Quiz: Week 2 — 21 questions

1. How is the course assessment divided between the midterm quiz and the final exam?

A. 50% for the midterm quiz and 50% for the final exam

B. 30% for the midterm quiz and 70% for the final exam

C. 60% for the midterm quiz and 40% for the final exam

D. 40% for the midterm quiz and 60% for the final exam

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The assessment gives equal weight to the midterm quiz and final exam, with each contributing half of the course grade. A 40%–60% split incorrectly gives the two assessments different weights.

2. Which pairing correctly matches the course sections with their teaching staff?

A. Research methods: A/P Olivia Choy; statistics: Dr Choo Rui Qi

B. Research methods: Dr Choo Rui Qi; statistics: Dr Choo Rui Qi

C. Research methods: A/P Olivia Choy; statistics: A/P Olivia Choy

D. Research methods: Dr Choo Rui Qi; statistics: A/P Olivia Choy

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Dr Choo Rui Qi teaches research methods, while A/P Olivia Choy teaches statistics. Assigning either instructor to both sections or reversing their roles does not match the course structure.

3. What distinguishes scientific knowledge from common-sense belief?

A. Scientific knowledge is based on theoretical claims, whereas common sense uses statistical analysis

B. Scientific knowledge is based on expert opinion, whereas common sense uses formal experiments

C. Scientific knowledge is based on objective observations, whereas common sense may rely on intuition

D. Scientific knowledge is based on personal experience, whereas common sense uses controlled measurement

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Science obtains knowledge through objective observations, while common sense can depend on informal belief or intuition. Personal experience can contribute to common sense but does not by itself provide the objective basis required for science.

4. How does psychology use scientific reasoning to evaluate explanations of behavior?

A. It uses speculation to avoid testing theories against behavioral evidence

B. It uses personal opinion to select explanations that seem intuitively convincing

C. It uses problem solving to move from theory to hypothesis testing

D. It uses tradition to preserve explanations that have been widely accepted

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Psychology applies problem solving by moving from theories to testable hypotheses. An explanation supported by opinion, tradition, or speculation has not undergone the scientific hypothesis-testing process.

5. Which sequence best represents the progression of the scientific method?

A. Research question, research hypothesis, study design, data collection, data analysis, reporting

B. Study design, research question, data analysis, research hypothesis, reporting, data collection

C. Research hypothesis, reporting, research question, data collection, study design, data analysis

D. Data collection, research question, reporting, study design, research hypothesis, data analysis

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The scientific method begins with a research question and proceeds through hypothesis formation, study design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. Beginning with reporting or collecting data before establishing the research plan reverses the stated process.

6. What is a hypothesis in scientific research?

A. A conclusion accepted after the results have been interpreted

B. A broad explanation retained because it agrees with common intuition

C. A measurement procedure used to define a variable in an experiment

D. A statement assumed to be true so that its validity can be tested

Answer: (D)

Explanation

A hypothesis is formulated as a statement assumed to be true for the purpose of testing whether it is valid. A conclusion comes after results are examined, while a measurement procedure is an operational definition.

7. Which statement is an operational definition of stress in an experiment?

A. Stress is an important influence on health and daily functioning

B. Stress is a condition involving psychological and physical pressure

C. Stress is a feeling that people commonly describe as overwhelming

D. Stress is the score a participant obtains on a specified stress questionnaire

Answer: (D)

Explanation

An operational definition specifies precisely how a concept is measured, such as a participant’s score on a named questionnaire. The other statements describe stress broadly without identifying a concrete measurement procedure.

8. Why is scientific knowledge considered both empirical and objective?

A. It is tested through observation and reports experiences using systematic procedures

B. It is derived from logical reasoning without requiring evidence from observable events

C. It is accepted when respected authorities reach agreement about a proposed explanation

D. It is based on personal impressions that researchers interpret according to their expectations

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Scientific knowledge is empirical because it can be verified through observation or experience, and it is objective because experiences can be reported systematically. Reliance on authority alone does not provide empirical evidence.

9. How does the self-correcting nature of science affect scientific conclusions?

A. Scientific explanations become less useful when researchers discover evidence against them

B. Established conclusions become fixed once they have received support from repeated studies

C. New evidence can revise earlier beliefs and move explanations closer to the truth

D. Researchers preserve earlier theories by excluding evidence that conflicts with accepted views

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Scientific conclusions are tentative because new evidence may correct previous beliefs and improve explanations. Treating conclusions as fixed would conflict with science’s progressive and self-correcting character.

10. Which activity best represents a central goal of science?

A. Defending explanations from criticism by making them impossible to test

B. Replacing observations with personal beliefs about why a phenomenon occurs

C. Describing individual events without developing theories or investigating causes

D. Formulating explanations that can be tested and potentially shown to be false

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Science aims to describe phenomena, investigate causes, develop theories, and create explanations that are falsifiable. An explanation that cannot be tested or potentially refuted does not meet this goal.

11. Which pairing correctly distinguishes the roles of the APA and an Institutional Review Board?

A. The APA enforces research law, while an IRB determines whether psychological theories are correct

B. The APA evaluates participant risk, while an IRB establishes professional standards for psychological practice

C. The APA approves individual research protocols, while an IRB writes ethical codes for psychologists

D. The APA provides professional ethical guidance, while an IRB reviews proposed studies for merit and risk

Answer: (D)

Explanation

The APA establishes ethical principles and professional conduct, whereas an IRB evaluates proposed research for scientific merit and acceptable risk. An IRB does not replace the APA’s professional ethical guidance.

