Research in Abnormal Psychology
50 questions available
Questions
What is the term for the general, or universal, understanding of the nature, causes, and treatments of abnormality that clinical researchers try to discover?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following is NOT listed in the chapter as a way that case studies can be helpful in the field of abnormal psychology?
View answer and explanationWhat does a correlation coefficient of -1.00 indicate about the relationship between two variables?
View answer and explanationIn the context of epidemiological studies, what is the term for the number of new cases of a disorder that emerge during a given period of time?
View answer and explanationIn an experiment, what is the name for the variable that is manipulated by the researcher to observe its effect on another variable?
View answer and explanationTo guard against the effects of participant bias, experimenters can use a strategy where participants do not know which group they are in. What is this design called?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary reason researchers use a double-blind design in their studies?
View answer and explanationIn what type of alternative experimental design does nature itself, rather than the experimenter, manipulate the independent variable?
View answer and explanationWhat is the ABAB, or reversal, design an example of?
View answer and explanationFrom 1953 to 1963, the CIA and Army researchers conducted Project MK-ULTRA, an unethical study in which unknowing soldiers were given repeated doses of what substance?
View answer and explanationAccording to the chapter, why is research in abnormal psychology particularly important?
View answer and explanationIn a quasi-experimental study comparing abused children to non-abused children, what technique is often used to address potential confounds like differences in wealth or family size?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary limitation of all analogue research?
View answer and explanationAccording to the chapter, by convention, a study's findings are said to be statistically significant if there is less than what probability that the findings are due to chance?
View answer and explanationWhich historical figure's case study of 'Little Hans' and his fear of horses was used to support the theory of psychoanalysis?
View answer and explanationThe chapter discusses a large-scale research project where scholars from several universities monitored the Facebook profiles of an entire class of students to study social relationships. According to the text, how many juniors at the East Coast college logged on to Facebook each day?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary characteristic that defines a longitudinal study?
View answer and explanationIn a study where a new medication is being tested, a sham treatment that looks like the real therapy but has no key ingredients is given to the control group. What is this imitation therapy called?
View answer and explanationWhen a researcher's expectations are unintentionally transmitted to participants, potentially confounding an experiment, what is this phenomenon known as?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary difference between statistical significance and clinical significance in a treatment study?
View answer and explanationWhat is the major ethical concern with placebo studies, particularly for individuals with severe disorders?
View answer and explanationA study that measures the incidence and prevalence of a disorder in a particular population is known as what kind of study?
View answer and explanationWhat is a significant drawback of correlational studies?
View answer and explanationWhat is defined as 'a tentative explanation offered to provide a basis for an investigation'?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following research methods has the lowest level of external validity?
View answer and explanationA survey mentioned in the 'PsychWatch' box on animal rights found that while 64 percent of respondents dislike animal research, what percentage said they can 'accept' it for medical purposes?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary goal of an institutional review board (IRB)?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following is NOT one of the five fundamental challenges that clinical scientists face, as summarized in the 'Putting It Together' section?
View answer and explanationWhat is a key advantage of the correlational method over the case study method?
View answer and explanationThe chapter describes the lobotomy as a historical example of a wrong belief causing great suffering. What was this surgical procedure supposed to cure?
View answer and explanationWhen a researcher can accurately pinpoint that a change in one variable is caused by a change in another, the study is said to have high:
View answer and explanationWhat is a key feature of the scientific method used by clinical researchers?
View answer and explanationIn a study of readability, which of the following had the HIGHEST reading difficulty score, making it the most difficult for the general population to comprehend?
View answer and explanationIn a meta-analysis of therapy outcome studies, what was the finding regarding the effectiveness of therapy?
View answer and explanationA study found that when drug research is paid for by the company that manufactures the drug, favorable outcomes are found in 80 percent of the published studies. What percentage of favorable outcomes are found in studies NOT paid for by pharmaceutical companies?
View answer and explanationAccording to the chapter, why do many animal rights activists oppose the use of animals in research?
View answer and explanationWhich of the following is an example of a research question that can only be answered by the experimental method, not the correlational method?
View answer and explanationAccording to the chapter, approximately how many animals are used in research each year?
View answer and explanationIn the Willowbrook State School study, children were deliberately infected with hepatitis. What was the stated goal of this research?
View answer and explanationWhat does a 'triple-blind design' involve?
View answer and explanationWhat is the key limitation of a single-subject experiment, such as an ABAB design?
View answer and explanationThe research methods of clinical researchers are contrasted with the goal of clinical practitioners, which is to seek what kind of understanding?
View answer and explanationAccording to the chapter, studies suggest that what percentage of patients may actually get worse as a result of therapy?
View answer and explanationA research procedure used to determine the 'co-relationship' or degree to which events or characteristics vary with each other is called the:
View answer and explanationWhen one research team examined its pool of potential 'normal' control participants, it found that 30 percent currently had a psychological disorder. What additional percentage had a history of psychological disorders?
View answer and explanationWhat is the term for any characteristic or event that can vary from time to time, place to place, or person to person?
View answer and explanationWhat is the primary advantage of the experimental method over the correlational method?
View answer and explanationThe people who are chosen for a study are its subjects or participants. What are the participants in a given study collectively called?
View answer and explanationIf a correlation is found between two variables, but it is actually because a third, unmeasured variable is causing both, this illustrates a major limitation of which research method?
View answer and explanationThe 'Between the Lines' box on 'Science and Scientists' states that ninety percent of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today. It also notes that more scientific papers were published in what time frame than in all the years before?
View answer and explanation