Question 1

During the process of designing a research study, you defend an argument for the importance of conducting the study and have provided a strong rational for the theory applied. What type of validity are you displaying?

Accepted Answer

Logical validity refers to the soundness of the argument and rationale for conducting the study, ensuring that the theory applied is appropriate and well-justified.

Question 2

Which of the following types of data is represented by the ranking of your favourite hobbies from most favourite to least favourite?

Accepted Answer

Ordinal data is used to represent rankings or ordered relationships between data points without implying a fixed distance between them, which matches the description of ranking hobbies from most to least favourite.

Question 3

Your professor has assigned a project where you are required to replicate the findings from a previously conducted research project. After completing the project, you determine that you are unable to replicate the results. This could represent an issue related to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure or experiment. If you cannot replicate the results of a study, it suggests an issue with reliability. Construct validity involves the accuracy of the operationalization of variables, meaning whether the study measures what it intends to. Failure to replicate could also indicate problems with how constructs were operationalized, thus affecting construct validity. Logical validity is not a standard term in this context, making options B and D (which includes A and C) the correct choices.

Question 4

Ordinal data and interval data both involve quantities that are ordered. What is the distinguishing characteristic between the two?

Accepted Answer

Interval data involve known and equal intervals between values, unlike ordinal data, which only indicate order without precise differences between levels.

Question 5

A wash-out period is important for which type of study design?

Accepted Answer

A wash-out period is crucial in repeated-measures designs to prevent carry-over effects from one treatment condition to the next, ensuring that each treatment's effect is measured independently.

Question 6

If you wanted to complete a study comparing adolescent, middle age, and senior adult health related behaviours, which sampling method would be most beneficial to ensure that there is an equal representation of each age group?

Accepted Answer

Stratified random sampling is the most beneficial method for ensuring equal representation of each age group in a study comparing different age groups' health-related behaviors. This method involves dividing the population into distinct subgroups (strata) based on a specific characteristic, such as age, and then randomly selecting samples from each subgroup. This ensures that each age group is adequately represented in the sample.

Question 7

You are studying a group of individuals and have assigned them to an intervention group; however, there is no other group to compare to the intervention group. What type of experiment does this represent?

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes a pre-experimental design, specifically because it involves an intervention but lacks a comparison or control group, which is a key characteristic of pre-experimental studies. True experiments require both an intervention group and a control group to establish causality.

Question 8

You want to do a study on a group of physiotherapists. While you are visiting your physiotherapist, you ask if they could connect with their friends to participate in the study. What kind of sampling method is this?

Accepted Answer

Snowball sampling involves participants recruiting other participants from among their friends or acquaintances, which is what's described in the scenario.

Question 9

In a simple between-groups design, it is important to randomize participants to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

In a simple between-groups design, participants are randomized to different conditions to ensure that each group is comparable and to minimize bias. The order of conditions is not a factor since each participant is exposed to only one condition.

Question 10

Which statement is false regarding a repeated-measures design?

Accepted Answer

In a repeated-measures design, the same group of participants is exposed to all levels of the independent variable, rather than having separate control and experimental groups. This is what differentiates it from a between-groups design.

Question 11

You are at the gym and are interested in determining the popularity of the treadmill machines versus the elliptical machines. As such, you decide to do a frequency count of the number of people using a treadmill compared to an elliptical. This is an example of what data collection tool?

Accepted Answer

Observation is the correct answer because you are directly watching and recording the behavior of gym-goers as they choose between treadmills and ellipticals, without interacting with them or asking for their input.

Question 12

A single-subjects design consists of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A single-subjects design involves observing a single person or a small group over time, often including a phase without intervention and phases with intervention (treatment), to assess changes in behavior or conditions attributable to the treatment.

Question 13

What do non-experimental research designs often do?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What do non-experimental research designs often do?
...

Question 14

What kind of sampling do snowball sampling, quota sampling, and expert sampling reflect?

Accepted Answer

Snowball, quota, and expert sampling are all types of purposive sampling, where participants are selected based on particular characteristics relevant to the research, rather than at random.

Question 15

If you wanted to reduce selection bias, which sampling method would you not use?

Accepted Answer

Non-probability sampling is more likely to introduce selection bias because it does not give all members of the population an equal chance of being selected. Methods like stratified random sampling, systematic sampling, and random selection are designed to reduce selection bias by ensuring a more representative sample.

Question 16

You need to collect a wide range of variables for your research project and you want to use measures that assess anxiety, depression scores, physical activity levels, and physical activity preference. What method of data collection typically involves a mix of rating scales?

Accepted Answer

Surveys, such as questionnaires, often use a mix of rating scales to assess various variables like anxiety, depression scores, physical activity levels, and preferences. This method allows for the collection of a wide range of data efficiently.

Question 17

Which of the following is a data-collection tool that relies on specific responses and close-ended answers?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is a data-collection...

Question 18

Most researchers aim to generalize their research findings to a population of people. However, it is unlikely to have access to the whole population of people due to a variety of reasons, such as demographics. The restricted group of people who can be connected to the study is called which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The sampling frame is the actual list of individuals from which a sample is drawn. It is a representation of the larger population that researchers aim to study, and it defines the parameters within which the study can generalize its findings.

Question 19

Discrete data include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Discrete data refer to data points that are distinct and separate, which can be counted. Nominal and ordinal data are types of categorical data, which fit into the discrete data category because they represent categories with a finite number of distinct groups. Nominal data represent categories without any order, while ordinal data represent categories that can be ordered or ranked. Interval data, on the other hand, is a type of continuous data that does not fit into the discrete category because it represents measurements on a scale with equal intervals between points, but without a true zero point, making it inappropriate to count as discrete.

Question 20

Threats related to the participations, such as maturation, selection bias, and experimental drop-out, are typically related to what kind of decreased validity?

Accepted Answer

These threats directly impact the study's ability to establish a cause-and-effect relationship, which is central to internal validity. They can introduce systematic differences between groups or changes in participants that are not related to the experimental manipulation.

Quiz 4: Quantitative Study Design