Deck 4: Research: Its Role and Methods

Question 1

Science comes from the Latin word for "seeker".

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Random selection enhances the representativeness of a sample.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

An operational definition of a behavior refers to the procedures or operations employed to define the behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Interobserver reliability of a measured behavior refers to the degree to which observers believe that the measure is a true and accurate indicator of the behavior.

Question 5

The term external validity refers to the degree to which a research result can be generalized to populations and situations different from those with which the research was conducted.

Question 6

The general purpose of a descriptive study is to portray a phenomenon of interest.

Question 7

Randomized experiments come the closest to establishing cause and effect relationships.

Question 8

If a researcher obtained a Pearson r value of -.02, it is evident that some error has been made in measurement or calculation.

Question 9

A Pearson r correlation coefficient of +.44 is stronger than a coefficient of -.86.

Question 10

In the experiment, the purpose of random assignment of participants into groups is to ensure that the characteristics of the participants in one group are about the same as the characteristics of the participants in other groups.

Question 11

Efforts to increase internal validity may decrease external validity because more stringent control may result in research settings that are dissimilar to the "real world."

Question 12

A weakness of single-subject reversal designs is that ethical considerations may preclude the reversal phase in intervention studies in which the treatment was effective.

Question 13

In retrospective research designs, data are collected about past attributes or experiences of participants.

Question 14

The prevalence of a disorder in a population concerns the number of new cases diagnosed in a specific time period.

Question 15

An advantage of non-accelerated longitudinal research is that investigators do not need to be concerned about possible cohort effects in interpreting findings.

Question 16

Although quantitative and qualitative research strategies differ in many aims and methods, both place high value on objectivity.

Question 17

The sole function of Institutional Review Boards in the research process is to determine the scientific soundness of the proposed research.

Question 18

When conducting research on children, informed consent is obtained from the child.

Question 19

The ethical concept of beneficence requires that benefits to the research participant be maximized.

Question 20

When research findings fail to support the hypothesis being tested,

A) the study was a waste of time and effort.
B) the hypothesis is proven incorrect.
C) the theory on which the hypothesis was based may be changed in some way.
D) the study must have been poorly designed.

Question 21

Why is it valuable to randomly select persons from the population of interest to participate in a research study?

A) Participants will feel they have been treated fairly, which can positively affect the study.
B) It increases the chance that the participants will represent the population.
C) It ensures that the participants will be of the same age.
D) It ensures reliability of measurement.

Question 22

In a research study of anxiety in adolescents, anxiety was defined as a cut-off score on a questionnaire completed by each adolescent. This definition of anxiety

A) is unacceptable because anxiety must be defined by a measure of heart rate or sweating.
B) is referred to as the independent variable.
C) is referred to as an operational definition of the anxiety.
D) is unacceptable because adolescents are unable to provide accurate assessments of their feelings.

Question 23

Regarding research studies, validity is to reliability as ______ is to _____.

A) cohort effects; correctness
B) generalizability; cohort effects
C) repeatability; generalizability
D) accuracy; consistency

Question 24

___________refers to examining individuals in their "real world" environment.

A)Naturalistic observation
B)Direct observation
C)Observational learning
D)Reality testing

Question 25

In the Dadds et al. study where researchers compared videotaped family interactions, efforts were made to decrease observer bias by

A) ensuring the observers had a thorough understanding of the hypothesis.
B) having each category of the videotapes coded by only one observer.
C) the observers being "blind" to the clinical status of the children.
D) inclusion of a nonclinic group of children.

Question 26

Dr. Smalley's research study showed that girls had less self-confidence at age 13 than at
Age 17. Dr. Smalley was not willing to conclude that the finding would be true for boys.
Dr) Smalley thus appeared sensitive to the issue of

A) internal validity.
B) external validity.
C) statistical significance.
D) naturalistic observation

Question 27

______________ refers to whether the scores on a measure correlate with scores on another acceptable measure of the attribute of interest.

