Week 2 — Quiz (auto-graded) · Research Methods & Ethics

Course: Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Bennett
Objective tested: Objective 2 — research methods and ethics; correlation vs. causation; sources of bias.
Points: 10 (1 each) · Assignment group: Quizzes (15% of grade) · Due: end of Module 2.

This is the human-readable quiz with its vetted answer key and feedback. The import-ready Classic QTI is in F-quiz-week-02-qti.xml; the reusable item-bank entries and the Canvas placement block are at the bottom of this file.

Blueprint

No trick questions; distractors target the Week 2 misconceptions named in the lecture outline.

Questions, key, and feedback

Q1 (MC). A researcher tests whether background music improves concentration. Half the participants study in silence; the other half study with music playing. Everyone then takes the same concentration test. In this experiment, the independent variable is —
- A. the participants' scores on the concentration test
- B. whether or not music was playing while studying ✅
- C. how much the participants already liked music
- D. the room temperature
Feedback: The independent variable is what the researcher deliberately manipulates (the suspected cause) — here, the presence or absence of music. The test scores are what's measured (the dependent variable). (Watch the classic IV/DV mix-up: "I manipulate the IV; I depend on the DV to see what happened.")

Q2 (MC). In that same study (music vs. silence, then a concentration test), the dependent variable is —
- A. whether or not music was playing
- B. the participants' scores on the concentration test ✅
- C. the genre of music chosen
- D. the number of participants
Feedback: The dependent variable is the outcome the researcher measures — the concentration-test scores. It "depends on" what the independent variable (music vs. silence) did.

Q3 (Multiple answer — select all that apply). Which of the following are descriptive research methods (methods that describe behavior without testing a cause)?
- A. A case study of one person with a rare memory ability ✅
- B. Naturalistic observation of shoppers in a store ✅
- C. A randomized experiment with an experimental and a control group
- D. A survey asking students about their study habits ✅
- E. A correlational study relating screen time to sleep
Feedback: The descriptive family is the case study, naturalistic observation, and the survey — they capture behavior as it is. A correlational study measures a relationship (a link), and an experiment tests a cause; neither is "descriptive."

Q4 (MC). A study finds that students who drink more coffee tend to score higher on memory tests. What is the best conclusion?
- A. Coffee causes better memory.
- B. Better memory causes people to drink more coffee.
- C. Coffee and memory scores are related, but a third variable could explain the link ✅
- D. The two variables are unrelated.
Feedback: A correlation shows a link, not a cause. Two things block the causal leap: a third variable (maybe coffee drinkers also sleep less but study more, or are younger) and the directionality problem (a correlation can't say which way the arrow points). To claim cause you'd need a randomized experiment.

Q5 (MC). What is the main purpose of random assignment in an experiment?
- A. To make sure the sample represents the whole population
- B. To balance out other differences between groups so a cause-and-effect claim is justified ✅
- C. To guarantee the hypothesis turns out to be correct
- D. To remove the need for a control group
Feedback: Random assignment sorts participants into groups by chance, so the groups start out roughly equal on everything else (motivation, ability, etc.). That's what lets a difference in the outcome be pinned on the independent variable — i.e., what supports a causal claim. (Making the sample represent the population is the job of random sampling, not assignment.)

Q6 (Matching). Match each research design to its description.
| Research design | Correct description |
|---|---|
| Experiment | Manipulate a variable and compare groups to test a cause |
| Correlational study | Measure how two variables relate, without manipulating them |
| Naturalistic observation | Watch behavior in its natural setting without interfering |
| Case study | An in-depth study of one person or a small group |
Feedback: Only the experiment manipulates and compares, so only it can test a cause. Correlational studies measure a link; naturalistic observation and the case study are descriptive (watch / describe). Watch the trap: a vivid case study is rich but n = 1 — it generates hypotheses, it doesn't prove general rules.

Q7 (MC). Before taking part in a psychology study, participants are told what the study involves, its risks, and that they may quit at any time — and they agree only after knowing this. Which ethical requirement does this describe?
- A. Debriefing
- B. Informed consent ✅
- C. Random sampling
- D. Replication
Feedback: Informed consent means agreeing to participate after being told the purpose, the risks, and that participation is voluntary (with the right to withdraw). An independent ethics committee — the IRB (Institutional Review Board) — must approve the study before it runs. (Debriefing is the after-the-study disclosure, especially when deception was used.)

Q8 (True / False). "A correlation of −0.85 is weaker than a correlation of +0.30."
- True
- False ✅
Feedback: False. The sign of a correlation tells only the direction (positive vs. negative); the strength is the absolute value (distance from zero). Since 0.85 is farther from zero than 0.30, −0.85 is the stronger relationship.

Q9 (MC). A study uses deception — participants are given a cover story so they don't guess the true aim. Afterward, the researchers reveal the real purpose and check that no one is distressed. Why is this debriefing ethically required?
- A. To recruit a larger, more representative sample
- B. To make the deception permanent so the data stays valid
- C. To restore honesty — reveal the true purpose, justify the deception, and undo any harm ✅
- D. To randomly assign participants to groups
Feedback: When deception is used (only as a justified last resort, with IRB approval), a debriefing afterward is mandatory: it tells participants the real purpose, explains why the deception was necessary, and makes sure they leave without harm. It's how a study that misled people still treats them ethically.

Q10 (MC). A researcher wants the results of a survey to apply to all PSYC 1 students at the university, not just the few who happened to respond. Drawing the sample so that every student has an equal chance of being chosen serves the goal of —
- A. establishing cause and effect
- B. manipulating the independent variable
- C. getting a representative sample so results generalize to the population ✅
- D. eliminating the need for informed consent
Feedback: Random sampling — giving everyone in the population an equal chance of selection — produces a representative sample, which is what lets findings generalize to the whole population. (Note the contrast: random sampling is about who's studied / generalizing; random assignment is about who's treated / causation.)

Answer key (quick reference)

Quality gate (self-checked): each single-answer item has exactly one correct option; the multiple-answer item (Q3) lists all three descriptive methods (A, B, D) and excludes the experiment and the correlational study; the matching item pairs four designs to four distinct descriptions; no item asserts a fact outside the Week 2 course definitions, and no item requires computation (interpretation only — sign vs. strength in Q8 is conceptual).

Item-bank entries (for variants + the midterm/final)

All ten items are tagged course=PSYC1 · week=2 · objective=2 · topic=research-methods-and-ethics and deposited in Item Bank: Week 2 — Research Methods & Ethics. The midterm (Week 8) and the per-term variant updates draw fresh items from this bank. (Tags: q1 identify-iv, q2 identify-dv, q3 descriptive-methods, q4 correlation-conclusion, q5 random-assignment, q6 designs-match, q7 informed-consent, q8 correlation-strength-vs-sign, q9 debriefing-deception, q10 random-sampling.)

Canvas placement block

canvas_object   = Quizzes::Quiz
title           = "Week 2 Quiz — Research Methods & Ethics"
assignment_group = "Quizzes"
points_possible = 10
grading_type    = points
due_offset_days = 6        # 6 days after module start
published       = true
shuffle_answers = true
provenance      = "~ Prof. Bennett's edition · Fall 2026 · built with thecoursemaker.com"