Overview
Review Questions: Chapter 1
- Describe two important features of the scientific method.
- Provide an example of (1) how social and cultural factors can influence psychologists' choice of research topics and (2) how sociocultural factors can influence society's acceptance of research results.
- Describe how ethnocentric bias can be a problem in research and suggest a way researchers can prevent this bias.
- Describe two ethical dilemmas that psychologists may face when conducting research.
- What are the three initial steps researchers take when starting a research project?
- Identify two reasons why it is important to look in the psychological research literature when beginning research.
Review Questions: Chapter 2
- What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable? Provide an example of each that could be used in an experiment.
- What is the main advantage of using operational definitions in psychology? What two criticisms have been made of the use of operational definitions?
- What is the difference between the validity and reliability of an instrument?
- Identify the four goals of the scientific method and briefly describe what each is intended to achieve.
- What is the difference between the nomothetic approach and the idiographic approach?
- Identify the three conditions required for a causal inference.
- What is an intervening variable? Propose an example: a factor that serves as an intervening variable between "insulting" and "aggressive responses" in children. Explain how these variables can be related by proposing a hypothesis that includes the influence of the intervening variable.