Question 1

A cross-sectional design comparing three different ages would require three separate groups of participants.

Accepted Answer

A cross-sectional design involves comparing different groups of participants at the same time, rather than following the same group over time. Therefore, to compare three different age groups, three separate groups of participants would be needed.

Question 2

In a cross-sectional developmental study, age would be the quasi-independent variable.

Accepted Answer

In a cross-sectional study, the researcher is examining and comparing different age groups at a single point in time. Therefore, age would be the quasi-independent variable as it is not manipulated but rather observed and compared across the different groups.

Question 3

The internal validity of the Pre-post designs is threatened by threats related to time.

Accepted Answer

Pre-post designs rely on the assumption that there are no other important events or changes happening in the time between pre-test and post-test. Therefore, any events that could affect the outcome during this time (e.g. historical events, maturation, or regression to the mean) can threaten the internal validity of the study.

Question 4

The Pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design reduces the threat of individual differences and limits time-related threats and therefore is a quasi-experimental design.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. The pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design is a quasi-experimental design that helps reduce the influence of individual differences by using a control group and measuring the outcome variable both before and after the intervention. It also helps limit time-related threats such as history, maturation, and testing effects.

Question 5

A Pretest-posttest study is an example of a nonequivalent groups design.

Accepted Answer

A pretest-posttest study typically involves measuring the same participants before and after an intervention, not comparing different groups without ensuring equivalence, which is characteristic of a nonequivalent groups design.

Question 6

A research study that compared married men, divorced men, and single adult men is an example of the differential research design.

Accepted Answer

Differential research design involves comparing two or more groups to identify differences between them. In this case, the three groups being compared are married men, divorced men, and single adult men.

Question 7

The changes that occur as a person ages from child to adult to elderly are called cohort effects.

Accepted Answer

Cohort effects refer to differences in experiences or influences among individuals of different age groups, rather than the developmental changes that occur within the individual over time.

Question 8

A differential research design comes closer to being a true experiment that other similar designs.

Accepted Answer

A differential research design is non-experimental and involves comparing pre-existing groups, lacking random assignment and manipulation of variables, which are essential for a true experiment.

Question 9

The posttest-only nonequivalent control group design comes close to being a true experiment and is therefore is a quasi-experimental design.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The posttest-only nonequivalent control group design comes...

Question 10

Differential research is an example of the quasi-experimental research strategy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Differential research is an example of the...

Question 11

Nonexperimental studies always contain a threat to internal validity, which means that these studies cannot establish unambiguous cause-and-effect relationships.

Accepted Answer

Nonexperimental studies lack control over extraneous variables and therefore cannot establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship.

Question 12

The nonexperimental research strategy makes little to no effort to control threats to internal validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nonexperimental research strategy makes little to...

Question 13

Quasi-experimental studies attempt to minimize threats to validity but nonexperimental studies make little or no attempt.

Accepted Answer

Quasi-experimental studies attempt to control for extraneous variables, use comparison groups, and randomize to some extent in order to reduce threats to validity. Nonexperimental studies, on the other hand, do not typically manipulate variables or include comparison groups, and thus make less effort to minimize threats to validity.

Question 14

History effects occur in nonequivalent group designs because the groups probably have different participant characteristics.

Accepted Answer

History effects refer to events that occur during the course of a study which may affect the outcomes, not differences in participant characteristics between groups.

Question 15

One group is measured before and after a treatment in a typical Pre-post study.

Accepted Answer

In a pre-post study, one group is measured before and after a treatment.

Question 16

In a Pretest-posttest design, a researcher makes multiple observations before and after the introduction of a treatment.

Accepted Answer

A Pretest-posttest design typically involves only one observation before and one observation after the treatment, not multiple observations.

Question 17

Nonexperimental research typically involves looking at differences between preexisting groups or at changes that occur over time.

Accepted Answer

Nonexperimental research is focused on observing and describing existing phenomena, without manipulating any variables. Therefore, it is common to look at preexisting groups or changes that occur over time to draw conclusions from the data collected.

Question 18

If a study generates non-numerical data, a chi-square test for independence should be used for analysis.

Accepted Answer

A chi-square test for independence is appropriate for analyzing non-numerical data, such as categorical or nominal data. It allows for the comparison of observed frequencies to expected frequencies and determines if they are significantly different.

Question 19

A researcher in Mississippi measured visits to the school counselor for a group of students for three weeks in the spring. In the fall, immediately after a major hurricane, the researcher again measured the students' counselor visits to see if there had been any change. This researcher is using an interrupted time-series design.

Accepted Answer

An interrupted time-series design involves measuring a group's outcome variable over time, introducing a treatment or event that is expected to influence the outcome, and then measuring the outcome variable again over time. In this case, the major hurricane is the event that interrupted the time series, making it an interrupted time-series design.

Question 20

The time-series design is an example of the quasi-experimental research strategy.

Accepted Answer

The time-series design is a method of collecting data over time in order to observe trends or changes in a phenomenon. It is a type of quasi-experimental research design because it lacks random assignment of participants to treatment or control groups. Instead, the same participants or groups are measured at multiple time points to assess how they change over time, and these changes can be compared to other factors in order to infer causality.

Quiz 10: The Nonexperimental and Quasi-Experimental Strategies: Nonequivalent Group, Prepost, and Developmental Designs