1. A researcher interested in the idea that people who engage in conscious relaxation (like meditation or relaxation exercises) experience fewer age-related aches and pains than people who do not consciously relax. Create a working hypothesis for this research question. Be sure to be specific about the IV and DV of this study.
2. A researcher is interested in the psychological ramifications of long-term incarceration hypothesizing that the psychological risks to inmates in many cases constitute cruel and unusual punishment. To conduct her study, she meets with the warden of a nearby prison and asks if she can interview the inmates. The warden gives her permission and tells the inmates they will be participating in the interviews. Is this study ethical? Why or why not?
3. A researcher hypothesizes that people who take a scheduled break between lunch and the end of the work day are more satisfied with their job and are more productive at the end of the day than people who do not take a break. Is this a good hypothesis? Why or why not?
4. A researcher finds that participants who live in urban areas generally vote democratic and those who live in rural areas tend to vote republican. He claims that living in crowded conditions causes people to favor democratic attitudes and vice versa for republican attitudes. Is this a valid conclusion? Why or why not?
5. A researcher hypothesizes that participants who are informed about the fundamental attribution error (the tendency to blame another's circumstances on dispositional factors while largely disregarding situational factors) will be less likely to make the error in their judgments of other people's situations. Is this a good hypothesis? Why or why not?
6. A researcher is interested in the development of human societies. She hypothesizes that many human societies are centered around family groups because when humans were hunter gatherers they wanted to protect their own bloodline and not another person's. Is this a good hypothesis? Why or why not?
7. A group of researchers take the view that the mind works similarly to a computer - data are input to the mind through the sense organs, these data are processed, and the output is something like "thought" or "perception". These researchers hypothesize that data processing in the mind takes time. Write a hypothesis that can be used to test the claim that these mental processes take time.