LSP Research Methods & Statistics

Question 1

What is the difference between a correlational study and an experimental study?

Accepted Answer

Correlational studies measure relationships between variables without manipulation; experimental studies manipulate an independent variable to determine causation

Answer

Correlational designs measure the strength and direction of relationships between variables but cannot establish causation. Experimental designs manipulate independent variables and use controls to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 2

What is a p-value in statistical analysis?

Accepted Answer

The probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as those observed, assuming the null hypothesis is true

Answer

A p-value less than the significance level (typically 0.05) indicates the results are unlikely to have occurred by chance alone, leading researchers to reject the null hypothesis.

Question 3

What is random assignment and why is it important in experiments?

Accepted Answer

Randomly placing participants into experimental and control groups to ensure groups are equivalent at baseline

Answer

Random assignment ensures each participant has an equal chance of being in any condition, distributing potential confounding variables evenly across groups and increasing internal validity.

Question 4

What is the difference between Type I and Type II errors?

Accepted Answer

Type I is rejecting a true null hypothesis (false positive); Type II is failing to reject a false null hypothesis (false negative)

Answer

A Type I error (alpha) occurs when you conclude there is an effect when there is not. A Type II error (beta) occurs when you conclude there is no effect when there actually is one.

Question 5

What is a meta-analysis?

Accepted Answer

A statistical technique that combines results from multiple studies to derive an overall effect size

Answer

Meta-analysis quantitatively synthesizes findings from multiple independent studies on the same topic, providing a more precise estimate of effect size and identifying moderating variables across studies.

(LSP) Licensed Specialist in Psychology Certification Practice Test

(LSP) Licensed Specialist in Psychology Certification Practice Test

LSP Research Methods & Statistics