Question 1

Surveys consist primarily of ______.

Accepted Answer

Surveys primarily consist of closed-ended questions, which allow for easy quantification and analysis of responses.

Question 2

You are conducting applied research for a nonprofit. You got a grant to do the research, so you have a decent budget, and you have several months to collect the data. Your population is military veterans who served for the 50 years between 1960 and 2015. You want to ask them questions related to their experiences with PTSD. You are especially interested in reaching low-income and homeless veterans, since your literature review suggests they may be more likely to experience untreated PTSD symptoms. Which mode of delivery would be the best choice, given the situation?

Accepted Answer

Face-to-face interviews are likely the best choice as they can help reach low-income and homeless veterans who may not have reliable access to the internet, phones, or stable mailing addresses. This method also allows for building trust and rapport, which can be crucial when discussing sensitive topics like PTSD.

Question 3

You are conducting basic research for a thesis. You are studying attitudes about academic dishonesty among college students. Because this is for a thesis, any costs will have to be paid out-of-pocket by you. Which mode of delivery would be the best choice, given the situation?

Accepted Answer

Using the internet is cost-effective, allows for a wide reach, and is convenient for both the researcher and participants, making it suitable for a thesis with out-of-pocket expenses.

Question 4

You are conducting basic research with the family members of prison inmates about their most recent visit to the prison. You have a small budget for collecting the data. You are particularly interested in how visiting the prison impacts the family members emotionally and financially. Which mode of delivery would be the best choice, given the situation?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are conducting basic research with the...

Question 5

You are conducting applied research for a chain of discount retail stores about their customers' satisfaction with their shopping experience. You have a big budget and a staff to work on the research, but it is important that you get a representative sample of your shoppers. Which mode of delivery would be the best, given the situation?

Accepted Answer

Face-to-face surveys allow for a more controlled environment to ensure a representative sample, especially with a big budget and staff available to conduct the research.

Question 6

You are conducting a follow-up survey of people who participated in conflict mediation during a divorce. You are interested in knowing how their attitudes about mediation have been affected by their participation in the process. You have a small budget but are not in a hurry. Many of the participants chose mediation because they could not afford a divorce attorney, so your population includes many low-income individuals. Which mode of delivery would be best, given the situation?

Accepted Answer

Mail surveys are cost-effective, can reach low-income individuals who may not have reliable internet access, and do not require immediate responses, fitting the budget and time constraints.

Question 7

According to a positivist definition, objectivity means ______.

Accepted Answer

Objectivity in positivism refers to the attempt to remain neutral and not influence the results of a study, ensuring that findings are based solely on empirical evidence.

Question 8

How do positivist researchers test their theories?

Accepted Answer

Positivist researchers test their theories by breaking them down into hypotheses and then collecting data to confirm or disconfirm these hypotheses, following a scientific and empirical approach.

Question 9

The main goal of positivist methodology is to ______.

Accepted Answer

Positivist methodology aims to test hypotheses and theories through empirical observation and experimentation, focusing on objective and quantifiable data.

Question 10

Positivists aim to ______.

Accepted Answer

Positivists aim to generalize their results to a larger population by using objective, quantitative methods to ensure that their findings are applicable beyond the specific study sample.

Question 11

Describe what a hypothesis is and why it's important in survey research.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe what a hypothesis is and why...

Question 12

You are testing the hypothesis: "Children who receive counseling between the ages of 5 and 10 for past trauma are less likely to see a therapist regarding substance abuse later in life than children who receive such counseling for between the ages of 11 and 15." Are you engaging in inductive or deductive research? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are testing the hypothesis: "Children who...

Question 13

What is the relationship between number of children and type of child discipline used by parents? This question is ______.

Accepted Answer

The question seeks to explain the relationship between two variables: the number of children and the type of discipline used, making it explanatory.

Question 14

Which of the following is an appropriate question for survey research?

Accepted Answer

Survey research is a method of collecting data from a sample of people in order to make inferences about a larger population. It is often used to measure the prevalence of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. The question "What is the relationship between social class and job satisfaction?" is an appropriate question for survey research because it can be answered by collecting data from a sample of people and then analyzing the relationship between their social class and their job satisfaction.

Question 15

Seniors who identify themselves as "undecided" about their career goals are more likely to add a second major than are seniors who report being "very clear" about their career goals. Which of the following is NOT a variable in this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Seniors who identify themselves as "undecided" about...

Question 16

Which of the following makes the best hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following makes the best...

Question 17

A local program coordinator at the county juvenile hall has implemented a new rehabilitation program to better serve the youth population. She has hired you to research the effectiveness of their new program. Your research question is: How do graduates of the new rehabilitation program at county juvenile hall evaluate the program's effectiveness in preparing them for life after release? What is an appropriate research objective for this question?

Accepted Answer

The objective is to evaluate the program's effectiveness from the perspective of the graduates, which involves identifying areas that have not met desired outcomes.

Question 18

What are the similarities and differences between hypotheses and research objectives?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the similarities and differences between...

Question 19

Writing survey items constitutes which component of research?

Accepted Answer

Writing survey items is part of operationalizing, which involves defining how to measure concepts in a study.

Question 20

Explain the three steps to operationalizing a variable.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain the three steps to operationalizing a...

Quiz 4: Surveys