Question 1

How does a researcher who conducts a small-N design address external validity concerns about his study?
A)Triangulates his findings with other findings
B)Runs more small-N studies with similar participants
C)Runs more small-N studies with the same participants
D)Runs a large-N study before running a small-N study

Accepted Answer

Triangulating findings with other studies can help increase external validity by showing that the findings are consistent across different settings or populations. Running more small-N studies with similar or same participants would not necessarily increase external validity if the participants are not representative of the population of interest. Running a large-N study before running a small-N study is not always feasible or necessary, and may not address external validity concerns if the large-N study is not representative of the population of interest.

Question 2

In quasi-experimental designs, the researcher does not have experimental control over the independent variable and does not randomly assign participants to conditions. This results in which of the following?
A)The researcher being unable to rule out any threats to internal validity
B)A study that is no different than a correlational design
C)A weaker causal claim than a true experiment
D)An unethical study

Accepted Answer

Quasi-experimental designs have weaker causal claims than true experiments because the researcher has less control over the independent variable and cannot randomly assign participants to conditions. While the researcher can attempt to control extraneous variables and make causal inferences, the lack of experimental control and randomization makes these claims weaker.

Question 3

Which of the following is a difference between small-N and large-N designs?
A)Large-N designs have the power to detect large effect sizes, while small-N designs can only detect small effects.
B)Statistical validity is stronger in large-N designs, while generalizability is more important in small-N designs.
C)Large-N studies typically gather less information about participants than small-N designs.
D)It is not possible to maintain experimental control in small-N studies, whereas it is in large-N studies.

Accepted Answer

Large-N studies often focus on broader patterns and trends across many participants, while small-N designs gather detailed information about fewer participants.

Question 4

Which of the following is a difference between participants in small-N designs compared to large-N designs?
A)Large-N designs only generalize to the population from which participants are drawn, whereas small-N designs generalize to the larger population.
B)Large-N designs benefit from having diverse populations, while small-N designs typically use normative samples.
C)Large-N designs prioritize having a large sample over sampling procedures, while small-N designs focus on sampling procedures.
D)Large-N designs are more concerned with selecting representative participants, while small-N designs focus on unique cases.

Accepted Answer

Small-N designs focus on unique cases and are often used to investigate rare or extreme cases, while large-N designs aim to select representative participants for generalization to a larger population.

Question 5

List the three differences between small-N and large-N designs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of List the three differences between small-N and...

Question 6

In small-N designs, each participant is treated:
A)with multiple interventions.
B)by a clinical psychologist.
C)as a data point.
D)as a separate experiment.

Accepted Answer

In small-N designs, each participant is treated as a separate experiment, allowing for detailed observation and analysis of the effects of interventions on an individual basis.

Question 7

Provide a reason a researcher might want to conduct a small-N design. Provide a reason why a researcher might want to avoid conducting a small-N design.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Provide a reason a researcher might want...

Question 8

Which of the following people would be of most interest for a small-N design?
A)A college student
B)A person suffering from a cold
C)A person diagnosed with schizophrenia
D)A psychology student

Accepted Answer

Small-N designs are typically used to study individuals or small groups, often with unique characteristics or conditions. As such, the person diagnosed with schizophrenia would be the most appropriate choice for a small-N design as this condition is often studied on an individual level. The other options do not necessarily involve individual variations that would warrant a small-N design.

Question 9

Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether joining a fraternity/sorority causes people to become more concerned about their attractiveness and appearance. He recruits a group of 55 freshmen (25 males, 30 females) who are planning to go through fraternity/sorority recruitment on his campus. After they join, he gives them a measure of attractiveness concern/appearance concern (the Body Concern Scale, where higher scores indicate higher body concerns).
As the study is described, explain a selection threat that may be present in Dr. Fletcher's study. What could Dr. Fletcher do to address this threat?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether...

Question 10

In a nonequivalent control group interrupted time series design, the independent variable is studied as:
A)a dependent variable as well.
B)both a repeated measures variable and an independent-groups variable.
C)a guarantee of internal validity.
D)frequently as possible.

Accepted Answer

In a nonequivalent control group interrupted time series design, the independent variable is studied as both a repeated measures variable and an independent-groups variable. The groups are not equivalent, which is the reason for the use of a control group. The time series design allows for the measurement of both the dependent and independent variables over time.

Question 11

Researchers may be interested in how a variable changes over the course of a major event that is scheduled outside of experimental control. This is called:
A)nonequivalent control group design.
B)wait-list design.
C)reversal design.
D)interrupted time-series design.

Accepted Answer

Interrupted time-series design is typically used when the researcher cannot control the event, which is expected to impact the study variable. This design involves measuring the variable before and after the event and comparing the changes in the variable to assess the impact of the event.

