Lesson 4.2.3

4.2.3 Analysing data and the scientific status of psychology Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 4

20 questions

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Lesson 4.2.3, Analysing data and the scientific status of psychology: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Psychology (9PS0), Unit 4: Learning theories, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which level of measurement is used for categorical data with no inherent order, such as type of drink chosen?

    • Interval data, which have equal intervals between values but no true zero point on the scale used
    • Ordinal data, which are ranked categories with an order but with no equal intervals between the ranks
    • Nominal data, which are categories with no meaningful order or equal intervals between them
    • Ratio data, which have equal intervals and a true zero point, so that ratios between values are meaningful

  2. Which level of measurement is a finishing position in a race, where the gaps between positions are not equal?

    • Nominal data, because each finishing position is simply a named category with no order between the positions
    • Interval data, because the positions are measured on a scale with equal gaps between each finishing place
    • Ordinal data, because the positions are ranked in order but the time gaps between them are not equal
    • Ratio data, because the positions have a true zero point, so a first place is exactly zero times as good as a second

  3. Why would a researcher choose a chi-squared test for a study?

    • Because the data are frequencies of categorical responses, and the test compares observed frequencies with expected ones
    • Because the data are continuous and normally distributed, and the test compares the means of two groups on an interval scale
    • Because the data are brain scan images, and the test estimates the difference between the intensities of the scanned regions
    • Because the data are ranks of pairs, and the test calculates the correlation between two ordinal variables for each participant

  4. A chi-squared test gives a calculated value of 10 with one degree of freedom. The critical value at the 0.05 level is 3.84. What is the conclusion?

    • The result is significant only at the 0.001 level, because any value above 3.84 always reaches the strictest level of significance
    • The result is significant at the 0.05 level, because the calculated value of 10 exceeds the critical value of 3.84
    • The result is not significant, because the calculated value of 10 is smaller than the critical value of 3.84 at 0.05
    • The result cannot be interpreted, because chi-squared tests can only be used when the degrees of freedom are at least 20

  5. Observed counts are 30 in one category and 10 in another, with expected counts of 20 and 20. What is the chi-squared value?

    • 10, calculated as (30 minus 20) squared divided by 20, plus (10 minus 20) squared divided by 20
    • 2, calculated as the square root of the sum of the observed counts divided by the expected counts
    • 5, calculated as the sum of the observed counts divided by the number of categories used in the table
    • 20, calculated as the difference between the two observed counts, which gives the size of the effect

  6. Which assumption is important when using a chi-squared test?

    • The data should be paired, with each participant measured twice in exactly the same condition in every session
    • Each observation should be independent, so that one participant contributes to only one category in the table
    • The data should be interval level, with equal intervals and a true zero point on the scale used for the measure
    • Each participant should be counted in every category, so that the same person appears in several cells of the table

  7. Thematic analysis is a method used to:

    • measure the amount of neural activity in specific brain regions, using a scan of each participant during the task
    • calculate the mean and standard deviation of quantitative scores, which are then compared with a normal distribution
    • estimate the strength of a correlation between two ordinal variables, using ranks assigned to each participant's answers
    • identify and report recurring themes in qualitative data, such as interview transcripts or observation notes

  8. Which of these is an example of reliability in psychological research?

    • A test that measures what it claims to measure, such as aggression, rather than another related construct entirely
    • A test that uses a large sample size, which is the only factor that determines whether results are reliable in any study
    • A test that gives similar results when the same participants are tested again under the same conditions over time
    • A test that produces results that generalise to every culture, age group and setting in the world without any change

  9. Which type of validity refers to whether a study's findings can be applied to real-life settings?

    • Concurrent validity, which concerns whether a test agrees with another measure taken at the same time in the study
    • Construct validity, which concerns whether the internal structure of a theory matches the observed behaviour in the lab
    • Ecological validity, which concerns whether findings generalise to everyday settings and natural behaviour
    • Internal validity, which concerns whether the manipulation of the variable is the only cause of the change in the outcome

  10. Which type of validity refers to whether a test predicts later behaviour?

    • Ecological validity, which concerns whether the test scores can be applied to the natural world in everyday life
    • Predictive validity, which concerns whether a measure's scores predict a later outcome or behaviour of interest
    • Face validity, which concerns whether the test looks like it is measuring the right thing to a casual observer
    • Internal validity, which concerns whether the researcher controls all extraneous variables inside the laboratory

