Part 1
1.What do the following examples show us about the need for empirical research? Provide not only your answer to each question, but your rationale for your answer.
a. If you drop a bullet off a 3-foot-high table, and fire another one straight across an empty football field, which will hit the ground first?
b. A ball rolls down a spiral track. The end of the track curves left. What path will the ball take when it leaves the track?
c. A wooden cube is 1 inch long on each side. How many cubes will you need to form a cube that is 2 inches along each side?
2. What are two of the costs associated with using deception in psychological research? What are two of the benefits? Do you think deception should be allowed?
3. Can it be argued that that regardless of how many safe guards have been put in place in psychological experimentation, there will always be some bias because of the attitudes held by the experimenter or the subjects.
Part 2
APA and APS on the World Wide Web
Two of psychology's major professional organizations are the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Psychological Society (APS). This first project will serve to acquaint you with these organizations, and will introduce you to psychology-related resources on the World Wide Web.
In addition to answering the questions for this assignment, browse through these web sites to gain greater knowledge about psychology. To answer the following questions, visit the following:
The APA at http://www.apa.org/
The APS at http://www.psychologicalscience.org/
1. What are the requirements for being a student affiliate of APA? What are the annual dues?
2. What is PsychINFO?
3. List three journals published by the APA.
4. List three major divisions of APA and briefly summarize the goals of each.
5. Briefly describe one goal of APS.
6. List three journals published by the APS.
7. Identify one important historical event in psychology that occurred on your birthday.
(Hint: See APS's Internet Resources: "Today in Psychological History