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Research Methods and Ethics Flashcards

7 cards from real Psychology Degree 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 and Ethics flashcards as text

  1. A researcher finds a statistically significant result (p < .05) but a very small effect size (d = 0.05). What does this most likely indicate?

    Answer: The finding is practically meaningless despite statistical significance

    A tiny effect size means the difference is statistically detectable (due to large N) but has little real-world significance.

  2. Which research design is most appropriate for studying whether childhood trauma causes adult anxiety disorders?

    Answer: Prospective longitudinal study

    A prospective longitudinal study follows participants over time, allowing researchers to track trauma exposure and later anxiety outcomes.

  3. In a double-blind study, who is unaware of the treatment condition?

    Answer: Both participants and the researchers interacting with them

    Double-blind means neither the participants nor the researchers administering the treatment know who is in which condition.

  4. A psychology professor offers extra credit to students who participate in her study on exam stress. What ethical concern does this raise?

    Answer: Undue inducement/coercion

    Extra credit from an authority figure can compromise voluntary participation because students may feel pressured to join.

  5. What is the purpose of a manipulation check in an experimental study?

    Answer: To confirm that the independent variable was successfully operationalized

    A manipulation check is a separate measure confirming that the IV actually induced the intended psychological state or condition.

  6. Which of the following best describes the ecological validity of a laboratory experiment?

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

    Ecological validity refers to how well a study's conditions reflect real-world environments, affecting generalizability.

  7. A researcher administers the same personality questionnaire twice, three months apart, and finds a correlation of r = .85. This reflects which psychometric property?

    Answer: Test-retest reliability

    Test-retest reliability measures the stability of a test score over time using repeated administrations.