Which of the following is NOT a step of the scientific method in psychology?

• A. Identify research question
• B. Review literature
• C. Randomly assign participants
• D. Formulate hypothesis

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is understanding what counts as a core step in the process of investigating questions in psychology. Identifying the research question, reviewing existing literature to inform what’s already known, and formulating a testable hypothesis are fundamental parts of planning and framing a study. Randomly assigning participants, while a common technique used in experiments to control for differences between groups, is a design choice rather than a foundational step of the scientific method itself. Not all studies randomize participants (some use observational or correlational designs), so it isn’t a universal step that applies to every investigation.