational speech about overcoming limits and reaching potential, while another group listens to a neutral talk on the history of treadmills. The duration of each participant's run is recorded. The researchers carefully define "motivational speech" as a 10-minute presentation by a professional motivational speaker discussing themes of perseverance and goal attainment, and "endurance" as the time in minutes from the start of the run until the participant chooses to stop due to exhaustion. 

Which of the following is central for the replication of a research study?

Dr. Ahmed is a social psychologist planning to conduct a large-scale survey to explore the impact of social media usage on mental health among college students across the United States. To gather data, Dr. Ahmed intends to distribute an online questionnaire that includes various metrics on time spent on social media, types of activities engaged in (such as posting, browsing, or interacting), and self-reported measures of mental well-being. Dr. Ahmed aims to ensure that the findings from this survey are representative of college students nationwide. To achieve this, careful planning on how to select participants for the study is crucial, especially considering the diverse backgrounds and social media habits of college students.

When conducting survey research like Dr. Ahmed's study on social media usage, what must a researcher do to generalize the results to the population?

Dr. Liu is a clinical psychologist who has been meticulously documenting the progress of a patient, Jake, who exhibits a rare form of anxiety disorder. Over a period of five years, Dr. Liu has collected extensive data on Jake's symptoms, treatments, and responses to various therapy methods, both conventional and experimental. This case study includes detailed notes on Jake's psychological assessments, therapy sessions, and even video recordings of his behavior during periods of high anxiety. The data gathered from Jake’s case is rich and in-depth, offering unique insights into his disorder. Dr. Liu hopes to publish the findings to provide other practitioners with detailed insights about treatment approaches for similar cases. 

Of the following, what is a major drawback of using a case study like Dr. Liu's on Jake?

Dr. Singh is a behavioral scientist investigating the relationship between daily physical activity levels and self-reported happiness among adults. To conduct her research, she gathers data from a diverse group of 1,000 adults by using wearable fitness trackers to monitor physical activity and an online survey to assess levels of happiness. Dr. Singh plans to analyze the data to determine if there is a link between the amount of physical activity a person engages in and their reported happiness. Her main interest lies in discovering whether an increase in physical activity correlates with an increase in happiness, and if the presence of one variable can predict changes in the other. 

Which of the following allows researchers like Dr. Singh to determine how well one variable predicts the presence of another variable?

Questions 7a-7d refer to the following scenario and accompanying data:
Researchers are investigating the effect of a mindfulness meditation program on stress levels in university students. Participants are divided into two groups. Group A participates in a structured four-week mindfulness program, while Group B is given a booklet about stress management to read on their own. Stress levels are measured using a standardized stress assessment tool before and after the intervention. 

The results are summarized in the table below:

What is the dependent variable in this study?

Which of the following best describes the research design used by the researchers?

The data in the table suggest a reduction in stress levels for both groups, but more significantly in Group A. 
Which statistical concept is best to compare the effectiveness of the two interventions?

Assuming the mindfulness program's effectiveness is confirmed, what should researchers do next to enhance the generalizability of the findings?

Dr. Elton and his team are investigating the relationship between exercise frequency and mood enhancement in adults. Over a period of six months, 200 participants, aged 18 to 65, recorded their weekly exercise routines while also maintaining a mood diary rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). After collecting the data, the research team calculated a correlation coefficient to quantify the relationship between the number of exercise sessions per week and the mood scores. The calculated correlation coefficient was +.70. 

What does a correlation coefficient of +.70 indicate about the relationship between exercise frequency and mood enhancement in this study?

Which of the following correlation coefficients reflects the weakest relationship between two variables?

Dr. Kim is conducting a study to explore the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance among high school students. She is concerned that her own beliefs about the importance of sleep might unintentionally influence the study's outcomes. To mitigate this risk, Dr. Kim plans to implement a specific research method that ensures neither the participants nor the team members administering tests and questionnaires know who has reported poor sleep versus good sleep. 

In order to control for experimenter bias in her study, what method should Dr. Kim most likely employ?

 Dr. Davis conducted an experiment to determine whether a new type of therapy designed to reduce anxiety is more effective than the traditional methods currently in use. She divided her participants into two groups: one received the new therapy, and the other received the traditional therapy. After six weeks, Dr. Davis collected data on the anxiety levels of all participants, using a standardized anxiety assessment tool. The results were analyzed statistically to determine if there was a significant difference in the effectiveness of the two therapy methods. The statistical analysis showed that the difference between the means of the two groups was statistically significant. 

