Chapter 2 How Psychologists Do Research

141) A researcher computes a coefficient of correlation and determines that it is zero. This finding indicates that: A) a perfect correlation between two variables exists. B) as one variable increases the other variable decreases. C) there is no relationship between two variables. D) as one variable increases the other variable increases. 142) Shannon reads in a news magazine that people who are chronically depressed are more likely than non-depressed people to develop cancer. From this article Shannon would be able to determine that: A) chronic depression causes cancer. B) chronic depression and cancer are related to one another. C) early undetected cancer causes depression. D) depressed people tend to smoke causing cancer. 143) One of the more common errors with respect to correlational findings is making the assumption that a correlation between two variables: A) does not tell the researcher anything useful. B) means that since one variable predicts a second variable the first must be causing the second variable. C) whether positive or negative must be a perfect correlation to be useful to researchers. D) does not permit a researcher to make predictions about one variable based on information from another variable. 144) The coefficient of correlation conveys: A) whether or not the principle of falsifiability applies to each variable. B) the unintended changes in a subject’s behaviour due to the experimenter’s cues. C) the size and direction of a relationship between two variables. D) whether one variable causes the other variable to happen. 145) Which of the following correlations is the strongest? A) -0.8 B) 0.5 C) -0.1 D) 0.7 146) A correlation coefficient of -1.73 means that: A) a calculation error has been made. B) the relationship between the two variables is very strong. C) as one variable increases so does the other. D) the relationship between the two variables is very weak. 147) When two variables are not related the correlation coefficient will be close to: A) 0. B) 1. C) -10. D) -1. 148) When two variables have a strong positive correlation the correlation coefficient will be close to: A) 0. B) -1. C) 10. D) 1. 149) When two variables have a strong negative correlation the correlation coefficient will be close to: A) -10. B) 1. C) 0. D) -1. 150) The strongest relationship as indicted by these correlation coefficients is: A) 3.42. B) -.74. C) -.35. D) 0.0.