What are research methods? Q1 (choice A):
Not
What are research methods? Q1 (choice B):
Not
What are research methods? Q1 (choice C):
Not
What are research methods? Q1 (choice D):
Good
Common errors made in research Q1 (choice A):
Actually, it appears that I did do a bit of fishing for results, then reported what I "caught" as truth. I certainly hope I didn't come up with such a bizarre idea BEFORE doing that study. Click here to try again
Common errors made in research Q1 (choice B):
Actually, the logic is pretty flawed here. How does the presence of a number affect one's behavior? Besides, did the serial killers even notice the presence of the number 13 in their numbers, and were they exposed to the number in other settings (e.g., in their credit card numbers)? Did they get the dubious phone numbers before or after they developed whatever tendencies serial killers develop? And, how many non-serial killers have 13's in their phone numbers? Why am I even debating such illogical ideas? Click here to try again
Common errors made in research Q1 (choice C):
Actually, it looks as though I might have made up a lot of information in my study. Where did the idea about fear of the number 13 come in? Just because the serial killers shared this common trait doesn't mean that they were afraid of the number 13. That's made-up information. Click here to try again
Common errors made in research Q1 (choice D):
Good answer! I was technically correct in my noting that they all had 13's in their phone numbers. I might be wrong in my conclusion, but the observation itself is accurate. You have now completed the section on "Common errors made in research." Click here to return to the main menu.
Early Steps in Research Q1 (choice A):
This topic is too broad. Teens have a LOT of attitudes. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q1 (choice B):
Interesting topic, but it'll be hard to get access to people to study or information on the topic. And, personally, I like my students to avoid research where I have to worry continuously about their kneecaps. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q1 (choice C):
Good choice! This topic is sufficiently narrow, and you can probably get access to the population you want to study. Click here to go on
Early Steps in Research Q1 (choice D):
Interesting topic, but airfare alone might cost you a bundle. And, how does one get access to the people in charge? Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q2 (choice A):
Right! We actually use their work to help us do ours, but we still need to add to the literature by doing something ourselves. Click here to go on
Early Steps in Research Q2 (choice B):
Actually, "the literature" is a literal garden of background information. It's the best place to find out anything about anything. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q2 (choice C):
Actually, you'll be amazed at the number of variables others have researched that could be useful to you. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q2 (choice D):
Actually, this is a very useful function of the literature. Every measure we "borrow" from another researcher is one we don't have to write ourselves. As added features, the measure has already been tested, and we can compare our sample to the other researcher's sample (at least on the one measure). Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q3 (choice A):
Good choice! While extramural sports programs might be related to student satisfaction, it would be hard to tie the presence of such programs to cultural diversity. Click here to go on
Early Steps in Research Q3 (choice B):
Actually, this question could indicate the institutional commitment to diversity issues. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q3 (choice C):
Actually, it would be important to know if the white students were happy, so we could compare their satisfaction levels to the minority students. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q3 (choice D):
Actually, this could be an important factor in students feeling their culture is valued on campus. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q4 (choice A):
Actually, this hypothesis has all the essential elements and tells us that the researcher expects a certain group of children to join gangs at an accelerated rate. We could test this relationship by researching children and who joins gangs. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q4 (choice B):
Actually, this hypothesis has all the essential elements and tells us that the researcher expects the grades of certain students to go up. We could test this relationship by examining the grades of students who do and don't use the SQ3R method. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q4 (choice C):
Good answer! This statement does not make any real prediction, nor is it really testable. How are we going to measure morals? And, what exactly is 'crime'? Finally, how are we going to link the two amorphous ideas? Click here to go on
Early Steps in Research Q4 (choice D):
Actually, this hypothesis has all the essential elements and tells us that the researcher expects the babies of teen mothers to weigh less than those born to older women. We could test this relationship by weighing babies born to both groups of women. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q5 (choice A):
Cute answer, but not quite right. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q5 (choice B):
Good try, but this is the step before operationalization. Click here to try again
Early Steps in Research Q5 (choice C):
Good answer! When we operationalize, we decide how to measure or assess concepts that we have already decided to include in our study. You have now completed the section on "Some early steps in research." Click here to return to the main menu
Early Steps in Research Q5 (choice D):
Actually, that's the literature review process, although reviewing the literature will often help us operationalize our variables. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q1 (choice A):
Good answer! Smoking behavior leads to cancer, so it is the IV. Click here to go on
Variables and relationships Q1 (choice B):
Actually, DV's are caused by other variables, and "smoking behavior" is not what's being caused in this scenario. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q1 (choice C):
Actually, moderating variables are those that are caused by other variables, and which in turn cause yet a third set of variables. While we could argue that something causes people to smoke, which leads to their getting cancer, the hypothesis doesn't mention these other factors. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q2 (choice A):
Actually this is a variable. It can vary between people and corporations. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q2 (choice B):
Actually this is a variable. It can vary between people. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q2 (choice C):
Good Answer! 'Administrator' is an attribute. A better variable would have been 'job title.' Click here to go on
Variables and relationships Q2 (choice D):
Actually this is a variable. It can vary between people. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q3 (choice A):
Actually, if the variables weren't related, we would expect half of each type of major to be male. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q3 (choice B):
Actually, if the variables weren't related, we would expect half of each career choice to be passing. Click here to try again
Variables and relationships Q3 (choice C):
Good answer! We would expect only half of the sociology majors to be satisfied, so the variables are related. I'd bet that sociology majors are satisfied based on these figures. You have completed the section on "Variables and relationships." There will be more on relationships in the statistics section. Click here to return to the main menu
Variables and relationships Q3 (choice D):
Actually, if the variables weren't related, we would expect half of married people to further their education. Click here to try again
Theory ... Q1 (choice A):