Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology, AP Psych Exam Cram, Multiple Choice Practice Questions

This paragraph introduces a video series designed to help students excel in the AP Psychology exam, with a focus on the critical multiple-choice section. The video aims to guide students through practice questions, starting with Unit One, which covers the scientific foundations of psychology, including research methods, statistics, and ethics. The instructor emphasizes the importance of this unit in establishing psychology as a scientific discipline and suggests that students pause the video to consider their answers before comparing them with the provided solutions.

The paragraph delves into the specifics of experimental design, explaining the concept of an experimental group and the importance of random assignment in establishing causality. It uses the example of a study on the effect of listening to Mozart on exam performance to illustrate the selection of an experimental group. The paragraph also touches on the ethics of psychological research, discussing the necessity of informed consent and confidentiality, especially in sensitive topics like the emotional response to date rape.

This section discusses the identification of outliers in a set of test scores and the distinction between longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. It explains how outliers are scores that deviate significantly from the average and are important to recognize in data analysis. The paragraph also contrasts longitudinal studies, which follow the same individuals over time, with cross-sectional studies, which examine different individuals at the same point in time, highlighting the time span as the key difference.

The paragraph explores why psychologists prefer experimental methods over other research methods. It explains that experiments are designed to test causality by isolating variables and observing their effects on a dependent variable. The discussion clarifies misconceptions about experimental methods, such as the ease of obtaining random samples or the necessity of double-blind designs, and concludes that experiments are valued for their ability to demonstrate cause and effect.

This section clarifies the difference between random sampling and random assignment, two concepts that are often confused. Random sampling refers to the process of selecting a sample from a population such that every member of the population has an equal chance of being included. In contrast, random assignment is used in experiments to allocate subjects to either the experimental or control group without bias. The paragraph provides examples to illustrate each concept and emphasizes the importance of understanding this distinction.

The paragraph discusses ethical considerations in psychological research, particularly the importance of informed consent and the potential risks to participants' confidentiality. It uses the example of a study on emotional responses to date rape to highlight concerns about the sensitivity of the topic and the need to protect participants' privacy. The discussion underscores the role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in evaluating the ethics of research studies.

This section focuses on statistical concepts relevant to psychology, such as the median as a measure of central tendency and the analysis of data distribution. It provides a step-by-step explanation of how to calculate the median in a given data set and discusses the characteristics of a normal distribution, including the mean, median, and mode being equal and the distribution's adherence to the 68-95-99.7 rule regarding standard deviations.

The paragraph presents a hypothetical study on the effects of divorce on children's independence, highlighting the ethical issues that would arise from attempting to experimentally induce divorce. It emphasizes that certain life events, like divorce, cannot be ethically manipulated for research purposes, making such a study impossible and unethical.

This section introduces different observational research methods used in psychology, such as field experiments, surveys, case studies, and ethnography. It explains that each method has its own context and purpose, and that observational research can be conducted in various settings, from controlled experiments to naturalistic observations in real-world environments.

The paragraph discusses the difference between correlation and causation, using the example of a study that found a strong negative correlation between time spent meditating and reported stress levels. It warns against the common mistake of inferring causality from correlation and emphasizes that only experimental designs can establish causal relationships.

This section addresses the importance of reliability and validity in psychological research, particularly in the context of subjective measurements like friendliness ratings. It explains that inconsistent ratings by different researchers can undermine the reliability of a study, and that establishing a clear operational definition is crucial for maintaining consistency and validity in research findings.

The paragraph explores techniques to control for experimental bias and subject bias in psychological studies. It explains that a double-blind study is an effective method to eliminate bias, as neither the experimenter nor the subjects know who is in the experimental or control group. This method is particularly useful for maintaining the integrity of the research findings.