  11. What does falsification mean in the context of scientific theories, as described by Popper?

    • A theory is scientific if it can, in principle, be proven wrong by evidence, so testable predictions are needed
    • A theory is scientific if it is accepted by most people in society, since public agreement is the test of truth
    • A theory is scientific if it explains every possible event, so that no observation could ever count against it
    • A theory is scientific if it relies only on personal experience, since subjective evidence is the basis of all knowledge

  12. Why is the psychodynamic theory of aggression sometimes criticised for lacking scientific status?

    • Its concepts are based entirely on brain scans, which cannot be used to make any predictions about human behaviour
    • Its concepts can all be measured precisely with hormone assays, which means the theory is more scientific than biology
    • Its concepts rely on large randomised experiments, which are impossible to replicate in any laboratory setting at all
    • Its concepts, such as the id and superego, are hard to test and can be used to explain almost any behaviour afterwards

  13. Which statement describes the role of a control in a psychological experiment?

    • A control is the statistical test used to check whether the results are significant at the 0.05 level in the analysis
    • A control is the group of participants who receive the most intensive treatment in the study for the longest time period
    • A control is the measure of the dependent variable that the researcher chooses to record for each participant in the study
    • A control removes extraneous variables that could affect the results, so that the effect of the variable is clearer

  14. A researcher designs an experiment in which all participants are tested in the same room at the same time of day. What is the purpose of this?

    • To ensure that the independent variable is not manipulated, so that the study is purely correlational in its design
    • To make the study unethical, since the same room may cause participants to feel bored and so reduce their performance
    • To increase the reliability of the scoring system, since the same room always leads to identical scores for all participants
    • To control extraneous variables, so that differences in the environment are less likely to affect the dependent variable

  15. Which of these is an example of empiricism?

    • Relying on the authority of a famous theorist without collecting any data to test the claims made in their writings
    • Explaining behaviour through unconscious drives that cannot be observed or measured by any scientific instrument at all
    • Accepting a theory because it is consistent with the personal beliefs of the researcher and the wider society in which they live
    • Collecting data through observation and measurement to test a hypothesis, rather than relying on intuition alone

  16. A researcher tests a hypothesis that a drug reduces aggression, and finds a significant effect at the 0.05 level. Which statement is most accurate?

    • The result shows the drug has no effect on aggression, since significance at 0.05 always means the drug has no effect at all
    • The result shows the probability of the observed effect, if the null hypothesis were true, is less than 5%, so the null is rejected
    • The result proves the drug causes aggression to fall in all people, since any significant result is always a proof of cause
    • The result shows that the sample was biased, since significant results are always caused by unrepresentative samples in research

  17. Why is replicability important in scientific psychology?

    • It allows other researchers to repeat a study and check whether the same findings are obtained, which supports reliability of findings
    • It allows the study to be carried out without ethical approval, since a replicated study is always exempt from ethics review
    • It allows the sample to be made smaller, since a replicated study can use fewer participants without any loss of power at all
    • It allows researchers to change the findings of earlier studies so that they agree with the researcher's own personal beliefs

  18. Which is a criticism of reductionism in the scientific status of psychology?

    • Reductionism explains complex behaviour using only one level of analysis, which may miss important social and cultural influences
    • Reductionism uses only qualitative data, so it cannot be tested with statistics, which means it is not a science in any sense
    • Reductionism explains complex behaviour using many levels of analysis, which makes the explanation too long to be useful at all
    • Reductionism cannot be applied to any scientific study, since science only ever deals with social and cultural behaviour in practice

  19. A researcher's measure correlates well with a later outcome that it was designed to predict. Which type of validity is shown?

    • Reliability, because the measure gives identical scores every time it is used with the same participant in the study
    • Internal validity, because the researcher's measure has been controlled for all extraneous variables inside the laboratory
    • Face validity, because the measure looks appropriate to participants who complete it in the study session at the start
    • Predictive validity, because the measure's scores accurately predict the later outcome they were designed to predict

  20. Which statement about levels of measurement and statistical tests is most accurate?

    • The level of measurement applies only to brain scans, so it is irrelevant to the analysis of questionnaire data in psychology
    • The level of measurement is decided only after the analysis is complete, so it cannot influence the choice of test at all
    • The level of measurement has no effect on which tests are appropriate, since any test can be used with any data type at all
    • The level of measurement helps determine which tests are appropriate, so the choice of test should match the data type

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