Deck 4: Research Methods in Clinical Psychology

Question 1

Ensuring that participants have an opportunity to promptly obtain information about the nature,results,and conclusions of the research,as well as to correct any misconceptions about the research is referred to as __________.

A) communication of findings.
B) debriefing.
C) informed consent.
D) dispensing.

Answer 1

debriefing.

Question 2

A logical error assuming that the most valid conclusion to reach is a compromise between two competing positions is a common error in thinking referred to as:

A) false dilemma.
B) faulty reasoning.
C) golden mean fallacy.
D) straw person argument.

Answer 2

golden mean fallacy.

Question 3

Mischaracterizing a position in order to make it look absurd or unpalatable is a common error in thinking referred to as:

A) the straw person argument.
B) an appeal to ignorance.
C) affirming the consequent.
D) the golden mean fallacy.

Answer 3

the straw person argument.

Question 4

Research ideas can be inspired by:

A) experience and observation.
B) previous research.
C) theory.
D) all of the above.

Question 5

Basing clinical services on tradition and authority,in which recommendations are accepted because the person delivering them is seen as an expert,has been referred to as

A) theory-based practice.
B) clinically-based practice.
C) eminence-based practice.
D) empirically-based practice.

Question 6

In Canadian institutions,the ____________ are charged with ensuring that any proposed research conforms to the Tri-Council Policy statement Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

A) research ethics boards.
B) individual researchers.
C) funding agencies.
D) provincial governments.

Question 7

Relying on common sense as a guide to appropriate decision-making can be problematic because

A) Information processing and decision-making can be illogical
B) rational decision making is based on observation.
C) rigidity in thought patterns can lead to faulty reasoning.
D) flexibility in thought patterns can lead to faulty reasoning.

Question 8

Which of the following is a common threat to the internal validity of a study?

A) Reactivity of assessment.
B) Timing of measurement.
C) Sample characteristics.
D) Statistical regression.

Question 9

Basing clinical services and health care policy on replicated evidence gathered from scientific studies is known as

A) eminence-based practice.
B) evidence-based practice.
C) ethical practice.
D) scientific practice.

Question 10

The prognosis for individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder improved substantially with the development of behavioural treatments that include the key treatment components of

A) exposure and systematic avoidance.
B) systematic desensitization and response avoidance.
C) exposure and response prevention.
D) thought-stopping and response prevention.

Question 11

A child who isn't getting along with another child says: "She either wants to be my best friend,or doesn't want to be friends at all!" By reducing the range of options to just two extremes,this child is engaging in a common thinking error referred to as:

A) faulty reasoning.
B) affirming the consequent.
C) the straw person argument.
D) false dilemma.

Question 12

Practice must change when evidence shows that a theoretically sound intervention does not work.An example of a commonly used,(but ineffective)psychotherapeutic component for treating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during 1970s and 1980s was

A) thought-stopping.
B) exposure.
C) response prevention.
D) systematic desensitization.

Question 13

A person who thinks "There's no research telling me that this new diet is ineffective,so that must mean that it's effective!" is engaging in a common error in thinking referred to as:

A) affirming the consequent.
B) an appeal to ignorance.
C) faulty reasoning.
D) false reasoning.

Question 14

When beginning research on a new topic the selection of an appropriate research design should follow:

A) formulation of the study procedures.
B) a thorough review of the published research on the topic of interest.
C) consideration of ethical issues in testing of the hypothesis.
D) operationalization of key concepts.

Question 15

Donald Campbell encouraged researchers to proactively identify and remedy potential design problems that could undermine a study's _________.

A) clinical significance.
B) reliability.
C) validity.
D) procedures.

Question 16

Changes in the participants due to their psychological or physical development that cannot be separated from the experimental manipulation is known as

A) testing.
B) statistical regression.
C) attrition.
D) maturation.

Question 17

The use of deception in a research study only permissible when

A) being straightforward about study goals would likely cause physical or emotional distress.
B) participants are informed about the purpose of the study.
C) it is justified by the potential benefit of the study and the use of nondeceptive procedures is not feasible.
D) the study is conducted by a professional researcher.