A)Content validity
B)Construct validity
C)Face validity
D)Concurrent validity

Question 28

One difference between experimental and quasi-experimental studies is

A) only experimental studies include manipulation of an independent variable.
B) only quasi-experimental studies have researcher control of procedures and extraneous factors.
C) participants are not randomly assigned in quasi-experimental studies.
D) quasi-experimental studies are not conducted on human participants.

Question 29

Which of the following is a strength of the case study method?

A) Its ability to describe rare occurrences.
B) Its reliance on retrospective data.
C) Its high internal validity.
D) Its high reliability.

Question 30

In the case study on Max reported in the textbook, Max was exhibiting early signs of

A) autism.
B) childhood schizophrenia.
C) school phobia.
D) depression.

Question 31

In the correlational study of infant attachment and later childhood adjustment noted in your text, the hypothetical data point to a positive correlation between the two variables. Based on the data reported in the text, it can be concluded that

A) secure infant attachment causes later childhood adjustment.
B) secure infant attachment is not significantly related to later childhood adjustment.
C) secure infant attachment predicts later childhood adjustment.
D) one cannot tell if attachment impacts later childhood adjustment or not.

Question 32

The research about the effects of institutionalization on children reported in the textbook is an example of

A) an experiment of nature.
B) an experiment of nurture.
C) a quasi-experimental design.
D) a case study.

Question 33

Which is true of the dependent variable in an experiment?

A) It is the factor manipulated by the researcher.
B) It is given to the experimental group but not to the control group.
C) It is some kind of measure.
D) It is responsible for changes in the independent variable.

Question 34

In an experiment, what is the purpose of the control group?

A) to ensure that all participants are treated in the same way
B) to ensure that participants represent the population of interest
C) to increase internal validity
D) to increase external validity

Question 35

In the Abecedarian Project (Ramey & Campbell), the authors examine an intervention on at-risk youth. The independent variable in that study was

A) an educational program.
B) food stamps and other instrumentals provided to the family.
C) nutritional supplements given to the children.
D) measures of intelligence.

Question 36

In the Abecedarian Project (Ramey & Campbell), statistically significant differences were found between children in the experimental group and children in the control group. Which of the following is true?

A) These differences were likely due to chance.
B) These differences will likely be found again if the study is repeated.
C) The differences indicate a cause and effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
D) The differences must have been due to the intervention.

Question 37

The goal of translational research is

A) to translate research finding into multiple languages.
B) to move evidence-based care into the community.
C) to examine the dynamic effect of relationships in a child's environment.
D) to improve the internal validity of studies that examine interventions.

Question 38

In the single?case ABA design, B refers to the

A) baseline period.
B) intervention period.
C) reversal period.
D) reinstatement of the intervention.

Question 39

In the single-case ABAB design, what is the main purpose of the first A period?

A) to test the effectiveness of the manipulation with another subject
B) to test the effectiveness of the manipulation for a second time
C) to measure behavior before any manipulation is introduced
D) to reintroduce the successful intervention

Question 40

Assume that the ABA design has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment for social skills. Which of the following would be the clearest indicator of the effectiveness of the treatment?

A) Social skills are higher in the B period than in the first A period.
B) Social skills are lowest in the first A period and equally high in the B and second A period.
C) Social skills are higher in the B period than in either of the A periods.
D) Social skills are higher in the first A period than in any other period.

Question 41

______________ provides information on frequency of disorders in the population and helps the pubic understand the need for treatment and who is at risk for a disorder.

A)Experimental design research
B)Correlational analyses
C)Multiple baseline research
D)Epidemiology

Question 42

The proportion of persons in a population diagnosed with a disorder during a specific time period is referred to as the _____ of the disorder.

A) lifetime prevalence
B) prevalence
C) incidence
D) none of the above

Question 43

Which of the following statements about cross-sectional studies is true?

A) They trace developmental change with certainty.
B) They are especially costly.
C) They can reveal differences associated with persons of different ages.
D) The same participants are examined at multiple points in time.

