Research Methods and Critical Thinking in Psychology Quiz

A good hypothesis should be clear and specific, not vague.

The control group allows researchers to compare the effects of the independent variable by providing a baseline against which to measure the experimental group.

The mean is a measure of central tendency that represents the average value of a set of data.

Descriptive research aims to describe and understand behavior or phenomena without influencing them.

Random assignment helps ensure that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group, reducing the risk of bias.

In a matched-pairs design, participants are matched based on certain characteristics, but they are not randomly assigned to groups, making it a quasi-experimental design.

Replication involves repeating a study to determine if the findings are consistent and reliable across different samples or settings.

Correlational research can identify relationships between variables but cannot determine the direction of causality.

The p-value indicates the probability of observing the results of a test statistic as extreme as, or more extreme than, the one observed, assuming that the null hypothesis is true.

While generalizability is important in research, it is not a criterion for establishing causality. The criteria include temporal precedence, covariation of cause and effect, and ruling out alternative explanations.

Peer review involves experts in the field evaluating research manuscripts to ensure their quality, validity, and adherence to ethical standards before publication.

Inferential statistics allow researchers to generalize findings from a sample to a larger population and make predictions or inferences about population parameters based on sample data.