Deck 12: Selecting the Research Method

Question 1

Research design refers to the guidelines and procedures outlined for conducting a study and thereby addressing a research question.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The selection of a research design weighs heavily on multiple forms of validity, except for internal validity, which is a factor independent of design considerations.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Construct validity includes the degree to which a construct is operationalized in psychometric research.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In experimental design, subjects are assigned to one of two or more condition groups based on multiple criteria as selected by the investigator (e.g., subject demographics).

Question 5

A two-group posttest-only randomized experiment relies on groups being probabilistically equivalent.

Question 6

Blinding enhances the validity of an experiment's design.

Question 7

Which of the following would not be included as a measure of statistical conclusion validity?

A) Proposition significance
B) Statistical power
C) Effect size
D) Statistical significance

Question 8

Which of the following would be considered a threat to statistical conclusion validity?

A) Biased sample regarding treatment
B) Nonreplicable events experienced by participants
C) Nonreplicable study/laboratory context
D) Limits to the reliability of interventions performed

Question 9

Which of the following would be considered a threat to internal validity?

A) Selection bias
B) Statistical power
C) Effect size
D) Improper use of statistical tests

Question 10

Which of the following would not be included as a threat to construct validity?

A) Expectancy effects
B) Interaction effects
C) Maturation
D) Testing anxiety

Question 11

Which best describes a no-treatment control group?

A) A control condition group in which a group of individuals receive a placebo
B) A control condition group in which a group of individuals have independently withdrawn from or have been deliberately withdrawn from treatment for purposes of the study
C) A control condition group in which a group of individuals receive what is considered to be the usual standard of care for their particular impairment
D) A control condition group in which a group of individuals are put on a wait list and then receive the treatment a period of time after the treatment group has already received the treatment

Question 12

Which best describes a two-group pretest-posttest design?

A) Participants are assigned to either a treatment group or a no-treatment control group, with measures being taken for both groups after the intervention is administered to determine if they differ on the desired outcome.
B) Participants are assigned to a treatment group, with measures being taken for the group before and after the intervention is administered to determine if they differ on the desired outcome.
C) Participants are assigned to a treatment group, with measures being taken after the intervention is administered to determine if there is an effect on the desired outcome.
D) Participants are assigned to either a treatment group or a no-treatment control group, with measures being taken for both groups before and after the intervention is administered to determine if they differ on the desired outcome.

Question 13

In comparison to an experimental design, quasi-experimental designs have an additional threat to validity through introducing the risk of producing:

A) Selection biases
B) Interaction effects
C) Effect size
D) Expectancy effects

Question 14

A correlational study that is purely descriptive or observational, in which variables that are thought to be associated with one another are analyzed statistically, best describes:

A) Quasi-experimental designs
B) Nonexperimental designs
C) Qualitative designs
D) Experimental designs

Question 15

Phenomenology is:

A) A method of investigation in which an individual's significant subjective experience is described through first-person narrative, without reference to theory or knowledge from other discipline perspectives
B) A method of investigation that examines the societal and cultural context that shapes meaning and behavior for a cultural group
C) A study that examines the effects of an intervention on a single individual over time with no control
D) A theoretical understanding of a phenomenon by extracting meaning from social interactions