Research methods in psychology worksheet with answers

A double-blind procedure means that:

1. AParticipants are tested twice
2. BTwo independent researchers analyse the same data set and then compare their conclusions
3. CParticipants cannot see the materials
4. DNeither participants nor the researchers collecting data know who is in which condition

A hypothesis that predicts the direction of an effect is called:

1. AA null hypothesis
2. BAn operational hypothesis
3. CNon-directional (two-tailed)
4. DDirectional (one-tailed)

In an experiment, the variable that is measured to see whether it is affected by the manipulation is the:

1. AExtraneous variable
2. BControl variable
3. CDependent variable
4. DIndependent variable

A Cronbach's alpha of 0.88 for a 15-item anxiety scale indicates:

1. AGood internal consistency of the items
2. BThe scale has a significant effect on anxiety
3. CScores are stable over six months
4. DThe scale predicts future anxiety well

In a normal distribution, approximately what percentage of scores lie within one standard deviation of the mean?

1. A68%
2. B95%
3. C50%
4. D99.7%

Publication bias refers to:

1. AStudies with significant results being more likely to be published than null results
2. BResearchers publishing the same study twice
3. CJournals publishing only qualitative research
4. DReviewers favouring papers by authors from famous universities over lesser-known ones

Which non-parametric test compares two related samples, such as before-and-after scores on an ordinal scale?

1. AMann–Whitney U test
2. BIndependent t-test
3. CChi-square test of independence
4. DWilcoxon signed-rank test

In qualitative research, reflexivity means that the researcher:

1. AConverts themes into numerical data
2. BUses a random sample to remove bias
3. CRepeats the study to check reliability
4. DReflects on how their own background and assumptions may shape the analysis