Question 18

_____________ refers to the extent to which the interpretations drawn from the results of a study can be justified and alternative interpretations can be reasonably ruled out.

A) External validity
B) Internal validity
C) Statistical conclusion validity
D) Internal reliability

Question 19

________________ refers to the extent to which the interpretations drawn from the results of a study can be generalized to real-world settings.

A) External validity
B) Internal validity
C) Statistical conclusion validity
D) Internal reliability

Question 20

In the quest for knowledge,the welfare of research participants can be compromised

A) when the potential for benefit outweighs the potential for harm.
B) when the research participant gives informed consent.
C) when the potential knowledge gained from the study can save the lives of others.
D) under no circumstances.

Question 21

A __________ variable is one that influences the strength of the relation between a predictor variable and a criterion variable.

A) mediator
B) independent
C) dependent
D) moderator

Question 22

Compared with all other research designs,experimental designs provide the best protection against threats to

A) external validity.
B) internal validity.
C) external reliability.
D) internal reliability.

Question 23

Structural equation modeling (SEM)is used to

A) test all components of a theoretical model within a given data set.
B) unequivocally demonstrate that the hypothesized model is true.
C) use a relatively small sample, which is easier to obtain.
D) all of the above.

Question 24

The major weakness of the case study method is that

A) most threats to internal validity cannot be addressed.
B) it is very difficult to achieve inter-rater reliability.
C) it favours internal validity over external validity.
D) it favours external validity over internal validity.

Question 25

Experimental designs involve both random assignment to condition and _____________.

A) some type of manipulation.
B) comparison of two previously established groups.
C) a laboratory task.
D) higher costs than quasi-experimental designs.

Question 26

The loss of participants in a study over time is known as

A) regression.
B) operationalization.
C) attrition.
D) maturation.

Question 27

In quasi-experimental designs:

A) previous studies are summarized to draw conclusions about the state of knowledge in a research field.
B) the researcher manipulates some variables, but is not able to manipulate other important variables.
C) participants are randomly assigned to conditions.
D) the researcher can clearly demonstrate a cause and effect relationship between variables.

Question 28

The degree to which elements of the measure (such as items on a test)measure the same construct is referred to as

A) internal consistency.
B) criterion validity.
C) inter-rater reliability.
D) discriminant validity.

Question 29

Probability sampling:

A) is designed to ensure that the research sample is representative of the populations.
B) Is designed to obtain a large sample size rather than a representative sample.
C) is the most commonly sampling strategy in clinical psychology research.
D) often requires web-based advertising to recruit participants.

Question 30

Correlational designs can ___________ determine causality.

A) never
B) sometimes
C) often
D) always

Question 31

Correlational designs use which of the following design features?

A) Experimental manipulation.
B) Random assignment to conditions.
C) Random sampling of a population.
D) None of the above.

Question 32

When correlational designs are used to examine the underlying structure of a measure or a set of measures,it is known as

A) meta-analysis.
B) factor analysis.
C) case-analysis.
D) structural analysis.

Question 33

One limitation to structural equation modeling (SEM)is that

A) its use is limited to small samples.
B) it can determine only the extent to which a hypothesized causal model fits the study's data, not whether the hypothesized causal model is true.
C) it is incompatible with experimental designs.
D) even though it includes elements of confirmatory factor analysis, it neglects mediator analyses.

Question 34

In an A-B single case design,"A" represents:

A) the preferred treatment strategy.
B) the level of symptoms following the intervention.
C) the level of symptoms prior to the intervention.
D) the number of participants in the study.

Question 35

__________,no matter how complex,can only examine the association among variables.

A) Single case designs
B) Correlational designs
C) Quasi-experimental designs
D) Meta-analysis

Question 36

A __________ variable explains the mechanism by which a predictor variable influences a criterion variable.

A) mediator
B) moderator
C) independent
D) relational

Question 37

One major weakness of the quasi-experimental design is that

A) it provides correlational data, at best.
B) there is no random assignment of participants to experimental conditions.
C) groups of people are randomly assigned to control conditions.
D) meta-analysis cannot be performed on quasi-experimental research results.