Question 12

Which of the following topics would be especially well suited to a quasi-experimental design?
A)Does therapy improve coping skills following exposure to a natural disaster?
B)Does watching violent movies cause increases in acceptability of aggression?
C)Does parent-training therapy lead to better parenting skills?
D)Do people diagnosed with a mental illness have poorer social abilities?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following topics would be...

Question 13

Which of the following is an advantage of small-N designs over large-N designs?
A)Small-N designs take advantage of unique cases.
B)Small-N designs have better experimental control.
C)Small-N designs generalize to larger groups of individuals.
D)Small-N designs have fewer threats to internal validity.

Accepted Answer

Small-N designs allow for a more in-depth analysis of unique cases or individuals, which can provide valuable insights that may not be captured in large-N designs.

Question 14

Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether joining a fraternity/sorority causes people to become more concerned about their attractiveness and appearance. He recruits a group of 55 freshmen (25 males, 30 females) who are planning to go through fraternity/sorority recruitment on his campus. After they join, he gives them a measure of attractiveness concern/appearance concern (the Body Concern Scale, where higher scores indicate higher body concerns).
In addition to measuring the group of participants who joined a fraternity/sorority, Dr. Fletcher decides to give the same measure to another group of 55 participants who decided to not join a fraternity/sorority. Based on the results below, explain whether Dr. Fletcher should be concerned about a history threat to internal validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether...

Question 15

Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether joining a fraternity/sorority causes people to become more concerned about their attractiveness and appearance. He recruits a group of 55 freshmen (25 males, 30 females) who are planning to go through fraternity/sorority recruitment on his campus. After they join, he gives them a measure of attractiveness concern/appearance concern (the Body Concern Scale, where higher scores indicate higher body concerns).
Explain why Dr. Fletcher is conducting a quasi-experimental design rather than a true experiment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether...

Question 16

Explain why quasi-experiments offer a trade-off between internal validity and external validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why quasi-experiments offer a trade-off between...

Question 17

Lara is conducting a study for her research methods class. She is curious if participating in a collegiate study-abroad program causes people to become more accepting of other cultures. Provide an example of an independent-groups quasi-experimental design and an example of a within-groups quasi-experimental design using Lara's research question.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Lara is conducting a study for her...

Question 18

Explain why quasi-experiments and correlational studies can be seen as similar but why quasi-experiments are superior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why quasi-experiments and correlational studies can...

Question 19

Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether joining a fraternity/sorority causes people to become more concerned about their attractiveness and appearance. He recruits a group of 55 freshmen (25 males, 30 females) who are planning to go through fraternity/sorority recruitment on his campus. After they join, he gives them a measure of attractiveness concern/appearance concern (the Body Concern Scale, where higher scores indicate higher body concerns).
In addition to measuring the group of participants who joined a fraternity/sorority, Dr. Fletcher decides to give the same measure to another group of 55 participants who decided to not join a fraternity/sorority. Based on the results below, explain whether Dr. Fletcher should be concerned about a maturation threat to internal validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether...

Question 20

Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether joining a fraternity/sorority causes people to become more concerned about their attractiveness and appearance. He recruits a group of 55 freshmen (25 males, 30 females) who are planning to go through fraternity/sorority recruitment on his campus. After they join, he gives them a measure of attractiveness concern/appearance concern (the Body Concern Scale, where higher scores indicate higher body concerns).
In addition to measuring the body concern of the participants who joined a fraternity/sorority immediately before and immediately after they join, Dr. Fletcher measures them for the 3 weeks before and the 3 weeks after. Based on the results below, explain whether Dr. Fletcher should be concerned about a testing threat to internal validity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Dr. Fletcher is interested in understanding whether...

Quiz 13: Quasi-Experiments and Small-N Designs

How does a researcher who conducts a small-N design address external validity concerns about his study?

In quasi-experimental designs, the researcher does not have experimental control over the independent variable and does not randomly assign participants to conditions. This results in which of the following?

Which of the following is a difference between small-N and large-N designs?

Which of the following is a difference between participants in small-N designs compared to large-N designs?

List the three differences between small-N and large-N designs.

In small-N designs, each participant is treated:

Provide a reason a researcher might want to conduct a small-N design. Provide a reason why a researcher might want to avoid conducting a small-N design.

Which of the following people would be of most interest for a small-N design?

In a nonequivalent control group interrupted time series design, the independent variable is studied as:

Researchers may be interested in how a variable changes over the course of a major event that is scheduled outside of experimental control. This is called:

Which of the following topics would be especially well suited to a quasi-experimental design?

Which of the following is an advantage of small-N designs over large-N designs?

Explain why quasi-experiments offer a trade-off between internal validity and external validity.

Explain why quasi-experiments and correlational studies can be seen as similar but why quasi-experiments are superior.