Deck 3: Research Design: the Experimental Model and Its Variations

Question 1

The classic experimental design is viewed as the purest of research designs.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Time series designs are particularly useful for studying change over time.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

External validity is concerned with the ability to generalize findings to larger populations beyond the group studied.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The principal advantage of the post test only control group design is that it eliminates testing effects.

Question 5

Generally, in correctional programs subjects chosen for study on the basis of having the most extreme delinquency could ordinarily be expected to demonstrate the poorest relative improvement upon second testing.

Question 6

The best way of avoiding selection bias in research is to employ volunteers.

Question 7

The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment demonstrated that increased (proactive) patrol decreases crime rates.

Question 8

In the diffusion of treatment effect neither the experi menters nor the subjects are aware of what group is the treatment group.

Question 9

Validity refers to accuracy or correctness of measurement in research.

Question 10

Correlation (relationship) implies or demonstrates causality.

Question 11

Post hoc error is the assumption that, since one variable precedes another in time, it is the cause of that outcome.

Question 12

Longitudinal studies involve the study of the same group over a period of time.

Question 13

The "dualistic fallacy" refers to the belief that prisoners, representing criminals, and the general population, repre senting noncriminals, are mutually exclusive groups.

Question 14

The classic experimental model is always the best design to employ in research.

Question 15

Time series designs and panel designs are examples of cross sectional designs.

Question 16

If any error is present in research, then the entire research is worthless.

Question 17

The experimental model is one of the most powerful means of controlling for rival causal factors before the fact through the design of research.

Question 18

A placebo is a fake treatment administered to the study group in order to shroud the real treatment.

Question 19

The halo effect refers to the tendency of respondents to behave unusually when they are aware that they are being observed.

Question 20

Selection bias occurs when the researcher chooses nonequiva lent groups for comparison.

Question 21

Rival causal factors are any variables other than the treatment variable which may be responsible for the relationship.

Question 22

If one variable precedes another in time, it is the cause of that outcome.

Question 23

Four of the six replications of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment fail to confirm that arrest works more effectively in deterring domestic assault.

Question 24

The Solomon four group design is viewed as the purest of research design.

Question 25

The Omaha replication of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment confirmed that arrest had a greater impact on preventing domestic violence than did mediation or separation.

Question 26

Reliability refers to the accuracy or correctness of measurement in research.

Question 27

Statistical regression refers to the fact that scores go up upon second testing.

Question 28

Validity refers to the consistency or stability of measurement.

Question 29

A spurious relationship is a pretend or false relationship.

Question 30

If one argued that since every morning when the rooster crows the sun rises, the crowing causes the sunrise, one would he demonstrating the "halo effect."

Question 31

Maturation refers to other specific events which may take place during the course of the study which may have produced the results.

Question 32

Time series designs and panel designs are examples of longitudinal designs.

Question 33

Internal validity is concerned with the ability to generalize findings to larger populations beyond the group studied.

Question 34

The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment claimed to demonstrate that arrest of wife abusers was the most effec tive strategy in reducing recidivism.

Question 35

Early replications of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment confirm the initial findings.

Question 36

Correlation or relationship does not necessarily imply or demonstrate causality.

Question 37

Quasi?experimental designs are ones which attempt to approx imate the true experimental design but lack randomization.

Question 38

The Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment found no difference between arrest or other treatments in reducing domestic violence.

Question 39

"Natural experiments" are those which occur as part of a natural process, where neither the setting nor the randomi zation process are controlled.

Question 40

Part of the widespread acceptance of the Minneapolis Domestic Experiment was related to the very aggressive dissemination of the study's findings.

Question 41

Counterbalanced designs are specifically intended to control for:

A) history
B) maturation
C) selection bias
D) multiple treatment interference

Question 42

Which of the following is not a key element of the classic experimental design?

A) equivalence
B) isolation of subjects
C) pre and post tests
D) experimental and control groups

Question 43

Experiments are clearly the most effective means of data gathering.

Question 44

Which of the following is used to refer to situations in which respondents are aware they are being studied and thus behave atypically?

A) Hawthorne Effect
B) Response Set
C) Halitosis Factor
D) Statistical Regression

Question 45

Which of the following is unlikely to be the dependent variable in a study?

A) sex
B) crime rate
C) public opinion
D) recidivism

Question 46

Experimental treatments having different or opposite effects on different kinds of subjects are called:

A) masking effects
B) placebo effects
C) regression effects
D) domino effects

Question 47

Which of the following was not a criticism of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment?

