All AP Psychology Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1641 : Ap Psychology
The _________ measures the average distance of a score from the mean in a distribution. This number increases as the spread of scores increases.
mode
standard deviation
median
mean
range
standard deviation
The standard deviation is a measure of variability, or the spread of scores. The standard deviation is the average distance of the score from the mean. This makes sense when considering the formula, which involves subtracting the mean from each score, squaring it, calculating the sum, dividing by the number of scores, and taking the square root. The range is also a measure of variability, but simply involves subtracting the smallest score from the largest score. The mean, median, and mode are all measures of central tendency. The mean is the average of all scores. The median is the center score in the distribution. The mode is the score that occurs most frequently.
Example Question #1 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
A well-designed test should have __________.
low reliability and high validity
high reliability and high validity
high reliability and low validity
each choice indicates an equally well-designed test
low reliability and low validity
high reliability and high validity
Validity is the term for how well a test measures what it has been designed to measure. Reliability refers to the ability to consistently find similar results when a test is repeatedly administered in similar conditions. High validity and high reliability will ensure that a test accurately determines what it claims to determine, and that its findings are not simply caused by random chance.
Example Question #2 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
The Flynn Effect describes which of the following?
The substantial worldwide increase in intelligence test scores of women in the past century
The substantial worldwide decrease in intelligence test scores in the past century
The substantial worldwide increase in intelligence test scores of men in the past century
The substantial worldwide increase in intelligence test scores in the past century
The substantial increase in European and North American intelligence test scores in the past century
The substantial worldwide increase in intelligence test scores in the past century
While a score of 100 indicates average intelligence on a modern IQ test, people who score 100 on these tests generally score much higher on older intelligence tests. Each generation since the 1930s has had increased scores on older tests, an effect studied by James Flynn.
Example Question #3 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
By definition, what percentage of the population has an IQ of less than 100?
Intelligence quotient (IQ) is defined as having a median of 100. This means that half of the people who take an IQ test will have below 100 and half will have above 100. The standard deviation of IQ is 15, such that two-thirds of the population fall between 85 and 115.
Example Question #4 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
Stacy would like to test whether an anti-depressant effectively reduces symptoms of depression. She gives depressed participants a questionnaire before administration of the drug. Half of the participants receive the drug for six weeks, and the other half receive a placebo sugar pill. She then gives the same questionnaire to assess any changes in symptoms.
If Stacy's questionnaire actually measured anxiety instead of depression, which of the following would be first and foremost violated principle?
Internal validity
Ethics
Construct validity
Reliability
External validity
Construct validity
Construct validity refers to how closely a measurement accurately describes the underlying factor that it is trying to measure. An anxiety measurement would obviously not accurately describe participants' depressive symptoms.
Example Question #2 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
Stacy would like to test whether an anti-depressant effectively reduces symptoms of depression. She gives depressed participants a questionnaire before administration of the drug. Half of the participants receive the drug for six weeks, and the other half receive a placebo sugar pill. She then gives the same questionnaire to assess any changes in symptoms.
If the participants in Stacy's study are all caucasian males, which of these would most likely be threatened?
Reliability
External validity
Ethics
Internal validity
Construct validity
External validity
External validity refers to the gerneralizability of your data. If there are only caucasian males in Stacy's study, her findings may not generalize to other groups, such as females or other races.
Example Question #4 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
What is the difference between reliability and validity?
Reliability refers to the strength of findings, while validity refers to the discriminatory ability of findings
Validity refers to the homogeneity of findings, while validity refers to the heterogeneity of findings
Validity refers to the repeatability of findings, while reliability refers to the credibility of findings
Reliability refers to the repeatability of findings, while validity refers to the credibility of findings
Reliability refers to the generalizability of findings, while validity refers to the importance of findings
Reliability refers to the repeatability of findings, while validity refers to the credibility of findings
Reliability and validity are two important aspects to note when analyzing a set of data. Reliability is the degree to which a set of results can be repeated (ex. getting the same test score twice), while validity is the degree to which a set of data measures what it is designed to measure (ex. a depression test actually measures depressive symptomology).
Example Question #5 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
A certain psychological study would likely see its findings confirmed if repeated independently, but does not appear to answer the question it was designed to investigate. This study has __________.
low reliability but high validity
low reliability and low validity
None of the other answer choices is correct.
high reliability and high validity
high reliability but low validity
high reliability but low validity
Reliability refers to the ability of a study to produce similar findings if repeated by an independent team in similar conditions. Validity refers to a study's suitability for answering the question it was designed to investigate.
Example Question #8 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
Which of the following is an example of a scale lacking content validity?
A scale that results in a valid diagnosis less than 50% of the time
A scale that appears subjectively relevant to those being measured on it
None of these
A scale that only takes into account the behavioral, but not the emotional, side to anxiety
A scale that does not represent the relevance of a particular disorder
A scale that only takes into account the behavioral, but not the emotional, side to anxiety
Content validity is the extent to which a scale holistically represents a given social construct, such as a personality trait or disorder. A scale that is high in content validity will represent a given social construct and all of its scientifically agreed upon assets—physical, emotional, behavioral, etc. A scale that is low in content validity will overlook one or some of these assets. For instance, a test trying to measure anxiety might ignore the physical aspects, such as sweating or high heart rate. This would be a test low in content validity.
Example Question #6 : Representation, Norms, And Validity
Which scenario is an example of the halo effect?
The American obsession with celebrities—since they are seen as exceptional, they become our idols and role models
None of these
An intelligent student is not treated well by the general student population because they feel threatened by his or her intellect
A handsome student is given bonus points on a test, though another student doesn't get bonus points for the same problem with the same answer
A large group of friends at school are seen as more popular solely due to the number of individuals in the social circle
A handsome student is given bonus points on a test, though another student doesn't get bonus points for the same problem with the same answer
An example of the halo effect would be if a handsome student is given bonus points on a test, though another student doesn't get bonus points for the same problem with the same answer.
Although some might have been tricked by the answer about America's obsession with celebrities, the halo effect is much more specific than idolizing a person because they are exceptional. Rather, the halo effect has to do with one positive trait spilling over to other traits. In this case, since the student is physically attractive, the teacher perceives them as more intelligent. Of course, this is a logical falllacy that can and does impede our judgement of people in our daily lives.
An example that would apply to celebrities is perceiving George Clooney to be a smart and kind idividual without knowing much about him or his personal life.