12. A review committee is deciding whether research benefits justify its possible harms and whether participants are treated equitably. Which Belmont principles are most directly involved?

A. Beneficence concerns equal selection, while justice concerns participants’ independent decisions

B. Justice concerns voluntary choice, while respect for persons concerns fair distribution

C. Beneficence concerns benefits and harms, while justice concerns equitable treatment

D. Respect for persons concerns benefits and harms, while beneficence concerns equitable treatment

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Beneficence requires maximizing benefits relative to harms, while justice addresses equity in the distribution of research burdens and benefits. Respect for persons focuses on recognizing participants’ autonomy and protection.

13. Which procedure best satisfies the requirements for informed consent?

A. Provide technical research details after enrollment and offer payment for completing the study

B. Obtain a signature before participation and limit withdrawal once the research has begun

C. Describe the study’s expected benefits and require participants to complete all scheduled sessions

D. Explain procedures, incentives, and risks, then confirm voluntary participation and the right to withdraw

Answer: (D)

Explanation

Informed consent requires clear information about procedures, incentives, and risks, along with voluntary participation and the right to withdraw. Restricting withdrawal or using incentives as pressure undermines voluntariness.

14. When deception is necessary to keep participants unaware of a research hypothesis, what should researchers do afterward?

A. Debrief participants promptly, answer questions, correct misconceptions, and evaluate the deception

B. Provide a general thank-you message without explaining which information was withheld

C. Maintain the cover story after participation so later explanations do not influence responses

D. Disclose the hypothesis before enrollment and ask participants to conceal it from others

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Ethical deception requires researchers to explain the study as soon as possible, answer questions, remove misconceptions, and assess whether the deception worked. Continuing to withhold the explanation indefinitely fails to provide proper debriefing.

15. Which practice is consistent with research integrity when a researcher discovers a significant error in published results?

A. Leave the results unchanged if the error does not alter the researcher’s preferred interpretation

B. Use another researcher’s wording without attribution if the underlying result remains accurate

C. Correct the error promptly and ensure that no data were fabricated or presented deceptively

D. Remove inconvenient observations from the dataset and describe the revised analysis as original

Answer: (C)

Explanation

Ethical research requires correcting significant errors and prohibiting fabrication, along with avoiding plagiarism. Preserving a known error, manipulating data, or using unattributed wording violates research integrity.

16. What does the garden of forking paths describe in data analysis?

A. Choosing among several possible analyses after examining the data

B. Reporting every tested hypothesis and protocol change

C. Repeating a published procedure to assess its reliability

D. Registering one analysis plan before collecting any data

Answer: (A)

Explanation

The garden of forking paths arises when researchers select among multiple analytical routes, which can increase the false-positive rate. Preregistration is the contrasting practice because it specifies analyses in advance rather than choosing them after seeing results.

17. A researcher removes several observations after inspecting the results until the p-value becomes significant. What practice does this illustrate?

A. HARKing through retrospective reformulation of the hypothesis

B. P-hacking through post hoc manipulation of the analysis

C. Preregistration through advance specification of exclusions

D. Replication through repetition of an earlier procedure

Answer: (B)

Explanation

P-hacking involves repeatedly adding or removing variables or data points after viewing results in order to obtain statistical significance. HARKing instead concerns presenting a hypothesis after the results are already known, not changing the dataset to reach significance.

18. What is HARKing in research?

A. Formulating a hypothesis after the results are known

B. Registering methods and hypotheses before data collection

C. Selecting an analysis from several possible data pathways

D. Changing observations until a significant result appears

Answer: (A)

Explanation

HARKing means hypothesising after the results are known, so a post hoc idea may be presented as though it had been predicted in advance. Selecting among analyses describes the garden of forking paths, while changing observations to obtain significance describes p-hacking.

19. Which practice best enables independent researchers to test and replicate a study's findings?

A. Replacing the planned variables after inspecting the findings

B. Sharing the exact methodology, data files, and supporting documentation

C. Reporting only the analysis that produced the clearest result

D. Withholding the dataset while describing the general research aim

Answer: (B)

Explanation

Open research practice requires researchers to share precise methods, data such as Excel sheets, and other documentation so others can independently check the findings. Withholding data prevents independent verification even when the general procedure is described.

20. What does preregistration do in a research study?

A. Records hypotheses, methods, and planned analyses before the study begins

B. Revises the hypothesis after results have revealed an unexpected pattern

C. Reports every result without documenting the original research plan

D. Repeats an earlier study's procedure to examine similar outcomes

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Preregistration documents the hypotheses, methods, and analyses before data collection, reducing the opportunity to replace a planned variable with a significant alternative. Revising a hypothesis after seeing results is HARKing, which is the practice preregistration is designed to distinguish from.

21. What is the defining purpose of a replication study?

A. Repeating a previous study's procedure to see whether similar results emerge

B. Creating a hypothesis from patterns discovered in existing results

C. Sharing research files without repeating the original methodology

D. Choosing a new analysis after examining the original study's data

Answer: (A)

Explanation

Replication follows the methodology of an earlier study and repeats its procedure to determine whether comparable results are obtained. Sharing files supports transparency, but it does not itself constitute repeating the prior investigation.