Question 38

Quasi-experimental designs are often used when

A) the researcher is attempting to determine causation.
B) case studies do not provide enough information.
C) it is neither ethical nor feasible to randomly assign participants to conditions.
D) the randomization procedures were flawed.

Question 39

Case studies can be beneficial in

A) making connections between phenomena that have not previously been examined.
B) formulating and then testing hypotheses efficiently.
C) addressing threats to internal validity.
D) providing adequate protection against threats to external validity.

Question 40

Which of the following is a common threat to the external validity of a study?

A) Selection biases.
B) Attrition rates.
C) Sample characteristics.
D) Repeated testing.

Question 41

What is a randomized controlled trial?

Question 42

Measurement unreliability,participant heterogeneity,and low statistical power are all threats to

A) internal reliability.
B) statistical conclusion validity.
C) Incremental validity.
D) inter-rater reliability.

Question 43

When selecting a sample for study,a researcher must be careful to:

A) select members only from certain age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status demographics.
B) ensure that the sample is appropriate considering the population to which the results will be generalized.
C) recruit students from university disciplines other than psychology.
D) offer large incentives to attract potential participants.

Question 44

Describe three threats to the internal validity of a study.

Question 45

Clinical significance refers to whether

A) the intervention has made a meaningful impact on treated participants.
B) there is a statistically significant difference between treated and untreated participants.
C) the study used participants who were diagnosed by a healthcare professional.
D) improvement was rated by a trained clinician.

Question 46

Aspects of data analysis that influence the validity of the conclusions drawn about the results of the research study is referred to as

A) clinical significance.
B) face validity.
C) self-report measures.
D) statistical conclusion validity.

Question 47

refers to the ability to detect group differences when such differences truly exist.

A) Statistical power
B) Statistical regression
C) Statistical significance
D) Statistical comparison

Question 48

The consistency of scores on a measure across different raters or observers is known as

A) internal consistency.
B) test-retest reliability.
C) inter-rater reliability.
D) face validity.

Question 49

What feature(s)do quasi-experimental and experimental designs share? How are they different? Why would a researcher choose a quasi-experimental design?

Question 50

After developing a general research idea,describe the five steps researchers engage in to ensure that the hypothesis is properly formulated and tested.

Question 51

It is important not to rely on common sense as a guide to appropriate decision making,as there are often logical inconsistencies in the way that people process information and make decisions.Define two common errors in thinking/logical fallacies,and provide an example for each.

Question 52

List and provide examples of three sources of research ideas.

Question 53

The difference between the means of the experimental group and the control group,divided by the standard deviation of either the control group or the pooled sample of both groups is the

A) clinical standard deviation.
B) effect size.
C) clinical effect.
D) clinically significant effect.

Question 54

Describe three characteristics of correlational designs.

Question 55

Which of the following involves a set of statistical procedures to quantitatively review research in an area?

A) structural equation modeling.
B) quantitative research design.
C) meta-analysis.
D) systematic reviews.

Question 56

The extent to which a measure adds to the prediction of a variable beyond what can be predicted with other measures is known as

A) incremental validity.
B) discriminant validity.
C) criterion validity.
D) convergent validity.

Question 57

Concluding there is an effect when no true effect exists is known as a

A) type I error.
B) type II error.
C) low effect size.
D) type III error.

Question 58

According to the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles for Research and Publication,when is it justified to use deception in research?

Question 59

Concluding there is no effect when a true effect exists is known as a

A) type I error.
B) type II error.
C) type III error.
D) low effect size.

Question 60

The association of a measure with other relevant data measured at some future point in time is known as

A) concurrent validity.
B) convergent validity.
C) discriminant validity.
D) predictive validity.

Question 61

What is meta-analysis,and name one advantage of this procedure.

Question 62

Why is low statistical power a common threat to the statistical conclusion validity of a study?

Question 63

Describe the three kinds of reliability described in the text.