If the difference between the means of two groups is statistically significant, what does this mean?

Dr. Thompson is exploring the potential benefits of a new cognitive training program designed specifically for older adults. The study involves 60 participants aged 65 to 85 who have reported concerns about their cognitive abilities but do not have any diagnosed cognitive impairments. The participants are divided into two groups: one group participates in the cognitive training program, which includes puzzles, memory games, and problem-solving activities, while the other group engages in general discussions about health and nutrition without specific cognitive exercises. This setup runs for 12 months, with cognitive assessments conducted at the start, middle, and end of the period to measure changes in cognitive performance.

What type of research method is used to study the impact of the cognitive training program on cognitive ability?

Researchers conducted a study to explore how environmental colors affect taste perceptions. Two hundred participants were recruited for a blind taste test where they evaluated the taste of a fruit punch. Participants were randomly divided into two groups; one group tasted the punch in a blue-lit room, while the other tasted it in a red-lit room. Prior studies suggest that red environments can enhance sweetness perceptions due to cultural and psychological associations with ripe fruit. The punch served was identical in both conditions, and participants were unaware of the study's purpose. After tasting, participants rated the sweetness on a scale from 1 (not sweet at all) to 10 (extremely sweet). 

Those who tasted the fruit punch in the red-lit room...

Researchers designed a study to evaluate how different environmental settings affect stress levels. Participants were divided into two groups: one experienced a simulated natural environment with plant life, nature sounds, and visual imagery of forests; the other was placed in a simulated urban environment with city noises and visuals of buildings and streets. Before and after the experiment, participants' stress levels were measured using physiological indicators such as heart rate and cortisol levels. The goal was to determine whether the type of environmental setting has an impact on reducing stress among adults.

What is the independent variable in this experiment?

In an effort to understand factors influencing academic performance, a researcher conducted a year-long observational study in a high school setting. The study tracked where students chose to sit in the classroom and correlated this seating choice with their final grades at the end of the school year. Data collected showed a clear pattern: students who sat closer to the front of the classroom tended to receive higher final grades compared to those who sat towards the back. The researcher controlled for other variables such as previous academic achievement and class participation to ensure that the seating was the primary variable of interest.

The researcher's finding that students who sat closer to the front had higher grades reflects a(n):

A team of psychologists and educators collaborated on a study to investigate the impact of structured play activities on the development of empathy among preschool children. The research involved observing children during their playtime, which was divided into structured sessions involving role-playing games designed to encourage empathy and unstructured free play periods. Over a month, the researchers meticulously documented the amount of time each child engaged in acts of empathy, such as comforting, sharing, and helping others, during the structured play sessions. The times recorded for eight randomly selected children during these sessions were as follows in minutes: 5, 10, 10, 10, 15, 15, 15, 20. 

What was the mean amount of time the selected children engaged in empathetic behaviors during the structured play sessions based on the data collected?

Dr. Lorne is planning a study to examine the effects of stress on decision-making. The study involves simulating a high-pressure scenario in which participants must make quick financial decisions that appear to impact their own money. To enhance the realism of the scenario, Dr. Lorne intends to use confederates who pretend to be fellow participants but are actually part of the research team. These confederates will display signs of stress and urgency to influence the participants. Before beginning the study, Dr. Lorne submits her research proposal to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval. She outlines plans for ensuring participant safety, maintaining confidentiality of data, and thoroughly debriefing participants about the deceptive elements and true nature of the study after their participation. 

Which ethical requirement is primarily being addressed by Dr. Lorne's plan to fully inform participants about the deceptive elements and the true nature of the study after their participation?

After a significant political event, a team of social psychologists decides to investigate how well individuals could predict the outcomes before the event occurred. They collect data from surveys filled out by participants before and after the event. Before the event, predictions varied widely with no clear consensus. However, post-event surveys revealed that a large majority of participants claimed they "knew all along" what the outcome would be, even though their prior predictions did not support this certainty. The researchers aim to study this phenomenon, where people believe they predicted events more accurately than they actually did after knowing the outcome.

Which psychological concept is being investigated by the researchers in this scenario?