Question 44

A researcher is investigating motor ability by simultaneously studying three groups of youngsters: ages 6, 10, and 14 years. Which research strategy is the researcher using?

A) qualitative
B) retrospective
C) sequential
D) cross-sectional

Question 45

A psychologist is investigating the growth of language by studying a group of children from the time they are two years of age to their sixteenth birthdays. Which statement is true about his approach?

A) He is using a prospective approach.
B) His data may be unreliable due to old records and poor memories.
C) He will be unable to chart developmental change.
D) He will not need to be concerned about the impact of societal changes while these children mature.

Question 46

Assume that on average, 60-year-olds, 40-year-olds, and 20-year-olds perform differently on a psychological test. Assume also that the group differences are due to the different social and educational life experiences available to each generation. The group differences are thus due to

A) an experimental effect.
B) a developmental effect.
C) a triangulation effect.
D) a cohort effect.

Question 47

Research designs that combine longitudinal and cross-sectional strategies are called

A) prospective designs.
B) retrospective designs.
C) accelerated longitudinal.
D) high risk designs.

Question 48

Dr. Foster plans to collect data on the prevalence of learning disabilities in all children in New York City during the current school year. She will also collect data on many characteristics of the children, their families, and their environments in order to determine which variables are associated with the occurrence of learning disabilities. This kind of research is referred to as

A) a longitudinal research strategy.
B) a sequential research strategy.
C) epidemiological research.
D) mixed design research.

Question 49

Which of the following is true for the qualitative research approach?

A) Participant observation is often valued.
B) More than one variable is usually manipulated during the course of a research study.
C) The sample sizes are typically quite large.
D) There is a commitment to conducting research in the laboratory rather than in the field because the laboratory more readily lends itself to control.

Question 50

In the evaluation of the Parent-to-Parent support program, the qualitative analysis

A) served as the only method to assess the program.
B) involved thematic categories constructed from telephone interviews.
C) ultimately was judged inferior to the quantitative analysis.
D) showed that parents of adolescent drug users are extremely stressed.

Question 51

The qualitative approach to research, in contrast to the quantitative approach, is more likely to

A) employ the experiment as its basic method.
B) assume that the personal view of the research participants is of critical importance.
C) transform data into numbers and involve statistical analyses.
D) depend on well-established procedures to evaluate validity of the findings.

Question 52

______________ assumes that participants have the right to control the degree to which personal information can be disclosed.

A)Informed consent
B)Beneficence
C)Non maleficence
D)Confidentiality

Question 53

The book noted 8 major research questions in the field of developmental psychopathology. List and describe 4 of these questions.

Question 54

What is selection bias? What issues exist when study participants are chosen from clinics and other facilities serving youth with problems?

Question 55

What are the different types of measurement validity?

Question 56

Contrast the concepts of internal and external validity with regard to research findings.

Question 57

For each of the following research designs, discuss major benefits and weaknesses: case study, correlational, experimental.

Question 58

Why is it problematic to assume causality from correlational studies?

Question 59

Construct a hypothetical randomized experiment, making clear the hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, procedures, and conclusions that could be drawn from the data.

Question 60

In what situations might the ABA design be inappropriate and what other kinds of single-subject experiments might be more appropriately employed?

Question 61

Suppose that you wanted to use a multiple baseline research study to test the idea that positive reinforcement can increase children's interaction with other children on the playground. Describe your design to test this hypothesis. How would you know if the intervention was effective?

Question 62

What are the goals of epidemiological research and how is such research conducted?

Question 63

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the cross-sectional and longitudinal research strategies, especially with regard to tracing development?

Question 64

Define and compare retrospective and prospective research designs.

Question 65

Use an example to explain why one would combine quantitative and qualitative research strategies.

Question 66

What common elements of a study are communicated or shared with children and their parents before they participate?

Question 67

Give examples of 3 common ethical issues raised when conducting research on children.