Practice Test Geeks(ASPPB) Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Practice Test
← All ASPPB Flashcard Decks

Research Methods & Psychological Foundations Flashcards

7 cards from real ASPPB practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Research Methods & Psychological Foundations flashcards as text

  1. Which threat to internal validity occurs when participants in a study change naturally over time, independent of the treatment?

    Answer: Maturation

    Maturation refers to changes in participants due to natural biological or psychological processes occurring over the course of a study.

  2. In Piaget's theory, the ability to understand that the amount of liquid remains the same when poured into a differently shaped container is called:

    Answer: Conservation

    Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains constant despite changes in appearance, typically mastered during the concrete operational stage.

  3. A Type II error in hypothesis testing means the researcher:

    Answer: Failed to reject a false null hypothesis

    A Type II error (false negative) occurs when the null hypothesis is false but the researcher fails to reject it.

  4. The concept of 'ecological validity' refers to:

    Answer: The degree to which findings generalize to real-world settings

    Ecological validity concerns the extent to which research findings can be generalized to and applied in natural, real-world environments.

  5. Harlow's rhesus monkey experiments demonstrated that infant attachment is primarily driven by:

    Answer: Contact comfort from the caregiver

    Harlow's monkeys preferred the cloth 'mother' over the wire 'mother' that provided milk, demonstrating that contact comfort, not feeding, is the primary basis of attachment.

  6. In factor analysis, 'factor loadings' represent:

    Answer: The correlation between each observed variable and a latent factor

    Factor loadings are the correlations (or regression weights) that express the relationship between each observed variable and the underlying latent factor.

  7. Which reinforcement schedule produces the highest, most steady rate of responding and is most resistant to extinction?

    Answer: Variable ratio

    Variable ratio schedules deliver reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, producing high, steady rates and strong resistance to extinction.