In one research project, a scientist gave students subliminal cassette tapes and told them to play them for 2 months
After 2 months, she assessed whether the tapes helped the self-esteem of her participants and found that self-esteem had indeed risen! While she may have attributed this to the tapes, it is also possible that those students may have found college life to be manageable and thus experienced an increase in self-esteem for that reason. This demonstrates which principle of critical thinking?
A) Correlation vs. causation
B) Extraordinary claims
C) Ruling out rival hypotheses
D) Replicability
Answer: C
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A researcher is concerned that a trip to the lab will differentially influence infant hormonal or
cortisol output before they even are administered their first cortisol test in the lab. What's the best way to control for this concern? A) Ask caregivers not to bring an infant to the lab if the baby was highly distressed earlier in the day. B) Ask a research assistant to drive each infant to and from their house to achieve standardization. C) To equalize things, administer a stressful procedure to all of the infants as soon as they get to the lab and then assess cortisol release. D) Ask the caregiver to collect some sample saliva swipes to assess normal, or baseline cortisol levels; this assessment can be used as a control variable.
The effect of punishment on psychopaths
a) is greater, although in the long term they tend to forget the consequences. b) has a minimal effect. c) is associated with lower efforts to commit antisocial acts. d) usually results in greater psychopathic behaviour.