Question 1

In comparison to the single-group before-after design, the comparison-group before-after design

Accepted Answer

The comparison-group before-after design includes a control group, which helps to account for external events (history) that might affect the outcome, thus controlling for history threats.

Question 2

Which of the following represents an example of regression to the mean?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following represents an example...

Question 3

A researcher studies the cognitive development of children by measuring kindergarten, fourth grade, and seventh grade children. Which type of design is being used?

Accepted Answer

The researcher is studying different age groups at one point in time, which is characteristic of a cross-sectional design. This approach allows for the comparison of different age groups without following the same individuals over time.

Question 4

A limitation of program evaluation research is its

Accepted Answer

Program evaluation research often lacks random assignment to conditions because it evaluates programs in real-world settings where participants cannot always be randomly assigned to different conditions or interventions. This can limit the ability to infer causality from the findings.

Question 5

Which of the following is true regarding the participant-variable design?

Accepted Answer

Participant-variable designs involve variables that are inherent to the participants, such as age, gender, or personality traits, which cannot be manipulated by the researcher. This makes it difficult to draw causal conclusions, as the direction of the relationship between the participant variable and the dependent variable cannot be definitively established.

Question 6

A design in which behavior is initially measured during a baseline period, measured again after the intervention of interest begins, and then measured once more after the intervention is removed is called a

Accepted Answer

A reversal design, also known as an ABAB design, involves observing behavior before and after the implementation of an intervention, and then again after the intervention is removed to assess its effects.

Question 7

A design in which behavior is initially measured during a baseline period, and then measured again after the intervention of interest begins, is called a

Accepted Answer

A single group before-after design is a design in which behavior is initially measured during a baseline period, and then measured again after the intervention of interest begins.

Question 8

Which of the following could not represent a participant variable?

Accepted Answer

Participant variables are characteristics inherent to the participants that are not manipulated by the experimenter. Parenting style, years of education, and spatial ability are all inherent characteristics. Manipulated mood state, however, is not inherent and is instead something experimentally manipulated, making it not a participant variable.

Question 9

It is most accurate to say that

Accepted Answer

Quasi-experimental designs, while not as rigorous as true experiments due to the lack of random assignment, can still be used to infer causal relationships. They often face threats to internal validity but are valuable in settings where true experiments are impractical or unethical.

Question 10

A flight instructor notices a particularly unusual phenomenon. Every time one of her students has a particularly excellent flight, she praises them for it. And she notices that the next time the student flies, he or she ends up doing worse. On the other hand, every time one of her students has a particularly poor flight, she criticizes them, and the next time they do better. What phenomenon might the instructor be seeing?

Accepted Answer

The instructor is likely observing "regression to the mean," a statistical phenomenon where extreme performances (either good or bad) tend to be followed by more average performances. This is because the extreme performance is partly due to random factors that are unlikely to be replicated exactly, leading to a more average performance on subsequent attempts.

Question 11

An advantage of a single-participant design is that

Accepted Answer

Single-participant designs allow for the observation of behavior changes over time, providing a detailed view of how interventions affect an individual. This is particularly useful in fields like clinical psychology and education, where individual variability is significant.

Question 12

An experimental design in which the dependent measure is assessed for one or more groups of individuals more than twice, at regular intervals, both before and after the experience of interest occurs is called a

Accepted Answer

A time-series design involves assessing the dependent measure multiple times before and after an intervention or experience of interest, allowing for the observation of patterns or changes over time.

Question 13

A study that assesses how a patient with a leg fracture responds to a new physical therapy program is an example of a

Accepted Answer

This study is an example of a single-participant design because it focuses on the response of one patient to a new physical therapy program, examining the effects of the intervention on that individual over time.

Question 14

Regression to the mean causes interpretive difficulties when

Accepted Answer

Regression to the mean can cause interpretive difficulties when there is not initial equivalence between the groups because it can lead to misleading conclusions about the effects of an intervention or treatment.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a single-group research design?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an example...

Question 16

A researcher is unable to retest some of his participants in a before-after design because they have dropped out of the program. This is an example of a(n) ________threat.

Accepted Answer

Attrition threat refers to the issue of participants dropping out of a study over time, which can affect the validity of the results, especially in before-after design studies.

Question 17

A study of parenting styles across generations samples groups of participants at ages five, fifteen, and twenty at the same time. Which of the following terms best describes this design?

Accepted Answer

This study design is cross-sectional because it examines different age groups at one point in time, rather than following the same group over a period of time.

Question 18

Time-series designs

Accepted Answer

Time-series designs involve repeated measurements over time to assess the impact of an intervention or to observe changes. This allows for the analysis of patterns, trends, or changes in the data across different time points.

Question 19

A student gets a 99 out of 100 on her first quiz in a psychology class, but gets only a 91 on the next quiz. This is a likely example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of regression to the mean, which is a statistical phenomenon where if a variable is extreme on its first measurement, it will tend to be closer to the average on its second measurement. The student's score decreased from an exceptionally high score towards the average.

Question 20

Which of the following is least likely to be a threat to validity in a single-group before-after design?

Accepted Answer

Selection is least likely to be a threat in a single-group before-after design because there is no comparison group from which participants are selected differently. This design involves observing the same group of participants before and after an intervention, so selection bias related to forming comparison groups does not apply.

Quiz 14: Quasi-Experimental Research Designs