A) there have been no replications
B) the areas chosen for study had the worst domestic violence rates
C) officer participation in the study was poor
D) it had an atypically high rate of unemployment among study participants

Question 48

Biological or psychological changes in the respondents during the course of a study which are not due to the experimental variable are called:

A) maturation
B) testing
C) instrumentation
D) experimental mortality

Question 49

Experiments cannot be applied to natural settings.

Question 50

Statistical regression refers to the fact that extreme scores tend to move toward the average upon second testing.

Question 51

Which of the following refers to the problem introduced when the experimental and control groups are not assigned equiv alent subjects?

A) selection effect
B) regression effect
C) mortality effect
D) maturation effect

Question 52

The analysis of a single variable at many successive time periods is called:

A) a cross?sectional design
B) a time series design
C) an ex post facto design
D) a regression design

Question 53

Changes in the measuring instrument during the course of a study refers to:

A) statistical regression
B) experimental mortality
C) instrumentation
D) history

Question 54

Which describes the type of treatment given to a control group in an experiment?

A) the experimental treatment
B) many treatments
C) no treatment or standard treatment
D) similar to the treatment given to the experimental group

Question 55

The tendency of subjects to react to a known or believed stimulus in the predicted manner is called:

A) domino effect
B) regression effect
C) diffusion effect
D) placebo effect

Question 56

Which of the following is not a necessary step in resolving the causality problem?

A) establish that a relationship exists
B) exclude rival causal factors
C) elimination of all sources of error
D) specification of the time order of relationships

Question 57

Which of the following is not an example of a longitudinal design?

A) trend
B) cohort
C) ex post facto
D) panel

Question 58

The Kansas City gun experiment found that special efforts to confiscate guns had little impact on the gun-related crime rate.

Question 59

Evaluations of shock incarceration did not show a significant reduction in recidivism among boot camp alumnae.

Question 60

Experiments are excellent in controlling for internal validity.

Question 61

What was the major explanation for the widespread acceptance of the results of the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experi ment by the U.S.law enforcement community?

A) the replications which confirmed the Minneapolis findings
B) the very aggressive dissemination of the study's findings
C) the liberal tenor of the times
D) the popularity of proactive patrol

Question 62

refers to other specific events that may have taken place during the course of the study and may have produced the results.

Question 63

is the tendency of groups that have been selected for study on the basis of extreme high or low scores to regress or move toward the average on second testing.

Question 64

Other events besides the treatment variable which may occur during the course of an experiment are called:

A) maturation
B) selection bias
C) history
D) Hawthorne effect

Question 65

point to the tendency of pretests to destroy the naïveté of respondents with respect to the study's purpose.

Question 66

The group that does not receive the treatment in an experiment is called:

A) experimental group
B) control group
C) matched group
D) random group

Question 67

involves changes in the measuring instrument during the course of a study.

Question 68

The tendency of subjects who are aware that they are being observed to behave unnaturally is known as:

A) reactivity
B) reciprocity
C) radioactivity
D) stereoactivity

Question 69

When the control group learns about and initiates the experimental group is called:

A) masking effects
B) diffusion of treatment
C) regression effects
D) experimental mortality

Question 70

Which of the following was not mentioned as a disadvantage of experiments?

A) obtaining proper human subjects
B) ethical considerations
C) artificiality
D) too qualitative

Question 71

Which of the following was not identified as an advantage of experiments?

A) offer best control for factors threatening internal validity
B) are superior to other types of data gathering
C) are relatively quick and inexpensive
D) are manageable

Question 72

Observer bias in which observers follow an initial tendency to rate certain objects or persons and use this rating for all subsequent ratings is known as:

A) Hawthorne effect
B) placebo effect
C) halo effect
D) reactivity

Question 73

refers to the dropping out or loss of subjects during the course of a study.

Question 74

The decline of treatment effect on the experimental group after treatment is known as:

A) diffusion of treatment
B) criterion problems
C) masking effects
D) erosion of treatment effect

Question 75

refers to biological or psychological changes in the respondents during the course of study that are not due to the experimental variable.

Question 76

The experimental group:

A) is the same as the control group
B) controls for rival causal factors
C) is exposed to the dependent variable
D) is exposed to the treatment variable

Question 77

The classic experimental design involves:

A) two experimental groups and one control group
B) one experimental group and one control group
C) a post test only experimental process
D) one experimental group and two control groups

Question 78

A design in which neither the subjects nor the people admin istering the test are aware of which group is the experimen tal group and which group is the control group is called:

A) double?blind experiment
B) cross?sectional design
C) panel design
D) field experiment

Question 79

occurs when researchers choose nonequivalent groups for comparison.

Question 80

are any variables other than X (the treatment) that may be responsible for the relationship.