ASPPB Research Methods & Psychological Foundations 5

Question 1

A researcher asks participants to rate their anxiety before and after a mindfulness intervention without a control group. The design is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design

Answer

Without random assignment to a control condition, the single-group pre-test/post-test design is quasi-experimental and cannot rule out alternative explanations.

Question 2

According to the gate control theory of pain, pain perception is modulated by:

Accepted Answer

Neural gates in the spinal cord that can be opened or closed by various signals

Answer

Melzack and Wall's gate control theory proposes that neural mechanisms in the spinal cord act as gates that regulate pain signals traveling to the brain.

Question 3

In a 2×3 factorial ANOVA, the maximum number of possible effects (main effects plus interactions) is:

Accepted Answer

3

Answer

A 2×3 factorial ANOVA yields three effects: two main effects (one per factor) and one two-way interaction, totaling three.

Question 4

Demand characteristics in research refer to:

Accepted Answer

Cues that lead participants to guess the study's hypothesis and adjust their behavior accordingly

Answer

Demand characteristics are cues in the experimental environment that hint at the hypothesis, prompting participants to respond in ways they believe are expected.

Question 5

Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model places immediate family interactions in which system?

Accepted Answer

Microsystem

Answer

The microsystem is the innermost layer containing direct, face-to-face interactions such as those within the family, school, or peer group.

(ASPPB) Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Practice Test

(ASPPB) Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Practice Test

ASPPB Research Methods & Psychological Foundations 5