Study Questions Number 4
Chapter 2. How psychologists do research. (34-50)		 Student Name _____________________
Date due: 9-13-06
Introduction to Psychology 101-3
Hal S. Bertilson, Ph.D.
1. What are the definitions operational definition, principle of falsifiability, and confirmation bias. (36-37)
2. What makes psychological research scientific? (36-39)
3. Which rule of science was violated by Norman Cousins when he told in a best-selling book how he had cured himself of a rare, life-threatening disease through a combination of humor and vitamins? (39)
4. Which rule of science was violated by Benjamin Rush who believed that yellow fever should be treated by bloodletting? Although many of his patients died, Rush did not lose faith in his approach; he attributed each recovery to his treatment and each death to the severity of the disease. (39)
5. What are the definitions of norms, reliability, validity, and volunteer bias? (40-46)
6. When are psychological case studies informative, and when are they useless? (40-41)
7. Why do psychologists often observe people's behavior in laboratories instead of in everyday situations? (41-43)
8. Why should you be skeptical about psychological tests you find in magazines and newspapers, or on the internet? (43-45)
9. What's the difference between a psychological survey and a poll of listeners conducted by a radio talk-show host? (45-46)
10. What are the definitions of correlation, positive correlation, negative correlation, and coefficient of correlation? (47-49)
11. The higher a male monkey's level of the hormone testosterone, the more aggressive he is likely to be. Is this a positive or negative correlation? What are two or three explanations for this finding? (49)
12. The older people are, the less frequently they tend to have sexual intercourse. Is this a positive or negative correlation? What are two or three explanations for this finding? (49)
13. The hotter the weather, the more crimes against persons (such as muggings) tend to occur. Is this a positive or negative correlation? What are two or three explanations for this finding? (49)