Dr. Bennett, a developmental psychologist, is interested in understanding how parenting styles impact children's academic success. To achieve a comprehensive understanding, she gathers research studies conducted globally over the last 15 years, which investigate various parenting styles and their correlations with academic performance in children. Dr. Bennett intends to aggregate these diverse studies, each with its own sample size, cultural context, and measurement techniques, into a coherent analysis. By combining these results statistically, she aims to determine a generalized effect of parenting styles on academic success and identify which factors might moderate this effect across different environments. Which research method is Dr. Bennett using to synthesize the findings from multiple studies on the impact of parenting styles on academic success in children?

Dr. Moreno, a social psychologist, is investigating the interactions between parents and children in public settings to better understand patterns of communication and discipline in real-world environments. She spends several months observing families at various community parks, without intervening or altering the settings in any way. Dr. Moreno takes detailed notes on verbal and non-verbal behaviors exhibited by both parents and children, paying particular attention to responses to misbehavior. She ensures that her presence is unobtrusive to avoid influencing the behaviors being observed. The goal of this study is to provide an empirical basis for theories on parenting styles and their immediate effects on child behavior in natural settings. 

What research method is Dr. Moreno using to study parent-child interactions in community parks?

Dr. Carter, an educational psychologist, is studying the effect of background music on reading comprehension among high school students. In her experiment, half of the participants read a complex scientific article in a quiet room, while the other half read the same article in a room where classical music was playing softly. After reading, all participants took a quiz to assess their understanding of the article. However, Dr. Carter later realized that the group who read with music had significantly more honors students than the group who read in silence. She is concerned that this difference in academic achievement levels may have influenced the quiz results. 

In Dr. Carter’s study, what is the confounding variable that may have affected the outcome of her experiment?

Dr. Evans, a psychologist specializing in organizational behavior, is conducting a study to assess employee satisfaction within various departments of a large corporation. To gather comprehensive data, she develops a survey using Likert scales, where employees rate their agreement with statements on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The statements cover topics like job satisfaction, management support, work-life balance, and opportunities for professional development. Dr. Evans plans to analyze these ratings to identify areas where the company excels and where it could improve. The survey results are intended to help formulate better policies that enhance employee welfare and productivity. 

What is the primary purpose of using Likert scales in Dr. Evans' study on employee satisfaction?

Dr. Jensen, a cognitive psychologist, is initiating a study to examine the effects of sleep deprivation on problem-solving abilities and mood. Participants are recruited through advertisements and are informed they will be required to stay awake for up to 24 hours during the experiment. During the initial briefing, Dr. Jensen explains the procedures, potential risks like increased stress and temporary cognitive impairment, and the voluntary nature of participation, ensuring participants understand they can withdraw at any time without penalty. Participants are also told about the confidential treatment of their data, including how results will be anonymized and used solely for academic purposes. Before starting the experiment, all participants are required to sign a document indicating they understand the study's details and agree to participate.

What aspect of ethical research practice is Dr. Jensen addressing by explaining the study details to participants and obtaining their signed agreement?

Dr. Williams is investigating a new dietary supplement designed to enhance cognitive functions such as concentration and focus. The study involves 200 participants who experience frequent concentration difficulties. They are divided into two groups through random assignment. One group receives the dietary supplement, while the other group receives a placebo pill, identical in appearance but containing no active cognitive-enhancing ingredients. Both the participants and the researchers interacting with them are unaware of who receives the actual supplement versus the placebo. After three months, surprising results are reported: participants from both groups note significant improvements in their concentration levels. Dr. Williams now faces the task of interpreting these findings, considering the nature of the substances administered to each group.

Which explanation best accounts for the improvements reported by the group that received the placebo?

Reynolds, a psychologist specializing in adolescent behavior, designs an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new group therapy program aimed at improving social skills among teenagers with social anxiety. The study recruits 100 participants, who are randomly divided into two groups. The first group, the experimental group, participates in the new therapy program, which includes bi-weekly group sessions and activities designed to enhance interpersonal communication and self-esteem. The second group, the control group, does not participate in the new program but continues to receive standard counseling services provided by the school. At the end of the six-month study, Dr. Reynolds measures the participants’ social skills using a standardized social skills inventory and compares the results between the two groups. 

What role does the control group play in Dr. Reynolds' experiment?

Dr. Ellis is researching the impact of exposure to nature on reducing stress levels among college students. She sets up two experimental conditions: one group of students spends 30 minutes daily in a green park setting, while another group spends the same amount of time in a windowless room with no natural elements. To ensure the validity of her experiment, Dr. Ellis randomly assigns participants to one of the two conditions, regardless of their previous experiences with nature, their stress levels, or any personal preferences for spending time outdoors. This method is intended to distribute any unknown factors evenly across both groups, thereby isolating the effect of the environment on stress reduction.

Why is random assignment crucial in Dr. Ellis’s study on the effects of nature on stress reduction?

Dr. Karim, a social psychologist, is planning a large-scale survey to explore cultural differences in perceptions of leadership qualities across various countries. The goal is to understand how cultural backgrounds influence what traits are valued in leaders. Dr. Karim intends to gather data from thousands of respondents across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. To ensure the findings are globally applicable and not biased toward any particular demographic, Dr. Karim carefully selects a sample that matches the demographic composition of each region in terms of age, gender, socioeconomic status, and education level. This approach is designed to capture a wide range of perspectives and provide a balanced view of global leadership perceptions. 

Why is it crucial for Dr. Karim to use a representative sample in his survey on cultural perceptions of leadership?

Dr. Spencer, a psychologist specializing in adolescent development, conducts a study to evaluate the variability in sleep patterns among teenagers. He collects data from 200 high school students, tracking their total hours of sleep per night over a one-month period. Dr. Spencer is particularly interested in understanding how sleep patterns vary, as inconsistent sleep can significantly impact cognitive and emotional development during adolescence. After analyzing the data, he notices a wide range of sleep durations, from as few as 4 hours to as many as 10 hours per night. Dr. Spencer calculates the mean sleep duration to be 7 hours. To further analyze the data, he decides to calculate the standard deviation to measure the extent of variation or dispersion of sleep hours around this mean. 

Why is it important for Dr. Spencer to calculate the standard deviation of sleep durations in his study?

Dr. Hughes, a cognitive psychologist, conducts an investigation into the decision-making accuracy of corporate executives. She asks 50 executives to predict their companies' next quarter performance metrics, including revenue growth and market share. Each executive also rates their confidence in their predictions on a scale from 1 (least confident) to 10 (most confident). Once the quarter concludes and actual performance data is available, Dr. Hughes finds a significant discrepancy between the predicted and actual metrics, despite the executives' high average confidence level of 9. This outcome prompts Dr. Hughes to consider further research into the cognitive biases that might explain these findings. 

Which cognitive bias might Dr. Hughes explore based on her observations of executives' high confidence paired with inaccurate predictions?

Dr. Walton, a psychologist specializing in consumer behavior, designs a survey to assess public opinion on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in everyday life. One question in the survey asks, "Do you support the use of intelligent machines that can perform tasks traditionally done by humans?" A similar question in a different version of the survey asks, "Do you oppose the use of machines that replace human jobs with automation?" After administering these surveys to two separate but demographically similar groups, Dr. Walton notices a significant variation in responses. The first question receives a high rate of support, whereas the second question sees a higher rate of opposition. Intrigued by these results, Dr. Walton plans to investigate how the phrasing of questions influences respondents' attitudes.

What psychological concept is Dr. Walton likely to explore further?

Dr. Larson is conducting a study to assess the impact of a new therapeutic technique aimed at reducing anxiety in university students. The participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group receives traditional counseling services, while the other group undergoes sessions using the new therapeutic technique. To control for the placebo effect and maintain the integrity of the data, participants are not informed about which specific therapy they are receiving, although all are aware that they could be in either the experimental or control group. However, the therapists administering the treatments are aware of the techniques they are applying, as they need this knowledge to properly conduct the sessions. 

What is the primary purpose of employing a single-blind procedure in Dr. Larson's study on anxiety reduction?

Dr. Banner, a behavioral psychologist, is investigating the effects of perceived control on stress levels in office environments. To measure perceived control, she defines it operationally as the number of choices employees can make about their workspace organization and work schedule. Participants in the study are divided into three groups: one group can choose their office layout and work hours; another group can choose only their office layout; and a third group has no choices and must accept preset conditions. Dr. Banner hypothesizes that more choices will correlate with lower stress levels, which she measures using a standard stress questionnaire and physiological markers such as heart rate and cortisol levels. 

In Dr. Banner’s study, what is the purpose of defining 'perceived control' as the number of choices employees can make about their workspace and work schedule?